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Fender going up again? Or just a sales gimmick?

#41
Actually Bass Central is a super busy place and most of the guys there are very helpful. I always deal with mike he is on our board at michael7777 I think. Grasshopper can be difficult. Sort of like the guy who has worked in a guitar store his whole life and has to talk to every lookylou who wanted to play stairway to heaven ( enter sandman for the younger cats) on a guitar they can't afford he seems jaded. Mike on the other hand is awesome and when Gard worked there he was the bomb. It is a bit intimidating for a mediocre to demo a bass with Beaver or Dave Larue within earshot. Mike and Grasshopper are also incredible players as was Gard.
 
#42
troy mcclure said:
Grasshopper can be difficult. Sort of like the guy who has worked in a guitar store his whole life and has to talk to every lookylou who wanted to play stairway to heaven ( enter sandman for the younger cats) on a guitar they can't afford he seems jaded.
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Then retail isn't the place for him. I can understand how after a certain number of years and dealings with all types of yahoos, that one can 'harden' or develop a blasé attitude toward customers. I also know guys who have been been in retail for 30 plus years who are jaded, but don't wear it on their sleeves and take pride in the fact that they can deal with difficult customers with a smile while balancing their own personal problems. Being "jaded" and experienced are no excuses for lame customer service. Often times too, some guys just don't want to be bothered unless a customer wants to drop 4-10 grand.

Edit: From the looks of it, BC has built a good rep for customer service so lets just call it a "bad day" on their part. As for the price jump, anyone heard anything? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something was lost in translation and Fender will cool its heels, at least for another month or so till I can snag mine, lol
 
#43
Update:We'll see at the end of the month I guess, if ALL Fenders go up, but as a result of Grasshoppers 'only three days left' sales tactic, Bass Central lost at least this potential customer. Astounding in this day and age that some retailers still dont grasp how much better informed customers can be with the advent of such widely available information on the web. The search goes on.
 
#44
petrus61 said:
So we'll see at the end of the month I guess, if ALL Fenders go up, but for Grasshoppers 'only three days left' sales tactic, Bass Central lost at least this potential customer. Astounding in this day and age that some retailers still dont grasp how much better informed customers can be with the advent of such widely available information on the web. The search goes on.
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Even if Fender prices don't go up, maybe he just made a mistake.
 
#45
Joe Murray said:
From my experience, everyone at Bass Central have been always been class acts. If they have a bass you're looking for, I'm sure they'll price match if you found it somewhere else at a lower price.
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The people at basscentral are a class act. Buy from them without thinking too much about it. I've bought on numerous occasions and they're outstanding salespeople.
 
#46
I just got the GC catalog today...holy crap yes the prices went up. The American Standards took a jump too.

The New New AVRI stuff: $2399 for the 70s Jazz the '64 is $2199, not really sure how and why the 70s is so much more.

Well, hell, that's Sadowsky Metro Territory, and I don't have to take off the neck on a Sadowsky to adjust it.

Yeah I'm bummed. These basses are aimed at guys like me...old guys. I had the Ash Jazz with White blocks, bought it in 76 when I was a wee lad. Hell I have a 72 sitting right in front of me.

The price is nutty. Guess the economy is improving. Yeah...woo.
 
#47
Bassmunnky said:
I just got the GC catalog today...holy crap yes the prices went up. The American Standards took a jump too.

The New New AVRI stuff: $2399 for the 70s Jazz the '64 is $2199, not really sure how and why the 70s is so much more.

Well, hell, that's Sadowsky Metro Territory, and I don't have to take off the neck on a Sadowsky to adjust it.

Yeah I'm bummed. These basses are aimed at guys like me...old guys. I had the Ash Jazz with White blocks, bought it in 76 when I was a wee lad. Hell I have a 72 sitting right in front of me.

The price is nutty. Guess the economy is improving. Yeah...woo.
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What did the AmStds go up to?
 
#51
I'm curious what an American Jazz bass cost in 1974. I just ran it through an inflation calculator. $2399 in today's dollar is $516 in 1974 dollars.
The 2399 sounds like a list price, I suspect the street price to be considerably lower. If not, it's Sadowsky time, indeed.
 
#55
Health care cost increase should be minimal for Fender since, as a responsible company, they already covered their employees with Insurance. Shouldn't have been too big a change for them...

"FMIC offers a competitive benefits package which includes medical, dental, 401(k), paid time off, and an equipment purchase program to help you get the band back together."
 
#58
On the flip side, if you bought in early, you're doing good. I can see a counter gripe if Fender lowered their prices by a fair amount. Those who paid full price would be seeing their investments take a bath. Not that these things are really investments per se. But the resale value would be lessened, and that could be a drag.
 

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