GUITAR CENTER Scheme's

[SgtHulka]

Here's a sold listing off of Revern for your cab at $400.

Mesa Boogie 2X15 Diesel Bass Cab Mesa Boogie 2x15 Standard Powerhouse Cabinet | Reverb

Here's a non road ready version that sold for two fitty.

Mesa Boogie Diesel 1992 Black Mesa Boogie Diesel 1992 Black | Milo's Boutique


Maybe their estimate of market value isn't way off?

60% of new value on a twenty year old passive ridiculously heavy cab these days is unrealistic. Maybe that's the closest to a "scam" that they came giving you the impression that you could expect that.

Your cab is not worth $600+ dollars. Period. Not in today's market. It doesn't matter what it sold for new 20+ years ago. It's not a "vintage collectable" piece.

The market is going the other way.... lighter and louder. You are evidence of that very fact in that you are trying to go from Mesa Diesel to Markbass.

Sorry about your long drive. They may have given you the wrong impression. But your analysis of today's market value of your cab is at best "optimistic", but likely closer to just blown out of proportion.

I barely JUST sold a BRAND NEW Eden 2x12 XST for 400. Nobody seems to need or want cabs. Your assessment in this post seems to be entirely accurate.

 

[FenderP]

That would have been my response.

FWIW, read through the many threads here from people who got great deals here on TB from suckers who sold an item for less just to keep it in the TB family or simply didn’t realize the value if what they’re selling, not the mention all the people who took advantage of items from retailers that priced an item incorrectly. It’s not just businesses that are out to screw people. There are lots of us here who don’t operate fairly, either.

Still, in the end, the OP was offered a very reasonable price and, not knowing what was actually offered, walked off in a huff and wasting a days worth of driving and possibly more than $50 in gas to make that drive. I’d say OP is then one who screwed himself in this case, not GC.

Let's give OP the benefit of the doubt for a moment here. Even if a GC employee *misspoke* and said something like "up to 60% of the list price when it was new", a simple search would tell them otherwise that's not what they were going to get. It wouldn't take long to figure that out and the nearly six hours of driving may not have had to happen if he wanted/needed to get more out of the deal.

Agree that some people will take advantage of others. It's human nature.

 

[SgtHulka]

Last 2-15 cab I had sold for $100. And I lowered the price by $25 in exchange for help getting it up the stairs and out of my basement.

Did I get ripped off?

I’d have been happy with someone just hauling it off.

LOL. As late as 2008.... I had to dump my 36in Sony regular TV on the side of the road for nothing. I tried to sell it at twenty bucks and no one cares. I don't even know whether citizen got it or it was picked up by the city.

 

[FenderP]

I barely JUST sold a BRAND NEW Eden 2x12 XST for 400. Nobody seems to need or want cabs. Your assessment in this post seems to be entirely accurate.

What I sold to GC I tried to do so for years. I was happy they took it and I got what I wanted in return. The gigs most of us play do not demand massive rigs like that these days.

 

[MynameisMe]

The OP may still be driving home from this attempted trade and can't post ...

 

[chadhargis]

My local guitar center is very transparent about trade ins. They will look up sold eBay auctions and Reverb listings, take an average, and give you 60% of the average value.

 

[SgtHulka]

What I sold to GC I tried to do so for years. I was happy they took it and I got what I wanted in return. The gigs most of us play do not demand massive rigs like that these days.

I'm giging small bars with a single 112 these days. It's the only cab I own.

 

[b_carville]

Alas,no one wants big heavy gear.
I have an Eden 4/10,a Genz Benz XL 4/10 & a Joe Sound EV 15 box that no body wants not even for free.
In my local Sam Ash I've seen Peavey TNT 130's going for $79 & Peavey Combo 300 s for $95.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

That means I could actually play that bass. High Action = Better Tone???

Yeah, I get it. It's a bass guitar with bridge cables, not a Jackson Soloist with Floyd Rose and strings like hairs.

I play with a "high" action too, but the neck relief on that. That can't be good in the long term to have your truss rod set with extreme tension and bending your neck like that.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Not GCs fault that the OP lives far away. I couldn’t even imagine getting entitled over having to drive to Cabelas and not being offered a discount for my troubles. That doesn’t even compute.

 

[nilorius]

If someone calls Guitar Center with questions and you get a answer that you believe there sale reps are experienced and knowledgable in there department. I am not one to complain but after my trip to GC and experience, I am no longer a customer of Guitar Center. (Little Rock, AR). I called Guitar Center in Little Rock. I asked a rep about appraising my equipment. I was told they will pay cash to the seller at 60% of the price of new equipment, providing the equipment is in good to excellent, good condition.
I asked if I could take good quality pictures to send to GC for a close quote as to what I could expect for a quote.
He told me no, that I would have to bring it in. I explained I had a
2 hr:45 min trip to Little Rock with my Mesa Boggie Power House Desiel 2-15 EV road ready (anvil high quality) bass cab, and other equipment to sell. My in tensions were to purchase a 800W Mark Bass combo. $999.99/$1200.99 while I was there. Well I get there, we unloaded my cab. Two sales men right away made comments " wow this is the road read bad boy! They seem very interested. "First Scheme"
One sale rep said we need to test it!. So we headed to the bass section of the store. He placed a Ampeg SVT porta Bass 500 on top, plugged it in. I let him know this cab was in perfect working order and was a bad ass rig. He grabbed a bass but he seem to look for a certain one. He plugged it in and turned up the master full and the gain at 3. Right away it was distorting, I looked at all his knobs and adjusted to all straight up. It was still sounding distorted. Right away, he tells me me speakers were blown! .I told him no way. I asked him if it was a active bass. He said yep. I told him to use a passive bass to try because I told him it sounded like the battery was dead. He grabbed another to plug in, I seen he grabbed another active bass. I said dude, just try a passive bass so we know the battery is not dead. He picked out a passive bass, he plugged it in and it sounded totally awesome. At that point I had second thoughts about trading it in. I told him he should always use a passive to test. But I believe he was trying to use a bass he knew the battery was dead that would cause the speakers to sound blown.
Once he put it through the paces my cabs passed hands down. He rolled it back to the main room to get a price. Those cabs sold for $1800 + for the anvil road ready Desiel Power house model.
Can be biamped or full range. The sales man came to me and said he could only give me $250.00 for my Mesa Boggie hand made in the USA made of aircraft construction techniques. I was like man, you got to be kidding me!
He said he would sell it for $300/$400. He told me that they need to make a profit margin. I told him Guitar Center's profit margins has already took a lost, knowing it took 1 hr 30 minutes for both of them to do everything possible to cut my quote.
I explain to one of the reps that I seen other used equipment that was Chinese cheap built junk for more money compared to my American made Mesa Boggie 2-15 power house. He decided he would not even go up $50 to $300.00
I then replaced the front panel anvil case , locked it down and started to roll it back to my van. He said to me, " I thought you wanted to buy a bass rig?". I said yes, I was very interested in a $999.99 Mark Bass but that $50 you could not come up cost you a big time sale. I could see the look on his face.
I told him I'm done with Guitar Center.
Years ago, I once went to another music store that I had to drive 3 hours. The manager gave me a $30 cut on the price knowing I had to travel that far. Customers always look for deals knowing most of us are just weekend warriors and won't get rich.
Sweet Water has a customer satisfication policy. Guitar Center has a customer screw over policy. And finally my rant is over.
Has any one had a similar experience?

About what markbass 800W combo are you talking about ??

 

[Wasnex]

Speed and convenience, have never been in the vocabulary of anyone at the GC I used to frequent.

I'm sorry the OP had to experience this. But, it's not the exception it's the rule at GC.

I don't buy, trade, sell or let alone walk in their doors.

I'm glad @pcake is treated fairly, unfortunately we can't all go to LA to deal.

The ordeal was done and an offer was made. Speed and convenience would have been taking the $250 and buying the new amp, but the OP didn't sell or buy. So now the used gear has to be disposed of another way. IMHO it would have been faster and more convenient to let GC take it, but YMMV.

I am not a huge fan of GC either. Most of what I buy from them is used gear. You can find decent bargains on older amps and cabs and shipping is often surprisingly cheap. I have a local GC so returns are easy if something is wrong. I haven't visited the local store in several years, in fact since I had to take them a used amp that was damaged due to poor packing.

 

[Bass Man Dan]

It would be interesting to see if someone took the same cab to the same store to see if they tried the "your speakers are blown" trick again, though.

 

[Balog]

Lol ok boomer.

 

[Gasman]

^^^This.

When I Google this cabinet, I find one used one on sale for $600. You can probably expect to convince the seller to come down on that price. I feel like the $250 was a fair offer and the OP is mad because he thought he was going to sell it to them for $1000.

I'm guessing what the phone call discussion went something like this:
OP: I HAVE A BIG MESA CABINET I WANT TO SELL. HOW MUCH WILL YOU GIVE ME!
GC: Well it will depend on the condition, age, and desirability of the gear.
OP: USA MESAAAAAA!!!! DIESELLLLL!
GC: Again it depends on a lot of factors but like new gear might be as much as 60% of the new price or it could be worth nothing.
OP: I SEND PICTURES. YOU CAN SAY ITS LIKE NEW AND WORTH 60% BECAUSE I HAVE TO DRIVE SO FAR!!!
GC: Unfortunately, we cannot give quotes by telephone. You will have to bring the product in for evaluation in person.
OP: OK, I WILL COME NOW!!! GET YOUR MONEY READY!!!

This is possibly the best post I’ve ever read on this forum. I’m still laughing 5 minutes later!

 

[Balog]

OP has serious isovent-guy energy. Love to see his facebook, bet he’s some got some spicy memes on there.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Unrealistic expectations. I feel like that's what the OP has towards GC and even more so towards their staff. Do you really expect some rockers who only work there to get a discount on gear know anything about sales or marketing?

The dude (or dudette) you talked to is probably saving for a Mesa head and will quit soon after. I don't think it's a scheme as he claims and is instead incompetence combined with arrogance.

Don't go to title loan office and complain about the interest rates. You should know better.

 

[LHbassist]

I worked as a guitar repair tech, at Sam Ash Music in Brooklyn, N.Y. I started in late 1979. Moved with that staff to Forest Hills, Queens, and worked for them until 1982. I've also worked in several other retail music stores and repair shops. ALL of them, pay as LITTLE as possible for used gear. As employees at Ash, we were NOT allowed to buy used gear at their cost. Why? Because, that, is how they made their largest profits!
One manager paid an insulting low amount for a Strat and a Twin, and after the poor screwed over seller left- he gloated and boasted of his triumph. I never forgot that. ALWAYS, try to sell your gear privately- or HERE on TB. There is one caveat for the OP to understand- BIG speaker cabs- even 4-10's nowadays, are VERY hard to sell. Nobody want's them. If your cab is over a hundred pounds, forget it. That's just how it is now. I still have a Sunn 2-15 folded horn, and a killer Cerwin-Vega B-36 MF. Nobody wants them. I did a large outdoor festival and still didn't take the Sunn.
Never thought I'd see this happen, but here we are. Now, all my speaker cabs are neo's and less than 50 pounds. I've sold all of the heavier ones, and the really big ones just sit in my bass cab museum.
There's several values that can apply to the same piece of gear. There's the 'market value,' the 'fair trade value' and the 'collector value.'
Assuming your cab is not collectible, it will be market (Ebay- Reverb- music store floor- Craigslist) value.. Fair trade, is what someone, in a retail establishment will offer you on a given day, as credit towards something you want in inventory.
You'll always do better in private transactions/ trades.

 

[ole Jason]

I see guys like OP at my GC pretty regularly. People from way out in the boonies trying to unload ancient gear and expecting to get top dollar for it because they paid out the nose back in 1997. Not going to happen. IIRC GC has set prices for pretty much everything in the system now. It isn't up to the sales people at all what is offered.

 

[Lunatique]

Basically someone didn't bother doing their homework on selling used gear in the 21st century.