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Help! Acoustic B200 Dilemma...

#22
Assuming you have the receipt, and it's under 30 days since purchase, GC will swap it right out.
If it were me I'd call the closest store over the border to make sure they have one in stock.

Syracuse is closer than Buffalo... no?
Guitar Center Syracuse
3150 Erie Blvd East
Dewitt, New York 13214
 
#23
62bass said:
I'm sorry to hear about that. Some of the Acoustic gear can be bought from an on line site and shipped to Canada. I don't know what sort of warranty you get though.

It's really tempting to order gear from the USA because of the price sometimes, but that's the reason I don't do it. I prefer to buy from a Canadian store like L&M, where I pay more, but get good service and they stand behind what they sell.

If you can't find someone to fix it locally, I'd say to hang on to it and wait until a Canadian dealer picks up the Acoustic line. It'll probably happen sooner or later. Then they may be able to help you get it repaired even though you'd likely have to pay for it.


Anyhow, I'm sorry you're out all that money.
Click to expand...

Anyone know of any good amp techs in Ottawa or Eastern Ontario?
 
#24
62bass said:
I'm sorry to hear about that. Some of the Acoustic gear can be bought from an on line site and shipped to Canada. I don't know what sort of warranty you get though.

It's really tempting to order gear from the USA because of the price sometimes, but that's the reason I don't do it. I prefer to buy from a Canadian store like L&M, where I pay more, but get good service and they stand behind what they sell.

If you can't find someone to fix it locally, I'd say to hang on to it and wait until a Canadian dealer picks up the Acoustic line. It'll probably happen sooner or later. Then they may be able to help you get it repaired even though you'd likely have to pay for it.

Anyhow, I'm sorry you're out all that money.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well I knew I was taking a gamble so I have to take some responsibilty but the fact that it worked fine in the store and now doesn't work really is probably pretty rare. GC/Acoustic should be flattered that I thought enough of their product that I was willing to buy it unplayed and from another country. Lesson learned. I'll cross Acoustic off my list as an option now and in the future and recommend all my bass playing friends to stay away from the brand.
 
#25
Even if you have to ship it to the manufacturer, why not do so? They ought to stand behind it even if GC won't. If you have to ship from a US address, work a deal with a US-based friend to be the go-between.

Or - if worst comes to worst - send it to a repair shop and pay for the repair. That might hurt, but it would cost a lot less than a new head.
 
#27
UPDATE: I just spoke with Tyler at the GC in Syracuse and they will do a straight exchange if I can get it there within 30 days of original purchase. I thought Syracuse was alot farther away from me that it actually is (it's only a 3 hour drive) so I think I will go with that option.
 
#28
BulbousMoses said:
UPDATE: I just spoke with Tyler at the GC in Syracuse and they will do a straight exchange if I can get it there within 30 days of original purchase. I thought Syracuse was alot farther away from me that it actually is (it's only a 3 hour drive) so I think I will go with that option.
Click to expand...

When you get there, slip Tyler a tip, too.
 
#29
BulbousMoses said:
UPDATE: I just spoke with Tyler at the GC in Syracuse and they will do a straight exchange if I can get it there within 30 days of original purchase. I thought Syracuse was alot farther away from me that it actually is (it's only a 3 hour drive) so I think I will go with that option.
Click to expand...

Returning this unit is absolutely the correct course of action. While there is no way to account for the treatment of the amp during the long trip from San Diego, if it is not working properly you have 30 days from the purchase date to return for absolutely any reason.:smug:

In addition, you have a 3 year ( not lifetime) warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, without any kind of extended warranty or performance guarantee.

We will handle a defective unit by store exchange, providing there are not obvious signs of abuse or neglect.

Anyway, sorry for the long trek, but believe you will find that the amp is well worth it.:bassist:
 
#30
62bass said:
I'm sorry to hear about that. Some of the Acoustic gear can be bought from an on line site and shipped to Canada. I don't know what sort of warranty you get though.

It's really tempting to order gear from the USA because of the price sometimes, but that's the reason I don't do it. I prefer to buy from a Canadian store like L&M, where I pay more, but get good service and they stand behind what they sell.

If you can't find someone to fix it locally, I'd say to hang on to it and wait until a Canadian dealer picks up the Acoustic line. It'll probably happen sooner or later. Then they may be able to help you get it repaired even though you'd likely have to pay for it.

Anyhow, I'm sorry you're out all that money.
Click to expand...


A very good point! I'm from the Ottawa area as well and shop at L&M and Steve's Music. I'm sorry to hear about the mess you are going through. I wanted to comment more specifically on us Canadian bass players ordering anything from the US and especially online music sites such as Musicians Friend, GC, Music123 etc.

Now the asking prices of most of the stuff they sell is totally tempting initially for us Canadian bass players to order from them. However you got to factor in that in most cases at the end of the day the asking price on the website ends up being WAY more when it finally gets to you. You got to factor in the US/Canadian difference in dollar, then on top of that you have to pay musicians friends(or whomever elses) profits then you have to pay ups' profits on top of all of that. So at the end of the day your $585.00 item just now became a $750.00 item out of your pocket.

They would have retailed the same new item here, in any given music store or small time mom and pop music store, for $800.00 or more and I'm sorry but in my mind your not saving much if any money by ordering from American online music sites given how much you have to pay for the item in question and everything else on top off the so called discounted price.

It's great if you are living there ordering the stuff or have someone to buy it for you there and drive it back to you I suppose but for us we pay at least 1/3 extra price on top of EVERY kind of music item/piece of gear you can think of. Now in the case of my ISP Beta Bass pre-amp, I had no choice BUT to order from Musicians friend because the place that retails ISP is in cornwall was quoting me $800.00+ at least, asking price for that pre-amp, good thing it's the best bass pre-amp of all!. Now again when it came to me at the end of this process it was about $750.00. The starting price was $585.00.(i just used my pre-amp situation as an example for all of this) The $50.00 difference in price quite honestly doesn't change my life in the slightest. I basically still paid $800.00 see what i mean?

For us Canadian bass players were often better off just to buy it in a store like L&M(even though for bass i think they are lacking in selection!) or Steve's Music if we can. Fortunately both L&M and Steve's will price match each other(but only for the EXACT same item) and whatever the guitar, bass or whatever, retails for in the US. Example you buy a $5k+ Spector at Steve's, well they will sell it to you for 5K Canadian and THATS where you save.

If you want to shop online for a Canadian online music store check out axemusic.com. It's basically a Canadian Musicians Friend. They have a store in Edmonton and Calgary(never ordered anything from them) but what you see there is listed in Canadian prices, and you pay one provincial tax on it. They don't have NEAR the selection of what the American sites have but you never know there might be one or two items of interest.

They also have the arrangement of if it's over $199 or some **** like that that, shipping is free etc. Anyways I was going to suggest just going to L&M anyways and asking them but if you already have this situation sort of getting taken care of with GC then you'll probably be alright.

For pricier USA items/product lines and brands that AREN'T offered in any of the stores in Canada here or locally, be prepared to pay the price you would have paid here had it been sold in the store or more if you go it alone and try to order online or from a store in the USA cause that will be the only way you are going to be able to purchase these items. Again depending on the item, that might be the ONLY way you can get what you want.

I know it sucks but that's just how it is here. It's because of this exact situation that Canadians have WAY less access to super boutique bass top end brands, Ie Sadowsky, F-bass(even though it's Canadian, ironically enough), etc. Also the US has like 10 times the population ours so 10 times more the demand for boutique stuff. That and of course most of the retail music stores here make most of their money selling low end cheap Fender, ibanez etc crapolla, equipment rentals and Johnny's first guitar scenarios. Either way i hope this situation gets cleared up for you.
 
#31
Stacknobuser said:
Returning this unit is absolutely the correct course of action. While there is no way to account for the treatment of the amp during the long trip from San Diego, if it is not working properly you have 30 days from the purchase date to return for absolutely any reason.:smug:

In addition, you have a 3 year ( not lifetime) warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, without any kind of extended warranty or performance guarantee.

We will handle a defective unit by store exchange, providing there are not obvious signs of abuse or neglect.

Anyway, sorry for the long trek, but believe you will find that the amp is well worth it.:bassist:
Click to expand...

You're correct to state that there is no way to know what happened on the trip back to Canada. I will say, though, that my friend is a very responsible and honest person and would have told me if anything happened to it while under her watch. I accept that it is possible for something to have cracked or broken loose due to road vibration although I would think that quite a rare event if the unit is properly packed. Anyway, it was purchased in San Diego on December 8th so I have until January 8th to exchange it at GC in Syracuse and that is what I will do. Thanks for the info and heads up, Stacknobuser.
 
#32
ritterbass said:
A very good point! I'm from the Ottawa area as well and shop at L&M and Steve's Music. I'm sorry to hear about the mess you are going through. I wanted to comment more specifically on us Canadian bass players ordering anything from the US and especially online music sites such as Musicians Friend, GC, Music123 etc.

Now the asking prices of most of the stuff they sell is totally tempting initially for us Canadian bass players to order from them. However you got to factor in that in most cases at the end of the day the asking price on the website ends up being WAY more when it finally gets to you. You got to factor in the US/Canadian difference in dollar, then on top of that you have to pay musicians friends(or whomever elses) profits then you have to pay ups' profits on top of all of that. So at the end of the day your $585.00 item just now became a $750.00 item out of your pocket.

They would have retailed the same new item here, in any given music store or small time mom and pop music store, for $800.00 or more and I'm sorry but in my mind your not saving much if any money by ordering from American online music sites given how much you have to pay for the item in question and everything else on top off the so called discounted price.

It's great if you are living there ordering the stuff or have someone to buy it for you there and drive it back to you I suppose but for us we pay at least 1/3 extra price on top of EVERY kind of music item/piece of gear you can think of. Now in the case of my ISP Beta Bass pre-amp, I had no choice BUT to order from Musicians friend because the place that retails ISP is in cornwall was quoting me $800.00+ at least, asking price for that pre-amp, good thing it's the best bass pre-amp of all!. Now again when it came to me at the end of this process it was about $750.00. The starting price was $585.00.(i just used my pre-amp situation as an example for all of this) The $50.00 difference in price quite honestly doesn't change my life in the slightest. I basically still paid $800.00 see what i mean?

For us Canadian bass players were often better off just to buy it in a store like L&M(even though for bass i think they are lacking in selection!) or Steve's Music if we can. Fortunately both L&M and Steve's will price match each other(but only for the EXACT same item) and whatever the guitar, bass or whatever, retails for in the US. Example you buy a $5k+ Spector at Steve's, well they will sell it to you for 5K Canadian and THATS where you save.

If you want to shop online for a Canadian online music store check out axemusic.com. It's basically a Canadian Musicians Friend. They have a store in Edmonton and Calgary(never ordered anything from them) but what you see there is listed in Canadian prices, and you pay one provincial tax on it. They don't have NEAR the selection of what the American sites have but you never know there might be one or two items of interest.

They also have the arrangement of if it's over $199 or some **** like that that, shipping is free etc. Anyways I was going to suggest just going to L&M anyways and asking them but if you already have this situation sort of getting taken care of with GC then you'll probably be alright.

For pricier USA items/product lines and brands that AREN'T offered in any of the stores in Canada here or locally, be prepared to pay the price you would have paid here had it been sold in the store or more if you go it alone and try to order online or from a store in the USA cause that will be the only way you are going to be able to purchase these items. Again depending on the item, that might be the ONLY way you can get what you want.

I know it sucks but that's just how it is here. It's because of this exact situation that Canadians have WAY less access to super boutique bass top end brands, Ie Sadowsky, F-bass(even though it's Canadian, ironically enough), etc. Also the US has like 10 times the population ours so 10 times more the demand for boutique stuff. That and of course most of the retail music stores here make most of their money selling low end cheap Fender, ibanez etc crapolla, equipment rentals and Johnny's first guitar scenarios. Either way i hope this situation gets cleared up for you.
Click to expand...

I would add that in my case, I went to L & M and tried a number of combos but none really were to my liking (with the exception of a used Ampeg B200 combo) To be honest, I knew I was taking a calculated risk buying the Acoustic B200 sight unseen but with all the rave reviews it's getting here and elsewhere online, I felt it would match up well with my Squier VM Tele bass. I think I just got unlucky with this problem. As a Canadian, I would also add that the folks at the Syracuse GC were very friendly and helpful, for what it's worth.
 
#34
Stacknobuser said:
Returning this unit is absolutely the correct course of action. While there is no way to account for the treatment of the amp during the long trip from San Diego, if it is not working properly you have 30 days from the purchase date to return for absolutely any reason.:smug:

In addition, you have a 3 year ( not lifetime) warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, without any kind of extended warranty or performance guarantee.

We will handle a defective unit by store exchange, providing there are not obvious signs of abuse or neglect.

Anyway, sorry for the long trek, but believe you will find that the amp is well worth it.:bassist:
Click to expand...

I've decided to drive to Syracuse on January 3rd to exchange the unit. I will try to get them to hold one for me (hopefully they will agree to this) until I arrive to make the exchange. I'll bring my own bass with me as well. Keeping fingers crossed!
 
#35
BulbousMoses said:
Ok...the backstory: I am Canadian (I live in Ottawa, Ontario). I've been reading many good things about the Acoustic series of amps from GC. They aren't sold here in Canada...however, a friend of mine was going to be in San Diego and agreed to pick up a B200 combo and bring it back to Ottawa for me. About 2 weeks ago, she called me from the GC in San Diego and said "Listen to this" as the sales guy played a few bass lines through MY new amp (it was the floor model). Even over a cell phone, it sounded amazing. Sold.

Fast forward to yesterday when she arrives back from San Diego. The amp, by the way, was properly packed and transported in her Honda CRV. I unpack it and it looks pristine and gorgeous. I plug it in and let it warm up for a few minutes while I go get my bass from upstairs. I plug in my bass and play a note and...it sounds like a distorted mess...almost like the speaker is blown or something. I try another instrument cable thinking that maybe the cable is fried but the same thing. What could the problem be?

And in a worst case scenario, what are my options for exchanging this amp given that it is now 3000 miles away from the store where it was purchased? Or have I just gambled and lost and now have a $400.00 paper weight?? Very dissappointing as this was my Christmas present to myself..
Click to expand...
As an update to this situation: I drove to the GC in Syracuse today and exchanged the combo. I made sure the new one was working properly, played it myself and was satisfied that everything was in working order. So, now I am happily playing it and I have to say, it's a very solid combo. I'll post a full review later after I've spent more time with it. Kudos to Chip and Tyler at GC Sysracuse...they were very helpful.
 
#36
BulbousMoses said:
As an update to this situation: I drove to the GC in Syracuse today and exchanged the combo. I made sure the new one was working properly, played it myself and was satisfied that everything was in working order. So, now I am happily playing it and I have to say, it's a very solid combo. I'll post a full review later after I've spent more time with it. Kudos to Chip and Tyler at GC Sysracuse...they were very helpful.
Click to expand...

I'm glad it worked out well for you. Any trouble getting it back into Canada through Customs?
 
#39
Sorry to hear about your bad news. I have owned the same combo for about a year now and love it, so I went out this past Monday and bought the matching 15inch cab. I pulled it out of the perfectly non-messed up box and heard something rattling around. I too live WAY to far to drive back to GC, so I took a look at it. Found that the horn was hanging out of the box, and didn't even have the holes drilled for it!
I fixed, and it does sound great, but what a pain!

-ScottM
 

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