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High-End bass amps
- Thread starter krazydog
- Start date
Do you really mean "high end," or "most popular and most sought after?" Those are different animals, perhaps with some overlap.
Those posts about cover it for popular and sought-after, with a few high end choices interspersed.
I'd gladly drive an hour or more to audition some TecAmp or AES gear, which many consider to be high end and are not widely distributed compared to the brands mentioned above.
Oh, thanks for asking and good luck.
Why do you think that is with the Mesa gear. I have to admit our local guitar center has a M6 Carbine, 410 cab and 212cab. All been sitting for over a year.
Been thinking about the M6 and 410 lately. Maybe Ill try to deal when the tax check comes.
Been thinking about the M6 and 410 lately. Maybe Ill try to deal when the tax check comes.
My bass teacher had the bass art and a 4x10. They're beautiful. That's on my bucket list. Some day...
Sounds like you've got your basses, er, bases pretty well covered.
That's a lot of high-end lines to carry. Unless your plan is to be a bass specialty store, some of that stuff may sit for a while before it moves. That's why big chains don't stock a lot of those brands. On the other hand, if I was in the NC area, I'd certainly shop at a store that carried that sort of stock!
That's a lot of high-end lines to carry. Unless your plan is to be a bass specialty store, some of that stuff may sit for a while before it moves. That's why big chains don't stock a lot of those brands. On the other hand, if I was in the NC area, I'd certainly shop at a store that carried that sort of stock!
When I think 'high end' for bass gear I typically think of Glockenklang, Tecamp, Walter Woods, and Aguilar.
From there, it seems that many boutique guitar amp brands build a single bass amp. 65Amps, Divided by 13, Fuchs to name a few.
From there, it seems that many boutique guitar amp brands build a single bass amp. 65Amps, Divided by 13, Fuchs to name a few.
I think Mesa suffers from being viewed as a guitar amp company, and one that specializes in hard rock at that.
Mesas are well built professional amps, but when I've played them alongside other bass only makers, I've felt they had middle of the pack tone and limited versatility with a high end price, which is a shame because I think they make some of the best guitar amps on the market.
To the original question: high end botique bass amps are tough to stock because they are mostly very specialized niche tools. From a business perspective, it doesn't make much sense to physically stock anything but bigger brands -- gk, ampeg, ash down, orange and eden and Aguilar -- unless you are in a major metro area with a big draw or intend to sell online. A lot of guys would love to play a Matamp, for example, to finally hear it, but it's harder to actually sell them without the weight of a known name.
Also remebet that many gigging bassists don't do big amps any more. Me, I use a small combo or else run a good DI into a PA or my own powered speakers.
Mesas are well built professional amps, but when I've played them alongside other bass only makers, I've felt they had middle of the pack tone and limited versatility with a high end price, which is a shame because I think they make some of the best guitar amps on the market.
To the original question: high end botique bass amps are tough to stock because they are mostly very specialized niche tools. From a business perspective, it doesn't make much sense to physically stock anything but bigger brands -- gk, ampeg, ash down, orange and eden and Aguilar -- unless you are in a major metro area with a big draw or intend to sell online. A lot of guys would love to play a Matamp, for example, to finally hear it, but it's harder to actually sell them without the weight of a known name.
Also remebet that many gigging bassists don't do big amps any more. Me, I use a small combo or else run a good DI into a PA or my own powered speakers.
Krazydog, I assume you know your market demographic and your local, regional, and on-line competition. Your choices seem reasonable to me.
If you're primarily a brick-and-mortar operation, you can't sell squat unless you get people INSIDE your store. Expensive high-end gear may not fly out the door, but may very well lure bassists IN through the door thus giving you an opportunity to move less-spendy merchandise such as strings, cables, pedals, a P-bass, a Kustom amp, or maybe even that used Behringer you took on trade a few months back.
What's more, being known for stocking high-end lines adds a bit of prestige and gravitas to your brand and enhances your regional reputation.
All that aside, the two best things you can possibly offer to keep people coming are reasonable prices and stellar customer service.
Agreed. But there are still a lot of people running big, expensive rigs despite this trend and that seems to be substantiated by the traffic on TalkBass.
If you're primarily a brick-and-mortar operation, you can't sell squat unless you get people INSIDE your store. Expensive high-end gear may not fly out the door, but may very well lure bassists IN through the door thus giving you an opportunity to move less-spendy merchandise such as strings, cables, pedals, a P-bass, a Kustom amp, or maybe even that used Behringer you took on trade a few months back.
What's more, being known for stocking high-end lines adds a bit of prestige and gravitas to your brand and enhances your regional reputation.
All that aside, the two best things you can possibly offer to keep people coming are reasonable prices and stellar customer service.
Agreed. But there are still a lot of people running big, expensive rigs despite this trend and that seems to be substantiated by the traffic on TalkBass.
One old brand that is hard to find is Traynor. I have only seen a handful of dealers in the country that carry it.
