Mesa clearance at Guitar Center

[Willy B]

My local GC has an M6 (probably the rackmount version) for $799 and a 4x10 (probably powerhouse standard) for $749. It looks like these are normally $1299 and $1099, respectively, so this is tempting. I currently play through a Markbass LMT800 and 104HF but I'm not completely satisfied with the tone, I think the Mesa might be more for me. I'll definitely take my bass into the store and check it out.

This would seem to be a great deal but, do you think I could possibly negotiate the price further? Any thoughts on or comparisons between the two heads? If I do pull the trigger on this I'll have to trade in or sell the Markbass rig, and I'm guessing I'd lose quite a bit trading it in to GC.

 

[spector_boogie]

That is a sick deal for either of those. I know prices have come down some but my old used M6 was like $750 maybe, so new that's awesome.

 

[chaosMK]

That's a good price for new. You could probably sell your Markbass stuff locally for a lot more than their trade-in (I'd think +50% to what they'd give you). I never trade in.

 

[jaxom]

I got an email from my local GC telling me about these Mesa sales. Problem is My local GC doesn't carry any Mesa equipment. It left me kinda confused. And the email was from someone at that location.

 

[pablomigraine]

My local GC has an M6 (probably the rackmount version) for $799 and a 4x10 (probably powerhouse standard) for $749. It looks like these are normally $1299 and $1099, respectively, so this is tempting. I currently play through a Markbass LMT800 and 104HF but I'm not completely satisfied with the tone, I think the Mesa might be more for me. I'll definitely take my bass into the store and check it out.

This would seem to be a great deal but, do you think I could possibly negotiate the price further? Any thoughts on or comparisons between the two heads? If I do pull the trigger on this I'll have to trade in or sell the Markbass rig, and I'm guessing I'd lose quite a bit trading it in to GC.

I got an email from my local GC telling me about these Mesa sales. Problem is My local GC doesn't carry any Mesa equipment. It left me kinda confused. And the email was from someone at that location.

These issues are both the Problem and the Solution from the GC standpoint. Mesa is VERY strict from the standpoint of minimum price and market saturation, meaning that although they have a national account with GC, GC locations within a certain radius of another existing Mesa dealer may not stock or order the brand there. Jaxon, the sales guy who emailed you was doing you a super solid... letting you know you can buy for those prices if ordered online, even though he personally would not benefit from the transaction (no commission).

From what I understand, the major problem is that Mesa lets many many smaller dealers "slide" and sell for less than the minimum price, but SLAMS Gc with big fines and hassle for even the slightest infraction.... so GC has pretty much told Mesa to hit the road, and won't be stocking the brand any more at any location once they sell through the existing inventory.

This is what I have HEARD from a reliable source.... this isn't a press release. The bottom line is..... go get you some Mesa gear, you'll never see it for less.... and no you won't be able to negotiate better prices than that.... it's already ridiculously, insanely low.

 

[jaxom]

My point was how can I buy something that I can not find?

 

[spector_boogie]

I'd chock it more up to GC not being able to stock anything in the near future... lol.

 

[fcoda]

I walked into the GC in Queens NY yesterday and saw a M6 tagged for 799.00 , they had some cabs there also but I didn't bother to look at them or the prices

 

[KwinS]

These issues are both the Problem and the Solution from the GC standpoint. Mesa is VERY strict from the standpoint of minimum price and market saturation, meaning that although they have a national account with GC, GC locations within a certain radius of another existing Mesa dealer may not stock or order the brand there. Jaxon, the sales guy who emailed you was doing you a super solid... letting you know you can buy for those prices if ordered online, even though he personally would not benefit from the transaction (no commission).

From what I understand, the major problem is that Mesa lets many many smaller dealers "slide" and sell for less than the minimum price, but SLAMS Gc with big fines and hassle for even the slightest infraction.... so GC has pretty much told Mesa to hit the road, and won't be stocking the brand any more at any location once they sell through the existing inventory.

This is what I have HEARD from a reliable source.... this isn't a press release. The bottom line is..... go get you some Mesa gear, you'll never see it for less.... and no you won't be able to negotiate better prices than that.... it's already ridiculously, insanely low.

No. Mesa chose not to renew their contract with GC. There's a thread around here somewhere with Mesa represented input.

 

[cr250_977]

Just looked them up online...Both advertised as used....

 

[fcoda]

The M6 in Queens wasn't a used unit , it was clean....I don't think it was a demo either, they had a clearance tag on it and a Meas cab , I think a 4x10 .....they had used tags on 2 other cabs but I didn't look to them.

 

[pablomigraine]

I'd chock it more up to GC not being able to stock anything in the near future... lol.

My point was how can I buy something that I can not find?

Not sure.... best thing to do would be to call the 800 number?

No. Mesa chose not to renew their contract with GC. There's a thread around here somewhere with Mesa represented input.

Yeah I can't see that being true. Sounds like marketing not fact reporting.

Imagine for a minute you manufacture tires. You have 151 dealers who buy those tires. The 151st dealer accounts for roughly 35% of your total manufactured volume. The tire business is the least profitable it has been in maybe 30 years and times are tough... Would you cancel the dealer who buys 35% of everything you make and hope the remaining dealers could take up the slack? Could you afford to cancel even a 12% dealer voluntarily right now for anything less than some incredibly egregious offense? No.... no one could.

If mesa cancelled guitar center, and not the other way around, I'll eat my shorts. I'd love to hear this rep you speak of explain why they'd voluntarily cancel their largest dealer.... I know it's cool to bash GC and all...

 

[Munjibunga]

These issues are both the Problem and the Solution from the GC standpoint. Mesa is VERY strict from the standpoint of minimum price and market saturation, meaning that although they have a national account with GC, GC locations within a certain radius of another existing Mesa dealer may not stock or order the brand there. Jaxon, the sales guy who emailed you was doing you a super solid... letting you know you can buy for those prices if ordered online, even though he personally would not benefit from the transaction (no commission).

From what I understand, the major problem is that Mesa lets many many smaller dealers "slide" and sell for less than the minimum price, but SLAMS Gc with big fines and hassle for even the slightest infraction.... so GC has pretty much told Mesa to hit the road, and won't be stocking the brand any more at any location once they sell through the existing inventory.

This is what I have HEARD from a reliable source.... this isn't a press release. The bottom line is..... go get you some Mesa gear, you'll never see it for less.... and no you won't be able to negotiate better prices than that.... it's already ridiculously, insanely low.

You apparently haven't seen any recent press releases. Mesa has dropped GC. So they have no leverage against GC now for advertising low prices on the remaining gear.

 

[pablomigraine]

You apparently haven't seen any recent press releases. Mesa has dropped GC. So they have no leverage against GC now for advertising low prices on the remaining gear.

Didn't say I knew for a fact, I said it seems incredibly unlikely. And no I dont read that stuff. There must be a lot of bad blood behind the scenes. Either way, cool for Mesa fans. If I wasnt clutching my GB so fiercely I would probably go buy a BB750...

If anybody REAAALLLY want to see me eat my shorts PM me.... I said I would.....

 

[Munjibunga]

Didn't say I knew for a fact, I said it seems incredibly unlikely. And no I dont read that stuff. There must be a lot of bad blood behind the scenes. Either way, cool for Mesa fans. If I wasnt clutching my GB so fiercely I would probably go buy a BB750...

If anybody REAAALLLY want to see me eat my shorts PM me.... I said I would.....

It might be interesting, but ...





... no.

 

[KwinS]

Not sure.... best thing to do would be to call the 800 number?



Yeah I can't see that being true. Sounds like marketing not fact reporting.

Imagine for a minute you manufacture tires. You have 151 dealers who buy those tires. The 151st dealer accounts for roughly 35% of your total manufactured volume. The tire business is the least profitable it has been in maybe 30 years and times are tough... Would you cancel the dealer who buys 35% of everything you make and hope the remaining dealers could take up the slack? Could you afford to cancel even a 12% dealer voluntarily right now for anything less than some incredibly egregious offense? No.... no one could.

If mesa cancelled guitar center, and not the other way around, I'll eat my shorts. I'd love to hear this rep you speak of explain why they'd voluntarily cancel their largest dealer.... I know it's cool to bash GC and all...

Funny. I didn't mention any "rep", but does Randall Smith count as a credible source for you?

 

[coreyfyfe]

Yeah I can't see that being true. Sounds like marketing not fact reporting.

I'm sure there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than either party is admitting, but given GC's massive debt problems inlcuding large debts to their suppliers (remember the issues with fender's IPO and the money they were reportedly owed by GC?) it wouldn't surprise me at all that Mesa dropped GC.

Was it a smart move? That will remain to be seen. There are very few competing sites for sales in some places - guitar center is really the only major vendor in my area. Many small stores have gone out of business or would have a hard time bringing in a high dollar product line like mesa.

 

[msaone]

I got an email from my local GC telling me about these Mesa sales. Problem is My local GC doesn't carry any Mesa equipment. It left me kinda confused. And the email was from someone at that location.

Boiler plate. I got the same letter. There was some Mesa at my local GC but it disappeared months ago.

 

[j.kernodle]

Boiler plate. I got the same letter. There was some Mesa at my local GC but it disappeared months ago.

it's an automated email generated by their CRM system im sure. the sales rep that emailed me is a friend of mine outside of guitar center and it was titled to my legal name. not the name everyone calls me.

 

[pablomigraine]

I'm sure there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than either party is admitting, but given GC's massive debt problems inlcuding large debts to their suppliers (remember the issues with fender's IPO and the money they were reportedly owed by GC?) it wouldn't surprise me at all that Mesa dropped GC.

Was it a smart move? That will remain to be seen. There are very few competing sites for sales in some places - guitar center is really the only major vendor in my area. Many small stores have gone out of business or would have a hard time bringing in a high dollar product line like mesa.

I remember that article. Fender didn't go public because GC owed them $11M. This is something I CAN absolutely speak to from a position of firsthand knowledge and authority. GC did in fact owe Fender $11M. FMIC and GC are MULTIBILLION DOLLAR companies. The average PO from GC to FMIC every single month averages $3M. Every month. GC owes FMIC and other large brands that kind of money EVERY YEAR in late fall every year between the time the manufacturers ship out the big Xmas orders and when GC pays the bill on a net30 or net60 rotation.

To say Fender failed to IPO because of a GC "debt" is like saying your brother is bankrupt because of his "debt" to the cable company between the time they provided him the cable and when he mailed the $50 check out. To say GC has massive debt problems because they operate on net30 / net90 accounts with vendors indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the business.

That same article, along with dozens of others in an election year involving a candidate with an affiliation with a parent company of GC.... called attention to the massive debt payment GC had coming due on extension in April 2013. All those articles and a few threads here made dire prognostications that they couldn't pay, and all but prophesied the End Of GC when that payment came due. GC made the payment....early and in full, and surprisingly there wasn't any news articles about it.... since the very loosely related former affiliate of a parent company was no longer news himself.

If you guys think GC is in financial trouble you should have a look at Macy's! Or God forbid Sam Ash...