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Out With The Warwick, In With The ???

#103
On the high end stuff you can't go wrong with US MTD. Mike Tobias is considered a legend to many bassists, and he could charge Fodera money and get it. Thankfully, Mike is a humble guy and builds basses because it's his passion and he's not trying to get rich. Not sure if you would have to carry his Korean line, but those sell pretty well too.

Rob Allen makes some AMAZING basses, but I think he sells direct. Demand is probably pretty low on those.

Sadowsky basses will alway sell, but again he sells direct. My guess is the profit margin will be lower than builders that don't sell direct.

EBMM gear will sell even if you have another dealer next door. It's not my favorite, but ask Bass Central or The Perfect Bass what they sell the most of.. It's known by 99% of musicians and the quality is good.

Zon and Modulus basses are nice, but graphite turns off a lot of potential customers. Plus I think Joe mostly sells direct these days, and his prices have doubled in the last 5 years while the used value hasn't moved a bit.
 
#104
lsu921 said:
On the high end stuff you can't go wrong with US MTD. Mike Tobias is considered a legend to many bassists, and he could charge Fodera money and get it. Thankfully, Mike is a humble guy and builds basses because it's his passion and he's not trying to get rich. Not sure if you would have to carry his Korean line, but those sell pretty well too.

Rob Allen makes some AMAZING basses, but I think he sells direct. Demand is probably pretty low on those.

Sadowsky basses will alway sell, but again he sells direct. My guess is the profit margin will be lower than builders that don't sell direct.

EBMM gear will sell even if you have another dealer next door. It's not my favorite, but ask Bass Central or The Perfect Bass what they sell the most of.. It's known by 99% of musicians and the quality is good.

Zon and Modulus basses are nice, but graphite turns off a lot of potential customers. Plus I think Joe mostly sells direct these days, and his prices have doubled in the last 5 years while the used value hasn't moved a bit.
Click to expand...

FYI... Rob Allen and Joe Zon both have many dealers. Rob's basses, IME, move quickly. Definitely a niche, but they're not at all overpriced. Can't speak to Modulus , but Joe will happily use wood for necks and fingerboards. As mentioned earlier, his import line is awesome. Great sounding and playing basses for the money. My personal reservation is that I think they're ugly. :) Sad Metro stuff is fixed price/fixed margin.
 
#105
VroomVroom said:
FYI... Rob Allen and Joe Zon both have many dealers. Rob's basses, IME, move quickly. Definitely a niche, but they're not at all overpriced. Can't speak to Modulus , but Joe will happily use wood for necks and fingerboards. As mentioned earlier, his import line is awesome. Great sounding and playing basses for the money. My personal reservation is that I think they're ugly. :) Sad Metro stuff is fixed price/fixed margin.
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You are correct. Joe Zon does still sells to some dealers (Gelb, BC, and Planet Bass for sure). I think he's started to migrate to a more direct sales structure as of late though. I don't see Beaver ordering many Zon's anymore, and a couple of other dealers have dropped him. He makes a great bass (I've had 10 or 12), and his attention to detail is remarkable. I also agree that his import line is U-G-L-Y. I haven't tried the new imports, but the RT5-K's (when he made those) didn't impress me.

I think RA's are very fairly priced, and Rob always seems to find the nicest wood.
 
#106
Sorry to come to this thread so late, but here are my two pence, or so.

The basses I've played that really sang to me are:
- Roscoe
- Zon
- Spector (pre-import-era)
- Fodera

Of the others I've played over the years, Smith was one of the better ones (though their basses are either bland or lovely, but that may have been my level of ability or the phase of the moon).

If I'm voting, then it's Zon and Fodera, with Sadowsky and Lull thrown in there for good measure. Haven't seen a Legacy Elite VI in years, anywhere.
 
#107
Rob Allen is probably one of the easier brands to sell simply because they are unique and have a well deserved rep. They don't show up used that often, and Robs prices are frankly quite reasonable compared to other boutique builders. Most people who get to actually try one buy it if they are at all looking for the "upright vibe" thing. Rob does sell direct but he doesn't undercut dealers.

I liked my Zons, but his build times are long and his US basses are a bit pricey these days. I think Lull is still a relative "bargain" and Nordstrand is as well (though is more than Lull). The Metro isn't really much of a value proposition to a dealer to me unless you really want the name association.
 
#109
CrashClint said:
Hey, a little sandpaper, a sharpie, some spray laquer and King Koa has a new serial number.

No, I don't run a Roscoe Chop Shop... honest :hiding:
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Well if you do run a Roscoe Chop Shop, you got it all wrong.

If you were going to do it right, you'd use a bandsaw and turn King Koa from a Century to an SKB and then nobody would ever know. AMATEUR!:cool:

:hiding:

:D

God Bless, Ray
 
#112
Yeah, I am too honest of a guy. Too much fear of getting caught or struck down by lightning. My integrity is worth far more that $5,000... A few million and I may have to think about it for a few seconds. :D

LilRay said:
Nah, I wouldn't do that to a friend. Greg's got nothin' to worry about:).

I'm just pointing out to Clint that there's smarter ways of running a chop shop.:smug:

He (Clint) would be busted inside a week....:eek:

:D

God Bless, Ray
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#115
RocketMusic said:
The biggest problem at that price point is that NOBODY is making any worthwhile money (not the manufacturer and his employees, or the retailer). You're using relatively high dollar US labor to compete with low dollar offshore labor. The only way to cut costs is to use more automation and to go cheap on the materials (wood, electronics, etc.). You end up with an inferior product made with US craftsmanship... I'm not not sure that balances out well in the end.

I say let Fender have that market. Somebody has to make a beginner/entry level bass, but it doesn't have to be Roscoe or any of the other names we're bantying about. Let Ford be Ford, and let Porsche be Porsche. Nobody wants a Porsche Pinto.
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Godin is very impressive for that, making high quality instrument in North-America and more then competitive price, it's a shame they're not more popular.

On topic: No idea :hiding:
 
#116
Hey, what about electric uprights? I know the market is probably smaller than the EBG crowd, but I'm sure there's some demand for NS uprights out there.
Also, if this is something you're considering, take a look at Ergo: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Again, the market might be too small for these, but there aren't that many places for the curious bassist to play one.
 
#118
DannyV said:
Hey, what about electric uprights? I know the market is probably smaller than the EBG crowd, but I'm sure there's some demand for NS uprights out there.
Also, if this is something you're considering, take a look at Ergo: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Again, the market might be too small for these, but there aren't that many places for the curious bassist to play one.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've thought about picking up an NSX. Not sure why, but I want one :D
 
#120
DannyV said:
Hey, what about electric uprights? I know the market is probably smaller than the EBG crowd, but I'm sure there's some demand for NS uprights out there.
Also, if this is something you're considering, take a look at Ergo: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Again, the market might be too small for these, but there aren't that many places for the curious bassist to play one.
Click to expand...

Them NS Uprights look great, I love that there's so much neck, one thing I hate about my EUB is the short neck, I can't stand playing in thumb position.

I wonder could the 5er's be bowed easily...
 

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