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Top 5 "high end" Basses for your new store

#21
calypsocoral302 said:
I've always wanted to open up a music store inside an old stone church that my dad used to preach at-- the architecture was Neo-Gothic, a popular style in the late-1800's. The church's congregation has since died out (or, more likely, died off).

For volume sales at "Cathedral of Rock", I would probably hook up with the Cort and Samick factories in South Korea, along with others in Indonesia and Taiwan, and submit a few semi-proprietary designs to be distributed exclusively through my store, similar to what Rondo Music does with their Agile and SX lines. Because the name brand will not be something mainstream, my customers will be charged a much smaller markup.

The midrange would be covered by guitars and basses from G&L, Musicman, ESP, Schecter, Jackson, DBZ (Dean B. Zelinsky), and GKG (Gary Kramer Guitars)-- most of these labels would also cover some of the higher end stuff as well, possibly throwing Wayne Guitars (Wayne Charvel's current operation) in there as well.

As for high-end basses, I would like to get something going with Geoff Gould (original founder of Modulus, for those of you who don't know the name), Mike Tobias, Mike Lull, Roscoe, and Sandberg.
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Sounds like you've really thought this out... :hmm:

"Cathedral of Rock"... I like it. Sounds like "School of Rock", but a little more...other-worldly... ;)

MM
 
#24
Good point Munjibunga, John is a nice guy and a monster player but I went into Bass Alone with $1500 looking for a 5 string and there was nothing for that price point. A few months later I came back with $2500 and he could let the F bass 5 string go for $2650...this was my closest option at this price point. I mentioned the fact that it seemed kinda discouraging to leave with a pocket full of money rather then a bass again and I was told "keep checking back, we get new stuff all the time".

If I'm the sales guy here I'm gonna stop what I'm doing and figure out what this guy is looking for and place an order and collect his money right there and then.

So this being said my 5 would include a few lines that offer a variety of price points and some even have great B strings!
Lakland
Sadowsky
MTD
Fender
Ken Smith
 
#27
MysticMichael said:
Sounds like you've really thought this out... :hmm:

"Cathedral of Rock"... I like it. Sounds like "School of Rock", but a little more...other-worldly... ;)

MM
Click to expand...

I enjoy playing bass (I've been playing "doghouse" since I was 8 years old), but, for some reason or another, my biggest passion seems to be GEAR. So, yeah, I try to think of ways to make my obsessions work for me. Although anything like this is still a long ways off.

I've actually just started working on a degree in electrical engineering-- I want to apply that to instrument amplification.

And the church I was talking about has a full-size basketball court in the basement, which would easily accommodate an amplifier workshop and a high-end CNC machine for some on-site, custom guitars.
 
#30
1. Bordwell
2. Ritter
3. Pedulla
4. MTD
5. Brubaker

I have only owned 3 of the above (1,3, and 5) and would like to try the other 2. Fodera would be the next on my list, but the OP said 5.

Since this bass store would never stay open, this is purely a fantasy question. Based on that, I woul dlove to just open a Bordwell showroom. I LOVE his work
 
#33
Fender, Lakland, Ken Smith, MTD, Ernie Ball/Music Man

Seems to cover all the different areas except Ric (which I don't have any personal interest in, and based on dealings while managing a guitar store between '77 and '88, I wouldn't have any professional interest in either) and Gibson-ish stuff. The Fenders and Music Man to cover the key parts of Leo's legacy (G&L is still a hard sale and not the most profitable line), the Lakland to cover the "super Fenders" as well as the really really good 5s, the the Smiths and Tobias to cover the areas that Fender, Lakland, and Music Man don't.

John
 
#34
What I would sell differs from what I like a little.

1. Wal
2. Modulus
3. Nordstrand
4. Kinal
5. EMBB (family reserve stuff only) if Not then Dingwall.


Its a bit of a balance.
 
#36
so, to deal with the 'volume instruments' issue, I'd bascially do all lines of Fender and Lakland. that should cover a lot of ground!

Then....

Roscoe
Smith
MTD

Those three aren't necessarily my favorites, they are just the ones that I think would generate the most buzz for a boutique bass and also are consistently great.

Sadowsky, Rob Allen, NS EUBs and Eminence EUBs would round out version 1 of my ideal shop. POSSIBLY Ricks in that bunch.....
 
#38
callowhill.. sadowsky.. carvin?

those are really the only other brands i'd ever consider owning. i'd say clifford roi since i'm part of that cult, but theres so few of those around- and so few being built- that a "store" would never have one.
 

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