Definitely!
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This wonāt help with GAS at all but another thing that can help here is simple patience. Especially with the used market; holding out for the price or instrument you want can take time but usually happens, and this is how people can also so well on resale later.
My music hobby isnāt even close to self-sustaining but it is really heavily subsidized/hedged by some of the profits I have turned recouping cash in sales 
As fun as it is for me to enable GAS - take your time and buy smart, even if it is excruciating in the moment. This pays off big time.
@Al1885 is kind of the master here.
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Yeah thatās really good advice.
I have a pro flugelhorn I want to sell, and if I can get what itās worth, Iāll have enough to buy that Neptune-blue Ray34 and have enough left over to put away for a new amp when that day comes.
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I would not buy Demo anything from GC. These people have the hotel mentality and many times Iāve seen some intentional abuses on instruments, they are not careful with rings and belts and no one is saying anything I saw a kid laying a Martin on the stool and the body on the floor as it slowly slide off and fell and he just chuckled. If thatās my shop he just bought it.
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Iāve been incredibly underwhelmed by our GC here in Eugene, OR. I havenāt purchased a bass from them precisely because of the 6 or so times I went into the store for various things my presence was only acknowledged twice. I ordered my Rumble 100 from GC to be picked up in store, and after placing the order I went in the next day and they refused to go in the back and get it for me until Iād received the requisite email saying I could come get it, which ended up taking a couple of days. Note this was listed as āin stockā on the website when I made the purchase, otherwise Iād have just ordered it to be delivered. When I did end up purchasing another bass I went to a small but reputable music store up in Portland. In the future I may opt for an online purchase for my next bass. Iāve heard good things about Empire music in PA, but have no actual experience so Iād be interested in anyone who has.
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I had a really good experience buying a synthesizer and sequencer from Portland Music.
On the other hand this was in 1988 when they were still downtown over in Old Town so itās been a minute 
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I love Chuck on that.
Yeah itās called MAP. Minimum Advertising Price. You are allowed to sell it at any price just canāt advertise it. Thatās also why companies like ProAudioStars would list their new instruments as open box or Mint so they can advertise at lower prices. My recent purchase from them was the Boss katana 110 bass amp listed as opened box but itās brand new. They are even too lazy to open up the box and inside itās pristinely wrapped from Boss.
I paid about $230 for it.
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Pitbull Audio and Sweetwater for the win, big time, with Pitbull being way first. Just from personal multiple experiences.
I recently purchased a ānewā Ibanez bass. Inside the box attached to the bass with tape was a handwritten note from another customer saying the bass was faulty and it was being returned! When I raised this with them, the company said the fault had been repaired but the bass had been put back with the new instruments stock rather than ānearly newā stock and would I please tear up the note! I got a partial refund and the bass works fine. But had it not been for the customerās handwritten note I would not have known it was not really a new bass! Iāve bought quite a lot of stuff from the company and this was the first issue Iāve had with them.
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Iāve worked in music stores.
Prices, in my experience, were subject to haggling.
One of the last places where grinding/haggling/wheedling was still a common practice.
Floor models would definitely be a place where youād say āwhat can you do that for, since itās a floor model?ā.
Iād imagine thereād be a discount, but youād have to pursue it. Theyāll never voluntarily drop a price.
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Only if YOU believe there is. No one else is gonna be able to tell how much your bass weighs just by listening to it. But your shoulder or back will probably know the difference.
In all the years Iāve played Jazz Basses Iāve yet to have anyone ever say to me I like your bass. I have one much like it but mine sounds better. I think itās because mine is heavier.
But you may also find with at least certain models that there is more than just a few ounces separating the lightest from the heaviest ones. The same is true with many guitars as well.
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Dude, GC is horrible. Last time I visited one to peruse basses, 4 basses were missing the volume knobs; the action on all of them were sky high, and most of the floor models had major issues with fret sprout. It was like (very small) wall of returned or B-stock basses. Their used stock was actually in far better condition.
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Yeah, that kind of thing happens a lot with big chains, theyāll sometimes sell a floor model as ānew,ā which isnāt really fair. Good that they replaced yours, but itās definitely a reminder to always check if the bass is fresh from the box or just off the wall. Asking before you pay can save you a lot of hassle later. Also, you can always look around online to get discount codes before buying, it really helps cut down the final price.
Yeah thatās good advice. These days I get most my gear from Sweetwater. Iāve had zero issues with them.