I feel bad for contributing to everyone else’s gear acquisition degeneracy but I wanted to let people know there are some decent deals going on at Sam Ash Music Store because they’re going out of business. I went on their website and ended up getting the 210 extension cab for my Fender Rumble 800W combo amp. There’s a spot on the website where you can start a chat box with a representative. I asked if they were running any deals and he knocked $100 off the price. A caveat though: The website says that they do not offer refunds on orders after May 1st so be aware. I hope that helps my fellow bass bums save a bit of money so they have more money to spend on other bass-related items.
I was able to get a good price on an Ibanez for my wife. Part of me feels bad picking over the corpse of a long operating company but part of me is like “nice! Cheap bass!”.
Frankly, if the rest of the stores were run like the one just down the road from me, I’m not surprised they’re closing the whole thing down.
The fact that I preferred going into the horrible Guitar Center where I feel like I need a tetanus shot on my way in instead of going literally across the street to the Sam Ash is a good indicator of how bad the store was.
With any failing company, it always surprises me how some places can get it so right while others just get it wrong in every way. Even when they have the good examples right in front of them.
It’s all part of business. Small businesses are more adept at adapting to a changing landscape, big businesses more rigid and less adaptable. Small businesses create change, grow big, become rigid, and get replaced by the next business. Circle of life.
Very true. And long-established large businesses like Sam Ash often suffer from heirs not having the same drive and vision as their parents. Entrepreneurship and acumen are definitely not inherited traits.
Fender is also pretty terrible to their vendors as well high minimum MAP rule and worst of all they are also selling direct with daily specials blasting the customers.
One day a company that’s crazy enough to offer Sire quality at Harley Benton price will dethrone Fender.
Sire has ridiculously low prices considering the very high quality they deliver players. Not as low as HB, though. With more and more improvements in HB basses, I could see them sinking Squier some day.
Actually I think Sire would dethrone Fender if they could pump out more instruments. I don’t think going a lot cheaper would help.
Back when I was in retail, we put Toasted O’s cereal on special for like a buck, nobody would buy it. We raised the price to 30 cents below Cheerios and it flew off the shelves. If it’s too much cheaper people will perceive it’s cheap in quality too.
Considering that Sire has only one dedicated factory (albeit a massive one) to serve a growing worldwide market, coupled with a high level of quality control and very attractive price points and high demand, it’s not surprising that they struggle with production levels across their product line. Maybe a second Sire factory is the key. I’d presume they have the bucks to make it happen.
I think that would destroy them. The bigger a place gets, the harder it is to maintain quality. It’s a variation on the “good, cheap, fast. Pick any 2” concept.
I agree that uncontrolled growth can be disastrous, but what I imagined was a second Sire factory with the identical level of management, craftsmanship and quality control as the current one has. Might be a bridge too far (no pun intended).
I think they’re better off contracting it out. If they can control the quality, it’s less risk. Owning a factory puts a lot of pressure on to move product at a certain velocity.
A&P used to be the #1 grocer in the US, and almost went under because it owned it’s own factories to produce self branded food. When times changed, they couldn’t retool quick enough and the factories pulled down the stores.
By contracting it out they can act in a more agile manner with less capital investment.
I agree but to dethrone Fender, a company must also get to the entry model. If not the mom and pop, brick and mortar stores won’t stock them and can’t terminate contract with fender.
Also agree that Sire is probably the only company to do so with name recognition and pedigree to pull it off.
Signature artists would help. Couple of years ago the Linda Lindas started making waves and next thing you know they are all sporting new Fenders. That’s something Fender does very well
