Anyone here use MarkBass at all?

[nofi]

when you go to gc ask the sales guy to take the amp/bass into the acoustic guitar room . its very quiet in there and hardly any customers. then tell the guy thanks and you'll call if you need help.
it seems to work.

[rahock]

Rick, IIRC it was a 700RB head. This was some years ago, whenever it was that Fender reissued the Mustang bass -- that's what I was trying to play. Maybe 2006? Before the Neo series, which I haven't tried.

GC is what it is. You'll find some knowledgeable people there, and some fools. I can deal with either since it's not a place I'd ever go to seek advice. This guy really rubbed me the wrong way, though. And to top it off, I had to listen to his pointless atonal slapping.

Thanks, that explains it . I've had my share of experiences at GC too. It is a damn shame that almost every mom and pop music store in the Detroit area has either been run out or forced to make a living renting and selling instruments to the local high school marching bands. That's the way of the world I guess ,
Rick

[Dave W]

We're fortunate here with a number of independent stores that are doing well and have been doing well for years despite GC.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Not to derail the thread (what, here?), but the way the pay is structured in those stores, you aren't going to get the cream of the crop. It's almost criminal - for real. I recently spoke to a local manager at one of GC's competitors, (with a similar structure) and was astounded at how messed up it is. He basically told me that a job as a sales guy there is okay if all you're after is a discount on gear, but if you have bills or are supporting a family - it's pretty much worthless. Anybody that is any good at all is shepherded into management, where they are pretty much ridden into the ground. He also told me that if anything, GC's system was more aggressive,

Firsthand, you're only scratching the surface, and contrary to popular misinformation, this practice did not begin with Bain Capital. GC is a model example of dishonest capitalist profiteering gone unchecked and has been so for many years.

[Happy Face]

Firsthand, you're only scratching the surface, and contrary to popular misinformation, this practice did not begin with Bain Capital. GC is a model example of dishonest capitalist profiteering gone unchecked and has been so for many years.

PBG has a point. I recall buying a piece of sudio gear at the SF Guitar Center back in 1993 or so. Sold as new. When I got it home, I found that the manual was all marked up. I went back to the store to complain and the manager just shrugged and they lost a customer for good. 

I complained to the manufacturer and they .... sent me a T-shirt.

[lowend1]

Firsthand, you're only scratching the surface, and contrary to popular misinformation, this practice did not begin with Bain Capital. GC is a model example of dishonest capitalist profiteering gone unchecked and has been so for many years.

Yeah, I'm aware of that - one of the myriad of reasons why I never got into MI sales. I have friends and relatives in the business who would tell me that I would be a valuable commodity at a one of these places, but would also have to be prepared to endure some pretty dysfunctional conditions. Likewise with automotive sales. No thanks.

[Pilgrim]

Yeah, I'm aware of that - one of the myriad of reasons why I never got into MI sales. I have friends and relatives in the business who would tell me that I would be a valuable commodity at a one of these places, but would also have to be prepared to endure some pretty dysfunctional conditions. Likewise with automotive sales. No thanks.

A sales job really depends on the company you're working for.  I sold cars for a family dealership that had been around for years, and it was a really good place to work.  We still have some great family car dealerships in Fort Collins, and many of their sales people have been there 10+ years.  Unfortunately this is the exception for car sales rather than the norm.

I would not be interested in any "sales factory" job...got way too close to that in the past.  Constant pressure and aggravation with little reward.

[the mojo hobo]

Any place that sells stuff is going to deal with returns, and most will sell returns as new. What else can they do? Some sell as seconds or B stock. It was the customer that marked up the manual and returned the equipment, not the store or it's employees. They might not have even opened the box when it was returned.


BTW. I don't use MarkBass at all.

[Happy Face]

Any place that sells stuff is going to deal with returns, and most will sell returns as new. What else can they do? Some sell as seconds or B stock. It was the customer that marked up the manual and returned the equipment, not the store or it's employees. They might not have even opened the box when it was returned.

Yeah, returns are tricky. I was slack-jawed with amazement when I returned a dvd player to a Best Buy and they just chucked it into a a box full of other returns. They could have cared less that I carefully included remotes, cable and manuals. I asked the lady about it and she told me that they have outsourced the handling of returns. I'd wager that the "restocking fee" you often see mentioned is simply an effort to offset some of the loss they take when they sell the stuff to the returns specialist.

In my case GC should have offered to swap me a new unit since that was what I paid for. They ending up losing far more than they saved since I was just starting to assemble a studio. That's called penny-wise and pound foolish!   

[Blackbird]

I've had the SA 450 for 5-6 years now, really looked at this brand at first because I needed lightweight gear, but it sounded great and I was sold.  It's getting real test now.  When I bought it, I also bought a Bergantino 112 cab, but that limited me to 300W (which was MORE than enough when I originally bought it).  It's now paired up with the Markbass 104HF so I get more air and the 500W at 4OHM (wasn't anything interesting around in a second 8ohm cab).

I think it sounds great, very 'pure' sounding for lack of a better word...I keep it mostly flat, but use the two filters - VLE and VPF for some coloring, but mostly the sansAmp bass driver does that work.

[Dave W]

There's more than one way to deal with refunds, but selling a return as a brand new item is not the right way. IIRC one of the main reasons Rickenbacker pulled out out of GC was because they were selling returns as new.

[lowend1]

There's more than one way to deal with refunds, but selling a return as a brand new item is not the right way. IIRC one of the main reasons Rickenbacker pulled out out of GC was because they were selling returns as new.

Several years back, I got a Historic '57 LP Jr from GC. I worked a trade on it with a couple of pieces I wasn't attached to. They told me that the Jr was new, but it had acquired some in-stock cosmetic damage. (two scratches / gouges on the face of the guitar) It was priced at roughly half of what an in-the-box unit would be. (At the time I purchased it, GC was not a Gibson retailer - due to some kind of dispute involving Sam Ash.) When I contacted Gibson about getting the "case candy" and warranty info, they confirmed that the guitar had not previously been sold, but were very interested in the sell price and where I had purchased it (via the SN). I found out later that there was a Gibson "rep" who was selling his samples and demos to stores that didn't carry Gibson.

[Aussie Mark]

I just scored a used Classic 300 at a bargain price from someone who got it new 6 years ago as part of an endorsement deal.   My Traynor YBA-200 is in the shop at the moment (a power tube failed and took out some resistors), so it was good timing to try out the Markbass.  I was never going to fork out to buy one of these when they were new (at local store pricing of around US$4000), but US$800 is palatable.



First mod - make it less yellow ...

[Bargeon]

Whaaat?  I hate when that happens.  Why buy it just to shut it down?

When they bought the company, they bought GB's patents, not just the name.  Genz Benz fades out, Fender announces "Rumble Reinvented". No coincidence.

Lets hope they keep their hands off MarkBass

[Granny Gremlin]

Nice score Mark - I never knew that Markbass ever made any tube gear.  Seems so antithetical to their whole design philosophy.  Report on it plz, when you have a chance.