New G&L dealer told me he couldn't get USA made G&L's

Went to a semi-local G&L dealer today and I guess he's a fairly new dealer. He had tons of Tributes but no USA models. I asked him about ordering one and how much time it would take and he told me that he couldn't because he'd have to place an initial order of I believe it was 12 (maybe 10) American made guitars before he could start carrying them. He also said that he can "try" and talk to G&L and see if they would bend the rules but he doubted it. Is this true? I find it hard to believe that G&L would make you place an order for that many guitars especially since the economy isn't that great. It also never ceases to amaze me how many people in music shops have a "don't care " attitude when it comes to customers shopping in their store. If I worked in a music store or any other kind of store I'd bend over backwards tying to please the customer and help them in anyway I could. That's why I think I'm gonna go back to my original G&L/Martin dealer because they put the time in and actually care about their customers. Now I'm just ranting so I'll stop.

You know, that new music dealer you're talking about could be right about the notion of having to order in bulk. There's a G&L dealer in a small town very close to me that ordered about 12 new USA G&Ls about two years ago, and he's only sold about two or three of them. On the other hand, he sells quite a few Tributes. Of course, the economy and the nature of the area don't support the sales of upper-end guitars very well, and from talking with the owner of the store, I doubt that he'd order any more USA models.

There's another example of a small G&L dealer that's also near me, but he only carried the Tribute line (doesn't do that any longer). It was the first store where I played my very first G&L Tribute. I liked the guitar so much that I asked him if I could get a USA model through him, and he said pretty much the same thing about having to order in bulk.

On the other hand, a special order is a special order, correct? Should that matter if you've already ordered 12 USA models or not? I wouldn't think so, but I could be wrong. Still, I've had the very same experience, but both of these dealers are great folks to deal with. Perhaps someone could shed a little more light on this.

That is how most companies deal, I have heard Gibson is the worst of it though, they require you to sell less desirable products before they even consider letting you stock the 'good stuff'. Not to mention very large minimum orders (something in league of 15-20k or something silly). Small dealers often have issues with this, and to me, 10-12 doesn't sound unreasonable. Small dealers do get the short end here. When I bought my amp recently I asked how many they sold of that model a year, was told 4-5 (Long and Macquade). They of course stocked all the others from the company (mesa) and mine was brought in on hold, ALL MINE!.

I do not understand not being able to do a special order though. That throws me a bit. The irony is the store I need to go for G&L is not the big chain, it is an independent that deals G&L, PRS, etc. Good price quotes from em too (Most G&L dealers seem to have pretty stable prices, I did have one that wanted an outrageous amount however, about 400-500 more than any other dealer for the same axe.)

I can't comment on the rules of being a G&L dealer, however....

The economy is hitting small businesses especially hard. I have several friends that have great small businesses, and currently they are basically trying to hang on until things get better.

It is hard for them to have a big floorplan (inventory) if the product isn't moving. In addition, buyers are very cautious as to where they spend their money. It's tough all around. I am considering a G&L purchase in the next few months, and although I can afford a USA made model, I am probably going to purchase a Tribute. I currently have a tribute, and it is my main player. I just don't want to drop a lot of coin with the economy and my job status in question. However, even if buying a Tribute, I will purchase at the local small music store, just to support them (and get a little personal service).

Got the lowdown from another G&L dealer today who sells both Tributes and USA guitars. He said that there are just Tribute dealers and then there are dealers who sell both. It's an investment thing from what I gather. He said most guitar companies are like that. Martin also has different levels of dealers. It's not cheap being a dealer of fine instruments, I guess thats why I see allot of music stores filled with entry level brands. Thanks for the input people.

We've had more than one local dealer in our smallish city try to carry major brands, but ended up losing their dealership status because they couldn't sell enough of them.

Seems Fender is one of the easier companies to work with from a Dealer perspective, so we have one Fender dealer (though his selection is fairly limited) who is also a dealer for Godin (and sells some used Gibby's) and we have one Ibanez dealer (but mainly stocks the lower end models) who started selling Tributes about a year ago.

There is a G&L dealer about an hour from here in a somewhat bigger city, but he's had very little rotation in the stock hangin on his wall for the 4 years I've known about him!!

Thanks for the insight from the other side Tim, great post.

Thanks for the insight from the other side Tim, great post.

Agreed. and thanks again Tim.