Who are the "Big Boy" G&L dealers?

[Ray Barbee Music]

Who can handle special orders? I've been given vague answers by a few I contacted or told "I'll get back with you a few days after I talk to a rep" and there are still crickets chirping over a week later.

[Fumble fingers]

James is good for special orders

http://seattleguitarstore.com/

[Salmon]

Eric @ Martin Music has immediate information and has had a lot of G&L's pass through his hands. In my own research I encountered people seemingly looking to discourage (unconsciously?) rather than being open to possibility. Eric struck me as receptive.

(NOTE: I did not contact James at Seattle Guitar Store when I was doing my research).

[LiquidSmoke]

Aren't all MIA G&Ls custom orders? Your dealer should get on the ball. Their job is to pass your options on. What I did is use the online guitar builder. You can print a spec page from it of all your options. I handed that to my dealer and said, this is exactly what I want, and can you do any better on the price?

[Salmon]

What I did is use the online guitar builder. You can print a spec page from it of all your options. I handed that to my dealer and said, this is exactly what I want, and can you do any better on the price?

I believe you are better off initially presenting your guitar specs and either a picture of a similar guitar if you have located one or use only the image produced by the online builder to see what a dealer offers without a starting price to base their price on.

A way to look at this is that you have two opportunities:

The first is to see how they respond to your interest in ordering a guitar. This is the moment your relationship with a potential dealer begins. This is when you get a chance to see how knowledgeable and customer oriented someone is. You are establishing and developing a rapport. You also preserve the opportunity to see who comes in at the best price when they have nothing to go by except your wish.

The second opportunity is if you get a low price and choose to take that back to the rest seeing whether they will match or beat it.

When you go around showing everyone a reference price right off the bat it instantly becomes a number competition and you have shown your cards before playing the round. The online guitar builder is not generating the universal street price for the guitar you design. It is only AG&B's price. There is some elbow room in pricing and that figure could be on the high or low end and work for or against you.

[blargfromouterspace]

I've bought three from Upfront Guitars, two of which were custom orders, with no fuss at all. The guy running the place knows the product and what G&L will and won't do for you.

You can print a spec page from it of all your options. I handed that to my dealer and said, this is exactly what I want, and can you do any better on the price?

This is the best, surest way to get a response. If you know exactly what you want and are ready to buy, contact a dealer. If you don't, don't bother hassling them. I know I wouldn't want to have to respond to a zillion emails back and forth with an undecided potential customer.

[Salmon]

I've bought three from Upfront Guitars, two of which were custom orders, with no fuss at all. The guy running the place knows the product and what G&L will and won't do for you.

In my experience that is a dealer who had incorrect information saying two items were not possible that G&L is doing for me at this moment.

You can print a spec page from it of all your options. I handed that to my dealer and said, this is exactly what I want, and can you do any better on the price?

This is the best, surest way to get a response. If you know exactly what you want and are ready to buy, contact a dealer. If you don't, don't bother hassling them. I know I wouldn't want to have to respond to a zillion emails back and forth with an undecided potential customer.

Hyperbole aside, this is a false dichotomy. Most people will have questions and fall somewhere in between these two extremes and discussing details of what you want, what can be done and pricing isn't "hassling" a dealer. It is what they are there for as authorized dealers for G&L. You should not be in the business if you don't want to respond to questions about your products via, email, phone or in person.

[Ray Barbee Music]

Well I just ordered a Tribute ASAT Junior II from James so I'll get back with him on that, I didn't know what size dealer they were.

The local dealer here was sort of vague on pricing, and really didn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Sort of like he'd been in the business too long and was doing me a favor by lowering himself to talk to me. Others I've contacted either didn't respond at all, or responded initially but never followed up, even though there was a similar guitar already on their site (sold). I'll try James and Eric and see if they do better.

[bloodied_fingers]

You really can't go wrong with James.

[Fumble fingers]

James was able to talk G & L into making one more Buck Owens for me