I stopped by a major dealer for the first time today and played a number of nice Collings, Bourgeois and Huss and Dalton guitars as well as one really exceptional Kopp. It's too bad every guitar I played had dead, crusty strings and the staff was totally uninterested in talking to me about guitars (or anything else, for that matter); it's also too bad one of the staff members stood about six feet from me yelling all the way across the store to another staff member and a customer for most of the time I was there, to the extent that I could barely hear the guitars I was playing. I would have walked out with that Kopp, but the vibe in the store just killed it for me.

After my experience today, I thought about how nice it is to do business with dealers who truly care about the instruments they sell, the luthiers they support, and their customers.

A Chicago store?
Don't know of any that have a Kopp.

No, not in Chicago.

quote:

Kopp

Elderly is usually not bad on a Thursday.

And, most of the staff is really great. You must have just hit them on an off day.

I do agree that often strings are not in great shape there, but they do volume.

mattmoo

You should've mentioned that you were a member of the Collings Forum -- they would've been tripping over each other to help you . . .

quote:

Originally posted by mattmoo:

quote:

Kopp

Elderly is usually not bad on a Thursday.

And, most of the staff is really great. You must have just hit them on an off day.

I do agree that often strings are not in great shape there, but they do volume.

mattmoo

wow... if it is Elderly, I'm very suprised. That's my local haunt and normally, they will bend over backwards to give you what you want. I have never had them deny a new set of strings or to pull all of the instruments they have in the back for comparison. That's a shocker...

one thing I will say about them is that from time to time you may encounter a newer staff person that just might not "get it" yet... rare, but it happens. Sometimes you do have to be a little assertive in order to get the attention of some of their staff. I have noticed that they do tend to let people browse a lot more than other stores, but I think that's because they get a large amount of "tire kickers" that have no intention of buying... too bad though...

Drummer - when you were there, did you get a chance to play this one:

http://elderly.com/vintage/nam...07%29--20U-12242.htm

It looks like a beauty...

Whoa, guys - you're jumping to conclusions!!!!! It was not Elderly. For the record, my experiences with Elderly have only been good, although I've never bought a guitar there - only accessories, CDs, etc. Regardless, they've always been very helpful, whether discussing a $10 CD or a $5000 guitar.

I didn't think it was appropriate to name names and only intended to point out how nice it is to work with a dealer who is engaged and interested in your business.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mostly Drummer,

my guess is the Podium. and it does not shock me, if it really is.

quote:

Originally posted by Mostly Drummer:
Whoa, guys - you're jumping to conclusions!!!!! It was not Elderly. For the record, my experiences with Elderly have only been good, although I've never bought a guitar there - only accessories, CDs, etc. Regardless, they've always been very helpful, whether discussing a $10 CD or a $5000 guitar.

I didn't think it was appropriate to name names and only intended to point out how nice it is to work with a dealer who is engaged and interested in your business.

I wasn't sure how the name came up if there was a PM involved or what... I was a bit shocked if it was Elderly, but it can/does periodically happen. I feel better now... thanks.

I think Mary Mary already won 1st prize.

My guess is Merula Musica in Bra, Italy -- they really suck . . . However, I would be surprised if Mostly Drummer somehow ended up in that backwater. But if we're all guessing, that's my guess.