Californiaman Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 (edited) Yeah, they're closing after 100 years. Looking for a buyer. But you know how this goes. They're another in a long line of retail stores that are having to shut down in what is really a poor economy. Might be an opportunity for someone else, but wow! Sam Ash was a reputable music store. Sam Ash story. Edited May 6 by Californiaman missing word 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 They were getting killed by online retail stores. Their business model hadn't changed much from the 80's..... Hoping people will walk in and buy high dollar items just don't seem to work anymore. The economy is doing okay..... the good news is wages are growing faster than inflation. The problem is the peak inflation of 9% is still dancing around people's brains. Which is strange because I thought most Americans have amnesia these days. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 I just checked their Gibson guitars, and most are marked down and if you chat with them, they'll take off another 20%. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Well that's a bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 3 hours ago, Dave F said: I just checked their Gibson guitars, and most are marked down and if you chat with them, they'll take off another 20%. I did the same thing. There are some reasonable prices too. But not so much for some of the 335s and 345s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryNimda Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Sam Ash is just one of the players. Guitar Center's CEO said only a few days ago they will drastically change their business model, with more emphasis being given to higher-end instruments & gear. This looks like partial downscaling in the physical sector, so GC stores will be closing, at least some of them. Big moves are in the making all across the landscape,.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Etsy F-ed up Reverb, maybe they can swoop in and buy S A and ruin it a bit more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 (edited) Martins appear to be the same on SA and Martins site. The D-15M is $1699 on both sites. Edited May 7 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Sign of the Times. 20 retailers shuttered nearly 3,000 stores last year. Bed Bath Beyond, CVS, Foot Locker, etc. I use to love visiting the Sam Ash when I was just getting into guitars on Long Island last century. We have one here, in San Antonio. Much less foot traffic than the GC a half mile away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 On 5/7/2024 at 7:49 AM, Sgt. Pepper said: Etsy F-ed up Reverb, maybe they can swoop in and buy S A and ruin it a bit more. I like Etsy and Reverb...... You find some pretty cool and unique stuff. I don't like selling on Reverb anymore and some of the sellers on Reverb are kinda nasty if you ask them a question to confirm something about an item. And I saw this coming with Sam Ash.... Just can't compete with places like Sweet Water, ZZounds and other stores with the same business model. Still plenty of other places to buy guitar stuff👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 30 minutes ago, duane v said: I like Etsy and Reverb...... You find some pretty cool and unique stuff. I don't like selling on Reverb anymore and some of the sellers on Reverb are kinda nasty if you ask them a question to confirm something about an item. And I saw this coming with Sam Ash.... Just can't compete with places like Sweet Water, ZZounds and other stores with the same business model. Still plenty of other places to buy guitar stuff👍 A while back I was selling one of my acoustic guitars on Verb, and a guy needed to get a hold of me to let me know that he just didn’t like the way the grain was under the bridge of the guitar. Well Dude I didn’t assemble the guitar. I didn’t pick out the wood, and if you don’t like it move on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 4 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: A while back I was selling one of my acoustic guitars on Verb, and a guy needed to get a hold of me to let me know that he just didn’t like the way the grain was under the bridge of the guitar. Well Dude I didn’t assemble the guitar. I didn’t pick out the wood, and if you don’t like it move on. So why even answer to something like that????? I know every question I get doesn't need a response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 8 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: Sign of the Times. 20 retailers shuttered nearly 3,000 stores last year. Bed Bath Beyond, CVS, Foot Locker, etc. I use to love visiting the Sam Ash when I was just getting into guitars on Long Island last century. We have one here, in San Antonio. Much less foot traffic than the GC a half mile away. Have you been to the store in San Antonio recently? I have been debating driving down there to check it out for “gonga” deals, but I’m curious if they have much left in the way of inventory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 3 hours ago, tx-ogre said: Have you been to the store in San Antonio recently? I have been debating driving down there to check it out for “gonga” deals, but I’m curious if they have much left in the way of inventory. I was in there about a year or so ago, they had quite a bit of inventory then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 (edited) 14 hours ago, tx-ogre said: Have you been to the store in San Antonio recently? I have been debating driving down there to check it out for “gonga” deals, but I’m curious if they have much left in the way of inventory. No, not in a couple of years. I would not expect they have much of interest. They had only 2 or 3 Gibson Acoustics the times I went in. Not much in terms of 'high end' stuff. I'd guess half the floor stock that GC has. Prices might be better - and if you're potentially open to all types and brands - they may have gotten stock from their warehouses. But, if I were me, even living only 10 miles away - I wouldn't bother. Edited May 9 by fortyearspickn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 (edited) S A was one of the only stores I went that carried Rickenbacker. No bass looks cooler than a 4001 then it became the 4003. Edited May 10 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 9 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: No, not in a couple of years. I would not expect they have much of interest. They had only 2 or 3 Gibson Acoustics the times I went in. Not much in terms of 'high end' stuff. I'd guess half the floor stock that GC has. Prices might be better - and if you're potentially open to all types and brands - they may have gotten stock from their warehouses. But, if I were me, even living only 10 miles away - I wouldn't bother. fyp, Would you bother if you weren't you? Just wondering. RBSinTo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 16 hours ago, RBSinTo said: fyp, Would you bother if you weren't you? Just wondering. RBSinTo I'm beside myself in embarrassment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 Stopped at Cherry Hill NJ Sam Ash yesterday. You can score some pretty sweet deals on "Michael Kelly" guitars, whatever they are. ENTIRE STORE ON SALE prices on guitars that retail at 375 or so, going for a jaw dropping $360. 5%!!!! Unbelievable deals to be had. A few Les Pauls up there, easily two and three hundred apiece more than the GC that is no more than a hundred yards away. Pathetic. Long time and lots of guitars and amps and trades with that place and the one out in King of Prussia PA. Pathetic sad ending. After months of "we got this we're fine hang in there we got this" they were told on Tuesday that the store would be closed by mid-July. So yeah, no. Don't waste your time. rct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 No S A’s near me. I got a G C 10 minutes away in N. Myrtle to get screwed over by, so I’m good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 6 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: I'm beside myself in embarrassment. So by my calculation is that eightyearspickn worth of mortification? RBSinTo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 21 hours ago, rct said: Stopped at Cherry Hill NJ Sam Ash yesterday. You can score some pretty sweet deals on "Michael Kelly" guitars, whatever they are. ENTIRE STORE ON SALE prices on guitars that retail at 375 or so, going for a jaw dropping $360. 5%!!!! Unbelievable deals to be had. A few Les Pauls up there, easily two and three hundred apiece more than the GC that is no more than a hundred yards away. Pathetic. Long time and lots of guitars and amps and trades with that place and the one out in King of Prussia PA. Pathetic sad ending. After months of "we got this we're fine hang in there we got this" they were told on Tuesday that the store would be closed by mid-July. So yeah, no. Don't waste your time. rct Okay, yeah, but I was in GC yesterday, and a guitar had a special, “new lower price” tag showing the old price of $749.00 in a little circle. The flagged “NEW LOWER PRICE”—$749.00. Wow!!! They even did the math for you: “Save $0.00” sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 1 hour ago, PrairieDog said: Okay, yeah, but I was in GC yesterday, and a guitar had a special, “new lower price” tag showing the old price of $749.00 in a little circle. The flagged “NEW LOWER PRICE”—$749.00. Wow!!! They even did the math for you: “Save $0.00” sheesh. Our GC down here by AC has been pretty weird since the long time manager left. It has gotten so odd that I don't even go in there any more. The one up at Cherry Hill is starting to get pretty weird too. Can't explain it. I guess them days are done now, it's mail order or nothing. rct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 9 minutes ago, rct said: Our GC down here by AC has been pretty weird since the long time manager left. It has gotten so odd that I don't even go in there any more. The one up at Cherry Hill is starting to get pretty weird too. Can't explain it. I guess them days are done now, it's mail order or nothing. rct Was it somewhere here that somebody said a there was a rumor a bunch of GCs were closing? Or maybe another forum. Anyway, I really like ours, the guys don’t have any attitude, and are really helpful when dealing. And it’s laid out nice with lots of private spaces for trying things out. But it was as you say, “weird” yesterday. The Gibson wall was empty, save for 7 LPs hanging in the “also rans” rows. It looked like they brought a bunch of warehouse stuff out onto the floor, and a whole “string/doodads/extras display was dismantled and filled up with Fender boxes for small amps or something. They had no description except a model number. And the guys were not as umm “sociable” as they usually are. All seemed pretty serious. I’m worried they got some bad news which is going to be a bummer for us, since they are the only convenient store in our area. We didn’t get a chance to ask what was up before we had to take off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 (edited) On 5/9/2024 at 8:15 AM, fortyearspickn said: No, not in a couple of years. I would not expect they have much of interest. They had only 2 or 3 Gibson Acoustics the times I went in. Not much in terms of 'high end' stuff. I'd guess half the floor stock that GC has. Prices might be better - and if you're potentially open to all types and brands - they may have gotten stock from their warehouses. But, if I were me, even living only 10 miles away - I wouldn't bother. Okay. When I lived in Del Rio from 2009-2012, I would go up to San Antonio on business about once a month near the Sam Ash and I would go in and look around. I haven’t been there since I moved to the Austin area. Edited May 11 by tx-ogre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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