Best dealmaker: Custom order

[pcovers]

Not all dealers price the same and some discount more heavily than others. Who offers the "best" deals on custom orders?

[big bob]

Not all dealers price the same and some discount more heavily than others. Who offers the "best" deals on custom orders?

I would avoid the High volume dealers.

 

Of course I also believe strongly in giving my business (spend my money) locally. I have this stupid Idea that it helps keep my home town a nice place to live.

[needane]

Not all dealers price the same and some discount more heavily than others. Who offers the "best" deals on custom orders?

Jay Wolfe's guitar in fl is a great dealer to deal with, was of a mind to order 150 and graham walked me through the options and prices, knows his guitars, had priced custom order but found a guitar I am happy with in their inventory and saved lots of time. Give them call, sure you will be pleased with help and price you recieve great dealer

[Guest HRB853370]

Not all dealers price the same and some discount more heavily than others. Who offers the "best" deals on custom orders?

 

Given that dealers are in competition with each other, and some may offer better service than others, is it appropriate to have this topic on the forum? Patrick pointed out recently that many of them read this forum. Just an observation.

[Patrick]

pcovers . . . . the best deal isn't always the cheapest dealer. If you want and expect before and after the sale support . . you need to be willing to pay for that, as it usually comes at a price. Jay Wolfe's store, Wolfe Guitars down in Jupiter, FL was mentioned here and for good reason. His store and others who are prominent here on HOC are great places to go through, but they aren't going to be the cheapest. You can't give the kind of service and attention to detail that these guys give and sell stuff for $100 above dealer cost. Usually, it's the people who are looking for the cheapest price they can find who are the biggest pains in the ass to a dealer (I mean you no offense here) They'll hammer a shop's price down to the bare bones and then call the shop every other day with questions. Or, they'll unreasonably consume a dealer's time when deciding on the spec's. Then after the guitar is delivered, they'll expect it to be further tweaked in the set up. If the nut needs additional cutting, truss rod adjustment . . . or just to wipe off a speck of fly shit, they'll expect that to be provided at no additional cost. If you want the best price possible, then you should be willing to negotiate like this . . . "OK Mr. Dealer, here are the spec's for the guitar I want. It needs no further discussion. Just order it . . . and by the way, here's 50% deposit. Also, when the guitar does arrive, just call me. I will stop by take it out of the box, set it up myself and then I will take the empty box away from your property and discard it. I will also be willing to pay you usual and customary shop rates for any and all work and/or adjustments that the guitar may need. Also you may bill be at your shop rate every time I call you and ask when my guitar is going to be ready".

 

Lance (bigbob) also makes a great point . . . find a local dealer you can live with. Work out a price point that is going to be fair for him and for you . . .not just for you. If you're ordering a new guitar, spec'd to your desire, you're gonna need all of the local dealer support you can get. If the guitar ends up costing you 10% more . . it's going to be money well spent.

[pcovers]

I have no local dealer. A well constructed, quality cut nut would not be included in my options list. It would be an expected standard equipment item.

 

I do have to consider the value of after sale service that I would likely never utilize. I know low price is one of those contentious topics.

[Patrick]

I have no local dealer. A well constructed, quality cut nut would not be included in my options list. It would be an expected standard equipment item.

 

I do have to consider the value of after sale service that I would likely never utilize. I know low price is one of those contentious topics.

 

You're right, it is a contentious topic . . and I don't mean to belabor it. Anything that a dealer has to do, other than phone in your order and give you the box when it arrives cuts into his margin. Builders like Heritage and others expect that a dealer will have to provide some of the after sales support as well as live with the customer during and after the sale. That's why they offer the dealer such deep discounts. They know that the dealer isn't going to just "hand over a box" to a customer. They also know that dealers are very unlikely to sell a guitar at full retail price. Regarding the nut example; when a guitar leaves the Heritage plant it is set up as Ren Wall believes it should be, including the nut. You, however, may want the set up to be different, which might require further nut filing. It happens. It's then the dealer's responsibility to tweak the set up. That's what their margin of profit if for . . . the sale as well as the service and support.

 

Look, all I'm saying is that if you find two dealers selling a brand new H535 . . . one dealer has it for $2,500 and the other has it for $2,400 . . . . I don't think it would be in yours or anyone else best interest to make a decision based upon only that $100 difference.

[pcovers]

I agree $100 should not be the sole deciding factor.

[Gitfiddler]

PC,

 

Here are a few thoughts when looking for a Heritage dealer:

 

1. Let them know that you are an HOC member. Some Heritage dealers give special consideration to us, be it pricing or service.

 

2. Be as specific as possible if you have particular specs for your custom order. Check with Heritage directly to be clear about the specs in advance.

 

3. Ask them about their after sale service. I might sound obvious, but some dealers merely pass on your boxed up guitar from Heritage on to you without any adjustments, set up, etc. If you have an after sale issue with the guitar, some dealers direct you to Heritage and could care less about you after they get your money. (Yes, I've experienced this from a Heritage dealer. I let Vince Margol know about it)

 

4. See what they have in inventory and ask for an in hand description. It is always best to play the guitar in advance, but many of us purchase over the phone/internet. You might even find that a custom order isn't necessary if one of their instruments has most of what you are looking for.

 

5. Don't be afraid to check back with the dealer and ask more questions. Guitars are not cheap. Yes, be considerate of the dealer's time, and don't be a PITA, but get the information you need to make an informed decision.

 

6. Look for references here at the HOC if you've narrowed your search.

 

7. Lastly, check on the price. I intentionally listed this at the bottom of the list, because down the road, the price will probably have the least amount if impact on your enjoyment of your guitar compared to the other six issues listed above.

 

Good hunting!

[tbonesullivan]

I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for". And working customer service, I can validate what Patrick has said: the people looking for deals often end up being the biggest pains in the a$$. Most seem to be "give an inch take a mile" types that like to call up and act like the big man on campus because they bought ONE guitar, or one whatever. So we make them a deal, and then they call back asking whether it has shipped, what the holdup is, etc, when it hasn't even been long enough for their card to be sent to the warehouse for packing. Then they call back on successive orders and act insulted when you don't chap their ass with discounts and free stuff, when we have customers who order FAR MORE and who don't ASK for anything, except maybe "pick me some nice stuff". It's all quid pro quo type deal, but some people are much more into the getting scratched than scratching, or want a full massage in response for them letting you know that you've got something stuck in your teeth.

 

But back to the point, there's a reason why dealers who charge more stay afloat: they deliver. Sure you can get a lot of stuff cheaper at Sam Ashe, Guitar center, and their associated online people. But you can bet your ass that you won't get nearly as good customer service. As far as most of them are concerned their responsibility ends when the door closes behind you. If they call you, it's only to try to entice you to buy more crap.

 

I got my H150CM used from Wolfe, and it was set up great, and plays great. It was used and had some dingers, but they were exactly as described. I've also gotten two guitars and an amp from Dave's guitars up in Wisconsin, and also have heard great things about BCR Music over in PA. If you want a Hamer built for you, go there.

[jmc7581]

Lots of good points here. I'll echo Patrick, Gitfiddler, and tbonesullivan - for a custom order, you want customer service above all else.

 

Here's my 2 cents: I just did a custom-order 535, got it about 3 weeks ago. And while I can't say who's "best," I can sure tell that Jeff Hale of J. Hale Music - http://www.jhalemusic.com/ - is truly excellent. Jeff is knowledgeable, but low-key and friendly, extremely responsive and responsible, and the set-up service he provides is IMPECCABLE, second to none. Throughout, you deal with Jeff, and Jeff alone. And his pricing (okay - we can talk about price now!) is reasonable and, as far as I can tell, right in line with everybody else's. What a fantastic instrument, exactly what I wanted! I am one happy customer.

[Bulldog]

As stated, I'm sure some Heritage dealers do monitor this board are excellent to deal with. I can only speak to my recent experience with Jay Wolfe. About two weeks ago I purchased a new 535 from Jay Wolfe. The transaction was fantastic and the guitar far exceeded my expectations. After it arrived I had a couple questions, he was ready and eager to make sure I was satisfied. Ask youself this, when you purchase somethng as expensive and meaningful as a new guitar - do you want to deal with a low or mid-level performer? Or, do you want to be sure that any problems or issues will be resolved to your complete satisfaction? If it costs a couple more bucks for excellence, I think it's well worth it. Maybe the question to this group could become, who have you purchased guitars from that you can recommend and why. I'm not advocating a list of bad experiences, we don't need to hammer anyone. Perhaps a mention of positive experiences.

[Gitfiddler]

To keep this thread positive, I'll pile on the endorsement to Wolfe Guitars and Mojo's Music. I've gotten stellar service from them both and recommend them highly.