Re: Cranky Dissy Posts

["David Durian" <daviddurian@msn.com>]

Dave E wrote:

>>I constantly upgrade my gear by a combination of research,
>>selling what I have (sometimes re-buying what I have sold...how many of
>>you do that? Or is it just me?)

The impression I'm getting is that a LOT of us on the list do that--the 
whole approach you are mentioning. Like I said in my last post, I upgrade 
by 
selling what I have, and yes, I've gone back and rebought a couple of 
things 
over the years, too. It's the nature of the musical beast, if you ask me. 
:)

To me, I wonder if this is what lots of musicians in our situations have 
always done, or if this is more a factor of the economic times we are 
currently in (insert tie back to the Michael Moore references made by mark 
and me here)? I mean, everyone I know seems to be doing that lately. 
People 
I've heard mention it on this list, people I work with, my jamming 
buddies/musical collaborating friends . . .

And at least here in the south side of Chicago, I think the national 
retailers like GC and SA are really looking like they are starting to feel 
that trend too.

. . . But then this opens a discussion of interest, to me, at least, which 
is how they deal with the resale market generally. Perhaps if they gave us 
what our gear is worth when we brought in stuff for trade-ins, I (and I 
know 
several of my jamming buddies) would be less likely only to buy used gear 
or 
do the Ebay thing. But frankly, the last few times (over a several year 
period) that I've taken anything in one of those places to trade, I feel 
like I'm getting totally ripped off. I can get A LOT more money for my 
gear 
over on Ebay than I'd get from them . . . so why bother with them? All 
they 
do is try to pressure sell me on whatever "is hot" this week anyway--and 
most of it is stuff I'd never use.

Like, when I was updating my mixing board . . . they basically tried to 
rape 
and pillage me on the trade in on my old board, and then tried to pressure 
me in to getting a board that I thought was a total hunk of junk--because 
it 
was the "big seller" that month. It's hard though (insert quasi-old-man 
rant) when the salesperson is 19 years old and has no clue (and possibly 
no 
interest) in what they are doing except to sell what they've been told is 
"hot." It constantly astounds me how little they actually know --about 
anything-- unless it's the latest "big thing." Maybe I don't want a Line 6 
Pod Pro or a Digitech RP 400. And some of us don't want only one option 
(Boss RC-20) for buying a looper. Damn kids. No respect for history, 
value, 
or the important things in life. :) (okay, rant over).

But seriously, I think those chains contribute to the hard times it looks 
like they are having (in Chicago, anyway) because of the salesperson 
problem 
and the attitude towards trade-ins they seem to have. And they've 
definately 
contributed to me and my jamming buddies not shopping there now.

As much as it sucks to say this--because this chain has its issues too--if 
I 
ever do buy new gear anymore, I'm buying it from MF. Yes, they have chain 
"issues" too, but at least online shopping allows me not to have to deal 
with some Van Halen wanna be playing "Eruption" poorly out on some 
Marshall 
stack turned to 11 while a bassist pretending to be Flea thumps away 
behind 
him while I'm simultaneously being pressured into buying something I don't 
want. (Second rant started and now ended.)

Frankly, I like going the Ebay route, because from what I can determine, 
all 
the people I've bought gear from the last three months are doing the same 
thing you and I have been doing--selling their gear to buy other used gear 
from other sellers on Ebay. So, basically, we all help each other out 
doing 
so. They move their stuff, and I get want I want. I move my stuff, and 
someone else gets what they want. And we all enable each other to do our 
thing in our own way. Which is great.

Just some more thoughts,

David Durian

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