Discounted ABI's

Call me crazy, but I think BC's had that info on their Dingwall page since last year. Can someone from Dingwall or BassCentral confirm this pricing?

Yeah, that's been up forever...besides they still have the spec from the EARLY ABs...they haven't updated in over 5 years!

Yeah rock at that stuff. no wait.. Got a good first impression, and they obviously have a good stock, but some weird misunderstandings and poor communication made me a bit more reserved, and then i bought a used Zon with retail listed ad 4470$, but when i got it and checked for all the original info from Zon it appeared the retail was actually 3675$. GRAND F0KIN FUN Edit: Come to think of it, it reminds me of when i've been trying to deal with Ed Roman previously..

Sorry for the false alarm. I never go to their site, so I don't recall seeing that page. Anyway, I'm a dedicated BassNW customer. 5 year old info? No excuse for that. Mark

I've called their store a couple of times to check on a piece of equipment they have listed for a good price and it's always already sold...

Ugh so annoying when some company has a good site except all the information is years out of date because they never update.

I picked up a NOS '07 ABII-5 2 months ago. Very good deal. The flash shot was not flattering on the site. It's a shame because the neck has some of the most beautiful blond streaks I've ever seen. It's absolutely beautiful in person. The less chambered body with no scroll holes is the sweet spot for ABII-5's tonewise IMHO having owned a solid body, chambered w/scroll holes and the less chambered one I currently have now. BC rawks gentlemen.

I might be wrong about this, but I have visited their site many times a few months ago and I really think that that page has changed since. There has been no "50% off" back then and I would have remembered that, plus there was a lot more basses. I remember ABIIs, and I think remember a blackburst Z. The fact that they didn't update specs means nothing really, they would just c/p existing specs when adding instruments. I'm not 100% sure, though. There's a Bass Central sub-forum on TalkBass, maybe you should ask the question there.

I visit their site fairly regularly and haven't seen the 50% off sale, so it's fairly new. Before I found a used ABII5 somewhere else, I was talking to them about their stock and they did have a few, just not always the ones pictured on the site. No biggie, they happily sent me the real pics of the stock basses and plenty of info about them. I know it can be annoying that things are out of date, but I totally understand. If you ran a big bass shop, wouldn't you rather be playing bass and doing cooler stuff than jumping on the PC and keeping the details on the website totally up to date? Cheers, EG

Not to criticize our favorite bass manufacturer, but lots of the specs on the Dingwall site are several years out of date. For example, from the product pages describing the Afterburner, Z1, and Z2: [b]PICKUPS Dingwall FD-1

I'm kinda in the same boat of "no excuses.". Look at ThePerfectBass.com (had Dingwalls at one point but I don't see them on the site anymore). They are a physical bass shop as well as an online store. They keep the stock updated to the minute and have photos of each and every bass that is available. BC would get a lot more business (especially international) if they revamped and updated the website. Just my opinion.

[quote="evilgus":2j6wumz1]If you ran a big bass shop, wouldn't you rather be playing bass and doing cooler stuff than jumping on the PC and keeping the details on the website totally up to date? Cheers, EG[/quote:2j6wumz1] Huh? If it was my livelihood, then there would be nothing "cooler" than to keep my website up to date on a daily basis, if need be. Most specialty bass stores rely on internet sales for the great majority of their business. When such a retailer lets their site become so out of date that it starts a dicussion like this, then I look at that retailer with a skeptical eye, and rightly so. There are a lot of specialty bass stores out there now, and I assume competition is fierce, so to ignore the website seems to be bad business. As far as the DDG site goes, it being out of date seems to me a much less serious transgression. They aren't retailers, so they rely more on their product's reputation vs. constantly changing spec info to keep things moving. Up to date spec info is less important than up to date stock info for the potential buyer, who, many times, has already decided on the brand of bass they want. BTW, I had the good fortune to visit Jim Rubio at Atlanta Bass Gallery a couple of weeks ago. (He has an amazing story about how he came to open his store...all I'll tell you is the genesis was a parachute that failed to open. After his recovery, he decided to follow his dream.) I played a chambered ABII. Jim's only demand is that nobody is allowed to slap on any of the new stock. 90% of his business is internet sales, so he wants to keep the new basses new. The chambered ABII was amazing in look, feel, and sound. Unbelieveably resonant unplugged, drop-dead tone plugged in. I'm gonna get one someday. Mark

Agreed. Atlanta Bass Gallery is one of the very finest...

[quote="guitarded":gpd1cmtt] Huh? If it was my livelihood, then there would be nothing "cooler" than to keep my website up to date on a daily basis, if need be. Most specialty bass stores rely on internet sales for the great majority of their business. When such a retailer lets their site become so out of date that it starts a dicsussion like this, then I look at that retailer with a skeptical eye, and rightly so. There are a lot of specialty bass stores out there now, and I assume competition is fierce, so to ignore the website seems to be bad business.[/quote:gpd1cmtt] Completely agree. I've been inside BassCentral's shop in Orlando...very grass roots was my impression. Hence the lack luster website and lack of updating. [quote="guitarded":gpd1cmtt] As far as the DDG site goes, it being out of date seems to me a much less serious transgression. They aren't retailers, so they rely more on their product's reputation vs. constantly changing spec info to keep things moving. Up to date spec info is less important than up to date stock info for the potential buyer, who, many times, has already decided on the brand of bass they want.[/quote:gpd1cmtt] Agree. not updating the DDG website allowed for the SuperJ5, Combustion, ABZ, Z3, new pickups, and other redesigns (semi chambered ABII's) to take place! [quote="guitarded":gpd1cmtt] BTW, I had the good fortune to visit Jim Rubio at Atlanta Bass Gallery a couple of weeks ago. I played a chambered ABII. Jim's only demand is that nobody is allowed to slap on any of the new stock. 90% of his business is internet sales, so he wants to keep the new basses new.[/quote:gpd1cmtt] The Lakland I have for sale in the classifieds was purchased from Jim by the original owner. It still looks brand-new to my eyes, thanks in part to ATL Bass Gallery. I've not had the chance to visit his shop yet. Hopefully soon. [quote="guitarded":gpd1cmtt] The chambered ABII was amazing in look, feel, and sound. Unbelieveably resonant unplugged, drop-dead tone plugged in. I'm gonna get one someday. [/quote:gpd1cmtt] Me too. I'm dying to compare it to my ABII-5 solid walnut.

[quote="Brim":1q16clnr]Agree. not updating the DDG website allowed for the SuperJ5, Combustion, ABZ, Z3, new pickups, and other redesigns (semi chambered ABII's) to take place![/quote:1q16clnr] Good point. Sheldon has inferred as much in the past when people griped about the website. We don't want to stifle his creativity and output. Mark

Not trying to defend or rationalize BC, but from what I've gathered over the years (and I used to live about an hour from their store), they thrive off of mainly call-in and mail orders and such. They have a big warehouse and their storefront is more of a nicety for people in the area to look at a sample of what they have to offer. The website seems much the same. It's more of "we have this kind of stuff...call or email us with what you want and we'll hook you up." Very grassroots. That said, I think they would benefit [i:vaddxlxc]hugely[/i:vaddxlxc] from hiring somebody to run their website full time and get it where it needs to be and keep it there. Also, it's been kind of odd that nobody there has returned my emails the last few times I've sent one asking on price or availability of a particular item (most recently, a cover for my AccuGroove Tri112-L). In the past, their customer service has been flawless in my experiences.

By the by, I seem to remember seeing that sale announcement this past December.

It's all about prompt, sincere customer service and being committed to customer satisfaction. I got my Z3 from BassNW. When there was a glitch in the delivery due to a weather delay and the bass was going to have to sit on the Fedex truck over the weekend, because Saturday delivery was not optioned, they called the carrier immediately and set up delivery on Saturday. Only the shipper can change the terms, not the recipient. Chad promised to get it to me by a certain date, and he made it happen at the last minute. Then they called me Monday to make sure the bass arrived safely and that everything was in order. They run their entire operation that way, right down to the website. It doesn't sound like you can expect that from Roman or BC. When I'm shopping for or spending that much on a bass, I want my ass kissed...figuratively, of course. A conscientous retail business owner will pay close attention to every aspect of their operation, not just some parts. A relaxed attitude isn't necessarily bad, but when you're so relaxed that you overlook or blow off things and people complain about certain aspects of your business, then that points to an owner and staff that isn't serious enough about their trade. Mark

[quote="guitarded":3ct5u79n]...When I'm shopping for or spending that much on a bass, I want my ass kissed...figuratively, of course..[/quote:3ct5u79n] Reasonable expectation especially if you're buying a very expensive boutique bass...especially.

My AB came from Bass Central. I don't think its fair to compare them to Ed Roman (by rumor & reputation as I've never bought a bass from Ed). The transaction was for the most part positive. I first talked with "Grasshopper" and worked the deal. When I then called back to finalize and give payment information as I was asked to...the guy I talked to was a bit of a step down. By that I mean he called me 'dude' he was just over all much more meathead music store and unprofessional. When I got down to talking about the deal that had been agreed upon, he gave me a 'DUUUUDE...there's no waaaay we can do that..." I said ok, and hung up. I emailed Grasshopper, who in turn called me to apologize and finalize the deal. Once I had the bass, he followed up several times, once by phone (and talked with me for about 20 minutes), then later he emailed me to make sure I was satisfied.