# What is up with G&L prices?



## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

I've been shopping around for a new guitar for a little while (and have gotten some good advice from folks here).

I ultimately decided I wanted to buy a G&L Legacy, and started inquiring at various dealers for pricing.

I contacted three US dealers, and all of them promptly gave me firm, committed prices for new guitars, expected delivery dates, and info on their current stock available for sale. What they told me by email and by phone was pretty consistent with what they had advertised on their websites. The guitars were about $1,000-$1,100, for the options I was looking for, and ordering one would take 6-8 weeks to have made and delivered.

I talked to 4 different Canadian (Toronto-area) dealers, and had a very different experience. 

1) Only one of them was able to give me a firm price when I spoke with them, and that price was CAD$1,600, with a 4-month wait. 

2) Another said they couldn't give me a price on the spot, but it would be "around" CAD$1,400, and would be a 4-6 month wait. They said the owner would have to call me to give me a firm price and talk about the order. I've inquired at the same dealer, in person, 3 more times, over the last 10 days, and still haven't heard from anyone. So, even if I wanted to order from them, I actually don't know how to do that...

3) Dealer number three said they couldn't give me a price on the spot, that they'd have to look into it. I left my info, and got a phone call back 5 days later. I was told that the right handed models go for CAD$1,600, and the lefties sell for CAD$2,000, because G&L has a $300 upcharge for lefties. (I hate calling people liars, and the guy is super-nice, so I don't think he's lying... but this just isn't true). 

4) Dealer number four told me they couldn't give me a price on the spot, that they'd have to look into it. I left my info, and 3 days later still haven't heard back from them. They said they should be around CAD$1,400, and would take 4-6 months to get one, but couldn't give me a confirmed price.

Now, I don't want to tell anyone how to run their business, and these guys obviously know a LOT more about guitars than I likely ever will, but something just doesn't add up. The pricing was all over the place, the delivery was really long, and 3 out of 4 couldn't even give me a price when I asked... and one of them hasn't even gotten back to me after 10 days of me asking multiple times.

I really, really, really believe in supporting local, Canadian shops. But this makes it pretty tough. I ordered a guitar yesterday morning from a US dealer. 6-8 weeks, lefty, USD$1,000. Even at full exchange rate, full shipping, full sales taxes, it will come out around the same, or cheaper, than buying in Canada. But money isn't even the biggest issue... the Canadian guys didn't even really give themselves a chance to make the sale. 

Has anybody else experienced this, or can shed some light on why it has to be this way?

--- D


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2009)

Keep in mind that the end retails stores you're talking to aren't dealing directly with G&L. They deal with G&L's distributor here in Canada and the distributor sets the base price, carries the Canada-wide inventory, and introduces their own upcharges (like the lefty model fee). I can't say definitely because you didn't name names, but they might also represent considerably smaller G&L outlets than the U.S. stores you're dealing with. A retail outlets pricing from a distributor is often directly related to their sales -- that is, a small time G&L dealer gets a higher price from the distributor because they just aren't doing volume. Higher volume, lower prices. That's almost universally true.

Sounds like you found the most economical route for your purchase though. And your diligence doing your research as a consumer is paying off. It's never a bad thing to be a well-informed and diligent consumer. When it finally arrives I'd be interested to know if it came in less than buying it from a Canadian outlet.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

iaresee said:


> Keep in mind that the end retails stores you're talking to aren't dealing directly with G&L. They deal with G&L's distributor here in Canada and the distributor sets the base price, carries the Canada-wide inventory, and introduces their own upcharges (like the lefty model fee). I can't say definitely because you didn't name names, but they might also represent considerably smaller G&L outlets than the U.S. stores you're dealing with. A retail outlets pricing from a distributor is often directly related to their sales -- that is, a small time G&L dealer gets a higher price from the distributor because they just aren't doing volume. Higher volume, lower prices. That's almost universally true.
> 
> Sounds like you found the most economical route for your purchase though. And your diligence doing your research as a consumer is paying off. It's never a bad thing to be a well-informed and diligent consumer. When it finally arrives I'd be interested to know if it came in less than buying it from a Canadian outlet.


Yeah, I figured the issue was something along the lines of what you're saying here. I run into the same problem often when trying to buy motorcycle gear. I figured it's probably not the fault of the individual store - they are all very nice stores with helpful staff. I wouldn't be surprised if they're the victims of the distributor-regime... It really puts them at a disadvantage.

--- D


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...i bought my legacy from lou at:

www.kaosmusiccentre.com

decent price and not a long wait, 2-3 weeks, i think.

he usually has some good stock on hand, as well.

the good/bad news is that g&l guitars usually sell for half their value on the used market.

check craiglist etc. 

i've seen a number legacies and asats in the $700 range.

-dh


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

All I can say is it'll be worth it when you get it. When I bought my G+L I went into the store with a list of exactly what I wanted, expecting that it would have to be ordered and custom built. The owner walked over to the wall and handed me my guitar. Everything about it was exactly what I was planning to order, right down to the finish on the neck. That was 12 years ago. That is the guitar that will someday have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands.


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## rockinbluesfan (Mar 3, 2008)

Hope it works out for you but my experience with buying fom the u.s. is with the difference of the dollar right now you're looking at 20-25% exchange, gst and pst, shipping fee's and broker fee's or handling fee's. I have found that a good deal has to be a really good deal to be feasable!


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

rockinbluesfan said:


> Hope it works out for you but my experience with buying fom the u.s. is with the difference of the dollar right now you're looking at 20-25% exchange, gst and pst, shipping fee's and broker fee's or handling fee's. I have found that a good deal has to be a really good deal to be feasable!


To me a good deal would have to include getting the darn thing ordered. Sounds like the OP was having trouble with that in Canada.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

rockinbluesfan said:


> Hope it works out for you but my experience with buying fom the u.s. is with the difference of the dollar right now you're looking at 20-25% exchange, gst and pst, shipping fee's and broker fee's or handling fee's. I have found that a good deal has to be a really good deal to be feasable!


Agreed... which is what usually prevents me from doing it. But loading all that in, it should come to CAD$1500, after tax. That's about even with the "general" pricing offered to me by the shop that hasn't called me back to take my order... and it's substantially cheaper than the shops that WOULD take my order. Not to mention about 2-4 months quicker delivery, which has to be worth something. I'll let you know how it all figures in the end....

--- D


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2009)

Duster said:


> Agreed... which is what usually prevents me from doing it. But loading all that in, it should come to CAD$1500, after tax. That's about even with the "general" pricing offered to me by the shop that hasn't called me back to take my order... and it's substantially cheaper than the shops that WOULD take my order. Not to mention about 2-4 months quicker delivery, which has to be worth something. I'll let you know how it all figures in the end....
> 
> --- D


I do sincerely hope you get it in the time promised. There's often higher priority given to bigger outlets. But my experience says bigger outlets are also more apt to take your cash and give you excuses when delivery date after delivery date slide by.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

iaresee said:


> I do sincerely hope you get it in the time promised. There's often higher priority given to bigger outlets. But my experience says bigger outlets are also more apt to take your cash and give you excuses when delivery date after delivery date slide by.


Valid concern. I am skeptical that the delivery is so much better than what I was offered here. Maybe a sales ploy? Could be the old bait-and-switch... I guess I'll find out in 6-8 weeks.  Still, compared to 4-6 months, they can disappoint me quite a bit and still deliver sooner! We shall see in a couple of months. One thing's for sure, I'm not paying for the whole thing till it's on its way to me.... so hopefully that's some incentive.

--- D


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

I hope all goes well for you Duster. Unfortunately my experience with all things of a musical instrument nature involving orders/dates/times has been pretty miserable. To me. it seems as though if it involves guitars and amps, or exotic pedals/cables, then anything short of actual theft of your money is OK. Amp techs being _the_ worst offenders, in my experience anyway. I understand they're busy people, but man, tell it like it is. If you tell someone 2-3 weeks and you know it'll be a miracle if you can get to it in a month's time, then say so. A couple of years ago I had a guy tell me that my amp would be ready on Friday (he called me!!). I called that Friday and asked if I could pick up my amp, he asked for my name and put me on hold. When he came back on the line he told me he hadn't even had a chance to look at it. All delivered to me in an incredulous " who are you ,and why are you bothering me" tone. He's well respected in my area and I won't tattle-tale, but that was the last time he ever got money from me. Computer guys pull this kind of crap too, but I care less about my computers and most of them are friends of mine and do it for free. Man, am I OFF TOPIC!!

Peace Shawn :smile:


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

As noted above, I think that the dollar exchange plays havoc with the ability of some Canadian retailers to firmly price instruments that are ultimately paid for in US dollars.

Once all costs are added in - exchange rate, additional courier costs, fees at the border etc., the result is often indifferent. One thing that is not indifferent is the cost of warranty service, should you need to send the guitar back for service.

I think there are cultural differences at play as well - my personal experience has been that, barring some specific cases, the US has a significantly more responsive retail service culture than Canada.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

Hammertone said:


> As noted above, I think that the dollar exchange plays havoc with the ability of some Canadian retailers to firmly price instruments that are ultimately paid for in US dollars.
> 
> Once all costs are added in - exchange rate, additional courier costs, fees at the border etc., the result is often indifferent. One thing that is not indifferent is the cost of warranty service, should you need to send the guitar back for service.
> 
> I think there are cultural differences at play as well - my personal experience has been that, barring some specific cases, the US has a significantly more responsive retail service culture than Canada.


Agreed on the warranty, which is why I tried as hard as I could to buy it in Canada... But the dealers that were able to give me firm pricing were $300-$500 more expensive than buying it in the states, even after exchange. USD$1,000 vs. CAD$1,600-$2,000. That's an expensive warranty.

As for pricing, I know it's not easy to take the exchange rate risk, but that's the nature of being a dealer of a US brand. If you can't offer firm pricing, don't deal those instruments. I say this from the standpoint of a person who sells Canadian product in the USA. I have the same problem, in reverse. Sometimes I make money on the exchange, sometimes I lose. But if I don't give my customers a price, how can they buy from me?

--- D


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

Update (since a couple of you asked for it earlier):

Guitar received! My feedback on the experience is nothing but positive, frankly. Worries about delays and excuses were unfounded.

I had ordered from Guitar Adoptions, in IL, and the owner, Dave Schmidt, was a real pleasure to deal with. Delivery was exactly as promised. The only delay was introduced by me, as I decided to pay with a cheque, so he had to wait for that to clear. That introduced about a 10-day delay, but could have been avoided if I paid earlier or by a different means. He was very flexible with payment. I made a $100 deposit with the order, over the phone, then sent a cheque for about half the value of the guitar, and paid the other half with a cheque after he had received the guitar from California.

In the end, by my calculations, the guitar cost $1450. That's including all taxes, duties, shipping, exchange rate, the whole deal. In truth, it cost me a bit less, because I had it shipped to my company, so customs clearance was done by my commercial broker. But I don't factor that in, because that's an advantage not available to everyone, so makes for an unfair comparison. If I had to pay the regular UPS fees, I would have paid $1450 all-in.

I ordered the guitar on March 19th, and received it May 20th. That's within the 6-8 weeks as promised, and again, could have been sooner. The guitar shipped from the factory in California, to Guitar Adoptions, on May 4th.

Dave did a great job answering my questions and helping me out prior to the order, was very prompt in all email correspondence (responses within 10 minutes), and his paperwork and accounting was impeccable. Order and payment confirmations within 24 hours, shipping confirmation and tracking number immediately. He obviously runs a tight ship and is quite organized. I think he moves a fair number of guitars, so it's doubly impressive that he's got his stuff together.

All this compares to the best "ready-to-order" price I got from a Toronto dealer of $1600, before tax, which also promised me a 6-month delivery. A couple of dealers told me "rough pricing" would be around $1300 before tax, with 4-6 month delivery, but didn't return my phone calls when I told them I was ready to place an order.

Maybe my experience would have been different if I was looking for a right-handed model, as there are plenty of them hung up on dealers' walls. But for a lefty, I don't think I could have done much better than I did.

All in all, quite happy and satisfied with the experience, and I'd recommend Guitar Adoptions if you're having trouble getting satisfaction locally, and particularly for lefties.

Have I mentioned the guitar is awesome? And plays real nice? That's more important than all this talk of money and import issues...

I'll post a NGD thread when I take some pics.

--- D


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

I'm glad everything worked out for you. 
Like David, if I was looking for a Legacy, I'd go second hand. I took a bath on mine when I traded it in on a Strat at Capsule, and they seem to sell for less than Fenders used.
But you're happy with your axe, that's all that matters. Enjoy!:rockon2:


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Sounds like a great guitar. Looking forward to the pics. Did you choose the neck thickness? I know they used to offer different neck sizes.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

keefsdad said:


> I'm glad everything worked out for you.
> Like David, if I was looking for a Legacy, I'd go second hand. I took a bath on mine when I traded it in on a Strat at Capsule, and they seem to sell for less than Fenders used.
> But you're happy with your axe, that's all that matters. Enjoy!:rockon2:


Agreed. I tried the used market for a while, couldn't find a satisfactory lefty. Then I got impatient, and figured, I'm not much of a seller - I'll probably own this thing forever, unless I hate it, and that's not likely...

--- D


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> Sounds like a great guitar. Looking forward to the pics. Did you choose the neck thickness? I know they used to offer different neck sizes.


They still do offer a range of thicknesses and neck profiles, as well as fretboard radii, but I went with the standard. I tried the necks on a few righties and liked the standard best. It seems a little wider in the hand than a current American strat neck, with a flatter fretboard - I think 12" radius. 

--- D


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