Mesa Purchases at Guitar Center!

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

I'm about to order a Mark IV from GC, brand new....I can't stand the wait anymore

Now, they can't lower the price on Mesa products, but they CAN give me free stuff to sweeten the deal.

Anyone that's made some big purchases at GC....how much free stuff did they give you? I'm assuming one or two hundred bucks worth of stuff...

I just want a ballpark before I go into the bargaining...

Anything you would recommend I shoot for?

Thanks!

 

[Barracuda]

Once, on an F50 they were willing to put in about 70 bucks worth of goodies, so the M/IV it might be close to 150 or so .

 

[moriyuki]

Ive got ~$40 worth when purchasing ~700$ Not that I asked for anything more, they just added it out of generosity
Likely I could have negociated my way for more.

 

[Elpelotero]

I would wait it out....there's tons of Mark4's out there.

I got my bass rig from a dude I found on Minneapolis Craigslist.

Have you checked all of these every day?
-ebay
-harmony central classifieds
-boogie board
-prs forums
-john petrucci, jackson, etc....forums
-craigslist in different states (especially california)
-google!
-local shops

i used to go to guitarcenterauctions.com, but they closed i think...

 

[jbird]

A pack of strings and a strap! And that was with a PRS! :shock: Oh wait, I forgot, they threw in the case! :roll:

 

[mrd]

When I bought my RKII and MKIV from Long & McQuade, all they gave me was a nice patch of speaker cable... ~$50. Not bad, but not great.

 

[ursinus]

Be patient young Skywalker. Don't underestimate the power of the force.

Did the deal at Squid music fall through?

 

[Platypus]

I agree.. you can find them out there in perfect condition by either gear heads who trade out or someone who doesn't know what they have... it took me two months of frustration (special circumstances) but I ended up with an 05 w/ a custom grille for a lot cheaper than you'd pay for a new one.

I know the GAS is overwhelming but you still have a Mesa to play with until you find a Mark, think of it that way 8)

 

[barneyc4]

The only problem with ordering from Guitar Center and ordering new from any store is that if the amp comes, and the thing pops or has minor issues you're probably screwed. You would have to wait for another amp.

 

[rainsong86]

I'm not sure if I have the balls to negotiate for free stuff along with a mesa.. but for the products which they are allowed to discount there are HUGE profit margins.. employees get Les Paul standards for around 1300 there.. if you go to a guitar center where you "know" someone then you're in business.. I bought a guitar from a GC employee and as a sign of good will (meaning he was happy I didn't try to rip him on the guitar purchase) he allowed me to buy about 200 dollars worth of GC merch for about 110 dollars

as for the mesa stuff.. if I do plan to buy a mesa I always make sure there is some other expense to buy concurrently.. for instance when I bought my roadster I managed to snag a TC Electronics G System for 150 dollars off.. so they basically gave me the greatest discount possible on the G System to make up for the lofty fixed roadster price.. btw I never buy used amps/effects (unless its Boss of course) because of dependability issues.. I only mess around with used guitars

 

[disassembled]

The resale of the Mark IV is really sucking right now so that $1800 (plus tax) will only sell for 1000- 1300 if you decide it doesn't fit the bill in the near future. That's the main reason I really hate buying new. I have even seen some IV's sell for $900 on the bay (hell i only paid $1050 for mine) so it would probably be in your best interest to use it to your advantage and just stick out the wait for something you want.

Another thing....new amps are usually the ones with the little quirky issues at first (bad tubes, cold solder joints, etc) so you might not get to use your brand new amp right off the bat. Buying used; as long as you fully check the amp out you can remain confident that it will stay that way given the regular maintenance is performed.

Greg

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

The one up in the music store you refered me to is from '97....a little older than I had hoped....A bit steep on the price too.

Maybe I'll wait a little longer...

I saw chevelle at an outdoor festival yesterday, and it really boosted my gas...KILLER live tone, and what a show too :twisted:

 

[barneyc4]

I saw them last week. They got me gassing for one.

 

[Platypus]

I'd love to see them outside, just caught them in Chicago and the mix was really off.. way too much kick drum and not enough guitar volume.

 

[stompboxfreak72]

+1 jbird. Guitar Center never gives me free stuff and I spend a fortune there ! I have bought a Les Paul Custom with a cracked nut and a PRS Singlecut with a defective bridge from them though. They are the only Mesa dealer in Cleveland so I should not complain ( except I wish they had a demo Mark IV I could try out).......

I am dying to try a Mark IV to replace one of my Rectifiers. Time to GAS up !

 

[tempest1226]

hahahah. i freaked out at them when they told me they couldnt lower the price of my dual and cab purchase because i called before i went and tehy said they would hook me up with a deal but when i got there they said they couldnt. So i was like screw you guys started to walk and they told me they could give me free stuff. put it this way. when i left there. This is what i got for free and still have the reciept to this day.

Zakk wylde overdrive
Boss NS-2 Noise gate
3 packs bass strings
12 Pack ernie ball strings
2 Cables
2 Packs of mesa 6L6 Tubes (4 total)

ALL FREE

Just goes to show how much money they still make
Good luck bro.

 

[abe]

I didn't buy my Stiletto Ace 2x12 at GC, but when I got it two weeks ago I asked them to throw in a full set of tubes - 2 power amp, 1 rectifier and all 5 pre-amp, which they did. They also hooked me up with a Boss DD-20 delay for $125 - They normally go for $219

 

[JAZZGEAR]

When I purchased my Hardwood MKIV & RK II, they sweetened the deal by selling me a brand new (boxed) Fender SRV strat for $900 out the door. They retail for $1399, so you could say they gave me almost $500.

 

[KoolAIDMan]

I have a Mark IV on order with GC already. It's supposed to ship in early July. I had originally ordered a Roadster, but then changed my mind and went with a Mark IV.

I've been watching all the 'usual' places to get a used one in the meantime - and I've seen a bunch come up for sale, but only one that I would call 'mint' condition. Even at that, it sold for over $1400. I know I'm paying a premium to buy it brand new from Guitar Center - and I'll be waiting a long time to get it - but with my GAS blitz I've been on, it's just par for the course:

The hole in the center of the rack is the home for the future Mark IV. I am using the Triple XXX temporarily while I await my new Mesa head.

Gear List:
Macbook w/ProTools and MBox Mini
Middle Atlantic Rack
Furman PM-8II
Korg DTR-2000 Tuner
Rocktron Hush Super C
TC Electronic G Force (thats right)
Jackson DK2 - Crimson Swirl
Peavey Triple XXX (Temporarily)
Nady Wireless
Mesa Rectifer Traditional Cab

Other stuff out of frame to the side, unrelated to my guitar fetish:
Pearl EXR 5-Piece
Ibanez GSR Bass
Ampeg BA115 Combo Amp
Squire 4-Channel PA (for karaoke fun)
Misc DJ lights, fog machine

Being that everything else is brand new (except the fog machine), I figured I would get a new Mark IV just to keep things clean 8)

 

[KoolAIDMan]

Forgot to mention - I got the Mesa cab from GC - no discounts. In an unrelated purchase, I got the DK2 from a different store - special order - and they cut me an extraordinary deal. They even threw in a free hard case.

Most of the other guitar stuff I picked up from other places on the internet - getting some of it I think at below-cost prices due to various pricing mistakes or mispricing. I got the G-Force as a blem item from Musicians Friend - $700 off, with only the shipping box showing any damage (just a crushed corner).

The sales guy that sold me the Mark IV has promised he will provide me a full set of tubes free, and will replace any bad tubes for the 1st year. I'm not sure if this deal will hold true, or if that guy will even still be working there by the time it comes in - but if it all panned out, that would be a pretty good deal IMO.