price of pickups are now higher at Black Rose shop?

[34029324079]

Hello,

I noticed that Black Rose Customs used to sell pickups for $5 less then everyone else - they used to send you a rebate along with providing free shipping. Now their prices are pretty much the same as everyone else's. Anyone else notice this (this occurred awhile back, or something)? I am thinking of getting a JB / Jazz for my epi les paul standard in the next few months.

http://www.blackrosecustom.emerchant...4&A=7&B=Guitar

[CronoDL]

Yep, I just noticed that too. I haven't bought pickups since April '04, and that was the last time I was on the Black Rose website. I just got a new axe and I checked the website a couple of days ago. They no longer have that "negative shipping" discount thing going on. The prices were great back then. But if the service is the same as before, it'll still be a reliable place to order from, I guess.

[Jeff_H]

Can't expect John to give it away, expecially now that he has retired from the "real world" and this is his fulltime gig. I've never had a problem, and he goes out of his way to make things right, so it's good with me. The negative shipping was nice, but at least we don't have to pay tax. It's cheaper than going to a local store and buying a pup, plus John is great on special orders and custom shop stuff.

[34029324079]

cool.

ya, that is what it was, "negative shipping"

[Fritz6]

Kevin Bassett is handling all the retail sales for Black Rose now.

[John Wymore]

Kevin Bassett is handling all the retail sales for Black Rose now.

Since we are clarifying things ....

As of June 1st Kevin now has full control of all the retail side of Black Rose Customs. In my impending retirement from the corporate gig I plan to focus most of my effort of building instruments with a focus on bass guitars.

Whether Kevin and I continue as a partnership or I take on a new business name and go my own way is yet to be determined but we will work that out in the next month or so. At any rate I will still be around here and please feel free to ask me any questions about SD Products. As soon as things sort out next month I'll let you all know what I will be up to.

[Bones]

Economics 101?

[Zerberus]

Economics 101?

+100

There is a man trying to survive by selling these. He was cheaper in the past because it wasn´t essential to survive. Now it is.

This is simplest, most basic economics: If your costs go up your prices go up

[Curly]

Some items still list negative shipping

he never listed all items with negative shipping .... for example, Antiquities weren't discounted

if you notice an increase from a year ago, it's a reflection of Duncan's increase wholesale prices

[Lewguitar]

I don't know about Black Rose, but some Duncan dealers, myself included, were under the impression that we could do an across the board 30% discount off of retail and all would be well. That is not the case. Seymour Duncan Pickups now provides dealers with what's called a MAP price list and dealers are required to honor it. I assume MAP stands for minimum advertised price. No dealers are supposed to sell for less than MAP...not even a penny below is allowed. It's why I temporarily removed the link to my Lew's Guitars website in my signature while my website pricing is being revised to reflect current MAP pricing. Fine with me. Dealers like myself and Blackrose probably give much more in terms of customer service and sharing our knowledge than some other dealers and it's always bugged me when customers ask for advice and we exchange emails or telephone time and then that customer buys somewhere else because they can find a Duncan product for a few dollars less. Hopefully, if all dealers follow the new MAP pricing, that will no longer be the case. Lew

[wixomwhat]

I don't know about Black Rose, but some Duncan dealers, myself included, were under the impression that we could do an across the board 30% discount off of retail and all would be well. That is not the case. Seymour Duncan Pickups now provides dealers with what's called a MAP price list and dealers are required to honor it. I assume MAP stands for minimum advertised price. No dealers are supposed to sell for less than MAP...not even a penny below is allowed. It's why I temporarily removed the link to my Lew's Guitars website in my signature while my website pricing is being revised to reflect current MAP pricing. Fine with me. Dealers like myself and Blackrose probably give much more in terms of customer service and sharing our knowledge than some other dealers and it's always bugged me when customers ask for advice and we exchange emails or telephone time and then that customer buys somewhere else because they can find a Duncan product for a few dollars less. Hopefully, if all dealers follow the new MAP pricing, that will no longer be the case. Lew

They do this same thing in Japan. One set price on something (everything) example- a pack of gum- not matter what store you go into its will cost the same amount.

Pretty dumb IMO. Maybe it's okay for the businesses selling these items but also never allows them to loswer their prices for a sale os something. And i mean that like lowering the prices just to get people in the door and sell them something else while they are there so the prices reduction works to the businesses advantage.

[JumpMarine]

Lew's right on the money about the customer service. I've bought from both Lew and John/Kevin at Blackrose and they all have been a pleasure to do business with both before and after the sale. And I still feel that they offer so much more than the mindless drones at GC or MF. I will continue to buy from both of these fine busineses because of the customer service and good pricing. Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

[Surgeon]

Lew's right on the money about the customer service. I've bought from both Lew and John/Kevin at Blackrose and they all have been a pleasure to do business with both before and after the sale. And I still feel that they offer so much more than the mindless drones at GC or MF. I will continue to buy from both of these fine busineses because of the customer service and good pricing. Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

My feelings exactly....

[John Wymore]

Let me chime in here and set the record straight ...

Duncan has always had a MAP policy. Black Rose like all dealers have to adhere to it. Our thought with the "Better Than Free Shipping" policy was that we would legally advertise at pickups at MAP but still give the customer a better deal by discounting the shipping price to a negative number when the order was processed.

Well, appearently other dealers complained to Duncan about this and Billy Gill asked us to stop doing it. While I question whether this was really a violation of MAP policy I do respect Billy and Duncan's position on this and we have discontinued the "Better Than Free Shipping" program. We do still offer free shipping on all Duncan orders.

Thanks,

John @ Black Rose

[Zerberus]

I don't know about Black Rose, but some Duncan dealers, myself included, were under the impression that we could do an across the board 30% discount off of retail and all would be well. That is not the case. Seymour Duncan Pickups now provides dealers with what's called a MAP price list and dealers are required to honor it. I assume MAP stands for minimum advertised price. No dealers are supposed to sell for less than MAP...not even a penny below is allowed. It's why I temporarily removed the link to my Lew's Guitars website in my signature while my website pricing is being revised to reflect current MAP pricing. Fine with me. Dealers like myself and Blackrose probably give much more in terms of customer service and sharing our knowledge than some other dealers and it's always bugged me when customers ask for advice and we exchange emails or telephone time and then that customer buys somewhere else because they can find a Duncan product for a few dollars less. Hopefully, if all dealers follow the new MAP pricing, that will no longer be the case. Lew

AAAAH, Duncan has adopted the same policy as Jackson, or at least similar..... Cool, for the reasons you stated

[Brow]

I'd just like to say that I've bought a fair few items from John/Kevin at Black Rose and the service was always great and whenever I decide to buy new Duncans again, Black Rose (or Lew) will be my 1st port of call

Craig

[ratherdashing]

Off the top of my head, Apple Computer is the one other brand I can think of that forces their dealers to sell at a fixed price. Some people see it as a form of retail fascism, but I actually prefer it that way. It levels the playing field between large and small retailers, and forces all retailers to focus on service rather than discounts. It makes for a better shopping experience - you don't have to hunt around for the best price: you just buy from the store you like best.

[Dave]

Blackrose and Lew have sold pickups to me and both have been invaluable in the advice they have given me. Both will continue to get my business-even if I could save $5 at "big mindless box.com" I would never do it out of principle.

[Brow]

Off the top of my head, Apple Computer is the one other brand I can think of that forces their dealers to sell at a fixed price. Some people see it as a form of retail fascism, but I actually prefer it that way. It levels the playing field between large and small retailers, and forces all retailers to focus on service rather than discounts. It makes for a better shopping experience - you don't have to hunt around for the best price: you just buy from the store you like best.

If I remember correctly, MESA Boogie is another company that fixes it's prices between all it's dealers

[Zerberus]

If I remember correctly, MESA Boogie is another company that fixes it's prices between all it's dealers

I´m not sure if "fixes" is the correct word, but I do remember something about no online sales in the USA and also something about them frowning at anything under retail pricing....

Which is GOOD IMO.... What many business owners (esp. large chains with money to blow) very quickly forget in their quest for more customers is that discounts also devalue the product...

Perfect and true example of what I´m talking about: Mares (diving equipment manufacturer) started a "special promotion" over 3 months in Germany: The Abyss regulator (then second flagship after the still new "Ruby") with a free Nikos Octopus for the same price (normally a good 150$ extra)..... Of course they sold like hotcakes.....

And for the 3 years that I was still in business, neither I nor any of my befriended shop owners were EVER able to sell an Abyss for the normal price again... Thank you manufacturer, that was a good thousand dollars a month in revenues that you cost me... I was doing better BEFORE the special promotion... and the ones you did afterwards didn´t help much, either....