Anyone managed to get discount off a brand new Martin?

ditchboy · November 2017

Reading some of the US forums and it seems like discount on brand new guitars is fairly common. What about over here? I appreciate something like a Martin has a smaller margin over here but surely a dealer must be adding at least 40% on to the cost price, even 30% at a minimum I’d imagine.

I was in Guitar Guitar last weekend and the guy told me there was no wriggle room at all on the new D28. I didn’t bother going into PMT or JG Windows but in a city of 3 Martin dealers surely one of them will trim something off to secure the sale. Anyone had any joy on a quest like this?

BigLicks67 · November 2017

i got £300 off a brand new J45 by price comparisons online and haggled £200 off a Martin OM years ago. Tbh £2400 is pretty steep for a guitar you can get for £1200 used.

Moe_Zambeek · November 2017

Could it be because the new-spec Martin D28 has only just been released? Older models might get more discount. Personally I would always expect some wiggle room on a 2.5k purchase..

BRISTOL86 · November 2017

Rich Tone have given me a sizeable discount twice on two new Taylors, so I’d suggest the margins are decent, though I know they have a very good relationship with Taylor and so are probably getting much better supply prices.

As above though, you'd expect someone will want your business enough on a £2500 purchase to help you out...

ditchboy · November 2017

Moe_Zambeek said:

Could it be because the new-spec Martin D28 has only just been released? Older models might get more discount. Personally I would always expect some wiggle room on a 2.5k purchase..

One of the shops said he’d discount the last version but not the very latest one. I’ll just go into all stores when I’m ready to buy and see who is offering what. If I have the cash with me he might change his mind.

RiftAmps · November 2017

Went to PMT Oxford yesterday for a new acoustic. The Martins were strictly 'non-negotiable' on price.

Played nearly every guitar in the £600-£1200 range and the Taylors were miles better in tone than the equivalent Martins, which was very surprising. Playability was about the same. It was only when I looked at the £2000+ range that the Martins really stood out.

Bought a £700 Taylor.

Jez6345789 · November 2017

I have to say a couple of years ago I did the rounds of most of the Martin Dealers around London and South East. Pursuit of the Ooo Koa authentic. I had seen the original in the museum on the factory tour and just love Koa.

they were going for about 5k at the time and frankly Martin on one hand have to be praised for having pretty much nailed dealer price fixing in stone. I could not get them to move not even for cash or anything one store said 1.5% if I paid cash to save the card fee.

in the end I sort of lost interest in trying to do a deal a couple commented they were under cosh on Martin pricing.

i went back to the store who had the one I preferred 8months later and they still had the original stock I know because it had particular flame by the bridge that was distinctive. They still would not move even a few percent to clear what in business terms 8 months on the shelf is just dead money.

interestingly that stores has sold me two other guitars and always happy to do abit of a deal.

Worth th noting I got offered a good deal from one ofthe stores closest to Nazareth when I back there for business and again from a local PA guitar centre.

so I only presume the EU distributor is enforcing a three line whip on UK dealers.

Frankly as a distributor or I would love to be able to get my dealers in that type of headlock on pricing hey ho.

crunchman · November 2017

Jez6345789 said:

so I only presume the EU distributor is enforcing a three line whip on UK dealers.

Unless things have changed, there are separate distributors. In the UK it's Westside distribution who put an absolutely ruinous mark up on. There was a model I was interested in a while back that was around £2100 over here, but £1800 on various German websites.

With everything being internet based these days, everyone keeps their ticket price a lot closer to what they are willing to sell at. The days of easy haggling on new guitars are gone.

What I would do if I was in the shop though, is point out that they will do free delivery if I got it online, and I'd have the right to return it as well. If nothing else they ought to take the delivery charge off.

ditchboy · November 2017

I’d be happy with £240 off a £2400 Guitar. After reading this thread though I don’t fancy my chances much.

jellyroll · November 2017

£50 and a set of strings might be more realistic....

iain.reverb · November 2017

ditchboy said:

Reading some of the US forums and it seems like discount on brand new guitars is fairly common. What about over here? I appreciate something like a Martin has a smaller margin over here but surely a dealer must be adding at least 40% on to the cost price, even 30% at a minimum I’d imagine.

I was in Guitar Guitar last weekend and the guy told me there was no wriggle room at all on the new D28. I didn’t bother going into PMT or JG Windows but in a city of 3 Martin dealers surely one of them will trim something off to secure the sale. Anyone had any joy on a quest like this?

The margins on Martin are incredibly tight, well below 30%. The other downside is that you are looking at a core model, that can be sold all day long at ticket price. Availability of Martins isn't always fantastic either, so it makes no sense for a retailer to discount a guitar they could sell three or four times over before the next shipment arrives

ditchboy · November 2017

It's all dependent on me shifting some gear myself yet anyway which at the moment is looking unlikely. I have a nice stingray bass I'm trying to get shot of but the market for bass guitars is fairly slow. I don't think I'm asking too much.

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Anyone managed to get discount off a brand new Martin?

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