Disappearing Dealers

madscotsman · Post by **madscotsman** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:59 am

Quigley's is gone.... and the last time I drove by, it looked to be some kind of furniture store. Several other music stores in KC are gone now too. But, Musicians Friend warehouse is in Kansas City and you have to order from the catalog like everyone else.. Unless, there is a Rick in the clearance center store, which is very very rare..

freshmattyp · Post by **freshmattyp** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 12:04 pm

There's a couple of nice places out in the suburbs, Guitar Source and Mountain Music Shoppe. In a pinch there's Guitar Center. I have bought stuff out of the catalog at the MF clearance center before, but never a guitar. They had a nice 620/12 there with no case a while back that was tempting. I bought my first Rick at Quigley in 94, and nobody but Larry touched it until they closed. I don't remember Irish Music at all. Big Dudes had a bunch of low end stuff last time I was there.

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:51 am

Wow, I just checked on the Dealer Locator and there aren't any dealers in Dallas, TX. Which doesn't pose any problem for me since I've always dealt with Mike Parks for my Rickenbacker needs, but I sure would like to know there is a place that might have a few in stock...so I could go and play one or try one out, etc.

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:36 pm

Gene: Guitar Center was our last RIC dealer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Several years before we had more than five dealers (and several had multiple locations). They included Speir Music, Charly's, Mars, Eugene's, and McWhorter-Greenhaw (an old-fashioned hardware store). Unfortunately, they rarely had many pieces in stock. It's a sad state of affairs.

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:26 am

Randy, I know Mars and Speir Music are now out of business. Larry Morgan Music took over the old Speir location and they now have a lot of floor space. Charly's I don't get over to much, and I've never heard of Eugene's. Larry Morgan is where I do all my shopping now, though, and I would hope they would pick up the slack. I know they do a lot of business with Taylor Guitars and are often on Taylor's top ten dealers list based on sales... I bought one "new" Rick 4001S back in the early 90s at Zoo music, but I don't think they are a Rick dealer anymore...

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:23 am

Gene: Eugene's Guitars Plus was on Jefferson Ave in Oak Cliff. I bought a '93 360v64 FG from them. I don't waste my time going to Charly's, since it's just high end Les Pauls and Strats. My last visit was 5-6 years ago. I drop in occasionally at Larry Morgan's shop, mainly to pick-up literature (always piles of Vox, Fender, and Gretsch catalogs). The only Ricks I've bought locally lately are a pair of 1997's (JG and FG) that I picked up from Guitar Center (Caruth Haven and Central). I bought my first Rick in 1979 from Arnold and Morgan Music (in the current Larry Morgan location). That was a favorite high school hang-out of mine.

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:25 pm

I wonder if RIC's dealer network has decreased over the years as demand has outstripped production? Perhaps it's easier for RIC to have a smaller pool of dedicated dealers who adhere to the dealer rules and actually pay in a timely manner.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:30 pm

We have intentionally not been replacing dealers unless they are in important, high visibility markets. It would make no sense at all to take new ones on when the supply is stretched already.

DFW is one of those ares where we should have a dealer but we haven't been able to qualify one yet unfortunately.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:51 pm

What does it take for RIC to qualify a dealer, John? In the past I have been led to understand it is a bricks and mortar storefront or equivalent, at least 12 SKUs ordered each year, and payment for SKUs ordered on either a cash basis in advance or else qualify for net terms by applying for credit. If you wish, you may reply directly via private email <[email protected]>. Not an idle interest...

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:21 pm

Sounds like a Ric-o-scheme in the making!!!!

{:^)

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:43 pm

Something seems amiss when you have difficulty finding qualified dealers, IMO. I have no idea what RIC's criteria is for dealers, but being unable to have one in DFW seems odd.
Maybe the standards for dealers is either unobtainable, in their mind, or non-desireable. It's give and take. The street runs both ways.

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:58 pm

Stan, there have been several authorized Rick dealers here, just not in the last year or so. Rockville Music, Mars, Guitar Center and a few others I can't remember have been dealers around here in the past. I think you might say there has been some consolidation in the Music Retail bidness here.
Randyz,
So that is the original location of A&M? I used to hear their ads on the ZOO back in the '70s but I never made it to the store...

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:24 pm

Elys, there's a checklist: a dealer qualifies or he doesn't. Black and white.

It includes some of the things you mention but other things include being a member of NAMM, three years in business, a good history with certain other guitar lines, and proper distance from other dealers using a drive-time formula.

There are certain other order requirements as well.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:28 pm

DFW is a very strange market and essentially it's Guitar Center or a handful of very small stores, few of which have the characteristics we look for. It's probably the most GC dominated major market in the country.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:00 pm

That's sad! My wife just informed me (really, not more than 15 minutes ago!) that our possible move to Dallas early next year may have to happen in July!