Conference napalm::guitar

    Daddy's also sells reams of used equipment !
    
    I've gotten some great deals there.
    
    Coop (Who bought several axes from McDuffs, and is happy)
    

    re. base note:
    
    correction, They (Daddy's) sells Takamine (which will complete 
    with Kurlan's exclusive franchise), not Alvarez Yairi.
    
    Hope they have a decent parking lot. Most stores near Spags are
    a pain for parking.
    
    Mark

    
    The Daddy's is in the building with Lovey's Garage, next to Leiser
    Sound.  What parking there is is in the back and you have to fight
    it out with Spag's customers despite the towing warning signs.
    
    I haven't been down yet but Bob topld me they are open but maybe
    not yet "officially" open (i.e. expect a grand opening bash within
    a month?) and if they are using half of the garage building, it's
    a small store for sure.  
    
    I guess Daddy's strategy is to find a music store that they want
    to go up against and open a store right nearby (as in their Boston
    location within a block of Wurlitzer's and LaSalle).
    
    Competition is a good thing but I have never been overly impressed
    with Daddy's, I guess time will tell.

    I bought a Peavey PVM38 microphone from Union Music. I paid
    $139.oo + Tax, (about $147.oo total). Later on a friend told
    me that Daddy's was selling the same mic for $99. I gave him
    the $99 and he picked one up for me next time he was in the
    store. I also saved on salestax by buying in Nashua NH. If 
    Daddy's Shrewsbury store is that competitive on all Peavey 
    gear, I am sure they will hurt Union Music severely. 
           
    I find that virtually "all" stores have advantages and disadvantages,
    whether it's location, selection, prices, service, or whatever.
    In the case of Daddy's or Wurlitzers I expect good selection and
    prices at the expense of service. As far as Union Music, I expect
    service, but at a higher price than elsewhere, and lately, I have
    been unhappy with Union's selection. While many stores prefer not
    to take used equipment, Daddy's specializes in used gear. To me
    this is a plus, as long as they are willing to give a good deal.
    
    Mark Jacques
    
    

    This is my opinion: 
    
    I have seldom heard of Daddy's and "good deal" in the same sentence,
    and I certainly never saw or was able to negotiate a good deal from
    Daddy's, I always did better at EUW and I was never that impressed
    with them either....
    
    for what it's worth
    
    dbii

    Well, you'll almost never walk into Daddy's, ask "how much for that"
    and get a "good deal".
    
    However, it's been my experience that they are likely to "nearly
    match" any legitimate price quote you come up with, even MO.
    Like for example they'll add $5-$10 cause you save Sales tax
    or shipping or whatever.  I'll gladly pay that to avoid the trip
    to Boston or the risk of MO and to be able to take it back locally
    when it breaks (and get a loaner until its fixed).
    
    Because of this, I've bought most of my stuff there.   Because
    I've spent so much money there (don't ask) and because they know
    that *I* know what things are going for, I don't have much trouble
    getting a "good deal" there.  They also are always VERY good to
    me because they know I'm a loyal customer, and....  *I* *BUY*.
    Sometimes they don't even let me pay for stuff like strings
    and cords.
    
    My belief is that most of these places will readily give out
    "good" deals to "good" customers.  Thus I try to establish myself
    as a "good" customer by buying there whenever they can give me
    an equivalent price to what I can get elsewhere.
    
    If you want some example of "good deals" I've got at Daddy's:
    
    	Roland S-550 for $2300 (this is an incredible deal)
    
    	GP-8 and FC-100 and EV-5 and 3 space rack and cords, $1195
    
    	MIDIVERB II for $230
    
    	Ensoniq SQ-80 for $1575 (not too long after they hit the streets)
    
    Remember that I also didn't pay sales tax nor shipping/insurance.
    
    	db

    This is interesting.  I've often wondered what kind of deal Daddy's
    makes on used equipment.  Anyone who's actually traded/sold something
    got any war stories to tell?
    
    /rick

	I've also had good luck with Daddy's in Nashua,NH I go in approach
the salesperson and say "I'd like to try xxxxx" He ask's some questions
and set's me up in another corner with whatever guitar I want and then
proceeds to show me how to run the device item etc.. and then leave's
me alone to play....... I usually approach Rich as I remembered he spent
a good 1/2 hour describing a TR505 drum machine on a busy Saturday....
	Price's are almost always negotiable and there used stuff are
not exceptions. They use the industry standard Blue Book for tradein's
which give's the dealer his 50% and then some markup on used and will
make most customers throw up. For hot item's and vintage stuff the sky
is the limit. The first time I bought something there I really pushed
to get the best price.
	A keyword is "buy"!!!!I have to make a point of saying that without
question I'm happy with the courtesy and help I have gotten at the Nashua
Daddy's that I now drive an extra 30 to 45 minutes to do buisness there as
there are places which are not competative at all or play list price games.
    	But keep in mind I am setting myself up as a regular known customer.
    	I've had undesireable experiances with both the Manchester and Salem
stores years ago and decided to give them another chance in Nashua. 
    
    						Rick
    
                                                                            
    							

    I don't think Daddy's way of doing business on used stuff is "unique".
    
    They are not going to offer you the "resale value" on used equipment
    because if they did they couldn't sell it for a profit.  This
    doesn't make them jerks or anything like that.  They are offering
    the price to you that the piece worth to them - they are not trying
    to "squeeze" you.
    
    There's a lot of risk they take when they deal in used equipment:
    
    	o The risk that they can't get what they paid for it
    
    	o The risk that it'll sit in the store a long time taking
    	  up space, time and money that could've been spent on more
    	  profitable items
    
    	o The risk that it doesn't work
    
    	o The risk that it will break AFTER they sell it because they
    	  guarantee their used stuff for something like 90 days.
    
    	o Dealing with used stuff is just a lot of hassle for a lot
          of other reasons
    
    Frankly, I'm rather GRATEFUL for Daddy's used equipment businesses.
    A lot of places won't deal with used stuff.  Not worth the risk
    and the trouble.
    
    Daddy's makes it easy for me to sell stuff, trade-up to new
    equipment, makes it possible for me to save some bucks by buying
    used stuff, makes me feel more comfortable about buying used stuff
    coz it's guaranteed, and their being so large a chain and so well
    organized about their used merchandise inventory, it also makes
    it easier for me to find stuff use.
    
    It's yet another reason why I try to buy there exclusively.  They're
    good guys and I don't fault them for trying to make a little money
    and NOT buying things that they can't make money with.
    
    I'll let you in on a little secret:  I try to make money too.
    
    Don't you?
    
    	db

    Years ago. I bought a used Strat private sale. I brought it to
    Daddy's Salem store and had them install a gold anodized pickgaurd,
    5-way switch, and Bournes (permanantly lubed/sealed) pots. I brought
    the guitar in on a Saturday morning, left it with them for a couple
    of hours, and picked it up the same day. The work was done to my
    satisfaction, and I was only charged for parts, no labor charge.
    I would call that a good experience.
    
    Other than that I purchased a Peavey microphone from them (for a
    very good price) and that is the extent of my dealings with them.
                             
    I have have good and bad dealings with most stores in the area.
    Some of the area stores have never "earned" my business, because
    they either have high prices, poor service, poor selection, or all
    of the above. Every purchase that I make, I make the store "earn" 
    my business, by treating me as a valued customer, and offering me 
    a reasonable price. Often times I've turned down deals because they
    were off by $50 on a $500 item.
    
    Unfortunately most music stores make the bulk of their money from
    teenagers, rather than educated consumers. They get to the point
    where they will turn away an educated consumer looking for a good 
    deal, because they know that they can make a killing on the kids 
    coming into the store.
                                                                    
    Mark

    Daddy's, at least in Portsmouth, had a guaranteed trade in for anyting
    you bought from them, as I recall it was 75% of the original price
    if you brought it back within a year. However, in practice, they
    never lived up to the guarantee (again in Portsmouth). My dealings
    with them were almost exclusivly in Portsmouth (one exception when
    a good friend managed the manchester store and I still didn't buy
    anything since it was hideously overpriced [used tele]). Based on
    the extremely poor service and treatment I got EVERY SINGLE TIME
    I entered the Portsmouth store I no longer consider doing business
    with them. Also I find that on the little things (5 way switches
    etc.) their prices ran 30-50% higher than other stores in the area. 
    
    your milage may differ
    
    dbii

    Daddy's Grand Opening is Today ...
    
    My drummer is a contract painter for a living...painted the place,and
    scored a pt. time sales job at the same time...
    10% over whole sale aint bad...Is it?

    Re .13  
    
    	Dave, Last summer while I was on vacation at Hampton Beach,
    I drove up to Daddy's in Portsmouth. I wanted to check out a
    Takamine EF350MC acoustic guitar. He had one on lay-away, but
    pulled it out and let me play it. Another saleman came by and said
    that if I wanted it, they would sell it to me, and simply order
    another for the lay-away customer. I thought this was very unfair
    to the person who had the instrument on lay-away (most likely
    had a deposit on the instrument as well).
    
    	I am sure there are lots of horror stories to be told about
    nearly all music stores, but there are also many satisfied
    customers, also. The stores messure success in terms of dollars
    and integrity is not always the top priority.
    
    Mark
    

    It didn't happen to me but to several friends, one of whom was trying
    to trade up his roland git-synth that he had bought 3 months previous.
    As far as I know he did report them to the BBB, their attitude was
    "sue me".
    
    dbii

    
    Talked with someone there today.  Phone is 797-4421.  They are not
    open yet, they expect to be open for Thursday 9 March (tomorrow).
    Hours will be 10-9 (!!!) weekdays, 10-5 Saturdays.  
    
    The "grand opening" will be in about a week, with the usual specials
    to be offered on small stuff (strings, pedals, stands, etc.).  The
    guy I talked to didn't know what big stuff would be blown out.
    
    Two contact names:  Scooch and Mike.
    
    

    I went into their new store at lunchtime. It's nicer and a little
    more spacious than I envisioned. I wasn't thrilled with their 
    guitar selection, but I am sure new pieces will be coming in every 
    day. They had quite a few guitars on display, but most were
    Peaveys, Kramers, and most of the Fenders they had were Squires.
    For acoustics they have Ovations, Takamine, and a few Guilds.
    
    I am planning to stop back when I have more time to check out some
    Boss delay pedals (the digital pitch shifter/delay looks neat).
    I'm not saying that I will give them all of my business and 
    desert the other stores that I deal with, but I may buy something
    small like a pedal just to let them know that I am a real customer,
    and not just a browser.
    
    Mark
    
    

    

        I agree that Daddy's deals are quite good.  I negotiated 
    for my Mesa S.O.B and I was quite happy, although I have never 
    seriously negotiated for an AX there ( I always thought the 
    prices were pretty competitive and their selection was decent 
    as well ) I am happy with my purchases do date.  I understand
    that they hit the going rate with trade-ins.
    
    	However....I feel that Daddy's is COMPLETELY INEPT when 
    it comes to fixing an amp...they gave me one of my busted amps back
    3 times telling me it was fixed ( the clean/dirty channels were playing
    together for chrissake!)..They finally did replace it with 
    a new one with a new warranty...after the 4th return and a 
    threat to call the Peavey organization.
    
    	Buy at Daddy's, get your service elsewhere....
    
    
    Jim
    

	I heard a while back that Daddy's was replacing mesa-boogie speakers
with peavey speakers in the boogie cabs and got into some kind of trouble 
with the boogie people.  I don't know how much truth there is to this, but
from what I've seen of Daddy's nothing would surprise me.

	Someone mentioned that they make their killings on nieve (sp?) teenage
would-be Eddie Van-Halens (or whoever is #1 this month), but I also think they
do quite a cleaning up at Christmas time on  the parents of said Eddie Van-
Halen Jrs. - who know even less than their children about the price and value of
musical instruments.  Junior says: "Mom and dad, I want a Kramer guitar with a
Whammy bar and Marshall stack for Christmas."  Mom and dad go into Daddy's with
their Gold Card and buy junior what he asked for with little question about the
price (read: list price).  Springtime comes and junior doesn't want to be a 
"Chord-crunching, Groopie-groping, Heavy-metal mush-head" anymore (Billy and the
Boingers, anyone?) Maybe he wants a car or a motorcycle now.  So junior packs 
up his seldom-used 6-month-old equipment and takes it back to Daddy's and hopes
to reclaim most of the (lets be conservative here, say $1500) that mom and dad
laid out for this stuff.  The Daddy's sales professional (read: part time 
painter - no offense intended) informs the poor misguided youth that the neck
is warped on his guitar - even though it's probably only been out of the case
10 times since he owned it.  In all my experiences with Daddy's (and their have 
been many I'm ashamed to say) I must have heard this line a thousand times - and
most of the time it works (Barnum was right - there is one born every minute!).
Junior is informed that the most that they can give him is maybe 1/3 of the
price that his parents forked over only 6 months ago.  So, Daddy's makes about
$1000 on this deal so far.  Then they put the stuff back on the rack with a 
"used - like new" tag on it and sell it for almost as much as it went for new.
Not a bad scam - I think I'll quit my job at DEC and open a music store and prey
on the masses.
					Another Daddy's Fan,
					      Brad

    
    I was down yesterday to check out the new store.  The only hot item
    they had was EV mikes, which noone else in Worcester is currently
    franchised for.  They also have Beyer mikes (only the M-69 in stock,
    but that's a great mike).
    
    Overall selection, not suprisingly, is pretty slim right now.  They
    seemed pretty disorganized (I asked to try out a Rockman and had
    to wait while the sales guy answered the phone, helped find some
    stuff in the back room, etc. before he could finish getting the
    thing out of the box).  I guess I will go back to check out the
    mikes, but otherwise, I'm not thrilled.  
    
    They do have some parking (about six spaces) right on Rte. 9, so
    you don't have to go around the back.
    
    Re: .22
    
    That Christmas story is true of many music stores.  I could care
    less if someone gets ripped on price due to ignorance, remember
    an educated consumer is the best consumer.  And Daddy's has no monopoly
    on brain-dead sales help.   
    
    

    Understand that by making all these insinuations about Daddy's,
    you leave DEC wide open to a libel suit if any of it is wrong.
    
    And a lot of it sounds like someone with (pardon the pun) "an axe
    to grind".
    
    And they are insinuations.  I've never seen a Peavey speaker inside a
    Boogie at Daddy's.  It's hard to believe that's even profitable. The
    Boogie "Black Shadow" speakers aren't expensive.  Given their list
    price, I'd suspect that the difference that Daddy's pays for those
    speakers is probably not nearly significant enough for this to be worth
    while.  In fact, they are the cheapest option you can get from Boogies
    by quite a lot (their premium options are Electro-voice, JBL's, etc.).
    
    The story about EVH jr's, doesn't seem as much a condemnation
    of Daddy's as it does a condemnation of EVH jr's and their parents.
    It's not unusual in the music business to charge list price
    to non-pro's.  For that matter, it's not unusual for retail
    outlets in general to "ask" for list price even though the price
    is actually negotiable.
    
    And I don't fault Daddy's for making low offers on used equipment.
    Daddy's takes a tremendous risk in offering used equipment.
    
    	o When you buy stuff their, you can take it back with no questions
    	  asked within 30 days
    
    	  When Daddy's buys broken stuff from you, they are stuck with
    	  it.  With lots of stuff, there's no way they can even tell
    	  with a lot of stuff.  They can't pay as much because the
    	  risk they are taking is larger.
    
    	  In fact, I bought something used at Daddy's that I later
    	  discovered had been sold to Daddy's by a Deccie who had
    	  good reason to believe that the item was defective and,
    	  of course, didn't tell them.   People do this to them
    	  ALL THE TIME.
    
    	o When you buy USED stuff from Daddy's they have to guarantee
    	  it.  Thus it costs them more to SELL used stuff than it costs
    	  you and therefore it's not unreasonable that they can not
    	  pay as much for it as a private buyer.
    
    	o They have to make a profit.  Making profit is not a foul thing
    	  in a capitalist country.   You sell your equipment to a private
    	  individual, chances are he's not looking to turn around and
    	  sell it again for a profit.   Daddy's is, it's another reason
          why they can't pay as much as a regular buyer.
    
    I'm very pragmatic about Daddy's used equipment policies.  I understand
    the limitations that they have to operate under and I'm grateful for:
    
    	o The ability to easily sell stuff I don't need and get reasonable
    	  if-not-great prices for it.  The difference between what they
          pay and what I could get selling it myself is typically not
    	  worth the trouble of advertising it, showing it to people,
    	  haggling with people, etc.
    
    	o The ability to buy used stuff with the confidence that if I
    	  it doesn't do what I expected or wanted, or it doesn't work,
    	  or if I just changed my mind, I can take it back and get
          a refund, get it repaired, etc.
    
    If you expect selling stuff to Daddy's to be the same as selling stuff
    on your own, I'd say your expectations are not reasonable.
    
    	db

    re: .24
    
    Then anything  is justified under the glorious label of "making
    a profit"?
    
    Hmmm....
    
    re: .23??? That is consistant with my experience with Daddy's.
    
    dbii

    re: .23

	I can see this is rapidly beginning to look like an episode of
Morton Downey Jr...

	I don't mean to sound selfish or to condem Daddy's for trying to 
make a profit, I just don't believe that their buisness practices are very
ethical.  And taking advantage of people to the extremes that they carry it
definetly classifies as unethical - at least in my book.  Wouldn't you agree
that falsely telling someone that their "neck is warped" so that you can buy
their guitar for peanuts is wrong - even if the seller is that nieve?

	This is not to say that other music stores don't partake of this
ritual, but I've just never encountered the same degree of arrogance, un-
professionalism, and attempted robbery at any other store.  Understand also
that Daddy's, because of their size, has a lot higher overhead to cover than
your corner "mom and pop" music store.  This means higher profit margins on
their sales.  The other diffence that I've found is that I think Daddy's has
a much higher turnaround in sales people than M&P. Grant you that they keep
a common database of their customers (including, I would imagine, how much 
money that you spent there in the last year) on their computer, it's just not
the same as doing buisness with the same person time after time.
    
	One final closing statement, then I'll shut up.

	I also agree that buying used electronic equipment does have it's
inherent risks, but with a guitar or a drum set what you see is what you
get.  The principal factors in determining the value of a guitar are:

		o	make, model, year of manufacture
		o	Vintage instrument, y or n?
		o	feel, action, wear on frets
	 	o	appearance, condition of finish

If someone comes up to you with a '58 Les Paul in nearly perfect condition
for sale and the price is right, would you worry about being screwed (granted
that this person could prove that it wasn't stolen) - would you buy it or would
you tell them that the neck was warped and that it was only worth $50? 
I didn't think so.
					
					Still haven't changed my mind,
						Brad

>    Then anything  is justified under the glorious label of "making
>    a profit"?
    
    No.
    
    What I said was the desire to make profit doesn't by itself "justify"
    the inglorious label of "slimey".
    
    	db

    re: .27
    
    All the notes you've entered here in defense of Daddy's return to
    the capitalist theme as an the apparant final argument.
    
    In my experience (and opinion) Daddy's is an extreme example of sleeze
    on parade for the following reasons: 
    
    1. Not living up to their buy back guarantees
    2. Offering to sell equipment that is already sold and on layaway
    3. Using sleezy arguments (your neck is warped) to knock the price
       down when buying used equipment.
    
    dbii
    
    disclaimer: This is my opinion based on experiences with the Portsmouth
    NH store and 2 above is based on another noters note here, but confirms
    things I had heard (again about Portsmouth's store). 

    >  All the notes you've entered here in defense of Daddy's return
    >  to the capitalist theme as an apparent final argument.
    
    I don't agree with that statement.
    
    The "theme" I keep going back to is that it is not "wrong" to seek
    profit.   I haven't said that doing anything in the name of "profit"
    is justifiable.
    
    I've been particularly concerned with the perception of them being sleazy
    for low offers on used equipment.
    
    I don't think that you would buy a used stomp  box for less money then
    they thought they could sell it for if their only purpose in buying it
    was to sell it for a profit.
    
    	db

From a personal opinion, I have been very happy with the service and
people at Daddy's. I shop at the Peobody store, and the guys who
wrok there have been there since it opened over a year ago. There's
been no problem with high turnover. 

Also, they have treated me well in advising me of certain purchases
(either persuading *and* disuading me from buying things). They've
also given me fair prices on any purchase I make (ie. strings which
are usually $4.99, I get 3/$10).

They may not be the ideal place to walk into cold from the street, but
I've been very happy with them!

Alan S.

    Re .30
    
    Daddy's trade in policy *really* works like this:
    
    	o You talk figures with salesperson.
    	o Salesman punches calculator buttons for a few minutes, then
    	  says "can't do for that price"
	o repeat ad infinitum.
    
    Really, when you want to trade a piece of equipment Daddy's references
    a book published by Orion (I think) which contains a information
    about the equipment such as Year(s) manufactured, specifications, Mfg 
    Suggested Retail, highest wholesale price, and lowest wholesale price.
    
    What they do is offer you 40 to 60% of the lowest wholesale price
    depending on the condition and popularity of the equipment. What
    they try to resell it for is quite another story. 
    
Dan    
    

    
    > The problem with trades is the basic policy.  I think it goes something 
    > like this:
    
    > Daddy's will offer 50% of what they can sell the item for.
    
    > If it's a trade-in deal  The salesperson makes his commision off the
    > DIFFERENCE between the New units price and the trade offer, so the
    > offer will be still less.
    
    Where and what is the "problem" here?
    
    Look, I have a friend who is an ex store manager of Daddy's.
    He's now a VP at EU's.  He did NOT leave Daddy's on very good
    terms and believe me he more prone to tell you the bad things
    about them then the good.  His tone of voice changes when you mention
    Freddie Bauman's (Daddy's president).   But I have heard it from him that 
    ripping off customers is NOT their internal policy and you can
    get fired for it.
    
    Now considering that he works for their chief competition I think
    it means a lot coming from him.  And he also knows (too well) that 
    I haven't always been treated right at EU's too.
    
    	db

    Standard practice in most any business is to buy something at about
    half what you expect to sell it for.  If you want to get a good
    price for your equipment, don't sell or trade it to a store.  Sell
    it to an individual.  
    
    Bob
    

    
    	I don't see anything wrong with charging less to your regular
    	cutomers, or more to your non-regular customers (Jr with Mom
    	and Dad). 
    
    	What I object to is when my former partner and I spent $5,000
    	at a store one year, but the owner ripped me off $50.00
    	*shipping* charges for warrentee repair when she actually
    	sent it around the corner to be repaired (The other store put
        a repair sticker on the bottom).
    
    	The only stores I knew that their policy was to rip everybody
    	off are all out of business.
    
    	Guy Novello                
    

    ...sounds to me like they gave you *$200* for your old amp. They
    added $100 on to the sale price of the new one...
    
    Edd

    I had written and deleted a note awhile back about "trade-in policies".
    
    I wish I had kept it because what you said would have DIRECTLY
    supported what I had said in that note.
    
    Which was:
    
    Trade-in policies are  sales gimmick and nothing more.  Almost
    without exception you don't gain anything.
    
    Perhaps you've seen ads like:
    
    	"We'll give you $2000 for ANY used car in trade for a
         new one".
    
    I hope no one in here is naive enough to think that means
    anything other than that "we've got $2000 worth of negotiating
    room in our price".
    
    The trade-in policies all apply to the "asking" price, not the
    "best" price.   You have to think they were REALLY stupid to
    not merely OFFER a deal where they lose money, but to ADVERTISE IT!!!
    
    What it boils down to is that for any given piece of equipment
    there is a figure that they will take for it and not less.
    That's the real "price".  All the sales, trade-in policies, etc. 
    are usually just "noise".
    
    That something may go on "sale" doesn't necessarily mean that the price
    they will accept for it has really been lowered - only the bargaining
    point.
    
    On at least two occasions I've seen people walk into Daddy's,
    negotiate a deal, and then bitch and moan when they mention
    after a price has negotiated that they have something to trade
    in under the trade-in policy and the salesman won't do it.
    Even though it's STATED in the policy that the trade-in thing
    doesn't apply to "special" prices.
    
    Undoubtedly these are among the folks that go around saying
    what a sleazy place Daddy's is but I don't think their beef is
    legitimate and their expectations are not reasonable.
    
    	db

    You also have to keep in mind what a hassle it can be to sell something
    privately. Newspaper ads are expensive and don't always attract
    the right customer. An ad in the Want Advertiser will cost you 10%
    of your selling price upto $50.oo. Then you have to find a way to
    hook up with any callers. I have sold plenty of items through the
    Want Ads over the years, and while it was nice to finally sell the 
    items, it was usually a little bit of hassle involved. It generally
    takes about 2 weeks before your ad appears, and then you pretty
    much have to camp out near the phone so you don't miss any callers,
    unless you have an answering machine. I hate inviting strangers
    into my home, where they can see all the valuables I have. When I 
    sold my Strat, I had a couple of guys come over to look at it, that
    had absolutely no plans to buy it, they were just being nosey.
    I didn't trust them any further than I could throw them. You finally 
    find a buyer for your item, and they offer you a check. Do you accept
    the check, and let them walk with your item ?? What if the check
    bounces and you never hear from them again ??
    
    I once traded a Gibson ES330 (with a brand new hard shell case)
    and an Ampeg B22X amp to Fitchburg Music for a Guild Acoustic Guitar
    with case. I knew I was losing a lot on the deal, but I was sick
    of the old combination, and just wanted a high-quality acoustic
    guitar. I was so thrilled with the Guild guitar that I soon forgot
    about the hosing I took at the store. Actually, I couldn't complain,
    because I walked in, tried the Guild, then asked them if they would
    accept the guitar and amp for an even trade. They accepted.
    
    Clearly, the trade-in service is not for everyone. But for people
    that just want to unload their old gear, and upgrade, it may not
    be too bad. Especially if you are a busy working musician, and don't
    have time to wheel and deal. In many cases, though, it pays to keep
    your old equipment, and save for the new gear you want, or finance it. 
                                                       
    Just my humble opinion.....
    
    Mark
    
    

    
    	I was in Daddy's Manch. last night for a few small items.  Cuz
    I was coming from a lesson, I had my guitar with me.  There was
    one person working there.  I think it was Tim, and I think he was
    some sort of manager.   He was busier than a one legged man at an
    a$$ kicking contest.  When I finally got to him, the first thing
    he had to say was that his part time help didn't show.  That leads
    me to my first comment, that I have had both good and bad experiences
    at that store, and it all depended on who I talked to.  Some wouldn't
    give me the time of day, yet Tim went out of his way to talk to
    me, look at my guitar (some would consider it less than significant
    , a Peavey T60), and help me find a replacement for a switch that
    got broken.  He gave me some 'free' tips on what to do with the
    guitar.  What was funny though, was at the end, just for giggles,
    I asked what the guitar would be worth on a trade, and he says,
    oh, less than $100.  That threw me, cuz for some reason I thought
    it might be worth more.  I don't really care, it does what I want.
    
    	Now, other times I have gone to the Nashua store, and the sales
    folks there barely recognize that I'm in the store.  As for dealing,
    I bought a used Peavey Bandit 65 there.  When I asked if they would
    talk, they said no.  Price as listed.
    
    	So, I think that it all comes down to who you are dealing with,
    and whether or not you know if you are getting ripped off.
    
    	BTW, I spent less than $10 last night.  Yet, when I mentioned
    that his price on the switch packaged with the Peavey name was
    expensive, he came down on it.
    
    	Another factor.  He rang up the switch, but forgot to charge
    me for strings I bought for my acoustic.  Being honest, I told him
    that he forgot, and he thanked me over and over.  So, maybe next
    time he'll remember me and give me a deal on something else based
    on my honesty?  
    
    	Glenn
    

    > I asked what the guitar would be worth on a trade, and he says,
    > oh, less than $100.  That threw me, cuz for some reason I thought
    > it might be worth more. 
    
    It IS "worth" more.
    
    $100 is what it's "worth to Daddy's" (to try and resell it).
    
    That they are willing to give you $100 for it, very much implies
    that THEY think it could be sold for more.
    
    	db

re .41
    
	...last night would have been tuesday, I believe. I was there too,
buying strings and a Randy Rhodes book (I don't know why I bought it, I
don't seriously think that I can play that stuff except for maybe "Dee").
You were right about "Tim" running around like a raped ape (an NIO term),
and somehow managing to maintain his composure when dealing with the
in-store crowd, however this is not always the case with him.  I've been
in there before and tried asking a simple question like "Excuse me, but are
the Rockman's (Rockmen?) on sale this week?  I don't see an signs, but I
did recieve your mailer", only to be ignored or to get some unintelligable
reply under his breath as he was walking away.  I don't think the store was
even that crowded, and he was not the only salesperson there. Needless to
say, there was very soon one less potential customer.

	As sarcatic and negative as I may sound, I'm usually very polite
to people unless provoked; maybe I've just been reading too much of Mike
Barnacle lately.  This applies especially when I want something from someone
(hey, at least I'm honest...).  The main reason for my continued patronage of
the aforementioned establishment is simply convience.  My band practices at
the top of Gold Street and when I blow my last E string, my next move is
to coast down the hill (a slight exaggeration - the foxholes in the pavement
would stop you less than half way) (see, there I go again!) and into my
favorite music store.  For anyone who knows Manchester, all the other music
stores are across town on Elm St. and usually keep banker's hours.  This is a
big plus for Daddy's.

	  We as a band have bought much equipment from them, but from
various - often transitory - salepeople.  I have to agree with the gerneral
concensus here - that doing buisness with Daddy's is simply the luck of the 
draw.  If you get the right person in the right mood on the right day, you 
*can* get some reasonable deals there.  However, as I described above (and 
as others have said), this is not always predictable (nor desirable).  Then 
again, Dennis (owner of Music Factory) is a real moody person also.  But his 
marked prices are generally better so that haggling over a potential purchase 
isn't necessary.  This IS desirable (IMHO).

p.s.	One compliment I do have for Daddy's is on their selection of sheet
	music.  This is very helpful for nearly_tone_deaf guitarists such as
	myself who have trouble figuring out how to play such simple riffs
	as the intro to "Sweet Child 'O' Mine" without help (this is NOT an
	exaggeration).

	- see db, I'm not THAT bad...

						Humble_at_heart
						    
						     Brad

    
    
    I was in Daddy's in Nashua today at lunchtime.  I guess that I haven't
    been there in a while because I was surprised that there wasn't a
    single Gibson electric on the wall.  I also only saw two Fenders in the
    place, both new Strats.  Most of the guitars were Kramers, Ibanez, and
    Strat look-alikes.
    
    If people are trading in Gibsons and Fenders, they aren't bringing them
    to Nashua.  Maybe it's a reflection of their trade-in offers. Or, maybe
    I just hit a bad day.
    
    Kevin
         

    	If you were in there a month ago they had at least 4 Fender
    Strat's and a couple of Les Pauls,a Mesa Boogie MKII(fully loaded)
    a Fender Twin Reverb,Super Reverb. They seem to rotate stock through
    all there stores. I heard from another noter who saw an amp in
    the Shrewsbury store that I had seen in Nashua a while back.
    

Daddy's is having another one its occassional Garage Sales. Usually held
at the Manchester store, this one is instead at the Nashua store.

Date: May 11, 1991
Time: 10:00am
Place: 293 Daniel Webster Highway, Nahsua
Phone: 603-888-1160

I know several noters who have picked up some bargains at past sales, so you
might want to check it out.

BTW, all items are sold "as is".

alan

    
    
    In contrast to an earlier visit, when I went to Daddy's yesterday a
    good chunk of the guitars on the wall were LPs, SGs, and ES3xxs. Far
    more new Gibsons and Epiphones than pointy headstock things.  Daddy's
    also had a big sign out front to the effect of "big $ for used Gibson
    and American Fender guitars.."
    
    Daddy's also had an ad for some used-gear/speciality subsidiary it is
    starting.
    
    So, what's the deal.  Has Daddy's figured out that in tough economic
    times, the used market is the place to be?  And if that is the case, it
    sure looks like Daddy's is banking on the tried and true Gibson/Fender
    models.
    
    Kevin
    

    
    >    I think Daddy's figured that out about 15 years ago.
    >
    >		Hence the name "Junky Music Store"
    
    
    Well, if they had, they certainly forgot it for a while!
    
    Kevin
    
    

    Kevin,
    
    You may have put the chicken before the egg.
    
    Perhaps the reason they have more used now is because more people
    have to sell off their stuff due to economic conditions.

Daddy's is having another one of it's Garage Sales. This one is at the
Manchester, NH store (So. Willow St.) on Saturday, May 28th. Doors open
at 10:00am.

I've only been to one of them before, but I do remember there being some
very good prices on overstock and used equipment. (I bought an ancient 
16-channel Carvin mixing board for $20 at the last one!)

alan