[steved]

Doing a bit of research I noticed the following:

Since I use to live in the States, and I live near the border in Vancouver and still maintain a PO Box and bank account in the states, I tend to notice the fluctuations in the relative cost of goods in Canada and the US. The fluctuations can be wide or not - with no obvious rhythm or reason. For instance, Toyota Cars are generally a little more than the conversion rate but a Toyota Prius is tons more in Canada. Books in Canada are also much more expensive. And so on. Up, down and just right.

With that in mind it was interesting to note that Long and McQuade sells Fender Standard Stratocasters (MIM - Made in Mexico) for about $480 Canadian, while the *cheapest* site in the US for a MIM Stat sell them for $400 US before shipping. Counting the Savings in Shipping and free full setup, that puts L&M selling MIM Strats for about the cheapest US price after conversion. Pretty Cool. Why? Don't ask me. L&M have buying power but not compared to the largest US Chains like Guitar Center.

Make the MIM Strat in Canada one of the best deals out there.

-steve

 

[bRian]

steve, a Standard Strat in Nova Scotia is selling for $599 to $649. L&M is set to take over the store where I buy 95% of my gear; here's to hopin we benefit from better prices. Btw, just for the hell of it, I got a price for a Baja Tele from that same store and a quote from L&M; L&M's price was $100 more. Go figure.

 

[Ti-Ron]

Yeah, don't forget the good economic situation in BC. It's help a lot to have money. If you got more buyers you can improve your services and stock. And probably the competition out there is different. If there's many stores who sold the sames things they probably cut price to take the advantage!

 

[torndownunit]

I never really look at Strats. I know MIM Fenders like the Classic series Teles are in the $900 price range here though. I don't really consider that low priced.

 

[david henman]

...if they came with 22 frets i would buy a (used) mim strat or tele in a heartbeat.

 

[Xanadu]

You can find better prices than L&M... Steves is almost always cheaper...

 

[M_A_T_T]

...if they came with 22 frets i would buy a (used) mim strat or tele in a heartbeat.

I added a fret to a Strat I used to own. There was just enough room to cut a slot and install it on the end of the neck.

 

[Arc Angel]

Songbird and Capsule certainly don't compete with L+M. They are solely used or smaller brand shops (Capsule). I little pricey as well vs. going the private route.

I'd say that Fender (and Gibson) prices are pretty good in Canada with the exception of the Classic Series MIM guitars. For some reason, they are priced a little too high IMO vs. the USA street prices.

 

[torndownunit]

It behooves you to develop a positive relationship with a store, whether it is a jewellery store, music store or bicycle store. There are very few things L&M cannot get for you. L&M has financing programmes in place for very young musicians. The only financing available through my local stores is through AVCO or Beneficial. L&M terms are soooo much better.

Ya there are a few guys I know at the closest Long and Mcquade, and they are always willing to deal.

The financing is great too. When I first started playing, there was a lo of gear I wouldn't have been able to own if it weren't for that.

 

[ssdeluxe]

mim tele's , particularly the 50's and esquire, (when you pick up a ringer) , are a fantastic value.

that's interesting, I can never get L and M to deal on gear, they just won't do it.....hmmmm....interesting some have had the opposite experience, guess each store is diff.

 

[david henman]

...that's the problem with the l&m stores. the newer ones, especially, have young and inexperienced staff, and a relatively high turnover, so "negotiating" prices, much less establishing a long-term relationship, is usually not an option.

-dh

 

[torndownunit]

The second is to pay attention to their inventory. If they've got a guitar on the wall, and it's been there for a few years, they want it OUT.

YMMV

That is a great point. I got a Godin LGSP90 for less then half the sticker price because it had been there for so long. I told one of the guys I wanted a dual P-90 guitar, and was looking for a deal.

 

[dolphinstreet]

Been looking at getting a Fender Strat again. Seems the MIM Strats are a good deal! I live an hour outside Edmonton and rarely have time to go to city, but I hope to go to L&M soon and test some MIM strats.

 

[ssdeluxe]

You know, I know Glenn who owns the cambridge store, and that's a bit of a diff. story, since that used to be MurchMusic, there is a sense of cohesiveness there with their staff, and I've had nothing but great dealings with Glenn. Its the others stores, just inexperienced younger guys who have to always pull the ..."let me ask the manager"....on several occasions I have tried to do a fair deal on high priced stuff ...and they just don't budge even though you show them you've spent thousands with them.......I don't buy there anymore (unless seeing Glenn in Cambridge). If I know way more than their staff, that's not good. Better to give biz to the little people, that's who I look for now, and deserve the biz.

mind boggling sometimes how you WANT to take a guitar off their hands that's been sitting for god knows how long, and they just don't care....that's the large store mentallity. I'm not into it.! just my .02

 

[Robert1950]

Standard Strats can be had in Toronto for $479, maybe lower. Add $40 for the sunburst.

 

[SkunkWorks]

It behooves you to develop a positive relationship with a store, whether it is a jewellery store, music store or bicycle store. There are very few things L&M cannot get for you. L&M has financing programmes in place for very young musicians. The only financing available through my local stores is through AVCO or Beneficial. L&M terms are soooo much better.

Well I guess I'll make my first post in this forum with a little plug for L&M. I couldn't be happier with my relationship with L&M here in Edmonton. It's gotten to the point where I can take home pretty much anything in the store on loan for an entire weekend to try out (Friday 'till Tuesday)... even the Soldano amp I bought back in the fall (it never made it back to the store, but my wallet did :wink: )

When money isn't tight I usually just pay cash for my items, but it's also great to know that I can just slap stuff onto my account if times are tuff and they are more than willing to refinance to whatever I want which usually means me wanting to keep my payments consistent... and the in-house financing rates are more than acceptable. In the past, Cliff has always been really decent with me if I've ever run into a bad financial situation and let some payments dates slide for a while.

There's been some major staff changes there recently and most of my "goto" guys who I had the best rapport with are gone... but I have a couple of new "goto" guys there now that are really helpful and know me by first name when I call up for a price quote on something.

Although I don't find that this L&M is usually willing to deal on new items, I find their prices are pretty competitive compared to the US based discount chains once you factor in shipping, exchange, duty and stuff... most times to within 5 or 10 bucks on items ranging from about 75 to 3 or 400 bucks. Most times I'm willing to pay 10% or even 15% more just to be able to go down and pick it up and have it right away... and to be able to take it home and try it out first, no questions asked and no commitment required.

The other thing I really like there is being able to buy stuff out of the rental department... who needs to have a brand new Shure 57?

 

[SkunkWorks]

Been looking at getting a Fender Strat again. Seems the MIM Strats are a good deal! I live an hour outside Edmonton and rarely have time to go to city, but I hope to go to L&M soon and test some MIM strats.

Too bad I didn't join this forum a little earlier to see this, I just sold one that was a really nice satin metallic gunmetal with maple fretboard... really sharp looking. Great guitar, just really didn't need it anymore. It was what I bought from L&M when I got back into playing again a few years ago after taking a long break and selling all my stuff. Wanted something professional that would sound good recorded without breaking the bank. Great for getting me back into playing again, but I final got what I really wanted about a year ago (Gibson SG) and also want to add a Les Paul and PRS to my arsenal so the Strat had to go... I highly recomend the MIM Strat and Teles though... best bang for your buck if you're on a budget. They'e even come down in price at L&M while at the same time improving the quality of some of the hardware.