What would you guys do?

[JimS]

I am going to pick up a new DRRI Monday might at GC. Went up (with my guitar) last night and played one for about an hour in their little test room, and was very impressed with the tone. Anyway, my wife and I were Christmas shopping, so I didnt have time to haggle with them about price. The deal is, the floor model I played is the only one they have in stock. The salesman said if I wanted it, I could take that one, and they would order me a new one and swap me when it came in. Or, should I try to get them to knock off some cash since it is essentially a used amp, being a floor model? I've checked it all over, and there is nothing wrong with it, not even a scratch, but it HAS been played. What would you guys do?

[Russinator]

IME amps are like guitars in that they can differ from unit to unit. If you like that one I would not chance ordering one that may turn out to be *different*. You should be able to dicker the price to or close to 40% off MSRP which is $1139.99. Minuimum advertised price of 30 % off is $797.99 and 40 % off is $683.99.

[Jack Knife]

I agree with Russinator. You know what that amp sounds like. I once had a 50w Marshall head. Sounded great, fat and responsive. I sold it, and later bought another, same model and year (these were brand new back in '78, no mods done to them). Most shrill, thin-sounding piece of crap I've ever had. I never even plugged into it before I bought it because I already knew what that model sounded like

Dicker on the price of the floor model.

[Lance]

but...it's GC. Most that work there just don't "get it" and their prices are often out of whack with the market.
You may have trouble negotiating a better price. Keep an open mind....maybe an free amp cover and a cable or two?

But yes...if you know it sounds good, that's a HUGE plus.

[John Harrison]

1.) Do a little research on others' prices - many places offer "we'll beat any price". Go to GC armed with ads, printouts of webpages, or, at least, phone or FAX numbers of stores with a better price or deal (items added). Point out that competitor ads are for "new" amps (see #2).
2.) Inspect the GC amp with a fine-toothed comb. If it's a floor model, it's likely to be dusty or a little dinged. Heck, if it's got a scratchy pot, that can be argued as "damage" or imperfection. A floor model, even if it carries a full warranty, is, technically (at least to you), an used amp. Find faults and point them out.
3.) Make a "reasonable offer" (one you can live with, but one you can "win" with, too) - and have a bottom line. I've had several experiences where a store won't budge off a price, but will throw in items that offset the difference in $.
4.) Flash the cash. If they know they're near to having a sale, they get anxious, too.
5.) Be prepared to do "the old 180". If they won't negotiate, leave. If they want your money, their bottom line may be less inflexible than they claim it to be and the salesperson might have better chasing skills than they appear to have when they're sitting back on their not-so-firm price policies. If you're not firm, you'll end up paying their price and, as much as you might like the amp, it's a RI, and there are plenty of them (previously owned, too) available.
Good luck!

[jumpnblues]

...a new Fender Deluxe Reverb RI with a good speaker (e.g. WeberVST C12N) and a good set of tubes can be made to sound pretty respectable. And they don't sound all that bad stock. However, if you're going to spend $700. or so on an amp (new or used), IMHO there are far better ways to spend it. This is especially true if you do plan to upgrade the speaker and tubes, since that will easily put you into the $800.-$850. range. The alternatives are too numerous to list but some that I would suggest are: used Dr.Z MAZ 18 Jr. (I've seen these as low as $900.), used Victoria 20112T Tweed Deluxe (these have been seen on the internet as low as $900-$1000.), or silverface DR. There are, as I said, many more options out there. But IMHO any of the ones I listed above are far better amps (hand made, PTP wired, better electronic components, better cabinets, etc.) and would be a much better investment for you. I know we've been through this subject many times before on this board, but I hate to see people make the mistake of putting their money into something like a PCB Deluxe Reverb RI (unless they are able to purchase one for $500. or less). Someone had made the comment on a previous post that they felt the reliability issue with PCB amps such as the DRRI has been overstated. If you've had good luck with one that may be true. However, judging from the overwhelming numbers of people on this board who, over the years, have stated otherwise I would be very cautious about sinking $700. into one. Just for the record, I had a Custom Vibrolux Reverb (PCB amp) that the input went bad on immediately after I bought it. The tech never was able to completely fix it. I traded it for a Victoria Pro and have never been happier. JMHO. YMMV.

[JimS]

Thanks for the info, guys, I've got a lot to think about! :D