Sell FRACTAL at Sweetwater.

AtomicJeff said:
View attachment 110040
Click to expand...

Mitch Gallagher is going to show 'real world' demos? Tell me you aren't serious?
Because we don't have tons of other musicians that do reviews/demos/classes on Fractal products?
(Larry Mitchell, Mark Day, Leon Todd, Cooper Carter...)

And by the way - I love Sweetwater. I buy from my guy Bob Furlong any chance I can.
He always gives me good deals, and he's super knowledgeable.

That said, when buying something like a Fractal unit - I scoured the web for videos. If I saw Mitch Gallagher give a 'demo', I would have thought the same thing I think for every vid he posts. Mildly informative, never controversial (because god forbid they actually say something is 'good' or 'bad', and I learned nothing that I couldn't have found in the manual.
 
Last edited:
Ugly Bunny said:
This explains SO much. I refuse to buy from them now due to the way they treated and cheated me over the last year or so, with zero cares given by the owner/CEO.
Click to expand...

Except it's not true. Sweetwater was not sold.
SW took financing from private equity.
Regular people call this a loan, if it were from a brick and mortar bank.
Sweetwater-Announces-Growth-Equity-Investment-from-Providence-Equity-Partners

Again, there is good reason why musicians running a business is a punchline in a lot of old and wise jokes. : )
They should really be practicing anyway.

Cliff runs Fractal and it, by all accounts I see, is doing well. Be pleased with that.
 
FPFL said:
Except it's not true. Sweetwater was not sold.
SW took financing from private equity.
Regular people call this a loan, if it were from a brick and mortar bank.
Sweetwater-Announces-Growth-Equity-Investment-from-Providence-Equity-Partners

Again, there is good reason why musicians running a business is a punchline in a lot of old and wise jokes. : )
They should really be practicing anyway.

Cliff runs Fractal and it, by all accounts I see, is doing well. Be pleased with that.
Click to expand...
I was at Sweetwater's showroom a few months ago, and a month after that again. Both times the sales people were great. The first time I was there, my outside sales guy came down to meet me, and we talked for almost an hour. While we were talking, Chuck Surack walked by and my sales guy greeted him like they are buddies. I believe Chuck is titled Founder and Chairman, though they do have another guy as CEO. I was assured Chuck is still running things.

I'm sure they are not a perfect company, but I feel good about giving them my business.

Back on topic - while it would be convenient (for me) to have Fractal products sold and serviced through local retailers and internet order houses, I certainly don't think they should change their MO. Actually, now that I think it through, for me it wouldn't make any sense at all. I'm already a repeat customer and don't need to hear a new product to know it's the best out there. But from Fractal's standpoint I don't think it makes any sense to change.
 
6xih97.jpg
 
Jambi said:
I shit you not, I received a call out of the blue one time asking if everything is going well with my order.

“Order? What order?”

“Oh, you know those switch tips you ordered a few weeks back?”
Click to expand...
I appreciate after the sale service as much as the next person but for gods sake :oops: :D
 
JiveTurkey said:
6xih97.jpg
Click to expand...
Ha! I got a call about a Midi cable I bought....that one made me laugh.

But hey, I prefer that over the service model where they don't give a crap about your order.
I also enjoy catching up with my rep and talking shop with him for a few. He's made some great suggestions on software, and that alone is worth using them.
If I can buy it at Sweetwater, I do. But if I can buy direct from the manufacturer (because it cuts out some cost), I REALLY like that.
 
GlennO said:
The lack of distribution through retailers limits the availability and popularity of FAS products, but I think it's safe to say Cliff decided long ago that he's comfortable with that and isn't inclined to change.
Click to expand...
Cliff is taking a page out of the business I was once in. A popular saying was “stay small, make money”.

Even so, I wouldn’t say FAS is any less popular than its nearest competition, which is quite an accomplishment given their intended lack of big box distribution and sales. Compare the marketing budget of line 6 in the many thousands of dollars to FAS budget to the near zeros of dollars and they’re still just as popular I think.
 
BBN said:
Mitch Gallagher is going to show 'real world' demos? Tell me you aren't serious?
Because we don't have tons of other musicians that do reviews/demos/classes on Fractal products?
(Larry Mitchell, Mark Day, Leon Todd, Cooper Carter...)

And by the way - I love Sweetwater. I buy from my guy Bob Furlong any chance I can.
He always gives me good deals, and he's super knowledgeable.

That said, when buying something like a Fractal unit - I scoured the web for videos. If I saw Mitch Gallagher give a 'demo', I would have thought the same thing I think for every vid he posts. Mildly informative, never controversial (because god forbid they actually say something is 'good' or 'bad', and I learned nothing that I couldn't have found in the manual.
Click to expand...
Mitch is actually a good player and released a decent album a few years ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: J.C
Bruce Sokolovic said:
Compare the marketing budget of line 6 in the many thousands of dollars to FAS budget to the near zeros of dollars and they’re still just as popular I think.
Click to expand...
The sales numbers are hard to come by of course, but I'm pretty sure Fractal doesn't move nearly as many units as brands that are available in retailers like Line6, Boss, and Kemper. While Fractal is popular in certain circles, that's not universal or typical. Again, I'm sure Cliff understands all the tradeoffs and is comfortable with his decision.
 
GlennO said:
The sales numbers are hard to come by of course, but I'm pretty sure Fractal doesn't move nearly as many units as brands that are available in retailers like Line6, Boss, and Kemper. While Fractal is popular in certain circles, that's not universal or typical. Again, I'm sure Cliff understands all the tradeoffs and is comfortable with his decision.
Click to expand...
Again, stay small make money. The bigger a company gets the harder it is to keep it in the black. The popular stuff will always tend to be more economical and available. You’d still be hard pressed to find an electric guitar player who hasn’t heard of an axeFX. I’ve actually heard it used synonymously with modeler.
FAS has built a business and a brand that really ought to be an example in this industry. Their level of service is nearly unmatched and the products are as close to bullet proof as you can get in modern electronics.
 
GlennO said:
The sales numbers are hard to come by of course, but I'm pretty sure Fractal doesn't move nearly as many units as brands that are available in retailers like Line6, Boss, and Kemper.
Click to expand...

More people buy big name light beers than craft beers.
 
skolacki said:
More people buy big name light beers than craft beers.
Click to expand...
Craft beers have a much higher margin generally though. The big guys have economies of scale, make way more liquid, and sell it cheaper. Their materials (hops, malt, yeast) are also cheaper per ounce because they use less (hence “light” beer). In the end though, craft beer is more expensive, but in many cases offers a unique and flavorful product that consumers are willing to pay a premium for. Hence the higher margin. This is also why so many breweries are opening tap rooms - better margins because they don’t have to sell to wholesalers or even retailers. They keep the entire margin after production costs. A reasonably apt analogy here despite a few differences.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom