Sweetwater

There'd be some sort of mark up if they did. Currently (2/19/2025) an FM9 is $1799. That would get a pretty hefty markup for both Sweetwater and FAS to make money. If there wasn't a markup, it would not make any sense for Sweetwater to simply be a "middleman".
I like the way FAS does it currently with purchasing direct.
 
I like sweetwater as much as the next guy but in a discussion like this you have to think about how many more units they would sell through sweetwater compared to only selling direct, vs. how much of sweetwater's cut would be borne by Fractal through a lower wholesale price rather than the customer through a higher retail price. If the percentage of the former is greater than the percentage of the latter, then it would make sense for Fractal to sell through sweetwater, but I strongly suspect this isn't the case. There's also cash flow issues, sweetwater is a massive retailer, best case scenario their terms are net 30, a container full of Axe-FX III's is a lot of cash for a small business to float an extra 30 days.
 
stephenclark1 said:
Hope everyone realizes that my whole point was to highlight how highly regarded FAS and the way they do stuff is by people that are "in the know"...that's all.
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That is a good point to make. We all love FAS as they are, and I understand the resistance to change, but it is nice to hear them acknowledge the quality of something they don’t sell. It’s still a symbiotic thing… they’re selling plenty of Fender FRs and EV PXM12MPs to Fractal players. They benefit from each other, and we all benefit from them both. It’s all good.

Thanks for sharing!
 
stephenclark1 said:
Conversation with my Sweetwater sales rep (name withheld) about his change over from Helix to FM9…blown away!
The consensus at Sweetwater is that if FAS sold thru them they wouldn’t be able to keep them on the shelves. Sales team is kinda glad they don’t because they would have to tell people “back ordered, more on the way!”
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The fact that you have a sales person that you talk to implies that you throw them a decent amount of business. If you're particularly into Fractal and are vocal about it then it's in their interest to mirror your level of enthusiasm to build a relationship so that you shop more, they sell more gear, can give you discounts, etc. I don't mean to be cynical: I don't doubt that this guy has at least used a Fractal unit or probably has one but it's nothing for them to say something off-hand like this that makes their customers feel good because it has such a low probability of ever happening anyway.

Either way your salesperson sounds like a good dude. I've largely stopped using Sweetwater because I seem to end up with more back-and-forth with my salesperson than I think is necessary. Better for my wallet and GAS but it is a bit sad as it seems like he's a lot busier than he used to be under the previous ownership...
 
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alexjplant said:
The fact that you have a sales person that you talk to implies that you throw them a decent amount of business. ...
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You can't avoid "having a Sweetwater salesperson", ask anything and one will be assigned to you.

Mine's not particularly appropriate for me, probably assigned by random, or maybe according to the first thing i got from them.
 
Dave Merrill said:
You can't avoid "having a Sweetwater salesperson", ask anything and one will be assigned to you.

Mine's not particularly appropriate for me, probably assigned by random, or maybe according to the first thing i got from them.
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I should have emphasized the "that you talk to" part 😃 I'm very aware of how they work since I used to buy stuff from them but I've never sat and shot the breeze about modelers with them.
 
Dave Merrill said:
You can't avoid "having a Sweetwater salesperson", ask anything and one will be assigned to you.

Mine's not particularly appropriate for me, probably assigned by random, or maybe according to the first thing i got from them.
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Ask for Tyler He's great - been dealing with him for years
 
Dave Merrill said:
You can't avoid "having a Sweetwater salesperson", ask anything and one will be assigned to you.

Mine's not particularly appropriate for me, probably assigned by random, or maybe according to the first thing i got from them.
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I live in Fort Wayne, actually a couple miles from Sweetwater. They are all "your salesperson". Lol.
My personal one was assigned by random, but you can change it to anyone you like. I switched mine to a couple different buddies at different times.
 
alexjplant said:
I should have emphasized the "that you talk to" part 😃 I'm very aware of how they work since I used to buy stuff from them but I've never sat and shot the breeze about modelers with them.
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Ok...he called me cause he knows I have FAS stuff, sent me pictures of his set up and was asking me how to best do this and that, wished me happy birthday and talked about our kids...and no I've not bought a ton of stuff from them...sometimes you just make friends...professionally and personally people just talk to me...nothing special about me except I'm not an ass to people.
 
stephenclark1 said:
Ok...he called me cause he knows I have FAS stuff, sent me pictures of his set up and was asking me how to best do this and that, wished me happy birthday and talked about our kids...and no I've not bought a ton of stuff from them...sometimes you just make friends...professionally and personally people just talk to me...nothing special about me except I'm not an ass to people.
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I live in Fort Wayne, so I text my salesperson when I want to purchase (if its just items within the music store, like picks, strings, etc, i just walk in). He can then get the order going and I just pay when I pick it up or they send me an invoice and I can pay online. Then I can simply drive around to the customer pick up and get it after they tell me it's ready. 👌🏼
 
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stephenclark1 said:
Ok...he called me cause he knows I have FAS stuff, sent me pictures of his set up and was asking me how to best do this and that, wished me happy birthday and talked about our kids...and no I've not bought a ton of stuff from them...sometimes you just make friends...professionally and personally people just talk to me...nothing special about me except I'm not an ass to people.
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¯\(ツ)/¯ tons of people talk to me too (usually at shows as regards music gear) but not my Sweetwater rep. Maybe it's because we interact primarily over e-mail. Perhaps they find me annoying because I have to keep asking them for a replacement mic stand that breaks every 6 months. Who knows.
 
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I like Sweetwater and have purchased and will continue to purchase from them but I like the way Fractal sells direct. It reminds me of when Mesa Boogie was only selling direct and you could have your amp custom made to order. If Fractal had to make as many units as would be required to sell at Sweetwater I would be wondering if the quality would diminish.
 
bebaldwin said:
I like Sweetwater and have purchased and will continue to purchase from them but I like the way Fractal sells direct. It reminds me of when Mesa Boogie was only selling direct and you could have your amp custom made to order. If Fractal had to make as many units as would be required to sell at Sweetwater I would be wondering if the quality would diminish.
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Same. Sweetwater's customer service is absolutely top-notch, and I go through them for all sorts of stuff, but as far as I'm concerned Fractal's business model has produced excellence. You don't go f--king with a good thing.
 
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