Hello Everyone, This is my first post. Recently purchased a bow (Martin Blade X4) and I need to get it set up. I have limited options for shops to get my bow tuned at. There is a tiny local shop where the owners seem friendly enough but I have some meetings down south right by a bass pro shop later this week. Has anyone had any work done at Bass Pro? I also have no idea of the quality of work at my local shop. I pretty much feel like I'm rolling the dice either way and I know bass pro will be a lot cheaper.
Not to sound like a prude, but I try to avoid any sort of big box archery shops. They can be so incredibly hit or miss. The Bass Pro shop down here has a pretty bad reputation with nearly everyone I've met, and so I've avoided them. That's not to say all of them are bad. If I were you, I'd try and find some other local guys who have used both shops, and get their opinions on them, Then make a choice.
yep.. what he said.... big box hire for selling.. not for skills working on your bow.... that small shop, all he does is bows... if he doesn't do it right he's not in business for long...
Thanks for the replies! Ended up going to the local guy who adjusted it and put a peep on for me. Cost me $75 to get draw length/weight adjusted and peep on. Is that high or is that the going rate for adjustments?
No idea. I've been using the same guy for 6 years and on my new bow he charged me $100 to put a new string on it (included the string), put in the peep and time the drop away. The next closest place charged $30-$50 for a tuneup. I also think it depends where you live.
I would echo the stay away from BP. But I'd be talking about Hampton, VA. Then again it could have been the time. Maybe the right guy wasn't there. You know what? Every time I go to my local guy the right guy is there. Must be because his lively hood depends on it.
WOW!!! A few more trips and you could buy your own freakin' bow press. Unless the guy had to replace the dl mods on your bow, that's extremely high... You can install a peep in about five minutes (and unless you were there so he could measure exactly where to tie it in based on YOU holding the bow it was just hit-or-miss on where he tied it in ...), and to change draw length on most of today's bows it's a simple matter of loosening a couple small Allen screws, turning a module, and tightening them back down. Now you see why I'd been pissed if the dude tried to charge me that...
^what he said^ Seems a high to me. Some Archery shops charge way too much for things. I have learned to do a lot of things myself in recent years. However, when I do need to use a Pro Shop for things I don't know, I drive 50 miles to my pro shop because the one near me is a rip off and they charge too much for things that they shouldn't.
I'd keep driving right on by the bass pro shop. Well I might go in and look around, but not get my bow tuned there.
For $45 you could go into the Bass Pro and buy a Bowmaster press, then you can do all of those things yourself. V
While I sure am certainly no Archery expert, I have some experience. Most often the advice to stay away from big box stores is correct, but it’s not ALWAYS the case. First let me say I have no affiliation to any store, shop or manufacture. The advice that big box stores are not the way to go must generally be correct, cuz the experienced players on all the sites pretty much say the same. Here’s the however; talk to experienced archery shooter in your area, at work, School or maybe attend a 3D shoot in your area just to ask around. A little time invested in this pursuit may save you a lot of time and $$ down the road. A big box store in my area had the go to guy for bows. An older gentleman, who just loved to work on bows. Yeah, he had his own shop for a time, but the hours and stresses affiliated with business ownership just got to be too much. He opted to work for a larger retailer where he could work about any hrs he wanted and could leave it all behind when he went home. If you have never been in business for yourself, the last sentence will likely be lost on you. He knew bows inside and out, he kept up on the latest gear and knew well the old stuff. He would work on any brand whether the store sold them or not. He had to retire as a result of medical issues coupled with advanced age. Since then I have had my bow to several other dedicated bow shops and found them lacking, always had to go back and have them take care of something that was not right. 70 mi round trips are getting expensive these days. I sure do wish I could find another bow technician around here who is as good as this guy was. Sayin, sometimes we find the best stuff where we least expect it. A lot of guys, who are at least half way serious about archery, do their own work, I am heading that direction, but it’s not something you can become an expert on in a day. Personally, I can’t settle for good enough, I want it right.
I know EXACTLY who you're talking about and couldn't agree more! What shop do you go to instead? To stay on point, I will second everyone's comment that he charges too much. I know a guy that works at the BassPro near me that I have no problem with him touching my bow, but no one else there. But if I didn't know anyone there, I would be skeptical (mostly because they're not qualified to work on my Mathews bow's without being certified). Word of advice, learn a little about bows, especially yours. Learn basically as if you were tuning the bow yourself. With just a little bit of knowledge you'll be able to weed out the folks that you don't want working on your bows.
