Guitar Center

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sandman

sandman

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as crappy as many people say the stores/sales people can be at times...i'm excited to hear that one is coming near to where I live. The mom/pop stores around here are either rude or only carry entry level equipment for the most part. I've always had to buy gear based mainly on questions on the forums or youtube clips....maybe i can actually go check out different guitars/amps soon in person.
 
Yeah mom and pop stores can me nice but can also be very limited. At least with GC even if they don't have something in stock they can easily order it, have it shipped there, let you try, and still have a full 30 day return policy. Can also just buy from their website and just return it to the store if it doesn't work out so no need to ship things back to the warehouse either. Hard for mom and pop stores to match that flexibility.
 
I have a little different point of view. I buy as much online as possible. The GC in Milwaukee is low end, mostly a waste of time. I go to Music Go Round (a place that specialized in used gear) and a place called Lincoln Music. Lincoln Music has been around forever and while they have mostly low end stuff 3 of the guys there are real cool and can get almost anything you need at very good prices. :rock: :thumbsup:
 
It's nice to have a gc in the area, especially if the local music stores suck which most due since the Internet. I like to go in an grab a guitar to try out without someone hanging over my shoulder and at gc you can do that. I also have scored pretty major on used gear that was either miss priced or ignorance of staff but I like that type ignorance. :lol: :LOL:
 
When I was living back in the Boston area, mom and pop stores were rampant and filled with great used and new gear. I never bothered to go into GC much except for in Nashua, NH where I got along with the staff and wasn't looked at funny when I asked to play on Historic LP's or anything else of the same ilk. I guess it's because of the fact that I never cranked the amps and always tuned up :D

Where I'm living now is a whole different animal. I have to buy strings online and I beg myself to drive to Raleigh to now go to GC! :lol: :LOL:

Above all else, GC gets a bad rep because of company policies and consumers tend to blame staff as opposed to looking at it realistically. Some GC employees do not know a damn thing about gear and will bullshit you all day long. Others are super patient and are willing to help regardless of skill level or tech knowledge.
 
Aristocat":6m512unf said:
When I was living back in the Boston area, mom and pop stores were rampant and filled with great used and new gear.

Daddy's Junky Music? I miss that place.

I've had good experiences with GC personally.
 
Lately I've been loving Sam Ash.

Bought a Bass on Craigslist for $125.
Traded it to Sam Ash for $250.
Traded someone for a guitar, around $2000 invested, sold to Sam Ash for $2600.
Bought a Fender Strat for $700...didn't like it, sold it to Sam Ash for...well...$700. But at least I didn't lose anything!

Guitar Center was super low ballers on all the same items!

Even tonight, just got back from Sam Ash, picked up a new Les Paul, cheaper than everywhere else...by a few hundred~

GC is good to try stuff out, but the greedy commission salesmen are really really annoying...and usualy know squat about quality gear...they are only interested in the silly moms and dads who buy those Line6 and other cheap amps, because they sell a lot of them...but if I find something I want, I can order from elsewhere online Tax Free!
I always feel GC employees really don't give a shit about the customer...just their commission...
check this out. I ordered a cab used from GC on their website...
Look how it arrived! (All I did was open the box, and was horrified at the lack of packing anything as the cab was bouncing around in the box when I went to move it...and snapped this pic...
KrankCabFromGC.JPG


They Care Not.
 
Rusty strings and dinged up "new" guitars... that's what my local GC is in my mind. Usually when I go in there it is to try out a piece of gear I'm debating buying online (yes, a dick move) or to check their used guitars out.

There is a really good mom and pop shop about a mile away from GC that I really like.
 
One of the problems with GC is so many people go in to try out gear and buy elsewhere. When you pick up a guitar it is dinged up, rusty strings, drop tuned, fried chicken greasy...

Ironically, I usually get used gear from GC. Lots of stuff, usually a good deal. I know a few people there and know who to avoid.

The best one was the guitar dept Associate chic that stopped talking to a guy that worked there for a few minutes (he was totally hawt for sure) that was explaining to me that I should trade in my old MKIIC for a shiny new MKV. They are newer, much better, and have all the old amps remade inside them. It's like a dozen amps or so. I should totally think about that, totally....
 
kurtsstuff":3tce3aex said:
Oh cool! Another GC thread..
Yep, i'm excited my area is getting a GC regardless of many negative opinions. 30+ years of crappy and rude mom/pop stores has me excited about GC.
 
sandman":3t1969uh said:
kurtsstuff":3t1969uh said:
Oh cool! Another GC thread..
Yep, i'm excited my area is getting a GC regardless of many negative opinions. 30+ years of crappy and rude mom/pop stores has me excited about GC.

There's always been enough competition around here amongst the mom and pop's that crappy and rude would put them out of business. And it has, really. There's only a couple left, and only one that is really doing well.
 
Reza, Guitar Center Nashville is a dealer and stocks Friedman. I hooked up Tony Higbee with Dave and Rob. They have a new BE-100 and a Dirty Shilrley in stock. I'm sure Tony could hook you up with 18 months on the GC card. Call Tony Higbee, 615-297-7770, cell 615-499-0432. Tell him I sent you :) Tony is going on the road as Tom Keifers lead guitarist in 3 weeks. They also carry and stock Splawn. Not your normal Guitar Center :thumbsup: GC is going to be going national with Friedmans in the data base from what Tony said. Pictures are listed in used section at current (but new). Since Nashville is the only at current dealer. I have to work Tony on Suhr next :lol: :LOL:
Rezamatix":2j475yxo said:
I have a hard time buying gear anywhere else. 18 months no interest financing?!
Tons of used gear at super cheap prices online?
It's hard to beat.
If I could buy a BE-100, a Suhr , a Luxxtone, and a number of other awesome pieces of gear with those financing terms , I would.
 
I buy online all the time now. I save the 9% sales tax and shipping is free a lot of the time. Anything I don't like I can always return, however, in my time of buying new guitars, amps and other stuff online, I've only returned one guitar.

Steve
 
Buying a guitar at guitar center is like marrying a prostitute
 
Agreed about Nashville GC kicking butt. Didn't know they were carrying Friedman. Have not been in the store in a few years.

Greg Riley":29t74e5q said:
Reza, Guitar Center Nashville is a dealer and stocks Friedman. I hooked up Tony Higbee with Dave and Rob. They have a new BE-100 and a Dirty Shilrley in stock. I'm sure Tony could hook you up with 18 months on the GC card. Call Tony Higbee, 615-297-7770, cell 615-499-0432. Tell him I sent you :) Tony is going on the road as Tom Keifers lead guitarist in 3 weeks. They also carry and stock Splawn. Not your normal Guitar Center :thumbsup: GC is going to be going national with Friedmans in the data base from what Tony said. Pictures are listed in used section at current (but new). Since Nashville is the only at current dealer. I have to work Tony on Suhr next :lol: :LOL:
Rezamatix":29t74e5q said:
I have a hard time buying gear anywhere else. 18 months no interest financing?!
Tons of used gear at super cheap prices online?
It's hard to beat.
If I could buy a BE-100, a Suhr , a Luxxtone, and a number of other awesome pieces of gear with those financing terms , I would.
 
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