Exo-metal
Well-known member
The only way to call it these days is "shitar center."
espquade
Well-known member
Yeah, that's the one. Could be considered Lone Tree I suppose. Haven't been there since 2016
NeubyWanKaneuby
Well-known member
I found more wins off their used gear than anything else. Anything I haven't liked I've been able to return no questions asked.
I guess I can't really complain about my overall experience.
I guess I can't really complain about my overall experience.
TheBiggestJerk
Well-known member
I think it is LoneTree.
mbt64
Member
This. Plus the pictures on used gear are generally pretty bad. Plus trying to save something to your wish list takes three steps on a website that moves slowly. Organizing your wish list is a pain too. I've got six GC's within an hour of me and trying to get detailed information on stuff you are thinking of buying is darn near impossible.
Their website is infuriating at times where it logs you out and you can't log back in. Sometimes I have to switch browsers several times to make it work. I wanted to buy an Epi LP and the "new" guitars listed in inventory at two different stores had either the pickup selector switch or output jack broken (one had both broken). It buzzkilled my GAS for the day and I just went home and ordered online.
After saying all that, I think its important to have brick and mortar stores to try stuff out. I hope they get better.
skoora
Well-known member
My pet peeve at the moment with their site is every time I back out of a used item’s, details page it takes me to the beginning of the list again defaulting to 24 a page. Not back to where at was in the search.This is always fun when you have 100’s of items and you were on page 3 of 48 or 90 plus a page. Drives me crazy.
…edit..this might be a Safari thing. Just tried chrome and it didn’t do it.
Last edited:
japetus
Well-known member
You can adjust the results higher
phillybhatesme
Well-known member
Right click the ad and open in new tab. That way your list gets maintained and the item you’re interested in opens in a new tab. CTRL click or Command click doesn’t work unfortunately.
TotallyRadGuitars
Well-known member
I completely agree that GC sucks but this is a bad article
Lots of complaints are people saying "oh yeah, I totally had $3k I was willing to spend, if only someone had talked to me." What a bunch of BS. It's easy to say that online.
Or they complain about not being able to play a $3k guitar as a walk-in. Ok? Good - I don't want your hands on a $3k instrument that is going to be sold as new at full retail price. Anyone who really had that kind of money to spend and was a serious buyer would've grabbed someone to get it out. Yeah sometimes customer service sucks but they don't know if you're a real buyer or just some tourist passing the time until you say something. Back in the day you could walk in and play an expensive guitar and they got dinged up, and people started complaining/not buying/discounting them. It's not like they just started locking up the high end stuff for no reason.
Setups being bad - that's for two reasons. One, guitars are set up like shit from factory, especially low end stuff that you can still walk in and play. Two, how many times have you picked up a guitar with a floating bridge and found someone tried to tune it to Drop A or something and it's all out of whack. Do you expect Joe Minimum Wage to check every guitar in the store every 15 minutes or something? Or to set up every brand new guitar that comes into the store before it goes on the wall?
You might say - ok - hire more knowledgeable staff and spend more time on setups. You willing to pay for that? You can bet the executives aren't cutting their salaries, any extra in-store cost just gets passed on to you as the buyer. No thanks, I'd rather set up myself when I get it home.
The commission they offer is downright awful. Online sales are not included either unless the buyer calls in and that's a lot of used sales. That's a crappy policy, if you want your employees to care about the products they sell, you have to give them a vested interest in it.
Repairs... yeah GC has always been terrible at this, because anybody who is actually good at those kinds of repairs (guitar or amp) has their own shop with lots of tools/equipment. Ever been in the back of an amp repair shop? They have scopes and meters and soldering stations and all sorts of parts and stuff. Where would you possibly have space for that in the average GC store? They don't - so they outsource all that stuff, at least in my area. Not every GC is located near a competent tech or luthier. It'd be great if you could take anything to them and have it repaired but I'm not sure how realistic that actually is, especially with specialty/high end stuff.
---
I'll come clean, I used to spend a lot of money at GC, but I've never once bought anything new. The used section is wild... for every overpriced item they have listed, they also have something very special and rare way underpriced by someone who didn't know what it was. It pains me to think that whoever traded it in also got ripped and didn't know what it was either but hey, that's life sometimes. They have a very spotty track record but a generous return policy (except on things marked "vintage") and they treat me well when there is an issue. That'll be the main thing I miss from GC if they ever go under, and I hope they don't.
---
Long story short, I'm not saying there is no room for improvement, but most of those suggestions in the article are way out of touch with reality. GC is not a boutique shop, be glad they have any high end gear at all. It's a shop for entry level players or working musicians to be able to grab what they need nationwide and we're lucky to have that. I don't want to see another Sam Ash... That's my opinion anyway.
Lots of complaints are people saying "oh yeah, I totally had $3k I was willing to spend, if only someone had talked to me." What a bunch of BS. It's easy to say that online.
Or they complain about not being able to play a $3k guitar as a walk-in. Ok? Good - I don't want your hands on a $3k instrument that is going to be sold as new at full retail price. Anyone who really had that kind of money to spend and was a serious buyer would've grabbed someone to get it out. Yeah sometimes customer service sucks but they don't know if you're a real buyer or just some tourist passing the time until you say something. Back in the day you could walk in and play an expensive guitar and they got dinged up, and people started complaining/not buying/discounting them. It's not like they just started locking up the high end stuff for no reason.
Setups being bad - that's for two reasons. One, guitars are set up like shit from factory, especially low end stuff that you can still walk in and play. Two, how many times have you picked up a guitar with a floating bridge and found someone tried to tune it to Drop A or something and it's all out of whack. Do you expect Joe Minimum Wage to check every guitar in the store every 15 minutes or something? Or to set up every brand new guitar that comes into the store before it goes on the wall?
You might say - ok - hire more knowledgeable staff and spend more time on setups. You willing to pay for that? You can bet the executives aren't cutting their salaries, any extra in-store cost just gets passed on to you as the buyer. No thanks, I'd rather set up myself when I get it home.
The commission they offer is downright awful. Online sales are not included either unless the buyer calls in and that's a lot of used sales. That's a crappy policy, if you want your employees to care about the products they sell, you have to give them a vested interest in it.
Repairs... yeah GC has always been terrible at this, because anybody who is actually good at those kinds of repairs (guitar or amp) has their own shop with lots of tools/equipment. Ever been in the back of an amp repair shop? They have scopes and meters and soldering stations and all sorts of parts and stuff. Where would you possibly have space for that in the average GC store? They don't - so they outsource all that stuff, at least in my area. Not every GC is located near a competent tech or luthier. It'd be great if you could take anything to them and have it repaired but I'm not sure how realistic that actually is, especially with specialty/high end stuff.
---
I'll come clean, I used to spend a lot of money at GC, but I've never once bought anything new. The used section is wild... for every overpriced item they have listed, they also have something very special and rare way underpriced by someone who didn't know what it was. It pains me to think that whoever traded it in also got ripped and didn't know what it was either but hey, that's life sometimes. They have a very spotty track record but a generous return policy (except on things marked "vintage") and they treat me well when there is an issue. That'll be the main thing I miss from GC if they ever go under, and I hope they don't.
---
Long story short, I'm not saying there is no room for improvement, but most of those suggestions in the article are way out of touch with reality. GC is not a boutique shop, be glad they have any high end gear at all. It's a shop for entry level players or working musicians to be able to grab what they need nationwide and we're lucky to have that. I don't want to see another Sam Ash... That's my opinion anyway.
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
Agree.
GC has their issues, like any retailer. But, even today I still find used gear deals/steals. That's where you can strike gold IMO. Recently got a late 68/early 69 Plexi, 4K....which is a very good price considering the panels have no holes, and are in good shape, as is the head shell. Most of the OG circuit is intact, it does have a 1 wire mod but it's easily restored. My 86 Jackson Strat was mis labelled as a model series, for 899...both of these were scored within the last 2 yrs. I've seen a few 2203/4s for 1K as well, vertical inputs...gone though by the time I saw the listing. Also, a G Triple for 1500.
So, if you stalk the used site and have patience, you can find some good stuff for less $$.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
I can't disagree with anything here, but if GC truly wants to turn things around for themselves these are the areas the need to focus on.
TheBiggestJerk
Well-known member
So I made this post out of the distain that I’ve developed over about the last five years, that all came to a head when I went into the local store to buy some bass strings - a $39 set of strings clearly marked and labeled as $19 so I said I’ll take two sets. When they were scanned they came up as $39 in the computer. The clerk turned into a royal dick and wouldn’t budge. I’ve spent anywhere between $50-100k in GC in the last 30y and they can’t give me a break on some strings when it’s their own fault??? Fuck them! They lost a customer for life. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. One-off customers can pay full pop, the whale customers that actually keep the store afloat deserve a break on the small items.
Last edited:
WizardSouth-JP
Well-known member
The irony of GC for me was them donating to BLM, the very folks that looted the living hell out of their stores in 2020. Interesting business model.
Haven't been inside one of their stores since 2019.
Haven't been inside one of their stores since 2019.
Tonelover
Well-known member
You show 'em!
WizardSouth-JP
Well-known member
eat me
blackba
Well-known member
My local shop just closed in October of last year, so now GC is it in the area. Been in there once, but its cramped not a great experience.
Not buying much these days anyway and if I do its used on FB Marketplace of the forums.
Not buying much these days anyway and if I do its used on FB Marketplace of the forums.