Snobby vintage shops

[MrDowntown]

my local mom/pop, whilst far from vintage (dealing mostly in beginner to intermediate guitars and such)...i'll take my guitars up there for a restring and tune up. they charge like 15$ including the cost of the strings...i pay 25-30$ tell the tech to keep it..making sure to break up the $$ in small bills so he can pocket a few. those dudes are low pay/low salary in a small shop which is their day job...gigging is their night job. trying to help a brother out when i can...

the OP ran into some straight ass holes...kudos for keeping his wits and not telling them to shove it all straight up thine ass...

 

[napalmdeath]

I went into this little shop and asked if they have any preamp tubes. The kind elderly lady said that she did I. The tech area. I asked how much? She said $10. I tested them all just to make sure they worked. I dropped $100 and talked her into giving me 11tubes for $100 out the door.

What were they? JAN 12AX7's five mullard old 12AX7s, two GE 12AX7's and a few others. Nice lady killer deal very good testing. Mullards for $10 a pop. They had a tester there. I made out like a bandit.

I go in there a few weeks later and the husband was there and I asked if they had any other tubes. He replied "my stupid damn wife sold them all for nothing. Damn bitch"

I responded by saying that I was the guy, and I told him "I hope you realize that you are a complete piece of shit for talking about your wife like that. Fuck off and I left.

I will never walk into that store again. These people are I. Their 70's. I have no respect for that jerk.

You robbed them blind, then went back to steal some more from an old lady who didn’t know any better... and he’s the piece of shit in this story?

+1. Don't agree with the wife bashing, but you took advantage of the poor old lady. Then squeezed her for an extra for $100. I'd classify that as a dick move.

 

[skullfxr]

Our local GC has a guy who works there because his band isn't making money, but to him he's still making a living in the music business, and the rest of us are a little beneath him. He's someone who's not approachable, and when he does help you you feel like he's been terribly inconvenienced. If you ask him a question and he can answer it in a way that's condescending, he will. I think he just believes in his own image a little too much. I'm like "yeah dude, I know you work in music full time, because I just saw your Mom drop you off for work". ;-)

totally sig worthy.

i have a good guy at my same ash. he always gets me really good deals. everything i buy from him (i only buy used) he drops the used price that it as marked at by at least twenty percent. but again with the relationship thing, i have bought from him for several years, and he knows i only buy from him, and it seems like every time i walk in i buy something from him. lol.

my GC is full of jackasses. they either ignore you or plague you every second. not in between EVER. they don't carry a whole lot of stuff i am intereted in anyways. but i will say that their used cymbals are priced exceptionally well, that is the only thing i get there. but i don't need more cymbals. but i am eyeing a 22" zildjian A ride to see if the price drops. GC never cuts you a deal though. if you can goose 10% out of them on some thing used, buy a lottery ticket, its your lucky day.

 

[EXPcustom]

I always have friends tell me that I should open a brick and mortar but I always explain to them that the type of gear I sell is not likely to have a walk in customer come in and drop 3k plus for a rare collector guitar he has never heard of till coming in. Also especially in music you can't tell by someone's appearance if they have a ton of money or not.

With overhead and employees I don't see how most music stores do it, especially if they are not selling entry level amps/guitar packages and renting space to music teachers.

Honestly if I ran a high end shop it would be appointment only, I don't want the local high school kids coming in finger fucking the merch that they can't afford anyways.

Just my 2 cents but if I had a store like I said in this business you really don't know who has money based on appearance so any employee doing or saying that to the OP would be fired.