Will Guitar Center soon be just an empty room with salesmen?

  • Thread starter Thread starter romanianreaper
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romanianreaper

romanianreaper

Well-known member
I went by Guitar Center today to get a bass pedal interface (Sansamp or MXR, etc.) for recording and you would have thought I was asking for them to unveil a Ming Dynasty-era vase emboldened in gold lettering.

Me: "Hey do you guys have any of the bass preamp pedals for recording"
(blank stares)

Me: "You know for recording.....via XLR, etc....like Sansamp, etc."
(blank stares" "Recording? You are better off using an iRig like these"

Me: "Yeah, I have an iRig plug already. I got it last time I was in here. What I'm looking for you can use it for live use also. A pedal. A bass pedal"

Employee: "I've been working here two years and have never had anything like that"

I got some picks and called it a day. LOL. I'm convinced that one of these days I'm going to walk in there and won't be one guitar in the whole place. Do I need to walk into Walmart to get an f'ing pedal? I guess I'm going to have to order online.
 
GC is horrible for real players. It’s great for beginners and people looking to buy cheap gifts for beginners.
 
I like Guitar Center, but you kinda have to already know what you want when you go in there. Check their inventory via the website and make sure they have it, then head down there and try it out. If they don't have it, you don't have to waste your time driving down there. The salesmen typically have no idea what's in the store, no idea how to use it, and no desire to find out. That stinks, but Google to the rescue.
 
cardinal":1zd3po7u said:
I like Guitar Center, but you kinda have to already know what you want when you go in there. Check their inventory via the website and make sure they have it, then head down there and try it out. If they don't have it, you don't have to waste your time driving down there. The salesmen typically have no idea what's in the store, no idea how to use it, and no desire to find out. That stinks, but Google to the rescue.
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You know the crazy thing is that I've noticed a huge difference in knowledge and equipment depending on the store. The one closest to me will sometimes have a good used selection, something I need, etc. and is ok. The one 45 minutes or so from me has a bunch of Friedman stuff, guitars locked in glass cases, and a huge selection of new and used stuff. It is like night and day between the two.
 
I was so happy when the big box stores opened in my city. Now I regret it. They killed off all the mom and pop stores that actually had cool stuff.

The last time I went to Sam Ash I sold a Jackson Soloist. The volume knob was a little bit loose and the guy behind the counter started cranking it with some sort of wrench then he said "the knob is spinning 360, I dont think we can buy it..." As if I didnt watch him break it in front of me. I almost lost my shit. The last time I went to GC to get a setup the guy behind the counter laid my guitar against the counter. I didnt say anything but as soon as I turned around I heard my guitar hit the floor. Very rarely do they hire knowledgable people or even people who give a shit.
 
Long and Mcquade (our nation wide chain in Canada) is getting like that too. Not a lot in stock anymore except lower end combos, guitars, etc, beginner stuff as you say. I usually drop in just to check out used items that have come in or get some strings.
Anything I would really want has to be ordered in.

I don’t blame them, the higher end gear just doesn’t move anymore. No one wants even 100 watt half stacks anymore.
 
i think it really depends on the store. i stopped going to the one closest to me cause i got sick of getting swarmed as soon as i walked in the door and then being followed around by some young kid employee as im looking for anything not Line6 or SS marshalls, but then i bought something off GC used about an hour away and decided to take a ride and that one is awesome. tons of good gear and no one bothering you.
 
Definitely varies from store to store. Ours has shit new stuff, bit the used section moves pretty quick, and has interesting stuff; and the guy doing repairs was trained local, and does solid work. I pretty much only mess with the used section, and string/straps, etc....
 
ClintN667":22zgvph2 said:
I was so happy when the big box stores opened in my city. Now I regret it. They killed off all the mom and pop stores that actually had cool stuff.

The last time I went to Sam Ash I sold a Jackson Soloist. The volume knob was a little bit loose and the guy behind the counter started cranking it with some sort of wrench then he said "the knob is spinning 360, I dont think we can buy it..." As if I didnt watch him break it in front of me. I almost lost my shit. The last time I went to GC to get a setup the guy behind the counter laid my guitar against the counter. I didnt say anything but as soon as I turned around I heard my guitar hit the floor. Very rarely do they hire knowledgable people or even people who give a shit.
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What the hell???? Man, that is infuriating. The only time I've seen something similar was when movers were packing up my stuff in Hawaii and the last thing they put in was my classical guitar I've had since high school. The guy was trying to fit it in the truck by laying his shoulder into it so it would squeeze in and I yelled "hey, can you not do that!"

I had a post on here awhile back about Mom and Pop stores. If you find a good one, it will make your f'ing day buying something in there. Might make your entire week! Great conversation, nice and quiet with maybe one guy testing out something at low volume versus watching goth metal tweens jamming and having a band practice together in the middle of GC.

I drove two hours to one to get my Martin guitar and well worth it. I just made a day of it and found other stops along the way, just took my time and actually enjoyed just driving. I thought I would love all of the online conveniences, etc. but it is starting to irk me a bit when I can't just go out for the day and find something I want. Gotta find a balance I guess.
 
My GC is terrible. The ONLY good thing is that they are great at mislabeling gear. $500 for an ESP Eclipse? Wham bam thank you ma'am. I bought it on the spot.

My local Sam Ash is great though, lots of good deals on used gear. $250 for a MIJ Jackson DK2M with flight case. Again, wham bam thank you ma'am. My sales guy is good to me. He has done enough business with me to know what I like. If he sees it he will give me a call.

The GC guys are useless though. Sam Ash are very knowledgeable, but again TBH, I know more than they do. Lol.
 
psychodave":1rtuseul said:
GC is horrible for real players. It’s great for beginners and people looking to buy cheap gifts for beginners.
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It was a GREAT source for used gear, and some real finds for cheap...2C SRG for 700, MINT 74 1960a with original GBS for 349....I can go on and on. Over the last yr though they've jumped their used prices on almost everything with some steals still out there. 1979 1960a w/65s for 379 2 months ago. I also just picked up a 2008 USA Charvel SoCal Candy Tangerine for 699..looks mint. I don't see those for less than 1K anywhere anymore. It'll arrive later this week.
:D
 
It used to be the sales people hawked you like rape meat. Now no one even makes eye contact unless you walk up to them and say "excuse me, i want to buy this!"

I prefer to be left alone, but its weird how different it is. do they even work on commission still?
that job would kill my soul.
 
Now I have to harass the GC guys for a cable to demo something with. Last time it took 10 minutes to get a damn cable. They used to be straight up your ass and wouldn't leave you alone.
 
seems like they went through a big shift a few years ago moving away from better amps and guitars and focusing more on the <$1K crowd. Nothing wrong with that per se, but it sucks when you want to go in and look at better gear.

One of the few times I've ever absolutely lost my shit in a retail environment was in Omaha Guitar Center. We were passing through on the way to a gig and I decided I wanted to get one of the zoom video cams to record shows with. Check GC's site....several in stock at the Omaha store....sweet! Swing through and they can't find it. Absolutely clueless. The first guy really is trying and struggling. The next sales associate begins to explain to me how the online inventory can't be trusted and you should always call the store. That was the tipping point. The gist of my diatribe was "this is why real musicians hate GC". I'll spare the details.

Afterwards I felt terrible. I had become "that guy". It was the culmination of several sub-par GC experiences and I finally exploded lol
 
It's just a pain. I have a good pop shop around here, $13 for a cheap set of strings. WTF?!? but on the off side he underprices a lot of items, and grossly over prices others. I got a vintage $2k banjo w/hsc for $500. Some unique military horns dirt cheap, but nobody knew what they were as far as how to play them and they sat there for over a decade. The guy asked if I could play one, I said yeah, and he said that he had three he would give for a total of $100 just because he knew that very few people could play them and he just never heard them played and wanted them used. He was thrilled that they would get use. I stop in and say hi every week just because it's just him and he is honestly lonely. Great guy to chat with. Friendly and now years later he is like an elderly uncle to me. It's kind of cool. He treats me very well and appreciates that I use what I get from him. For example I showed him videos of me playing those horns and just lights up. Cool guy. I wish there were more places like that.
 
the one in Cleveland may as well be. the home of the 600$ guitar
 
We have 2 GC where I live. And I see very minimal decent used gear and when there is something good like a bogner, prs, Gibson, USA fender etc... its priced about 200 bucks less than new. Pathetic, if you wait 2 months it drops in price as its collecting dust. Maybe there is % of suckers out there and they are hopeful. When your store is bigger than a supermarket then revenue is all that is considered, obviously. When people mention * our GC has good used gear on a consistent basis it seems that explains there is a good local musicians market that they are not interested in catering to. If not there wouldn't be good used gear in that particular store. Maybe some percentage of it is shipped in but seems to make sense it's people bringing it in for cash or trade. Unfortunately the GC employee isnt there for a future and most of the managers last a few months at best. I'd rather buy online as mentioned than support some bs chain that had good prices on strings and possibly other cables, mics or miselanious items. Hey that's great in a pinch, but can be found cheaper online as well. With all the great gear out there one would hope a local store would at least carry 1 or 2 amps or guitars made by some solid builders that are not Gibson or Fender( both are great guitars!) it would be worth having a GC. Until then, crap=crap.
 
One of the things I cringe at is "we don't have one here in the store but can order it for you." I can't tell you how much I hate hearing that, especially since it is a translation of: "we don't have that in the store but can order it for you. We'll forget to order it and then when you call us we'll remember and that will take an additional few weeks. Then you can drive back to the store and we'll have it here. Meanwhile, you can order it yourself and get it in a few days."

Another thing that I cringe at is when they call other employees over the loudspeaker to take a call and they say it all cool like they are on the air at a radio station. "Matt, Drums-ahh line two-ahh, got a call on a line two-ahh...for Matt..in uh Drumssahh"

Man the more I am typing the more I realize I hate the GC I go to. I need to just go to the other one and stick to Mom and Pop stores. It is taking years off my life every time I walk into that place.
 
My GC trips aren't very long. Just looking for price mistakes. Lol.
 
swamptrashstompboxes":1y6cqyyy said:
My GC trips aren't very long. Just looking for price mistakes. Lol.
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LOL, I love when that happens!
 
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