Yet another Guitar Center thread, and sort of apology...

Joe Nerve · #1 05-04-2008, 11:30 AM

Realized something kind of obvious, but that I think needs to be stated - as the obvious is something that often seems to fly right past my eyes.

A short story to be followed by the moral. I bought an American made P bass deluxe from a GC a while back. It sucked. Bad. Had lots of issues, was falling apart, I hated it, couldn't resell, and hence trashed Fender and American made P basses till now. I bought a Warwick from Rudy's in NYC 10 years ago. It was a flawless, wonderful instrument. Noticed that the newer ones didn't come close in quality and craftsmanship as that one and bashed Warwick's newer models since then.

Just bought a new (to me) Warwick. Don't feel nuthin like the newer Warwicks hanging in GC. Feels a lot like the one I bought at Rudy's. Bought a brand new out of the box Squier not that long ago too. Much better quality than the American P bass. Played a few other Fenders and thought they were fine. Played a few MMs in a GC and thought "Damn, what's up with these things?" (MMs are my main basses - never bought one in a GC though). It finally hit me...

If you buy a bass off of a rack in GC, you're buying a used instrument. I'll go further and say you're buying an abused instrument. They don't take care of them at all, and every bumpy faced kid within 100 miles is having his way with that piece of gear on a daily basis.

I think everyone should take this completely into consideration when discussing any instrument here, and especially when purchasing something. Gotta say too I'm kinda pissed and surprised at the new no haggle thing they got going... I see GC going down very quickly. I used to defend and support that place. Oh whell.

hyp.spec · #2 05-04-2008, 12:51 PM

I got a VM P as a bday present and it was pretty beat up.

Went up to GC and they ordered me a new one in the box, told me to keep the one I had til it arrived.

4 Days later got a brand new one

I was happy.

mike_v_s · #3 05-04-2008, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyp.spec

I got a VM P as a bday present and it was pretty beat up.

Went up to GC and they ordered me a new one in the box, told me to keep the one I had til it arrived.

4 Days later got a brand new one

I was happy.

I'm not trying to steer this one way or the other, but I don't believe the first instrument you got should have left the store. You shouldn't have to order a new bass to replace the "new" bass your parents were sold. At some point in this thread one of our resident GC reps will chime in about their chain and all the positives it offers and others will agree, but these kinds of threads don't pop up on this site with the frequency that they do without reason.

Mike

Visirale · #4 05-04-2008, 02:02 PM

This is so true. I had played musicman basses a lot before I got mine... I always used to screw around on them in GC and never thought they were that special. Then I went to bass central and tried a stingray and fell in love. I went into GC the other day to try some new basses and they all blew. I tried top of the line Fenders and Warwicks... the only decent bass in there was a parker fly that had just been traded in and was set up nicely.

GC was good if you knew what you liked already and wanted to try and get it for cheaper.... but now they're not haggling. I still shop there occasionall because I had an employee discount and I have friends now who do... but I definitely will go to BC to try basses out and will probably end up buying from them.

bassist 4 life · #5 05-04-2008, 02:29 PM

on a side note, any idea how much GC pays its like normal salespeople?

Joe Nerve · #6 05-04-2008, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassist 4 life

on a side note, any idea how much GC pays its like normal salespeople?

No, but whatever it is perhaps they should start paying them a little more and have them actually look after the instruments. I also don't think it would be all that difficult to hire less but more competent people and have them watch after the people checking stuff out and change a battery, adjust a neck, or just give a little TLC to the instruments hanging there. I KNOW there's plenty of downtime in those stores during the week during the early hours. Time when sales people aren't doing crap.

Munjibunga · #7 05-04-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

If you buy a bass off of a rack in GC, you're buying a used instrument. I'll go further and say you're buying an abused instrument. They don't take care of them at all, and every bumpy faced kid within 100 miles is having his way with that piece of gear on a daily basis.

I mean this in a loving way, but I thought that was a common understanding. I've been lucky enough to show up at times when certain desireable basses had been on the wall only a couple days, so they weren't too messed up (I call them "rescue basses"). If it's been around a while, there's going to be something wrong with it.

I bought my American Jazz Deluxe FMT off the wall at GC after it had been there 4 days, and it's been a great bass all the way. When I bought my sunburst RBV there used, it was a mess. But I could tell that it wouldn't take more than a new set of strings, a minor setup and some cleaning to make it right. I used its apparently crappy condition to get it out the door for $700.

jmcgliss · #8 05-04-2008, 06:35 PM

Does GC move aging stock from store to store, especially in metro areas where they have multiple locations, to make the store look "fresh"? Last time I went in to satisfy my curiosity about Fenders they had some tangerine and butterscotch jobs on stands by the front door, with new hang tags. But they all had problems like pickups pushed crookedly into the body, bent pot shafts, gouged pickguards. Huh?

dee rob · #9 05-04-2008, 07:18 PM

OK, as a former GC Asst Mgr, I tend to let most of the GC posts pass without commenting, but every now and then I'll chime in with my thoughts and past experiences. First and foremost, each GC is different, some are obviously much better than others. That being said, while I worked there I and each one of the folks that worked for me in the guitar department made sure the instruments that we had were well set up and ready to be played. We also tried to make sure that the instruments weren't beat up by customers....we would politely ask people to remove belt buckles, chains, etc. Please keep in mind that customers need to share some of the blame when we're discussing the condition of some of the instruments in the stores. When trying a bass, I'll put it through it's paces, but I certainly respect the fact that even though it's on display, someone other than me could possibly take that bass home. If you see a bass that appears to need a set up, bring it to someones attention...if they are unwilling, or unable to assist you, then I think you have a legitimate complaint. The thing that I've never been able to understand is that people seem to bash GC ad nauseum, but they have no problem going there to try gear, and then end up buying elsewhere. Again, there are good GC's and bad GC's, good employees, and bad employees, but I think it's wrong to make assumptions about the entire chain based on a bad deal, a bad bass or whatever. I am no GC apologist, but I know some of the folks that work there do care about what they do and approach their jobs with professionalism. Treat them with respect, and you'll likely get respect in return. Just my opinion folks.

dee

Joe Nerve · #10 05-04-2008, 08:29 PM

Yeah, I hate these threads too... surprised at myself for starting one, but I felt for some reason I had to put it out there.

No doubt some employees are better than others, I would imagine it's more in the managment of each particular store though. I've informed sales people of dead batteries, bowed necks, and gotten shrugs - I think I can honestly say 100% of the time. Unless they were confident I was buying.

Anyhow, all that used to work to our advantage, as we'd get great deals there. Now that that's no longer the case a lot of people are taking their business elsewhere - and for good reason.

Hey, I picked up a Streamer Pro M about 8 years ago for $499 because it had a dead battery, needed strings, and the screws in the knobs had to be tightened. The bass was mint otherwise and I almost felt as though I was robbing the thing. Sold it a week or 2 later for $1000 to a very happy buyer.