Guitar Store Wankers

[fjadams]

Stopped by a Music Go Round after work, they're supposed to have Traynors, (don't carry them, but get some in occasionally), damn.

Some High school kids were in there and one was looking to buy a bass. Had less than $150 to spend. His friend was showing him basses in the price range. Told him that Ibanez were the best things in his price range. Friend picked up one and started slapping and popping. No bass lines, no runs, no sense of timing, just another flea wannabe. Then told his looking to buy buddy, who didn't even touch the bass, that it wasn't very good because the body was made of "Poplar or some other such s$#t wood", and only basses made of walnut or other good hard woods get good tone. Then put it back on the wall. Kid looking to buy still hadn't touched any bass. Then his buddy told him, "If you decide to get one, I'll teach you to slap, because that's all you need to know."

The clerk and I just looked at each other and started laughing, how could you not? Sad thing is if this kid actually buys something, he probably won't stay with it long, as it seems his friends aren't musicians, just guitar store wankers playing guitar wars.

Did want to look at a Traynor though. So that sucked.

[Papa Dangerous]

Sadly... this is not the only terror of music stores. I am in a store 5 days a week (job) and I would guess most of the guitar people (in the general guitar area) that come in shred metal riffs for hours. Always looking for the 7 string guitars. The volume has to be loud for some reason... I get the occasional slap wanker, but not as much as the guitarists that think metal is the only way to go.

Other observations: The general guitar section and high end guitar section draw different crowds. Obviously for money reasons, but most people in the high end guitar section tend to more bluesy in musical tastes.

In the keyboard section, many times I give out headphones to the people trying out the gear. Some of these things cost between $2-4 grand and they really want to hear it properly from the keyboard not the amp. Even with the lower $500 models people request head phones instead of the Roland KC 350 amp it is hooked up too. In the guitar/bass section... people never seem to ask for head phones. Granted, you cannot plug headphones directly into a bass/guitar like you can with a board, but I think using headphones on the amps could potentially be a good thing to really hear tone.

Parents let their children run around here as if this is a play ground. Granted, music stores are typically relaxed settings, they are full of very fun, and very expensive toys. Hell, what child does not love to make noise? But there are days where I have to play parent and walk around the keyboard section making sure the kids are not blarring volumes, pounding on the keys and the whole nine. Then, when the parents see you say something they get angry
Excuse me... there are over 70 boards on display with their price range over 113,000 dollars and your 3 children and the neighbor boy seem to find it necessary to play every single one of them in 5 minutes while multi tasking in a game of tag.

This one keyboard says to not play it unless you have assistance of a sales rep. I do not know how many times it gets ignored.

Sorry... your rant made me want to rant too! xD

[puddin tame]

i don't even try and compete if i'm trying a bass, as soon as I hear the slap storm stirring I play the slowest stuff possible

[fjadams]

I haven't been to one of the stores that allows this stuff for a while so it kind of took me. But it's been like this for as long as I can remember. In the late 60s when I worked in a music store it was the same, everybody thought they were Clapton or Hendrix, especially Hendrix!

My boy is a good guitar player, better than good actually, and if there is somebody else playing he won't even touch a guitar. He always says "I don't play guitar wars".

[bassguitarthund]

Originally Posted by Papa Dangerous

Parents let their children run around here as if this is a play ground. Granted, music stores are typically relaxed settings, they are full of very fun, and very expensive toys. Hell, what child does not love to make noise? But there are days where I have to play parent and walk around the keyboard section making sure the kids are not blarring volumes, pounding on the keys and the whole nine. Then, when the parents see you say something they get angry
Excuse me... there are over 70 boards on display with their price range over 113,000 dollars and your 3 children and the neighbor boy seem to find it necessary to play every single one of them in 5 minutes while multi tasking in a game of tag.

This one keyboard says to not play it unless you have assistance of a sales rep. I do not know how many times it gets ignored.

Sorry... your rant made me want to rant too! xD

Sorry don't mean to hijack if that is what I am doing but..

I can see how that would happen kids that don't care and parents that don't pay attention!! I work at a dealership. We have some Shelby GT500's and Roush Mustangs that are roped off and about 4 to 5yrs ago we had a GT super car roped off. You would see kids walk under the ropes and start touching the cars, get in them, lean on them or what ever. I would have to let a salesperson or the sales manager know so they could put a stop to it. People who buy cars like that don't want scratches and stuff in them. Most of them (sadly) end up setting in a garage some where and never or hardly driven. I work in the back so would not always see this but at times would have to come up front.

[Nev375]

How dare those kids not act the way you do and know what you know??

[Hopkins]

Originally Posted by Nev375

How dare those kids not act the way you do and know what you know??

This. Give people a break, it takes all kinds.

[LilloEsquilo]

Originally Posted by Nev375

How dare those kids not act the way you do and know what you know??

I don't think that's the point. Maybe the point should be why don't the parents, actually parent their children instead of letting them run loose around all that expensive equipment? If they spent a little less time thinking about what they want for themselves and a little more time with parenting their children, it wouldn't be a problem. But so many people these days are totally into themselves and common sense and manners have gone the way of the dinosaur.

[LilloEsquilo]

On this subject how many of you have gone into a store to seriously try out an instrument, and some wanker is there playing so loud you can't even play let alone hope to hear anything? I mean fine if someone wants to play great, but seriously why in hell does it have to be so loud that plaster is falling off the walls? I've actually given up and just left due to that kind of thing. I mean I got hooked up to a kick butt Mesa Boogie amp that was plenty loud but there is no way I could hear what I really wanted to hear with the next incarnation of Eddie Van Halen trying to break the sound barrier. And they are just oblivious to anyone around them who might also want to be able to hear what they are doing. I mean hell who wouldn't want to listen to their great playing, I mean that's why we all came into the store, right?

Like I said in the previous post there is no such thing as common courtesy anymore, it's all about ME MINE I MY MY MY GIMME GIMME. Then we wonder why things are so screwed up.

And for the record I don't do that, when I'm playing on bass, I keep it a very reasonable volume just so that others can do their thing as well. Too bad you see so many who just think it's all about them.

[4001]

I was in a GC once and I was trying to compare amps. I wasn't trying to show off my bad ass riffs or anything. Some kid starts shredding nice and loud and everone around was like..Wha ta phuk??

Well, I was checking out an SVT with an 8X10 fridge cab at the time and decided to see how it sounded when I just played the E-string at about 1/3 up.
The entire store was shaking and I only did it when he started playing his really cool riffs.

That was fun.
Lost his train of thought.
When he was done I turned off the amp, hung the bass back up and left the store.
Laughing.

Oh, and he sucked.

Like 95% of the people I hear shredding away in guitar stores.

[Hopkins]

Originally Posted by LilloEsquilo

On this subject how many of you have gone into a store to seriously try out an instrument, and some wanker is there playing so loud you can't even play let alone hope to hear anything? I mean fine if someone wants to play great, but seriously why in hell does it have to be so loud that plaster is falling off the walls? I've actually given up and just left due to that kind of thing. I mean I got hooked up to a kick butt Mesa Boogie amp that was plenty loud but there is no way I could hear what I really wanted to hear with the next incarnation of Eddie Van Halen trying to break the sound barrier. And they are just oblivious to anyone around them who might also want to be able to hear what they are doing. I mean hell who wouldn't want to listen to their great playing, I mean that's why we all came into the store, right?

Like I said in the previous post there is no such thing as common courtesy anymore, it's all about ME MINE I MY MY MY GIMME GIMME. Then we wonder why things are so screwed up.

And for the record I don't do that, when I'm playing on bass, I keep it a very reasonable volume just so that others can do their thing as well. Too bad you see so many who just think it's all about them.

The OP never mentioned anything at all about the kids playing loud.

[Nev375]

Originally Posted by LilloEsquilo

I don't think that's the point. Maybe the point should be why don't the parents, actually parent their children instead of letting them run loose around all that expensive equipment? If they spent a little less time thinking about what they want for themselves and a little more time with parenting their children, it wouldn't be a problem. But so many people these days are totally into themselves and common sense and manners have gone the way of the dinosaur.

I don't think that's the point either. The OP's complaint was regarding so called "wankers" not parenting or kids running amok endangering valuable merchandise. But to respond to these side issues:

How dare those parents not raise kids the way you would?

[Hopkins]

I agree with the out of control kids running around. When I was a kid I would have gotten my butt blistered pretty good if I was to act like that.

[runmikeyrun]

Originally Posted by LilloEsquilo

I don't think that's the point. Maybe the point should be why don't the parents, actually parent their children instead of letting them run loose around all that expensive equipment? If they spent a little less time thinking about what they want for themselves and a little more time with parenting their children, it wouldn't be a problem. But so many people these days are totally into themselves and common sense and manners have gone the way of the dinosaur.

This is what people who don't have kids always say. There's a certain amount of kid behavior you can control with parenting. Then there's the kid that just comes out. You can't possibly expect kids to act like adults every place you take them all the time. They're kids! You can't make them sit in a chair for an hour while you're trying to negotiate a car deal. You also can't always find a babysitter when you have to do things like that. My daughter is 5 and very well behaved, and people have still complained about her.

People really need to get some tolerance and get a life.

[Nev375]

Originally Posted by Hopkins

I agree with the out of control kids running around. When I was a kid I would have gotten my butt blistered pretty good if I was to act like that.

I would have gotten beaten pretty harshly myself..

For the record, my comments do not defend bad parenting or wanking.

I am merely pointing out the folly of bitching about it.

[klaus486]

Kids........? Yeah keep control of your kids.
Guitar/bass wankers? It's a guitar store! This is what happens there!

[Stick_Player]

For MOST of these "wankers", this is their ONLY performance opportunity.

[oldcatfish]

Quote: Maybe the point should be why don't the parents, actually parent their children instead of letting them run loose around all that expensive equipment?"

As a father of 4 young children, there is no way that I'd let them run loose....actually in any store. Yes it's true that kids can be a little noisy/distracting, but they shouldn't be out of control. The lack of actual parenting is exactly the reason that some stores are banning young children.

[colcifer]

Originally Posted by Hopkins

This. Give people a break, it takes all kinds.

No, we just have all kinds.

[Nev375]

Originally Posted by colcifer

No, we just have all kinds.

Just because you don't see the usefulness in a person does not make them useless.