Does guitar center just not care?

[glocke1]

This is going back almost 20 years or so but I remember walking into GC and seeing nice amps (Mesa and others), nice, upper end basses, and even some nice used basses that hadn't been picked over by the GC staff before hitting the floor.

Back than the guitars in the acoustic guitar room were in good condition as well.

Over the years there really has been a steady decline in things. They stopped carrying Mesa boogie, the walls (at least for basses) were dominated by cheaper/less expensive instruments, same deal with the amps. Saddest of all was going into the acoustic guitar room and seeing guitar after guitar with cracked tops due to low humidity.

 

[baileyboy]

I'd have to see some measurements, but you guys would pass out if you saw my action. Its...high. On purpose.

Some people like high action to reduce buzzing. I think I read somewhere that McCartney likes the action very high on his basses.

 

[Lagado]

One of the first things I look at when checking out a bass, is how much adjustment is left in the bridge and can it accommodate the action I want. If it had an action that high and the bridge is almost bottomed out, I'd leave it.

It takes about 15 minutes to tweak the truss and set the action across the radius, it is lazy not to make the instrument more appealing and playable. Especially if you are in the business of selling them.

 

[Claymore]

I notice that there's usually one instrument where the setup is so bad, all the other basses play well by comparison.

 

[lfmn16]

Guitar Center not caring once got me a brand new German Warwick Streamer Pro M for $499. It needed a battery, a set up, and the knob screws needed to be tightened.

I'm happy they don't care .

The battery - that's being cheap and careless; loose knob - that just careless; set up - unless it's an egregiously poor set up, many basses need to be set up when you get them. I bought a used bass on TB and the guy told me I'd need a setup because he kept the strings really low - it showed up and they were practically touching the fingerboard. I've got a pretty light touch, but I couldn't play it at all without setting it up.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

And here, I thought the Chapter 11 news might stop the weekly threads. Silly me.

I'm in the "OP, your expectations are way too high" camp. I've always been pretty happy with GC, largely because I expect them to suck.

Once you learn to do all your own setups, the way the store has the instrument stops mattering very much.

Truth here. I've had far more positive experiences at Guitar Center than poor ones. Gotten great deals and excellent service. A couple times they had bass strings half off (or BOGO). Bought my Lakland 494 there, bought my US Svt there. No complaints from me.

 

[Lagado]

I haven't bought a new bass in a few years, not with the used market being what it is. The level of consumption provides quite a bit of choice. Easy come, easy go.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

 

[Doublesixes]

I love Guitar Center and every time I go there it sure is a pleasant time. I don't understand the pundits' complaints about some of its instruments not being in their best performing setup. That's up to the individual player to do. It's definitely a bummer that they had to file for BK protection. I hope they can eventually resolve their financial crisis and reemerge as a viable business.

 

[nilorius]

I don't know - i don't have any "guitar center" shop here in my country, but it looks like they don't care. On the other hand, they seems to be the most popular music instrument shop in USA.

 

[Lagado]

It depends on who's working the store IME. Difficult to tar them all with the same brush.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Chapter 11 = Don't have to care

Dirk

 

[Splash7]

I am very thankful for my local guitar center. Even though there never is anyone available to help with the beat to hell instruments hanging on the wall, it allows me to handle the instrument before I order it from Sweetwater.

Maybe that's why no one will bother to help you. They know you aren't going to buy anything.

 

[Splash7]

I'm not sure GC is a sentient entity.

If you're talking about the slave-wage sales associates in the individual stores/hellholes, no I doubt they give a sh**.

Slave wage?

 

[Savage_Dreams]

how are there threads about this daily? how can you guys not comprehend that guitar center is the walmart of instruments. dont expect more than that. period.

 

[pappabass]

That may not be true for all stores. I bought a Sterling stingray 4 (yeah, it is a cheapo) that was set up perfect

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

NOPE...... it's all about bottom line...... and the reason they filed Chapt.11.

 

[jdh3000]

All the instruments I've picked up and played have had a decent setup on them at our GC.
The only issue I ever ran into was I orded an instrument that wasn't in stock and of course it needed a set up when it arrived. The guy wanted to charge me extra to set it up, to which I replied that the reason I ordered it from them and not from some online store was to get a set up that they would've done on any other instrument.
I said I have 45 daya to return it and that could be today. He set it up at no charge.

This store has done pretty well for the most part or I would've quit going there.
It's like someone said, GC is the Walmart of music stores.

They probably hung up a bunch of instruments the day the OP saw this and hadn't had a chance to set them up.
I would probably point it out to someone.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I dunno, based on my experience and that of others in this thread, I think maybe the smart ones DO go to GC - at least to lurk for deals on used gear. I got a MM Caprice for $800 about a year and a half ago, and I've seen some real gems that just needed a little love - with the generous return policy it's almost a no-brainer to order in something that looks like a steal used, check it out in store and return it on the spot if there's something beyond need for a setup going on.

Their used gear deals are sometime incredible. My MIG Warwick Active Corvette 5 string for under $600, a hardly used Eden E320 320 watt 210 combo in almost new condition (slight depression in the grill) for $250 to name a couple. The key is to know what you are looking for, check in often, and be patient.

BTW, those two items I bought after store hours online. Keep in mind, a lot of GC employees are players looking for a deal on gear too. So, like they say about the early bird.

 

[Jackcrow]

My local (non-GC) music store has had a Fender Select Precision since they came out (2012 I think?). It had such a bad setup that I dont know why someone would want to pay so much for a bass that played so terrible, unless they were confident enough in their own setup ability to set it up properly. And this is a very small shop that normally carries a max of about 6-8 basses.

The kicker is I was looking at it earlier this year, they had it priced at $1599. I asked them if they were firm on their price since it’s been sitting there for 8 years. When I asked they said that the $1599 was a mistake and it should actually be $1999.