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GC Bass tryout trip today

Darknut

Darknut

Apr 4, 2009
1,101
209
www.mikeniccum.com
#1
Today on lunch I went by Guitar Center to try out a few basses just for the fun of it.

First I picked up a sweet all black MM Stingray 4 string ... it was really sweet, so sweet in fact I may end up buying it!

Then I wanted to try a Deluxe Active P Bass® Special that was hanging there .. I reached for it & actually cut my finger on the crappiest fret dressing possible! ... I find this unbelievable that a $900.00 bass could be that crappy!

I've been a Fender guy forever but I swear the Squiers are better than the mid range Fender these days!

unbelievable!
 
#2
Part of the problem is that it's Guitar Center. Generally they have the worst setups imaginable on their basses. Between the teeny-wankers slapping the living crap out of the basses and the employees banging them around, it's a wonder most of them play at all. So I wouldn't base your impressions of a bass on anything GC has to offer.
 
#7
BassScum said:
Great another Fender and GC sucks post. This has been covered a gazillion times before.
Click to expand...

GC rules!!!!

Where else can you go and take a $1000+ bass off the wall and just try it out? Or blast a full Ampeg stack without any worries or just play around with the other cool stuff you can't afford to buy?

Sure the basses may not be perfect or sometimes not even playable... you still can get an idea of what is out there.

Free entertainment!
 
#9
rhopper said:
GC rules!!!!

Where else can you go and take a $1000+ bass off the wall and just try it out? Or blast a full Ampeg stack without any worries or just play around with the other cool stuff you can't afford to buy?

Sure the basses may not be perfect or sometimes not even playable... you still can get an idea of what is out there.

Free entertainment!
Click to expand...

p much this
 
#12
Darknut said:
Today on lunch I went by Guitar Center to try out a few basses just for the fun of it.

First I picked up a sweet all black MM Stingray 4 string ... it was really sweet, so sweet in fact I may end up buying it!

Then I wanted to try a Deluxe Active P Bass® Special that was hanging there .. I reached for it & actually cut my finger on the crappiest fret dressing possible! ... I find this unbelievable that a $900.00 bass could be that crappy!

I've been a Fender guy forever but I swear the Squiers are better than the mid range Fender these days!

unbelievable!
Click to expand...

I swear I saw those same exact basses in the GC on the lower east side... what a great store, they had the greatest music man collection on earth.
 
#13
Darknut said:
Today on lunch I went by Guitar Center to try out a few basses just for the fun of it.

First I picked up a sweet all black MM Stingray 4 string ... it was really sweet, so sweet in fact I may end up buying it!
Click to expand...

I don't know where you're located, but I was in my local G.C. today and was checking out an all black Stingray 4 also. This one was particularly sweet. I think the fingerboard was ebony. MUCH darker than the rosewoods on the other 'Rays they had.

Anyway, this one was a 2-band EQ rather than the normal 3-band, and boy did it sound awesome! I played another 'Ray after this one (3-band) and it didn't sound nearly as great as that first one. I did notice however, that the farther up the neck I went, the frets were not dressed well. Irritatingly sharp. Wouldn't have stopped me from buying it though had I been in the market for one. That would have been a fairly easy fix, and it really sounded impressive. And here I thought I was GAS free. I guess that freedom really IS only temporary... ;)
 
#14
Fret sprout, the term used for frets that extend beyond the sides of the fingerboard causing sharp ends, can and does occur on many instruments, including expensive and boutique instruments. It is usually a result of low humidity and how the wood and metal of the frets react to that (the wood contracts/shrinks, whereas the metal does not). It is not a manufacturing or quality defect. Most dealers do not control the humidity in their stores, so it is quite a common thing to see. The good thing is that it can easily be fixed. In fact, I think if you were interested in an instrument that had this problem in a store, I'm sure they'd probably have it fixed for you right there if you asked them to.

It's unfortunate that a lot of people attribute the problem to the manufacturer, when it is really beyond their control.
 
#16
EagleMoon said:
Part of the problem is that it's Guitar Center. Generally they have the worst setups imaginable on their basses. Between the teeny-wankers slapping the living crap out of the basses and the employees banging them around, it's a wonder most of them play at all. So I wouldn't base your impressions of a bass on anything GC has to offer.
Click to expand...

This is what always amazes me. What happens to the basses and their setups between the factory and the wall at GC?? If you order a bass online, it usually arrives with a descent factory setup. If you go to GC, the setup is often horrible and the strings feel like they're 20 years old. I know that at my local GC, the guitar tech doesn't TOUCH the basses unless you specifically ask him for a trussrod adjustment or something.
 
#18
I would think so. I don't like it there... the bass guy always gives people the "look" that says: Buy something or get the hell out. I understand they work on commission, but they would be very well served to treat people with some respect to make more sales. Instead, they hound you to find out if you want to buy something or are just browsing...and honestly 80-90% of people ARE there to browse. Don't tell me that life is so hard working at GC that employees become jaded...that's crap. Respect and a smile go a lot further than disdain and a scowl.
 
#19
BassScum said:
Great another Fender and GC sucks post. This has been covered a gazillion times before.
Click to expand...

Everything has been covered a gazillion times before. Who's the best bassist? Who's your favorite band (subsequent replies 'my favorite band is better than your favorite band)? What bass should I buy? What amp should I buy? What X should I buy? What strings do you use? Look at my bass, isn't it the best? Which bass is better? What pickups are the best? Why does Fender suck? Why does GC suck?

On and on it goes, best ignore these posts if it annoys you.
 
#20
CFclef said:
I would think so. I don't like it there... the bass guy always gives people the "look" that says: Buy something or get the hell out. I understand they work on commission, but they would be very well served to treat people with some respect to make more sales. Instead, they hound you to find out if you want to buy something or are just browsing...and honestly 80-90% of people ARE there to browse. Don't tell me that life is so hard working at GC that employees become jaded...that's crap. Respect and a smile go a lot further than disdain and a scowl.
Click to expand...

I remember NYC and I think you've got some of that 'tude in your GC.

Here in sunny and warm SoCal the GC stores are all friendly ("Would you like a 1787 Chateau d'Yquem with your free Gruyere cheese and crackers?") and I've never had a bad salesperson in one.

In fact when I go back and want to get - say, some microphones and have the guy who sold me my SR500 and Acoustic stuff, he says he will get someone else who really knows mics and he's not at all interested in the fact that a different salesman might grab his commission.

We all sit in a circle later on, link arms and sing Kumbaya.


Your results may vary. But in NYC: "Ya wanna make sumpthin' about it? Huh?"
 

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