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Good Guitar Center Experiences

#21
my friend dropped his guitar with the cable plugged in and bent up the end real bad. since it's a Monster cable with lifetime warranty, I took it in to the Tempe, AZ GC. they swapped it out for a brand new one, no questions asked.

I've gone in there a few times for strings and other misc. stuff. they have always been polite and helpful. those who hate should keep in mind that they are a national retail chain and can't necessarily operate like a small neighborhood boutique shop. my parents usually get me GC gift cards for christmas and I am totally fine with that.
 
#22
Jeff K said:
Well, I've gotten some killer deals on some great basses (and guitars) over the years.

If you do your homework (know what you want and how much they're worth; have patience; and be courteous), you can score some great deals. Just understand that for every great deal you're able to snag, there are at least 10 poor shmoes paying more than they should for what they walk out with.
Click to expand...

This. If you take care of your end (have a knowledge of the bass market and what you want) you can find great deals. If you don't you can be one of those folks who constantly whines because they wouldn't know a great deal if it stared them in the face.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. If more people actual did gather knowledge there'd be less cool stuff to go around.-
:D
 
#23
Jeff K said:
Well, I've gotten some killer deals on some great basses (and guitars) over the years.

If you do your homework (know what you want and how much they're worth; have patience; and be courteous), you can score some great deals. Just understand that for every great deal you're able to snag, there are at least 10 poor shmoes paying more than they should for what they walk out with.
Click to expand...

This. If you take care of your end (have a knowledge of the bass market and what you want) you can find great deals. If you don't you can be one of those folks who constantly whines because they wouldn't know a great deal if it stared them in the face.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. If more people actual did gather knowledge there'd be less cool stuff to go around.
:D
 
#24
My experiences are always ok at GC because I go into them with tempered expectations. I expect them to not know what they are talking about and look like they are touring with Fallout Boy.
 
#25
Most of my good GC stories don't come from the store itself but by people shopping in the store. A lot of times I'll get guys coming up and complimenting me on my playing or talking about how good the bass I'm playing or the amp I'm playing through sounds. One story, however, is one that I'll always remember. There was this Hispanic couple trying out an MTD Z6 and comparing it to an Ibanez SR506 and a Bongo 6. I remember that MTD being there for quite some time. It was a great bass and sounded really nice. The guy was set on leaving there with a 6 string and his wife/girlfriend (she was hot) was telling him that she preferred the sound of the SR506. This guy was kind of a beginner but he knew enough to get a church gig at his Spanish-speaking service in his church. We talked while I was trying out a MarkBass Jeff Berlin combo. Him and his wife were going on in Spanish about how he loved the feel of the MTD but she loved the sound of the Ibanez. Finally, they ask me to play it and give them my opinion. I already told them that I really liked that MTD and how I've played it several times but they wanted to hear me on it. Well, I plugged in, did some scales and slapped a little bit. The girlfriend/wife immediately changed her tune and agreed wholeheartedly that he needed that MTD. He was very happy and I was glad someone FINALLY took that MTD home so I would quit lusting after it every time I went in there. Yeah, GC owes me some commission on that sale.
 
#28
I have had really good experiences with two different Guitar Centers and a really bad experience with a mom and pop shop and I have heard a lot of good things about. When I went to buy my first bass I went to this local place I have heard a lot about and they really looked down on me because I was just starting out and didn't really know what I was talking about and I was the first to tell them I didn't. I then went to the local guitar center and was looking around and they really helped me out and didn't really try to push anything on me. I ended up walking out with an Ibanez SR300 and I love the the thing.
 
#29
I try to shop my local independent music stores first but I do enjoy shopping the sales and special events at GC. The only bad experiences I hear of are people who trade gear with GC - not GC's fault - they're in it as a business - just not a good idea to trade with them.
 
#30
I bought a used GK 410 from my local GC. It was one of the top end models but was labeled as a backline. I have always had pretty good dealings with this store, so I informed the bass guy about the miss-labeling and went home. When I came back a few days later it was still labeled the same way. I went to the bass salesman and asked him about it. He said that one of the salesman took it in on trade and listed it as a Backline. He couldn't raise the price to where it really should be because then he would have to justify to corporate why he was selling a used Backline for more than a new one. I tried it out and took it home. He also threw in a set of casters since I had been honest(Apparently some of the sales staff didn't realize all GKs come with pop-outs so he had a drawer full of them that had no matching cabinets)
 
#31
I've had very good experiences with the GC in East Brunswick NJ, in fact, I've never had a bad situation there. Just as an example:

GC loaned me a MB Traveler 151P cab when my unit blew a crossover. And I had purchased the cab on line, not at a store, so they had no reason to act on my behalf. They packed the cab, shipped it off, received a replacement unit for me, called immediately when the replacement arrived, never charged me for the loaner.

Always polite, always considerate, I've never had any problems with the employees. Of course, I usually go there mid-day during the week to avoid the weekend wank-fest .... :cool:
 
#32
If you want great service and the fact that they actually remember your name when you go in every time, then the GC-Murrietta, CA store is the one to go to.

I went in after about 45+ year of NOT playing anything bass. Years before I had bought a Crate GFX1200H and Short/Straight Crate 4-12 with two Kaman/GTX23 6-stringers, a Gibson, and then a MIC Fender Squire P-bass with a small Fender 50W amp at the GC in Ontario/Pomona - but that was not in this Murrietta GC store at all and not even this decade.

My six-string leader and gig-buddy is really a super pro, retired somewhat and has great licks and opened for many acts in Las Vegas and big venues in Orange and LA Counties - he's GOOD and he was with me to lend support and we were gonna practice right there in the store to see what did or didn't work.

Anyway, we had arrived to buy me a bass and since I already had a low-to-lower-level Fender P, I was kinda lost with all the new stuff there.

I grabbed a salesman who looked like he could spell words with consonants AND vowels - and told him I was BUYING today - (and I just know he hears that all the time) - but he stuck with me through the whole 4-hour ordeal.

He showed me a few great basses and as I was not even interested in the $$$$ Ibanez line at all he let me stew a while and then finally took a SR500 off the top row and just gave it to me after he cut the price tag off. HUH!?!

Where the Hofners had just made "thumpk" as their best sound and the Fenders were all finger eaters and the Rickenbackers were too steel-y and high, and the Yamahas didn't do anything right - this IBANEZ was magic like my MADE-IN-USA Venture's Mosrite 6-ers of many yarns ago.

It was pure sheet-ripping, fully multi-orgasmic sex when I got it all strapped on and I never let go of it the rest of the time I was there. He just smiled. I was like a kid who wanted to wear his new sneakers out the door of the shoe store.

To reward him (I keep telling myself that I was rewarding HIM for being so nice) I also bought an Acoustic B450, an Acoustic B410 and an Acoustic B115. Then I added a BOSS LMB-3, a Markley PT-13 Chromatic Tuner, a few 20' cables, a pair of Road Runner hard case and a pair of GS-1000 guitar stands.

Buy - I sure rewarded HIM! He was so appreciative that he gave me some free guitar picks!

The next 5 or 6 times I've gone into that store, they all call me by my first name and even when I only bought a Hohner Blues harmonica, they still smile at me.

I've got to get back there and reward them some more. Did I mention the free picks I get?

My wife has other ideas like Super Gluing my volume knobs at 2 and NEVER rewarding them again! Gonna miss her.
 
#33
Had one just the other day...it was on a Monday and close to 11am -- no teeny-hoppers in there trying to out do each other (assuming they were in school). I have to say, it was quite plesant and quiet - not only that, but the sales associates were actually friendly (for once). I tryto avoid GC like the plague.
 
#34
I've never bought an instrument from GC, but I have had really good experiences there buying recording equipment and effects. In fact I ended up hiring the employee there who sold me my first recording gear to teach me how to use it and run sound at some of my gigs, and later bought a very good recording computer loaded with software for a great deal from him.
 
#35
At my GC I usual get some great service, but one experience stood out to me.

I asked if I could try a Fender P. There were 3 in the store, same bass, different color, so I said I didn't really care which one. The salesman hands me a sunburst, but takes it back saying, "the actions a little high on this one. Let me go set it up. This one looks better." And he gives me a different bass. A few minutes later he comes back with the sunburst, has me play it and he asks me how it feels.

Damn. I was impressed with that service.
 
#36
I almost always get just the right level of service, which for me is just knowing there's a guy around if I have any questions. The only negative in GC usually has more to do with the flurry of randomly timed clicks, thwacks, booms, and the lovely sound of Markbass combo speakers blowing. They really should soundproof the bass room. It's worse than the 12 year olds trying to shred on the cheap Ibanez guitars through the cranked Line 6 combos. Lately I walk in the store with a set of rifle hearing protectors around my neck, which I put on before I get close to the bass room. That usually gets a chuckle or a thumbs-up from the staff.
 
#37
A new GC opened up in my neighborhood. I took my son in there when he was around 3 or 4, just to look around. As a salesman approached, my son pointed to the electric guitars, and asked in his loudest voice: "Daddy, what are those little basses?"

:D
 
#38
My best experience at GC was when a salesman came up and sneezed, he not only took out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, he then said "excuse me, I just need to go and wash my hands." First time I've ever observed social graces there...

:D
 
#39
I have good experiences virtually every time I go to a GC. I'm sure they have the occasional bad service (like any business), but I personally think most of the people with negative stories have unreasonably high expectations. It is what it is. Do a little research, go in with more than a clue, and you won't get hosed by an opportunistic sales staff. Again, it sounds like any other consumer/business relationship to me.

Yes, they can be noisy places. Um, hello, it's a MUSIC STORE. I'm sure it's a tough choice for a large music store to either be anal-retentive and alienate people or to relax and let people make noise. I tend to think the latter moves more merchandise.

In addition, I rarely have a sales person shadow me to the point of being uncomfortable. Most of the time, the sales staff is huddled in little groups of two or three sharing their tales of glory. And that suits me just fine.
 

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