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Guitar Center amp rant

Lowner

Lowner

May 14, 2005
430
4
Over Here
#1
I hate it when I walk into guitar center and want to try a bass out. The amps are always set to scoop the mids out of the sound. I hate having the mids scooped and if the mids are not scooped the salesguy will go over to amp and scoop the mids. And I have had this happen more than once. When he says he is going to leave I put the mids back in as sson as he leaves. Within a few minutes the salesguy comes back and scoops the mids again. I told this guy dont touch the settings I have it the way I like it. The guy says but without the scoop on the mids basses sound like crap and dont cut through the mix in a band. Don't you know that?
I said so what. It sounds good to my ears.

Why do you have to scoop your mids anyways? Is that how you are supposed to play in a live setting? I always though you went with what sounded good through the amp.
 
#3
Cutting mids actually leaves only biting high frequencies to cut through a mix. That sales guy is a clown . . . and won't make many sales eq'ing amps to sound like crap in the ears of a potential buyer.

PS-When playing live or via Memorex, if you don't like the scooped tone, don't scoop it.
 
#8
I dunno - I think scooping the mids makes the amp sound great - by itself, which is the context in which you are trying out the amp. Most GC sales people (and lots of bass players sadly enough) don't have the experience to realize that what sounds good there won't likely cut it with a band, thinking that the scooped mids will always sound great. Can't tell you the number of backline rigs I've walked up to with the mids completely scooped...
 
#11
Listen to this...

I was in GC yesterday and the idiot behind the accessories counter was giving a guy that was returning a defective vacuum tube a hard time - he said, "We don't normally let people return them because once you take them out of the box, even holding them in your hand starts to suck enegry out of them."

I asked the other idiot behind the counter for a 250K volume pot and he said he was not familiar with that part. I had to point him to it on the wall.

I hate that place, but it was the only store open on Sunday.

JR
 
#13
I've been in GC's that are subject to the same lunacy.
otoh, I have to say that they'd never get away with that in this town, YMMV. The GC here has good guys working the floor.
That doesn't keep the overall room volume down unfortunately.
 
#16
This is like all of us expecting actual carpenters and plumbers to give us service at HomeDepot. They only know where the product is stocked. I like when you ask about a product at GC/Best Buy/ Loews/Circuit City, they say, " well it's done really well for us". Telling huh? It doesn't mean that this compressor is right for your needs it just means that they sell a lot of them. It may mean that they have a bigger profit margin on said item when the more expensive one is better for your actual use. Caveat Emptor!
 

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