I love these guitar center threads. it warms my heart to hear people go off on them. the last time i was in there they had the nu rock station blasting so loud it was ridiculous and i was approached by a couple of salesmen with name tags that looked like stage passes askin' "you finding what you need, dude?" i love it
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Guitar Center amp rant
- Thread starter Lowner
- Start date
John123z said:
Wow...you should try a couple of our local music stores. They barely let you plug in and play a few notes as a salesman hovers over you. Then they tweak the amp for you and don't let you turn it up past a whisper.
My local GC is very cool. The guys leave you alone let you choose whatever you want to play and never touch your amp or settings...they check on you but never hang around but do offer new products or show me cool stuff that they just got in...no pressure at all. I couldnt decide if i wanted to by the used Nemesis combo a couple of weeks ago....i had the money but it was one of those should i or should i not deals...the salesman was real cool and never once pushed me he even said...hey its not going anywhere today i dont think why dont you think about it and come back. He then even got the mgr to hold it with no money down in the backroom since i have bought there before and it was a clearance item and it was cash and carry only no layaway.He gave me a week to come in with the cash in full. After i saw how he went out of his way to help i just bought it and im glad i did it was a great deal. I have a good GC in my area good guys and some damn good players.
GC and Musicians fiend are indeed teh same company. Though they started out seperate. MF used to offer payment splitting on big ticket gear. After the merger they only offer their credit card.
FWIW, I buy from American Muscial Supply for a lot of my stuff. But they dont carry any good basses (No musicman, Spector or even Lakland) and their amps and such are just okay. I mostly buy studio stuff like microphones and software from them.
FWIW, I buy from American Muscial Supply for a lot of my stuff. But they dont carry any good basses (No musicman, Spector or even Lakland) and their amps and such are just okay. I mostly buy studio stuff like microphones and software from them.
Calaverasgrande said:
Musician's Friend is still run by separate management. They do report up to the same senior management, but up until now, Guitar Center realized they were competing in two different market channels. Now that GC has an online presence, we'll see what happens.
Example, when Ric recently pulled their products from GC stores, they did not pull their products from Musician's Friend.
Calaverasgrande said:
AMS is the online presence of Victor's House of Music in Paramus, NJ. Nice shop with good people. Their online sales exploded in the past couple of years. The indeed do more pro-audio than guitar and bass.
My fave GC center guys are the ones who always "own" and
sold whatever gear you want to look at and then as they hand you a bass, they feel the need to "slap" the best they can and then say I'm really a drummer, guitarist, etc...EVERY GC has a couple of these guys lurking around.
sold whatever gear you want to look at and then as they hand you a bass, they feel the need to "slap" the best they can and then say I'm really a drummer, guitarist, etc...EVERY GC has a couple of these guys lurking around.
I was just at a new GC in Central Massachusetts and have to say that the guys there were awesome. I made a comment about the neck on the Les Paul I was playing needing an adjustment and the sales guy offered to set it up right there with a new set of strings and basic setup so that I could evaluate it properly. The store manager took the time to discuss Bass rigs and assist me with checking out damn near every good bass amp in the place. He set all the EQs flat and stayed by the amp to dial in whatever I wanted. He even pointed me to a 410 cab vs. an 810 due to it sounding better to him. He was right and it was less money. Both the sales guy and the Manager are players and showed that they actually knew what sounded good and what didn't. They were very professional and courteous. I didn't buy anything on this trip and they never once "reached for my wallet". I wish I could say the same about other GCs I've been to.
stump said:
You must be talking about the new Millbury store. They do have some very good management, but not all the employees are top notch. The store has only been open about a month and there has been some turnover of people who weren't able to do the job. The service is great, but they need to work on better knowledge on the more high-tech gear. Still, a much better experience than most GCs, especially because it tends to have low traffic (st least so far...).
Like any other chain, these places are hit or miss. Local management and the pool of workers make quite a difference store to store.
I took my Spector into our local GC to try out some heads and one of the guys says, "Wow man, that's an awesome Warwick!" even thought it says Spector on the truss rod cover and has the double S inlaid on the headstock. Then he goes on to say, "Did you buy that here?" I said, "You've only been open two days. I was here on opening night and I never saw a Spector on your wall. You tell me, did I buy it here?" Of course, this guy used to work at one of the other local stores and he wasn't too bright there either.
My local GC loaned me a bass for four months while my bass was being built by EBMM.
I doubt that a local music store run by the good guys can top that.
I love the petting zoo environment. Face it, haters go there to try gear because the cool stores do not allow their stuff to be handled much. Face it, haters also go there to buy gear to use for just one night and then return it the next day. What a bunch of hypocrites.
I doubt that a local music store run by the good guys can top that.
I love the petting zoo environment. Face it, haters go there to try gear because the cool stores do not allow their stuff to be handled much. Face it, haters also go there to buy gear to use for just one night and then return it the next day. What a bunch of hypocrites.
So many fun stories. I tried a used amp there once, but it had problems. I liked it enough to tell them that if they got it fixed, I would buy it. They said "Sure!" and took my info, they are going to call me when it is back from repair. I am waiting anxiously. So far, it's been a little over 4 years.
Other than the random used gear sold to them by idiots or thieves, there is nothing worth trying out.
I am not going to lie, I check out their catalogs every month. I try and make myslef go there to try out some of the new toys. Then I remember why I hate places like that. They basically profit from our dreams. They take young hip dudes that want to be in a rock band, put em to work withpromises of employee discounts, then proceed to rip off every un-informed musician that graces their doors. They are encouraged to talk out of their rear ends even if they have no idea of about the gear they are discussing. They thrive on people that dont have the time or gear-sluttiness to be informed about their purchases.
I used to have to chaperone my drummer in there, if the drum room guys got him alone they would leave him hurting!
Bitter? sure, but my bile is not just for them, its for all the managers, lawyers, venues, manufacturers, magazines and record labels that would prefer to suck away the dollars of some broke musician then to get a real job.
I used to have to chaperone my drummer in there, if the drum room guys got him alone they would leave him hurting!
Bitter? sure, but my bile is not just for them, its for all the managers, lawyers, venues, manufacturers, magazines and record labels that would prefer to suck away the dollars of some broke musician then to get a real job.
Calaverasgrande said:
What? the last time i was in GC or any music shop for that matter i walked in ...i wasnt pushed in or forced in by gun point and either were you or your drummer or some kid or anyone who works for them. You went in on your own free will and you then are open to choose to shop and buy or leave and not spend a dime...nobody brainwashed you and forced you to buy anything. If your drummer is this weak i feel sorry for him. I thought the days of the stupid pot wreaking musician was gone where they bounced around grubing for food refusing to work so they could do their art... man you know have time for their music...get real ...they were druged up hippies who took the easy life and wanted the free world and the world did take advantage of them if and when a few of them did make it as rock stars. There are many educated musicians out there who make good money and can go into stores and make their shopping experience comfortable without pressure and make wise buys without being takin advantage of. If you go in there uninformed or un educated on your instrment or equipment it is your fault not theirs...that is what Talkbass is for and we help each other here all the time....no excusses for not having info. In my GC i have never seen a kid who for the first time playing in with his Mom walk out with a American Fender and an Ampeg 8x10 stack..the saleman at my store stear them to good entry level gear...squier etc and let them decide...again i never seen a pack of wolves hover over a kid and his Mom over a kids new first bass. I dont know where you shop or where you go but i feel alot of your anger in your post is from other problems in the music biz from the past...thats to bad. No one is ever forced to purchase, work, or enter these stores it is up to you and there is good and bad but we have brains and education and its up to us all to use it.
Being an internet rep for GC here in Indy, I have to say that I'm very anxious to see what GuitarCenter.com will produce. I always listed my used gear items on Instrument Exchange and Ebay, but my bosses decided to get rid of Ebay. I personally don't think this is a great idea, but I respect the fact that we are trying something new. You guys should DEFINITELY check out the "used gear auction" tab on the GC website. I know myself and my fellow internet guys are getting as much as we can up there. And you will see a lot of basses from me, I PROMISE!
After reading all the comments here, and from personal experiences, Guitar Center stores are kind of like a Fender... They're hit or miss. If you have a store near you that you feel comfortable in, then those guys are doing their job well. And it's those kind of guys that actually enjoy working with customers.
So let's all keep our fingers crossed for GC.com because it makes finding used gear easy and safe. You know it's actually coming from a GC store, and we're ALWAYS willing to work with you... if you're nice
.
After reading all the comments here, and from personal experiences, Guitar Center stores are kind of like a Fender... They're hit or miss. If you have a store near you that you feel comfortable in, then those guys are doing their job well. And it's those kind of guys that actually enjoy working with customers.
So let's all keep our fingers crossed for GC.com because it makes finding used gear easy and safe. You know it's actually coming from a GC store, and we're ALWAYS willing to work with you... if you're nice
.bassbully43 said:
+1
Caveat emptor.
That was one of the weakest "I hate the man" rants I have heard in a while.
as far as being pushed in at gunpoint. GC uses their superior frie power to put littel mom and pops out of business. So in some areas they are the only game in town.bassbully43 said:
As far as pot head/hippie musicians, the guy I was refering to is actually a punk/metalhead, and he regularly works himself half to death at whatever employment he has. Usually ends up being the main guy, earning a lot of dough.
As far as GC or other music stores taking advantage. Why do my people always get hoodwinked into buying those awful elixir strings as gifts for their musician friends? Whe I want honest advise I go to a mom and pop store. The big box stores like GC are full of clothes horses and one or two veterans.
As far as my anger, yes I have worked in many aspects of the music biz. I am disapointed in the venal behavior. I am disgusted by the predatory practices. Music stores are small change compared to what A&R does to bands. And venue and talent managers have to be the lowest, syphilitic, drug addicted, scum to crawl out from under a rock.
Hey if you have an honest GC with polite sales people in your hood than great! Go for it!
Do not make all the "mom and pop" stores out to be poor victims... plenty of those shops were the only game in town before Guitar Center and the internet and they spent decades ripping off folks with slim inventory and insane prices.
And some people like Elixir strings. I do. Do not be a string fascist.
And some people like Elixir strings. I do. Do not be a string fascist.
