Guitar Center in trouble?

[TinyE]

the 2 GC's near me kick ass. i love going in there and chatting gear and settings, and then buying something based on what i've learned. i've heard GC was closing every year since like 2010 or something. So far so good.

 

[higain617]

I haven't been a fan for many years, but I understand that it's the only option for many people. When I was a kid, they seemed to have quality products, but now focus on middling stuff to cheap junk (minus a few Gibsons and Fenders). The downtown Seattle store has a vintage room.

 

[gt96g]

Then I wonder if it wasn't more a matter of bad management rather than huge changes in the industry.
Sam Ash did go through an expansion in the late 90s to match GC. There were none in So Cal before that, and now there are a couple. Good sized stores too. I like that they have expanded their pedal selection. Their bass selection is OK, but their amp selections are still abysmal.

To me it always seemed like GC's answer to every problem was expand, throughout this entire saga, dating back to I guess when Bane Capital liquidated ownership, whenever news came out they were in financial trouble they would dump certain manufacturers, sell more crappy house brands, reduce commissions even further, and open more stores, find more revenue streams, lessons, I even think a few locations were offering recording services at one point.

It's all 20/20 hindsight now, but IMO they would have been much better served, cutting the number of stores down to a manageable amount, doing everything possible to retain good people, let go of the employees who don't know gear. I also would have made a point to bring in some really nice high end instruments in an intelligent way.

GC lost it's value a long time ago, the main advantage they used to have over the internet is if you wanted to try out a high-end guitar they usually had some variant of it there. My local GC used to stock Warwicks (german made), Musicman, Gibson, and a ton of Highend fender basses, that was 15 years ago, the used selection was also far better. Now you're lucky if they stock a higher end MIM P-bass.

 

[McBubbler]

I like brick-and-mortar shopping, especially when it comes to guitars and basses, but GC's dwindling supply of new instruments, almost all of which are choked out in backbow, razor blade frets, mile high action, or all of the above, makes it probably the worst place to buy a new instrument anymore. So if you can't buy the guitars and basses they have that just leaves pro audio and special financing, but even there Sweetwater has them beat on promotions most of the time. Doesn't surprise me one bit that the company would be going bankrupt.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

What I find kind of funny is how years ago, a lot of folks were pretty upset that the big, "soul-less" bookstores killed off the mom and pop book stores. Then years later, people forgot all that and were upset again when those same big chain stores were killed off by the internet. Sort of the same thing with Music Stores. I personally have not much nostalgia for any of them, big or small. To me, they are all just retail outlets designed to squeeze as much money out of you and me as they can. They live. They take our money. Something else comes along. They die. Meh. Someday Starbucks will close and we'll be getting coffee drone delivered from Faceboogleazon and everyone will be sad they're gone

That said, I may cry if Sweetwater ever goes down the tubes, or changes owners and stops sending me candy.

 

[Basstigator]

For the record, I wouldn't buy a car horn or anything else based on a Youtube Video. And, music stores - a lot of them invested too much in becoming mega stores imo. At least where I live they did. I won't even go into one of those anymore. Would rather buy 2nd hand or build my own bass.

You know, your post got me thinking...back in the day, new types of instruments were being introduced, and people could go into the store and try them out. I'm thinking things like synths, drum machines, etc.

Well, the same technology that may take away that opportunity (internet) also gives a viable option: Youtube videos.

I was thinking about getting a vocal effects box. None of the music stores around me had one, but I went to youtube and found tons of demo videos, both from the producers of the products and customers that either liked thiers or didn't like it. I was able to make an educated decision and got exactly the one I wanted off Sweetwater.

Regarding basses, my take is that you get used to the feel of whatever one you end up playing the most. But that's just me.

 

[Mvilmany]

I’m not worried about Guitar Center. They can go scratch. I’m worried about my local Pro shop, Parkway Music (20 minutes north of Albany, NY). . Even if the Guitar Center in Albany closes, and they enjoy a small uptick in revenue, I’m concerned, long term about their ability to compete with Amazon and other online retailers. If you have a local shop that treats you well, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL STORE!

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Maybe they should go back to their original name of Organ Center.

 

[EricMordus]

they recently combined 2 locations in Bergen County to make one decent sized store in Paramus, seems to be doing ok?

 

[socialleper]

Both Sam Ash and Guitar Center in the San Diego area do not offer much selection in regards to bass amps and cabs.
Bass selection at either business is ok if your looking for is the standard brand name instruments: Fender, Ernie Ball, SoundGear, Dean.

That's the thing. The GC gear selection has become very generic. Just sub $1000 cookie cutter basses. Barely any amps.

 

[socialleper]

To me it always seemed like GC's answer to every problem was expand, throughout this entire saga, dating back to I guess when Bane Capital liquidated ownership, whenever news came out they were in financial trouble they would dump certain manufacturers, sell more crappy house brands, reduce commissions even further, and open more stores, find more revenue streams, lessons, I even think a few locations were offering recording services at one point.

It's all 20/20 hindsight now, but IMO they would have been much better served, cutting the number of stores down to a manageable amount, doing everything possible to retain good people, let go of the employees who don't know gear. I also would have made a point to bring in some really nice high end instruments in an intelligent way.

GC lost it's value a long time ago, the main advantage they used to have over the internet is if you wanted to try out a high-end guitar they usually had some variant of it there. My local GC used to stock Warwicks (german made), Musicman, Gibson, and a ton of Highend fender basses, that was 15 years ago, the used selection was also far better. Now you're lucky if they stock a higher end MIM P-bass.

Really? The Hollywood and Sherman Oaks stores, which are two of the largest in the chain, have nothing but low level, vanilla stuff you can get anywhere. I usually only find something interesting in the used sections. The Northridge and Palmdale stores should just close. They are always empty and have very little gear. Strangely, the Santa Clarita store near me says they do good business, despite having very limited inventory. Their six basses are hung behind their tech desk

 

[filmtex]

Business is hard. I hope GC can figure this out. There are lots of jobs at stake.

I think that applies to (most) retail in general. I don’t think anyone in that business has any innovative ideas to throw at brick and mortar retail. I agree, lots of jobs at stake- not only in the stores but in all the support industries like transportation, warehousing etc. The Amazon affect I guess!

 

[dr doofie]

They'll just switch to an online store, like every other decent music shop did. Sucks not being able to play things before I buy them.

Being lefty, I'll agree with you there.

 

[AdamR]

They have been failing for years

 

[Brent Davenport]

There used to be a store here in Houston called the Drum Keyboard Guitar Shop. It was HUGE and had anything you would ever want. It's been gone for years though. Ask we have left in the Houston area is a bunch of Guitar Centers and a few small time shops. I like aspiring small business, but guitars get pricey and they can't afford to match places like GC. I guarantee the won't be many small shops that will put a Stingray 5 on sale for $1600 like GC just did.

 

[Standalone]

I like having a GC and a Sam Ash near me. I prefer Sam Ash, but haven’t had a bad experience at either.

 

[Brent Davenport]

I don't think I've ever seen a Sam Ashe. We had a Mars Music for a few years, but it went belly up pretty quickly.

 

[ThudThudThud]

I like brick-and-mortar shopping, especially when it comes to guitars and basses, but GC's dwindling supply of new instruments, almost all of which are choked out in backbow, razor blade frets, mile high action, or all of the above, makes it probably the worst place to buy a new instrument anymore. So if you can't buy the guitars and basses they have that just leaves pro audio and special financing, but even there Sweetwater has them beat on promotions most of the time. Doesn't surprise me one bit that the company would be going bankrupt.

It's funny how unplayable so many of GC's guitars and basses are a lot of the time. I guess offering to sell you a set up to go with your new guitar/bass is a way they can make extra money.
If they had a reasonably smart employee just doing basic set ups for their inventory (nothing drastic: truss rod, action, radius, intonation, maybe a little fret end filing...) there would be more sales. Unless they are looking ONLY to sell to Mr. & Mrs. Jones buying their son his first Squier, in which case they deserve a slow, painful demise.
Those of us who know what a well set-up instrument feels like are tired of wading through walls of poorly set up instruments. I'm not going to buy something that I need to perform work on unless I'm getting a screaming deal. It's likely I'm not getting a screaming deal.
My locally owned stores will set up before, and after a sale.

 

[eJake]

the 2 GC's near me kick ass. i love going in there and chatting gear and settings, and then buying something based on what i've learned. i've heard GC was closing every year since like 2010 or something. So far so good.

Are you a cop? You must be a cop.

 

[Kombo]

I wonder who’s next on the chopping block after GC and Gibson assuming they can’t fix their situations. Unless places can step in their customer service like sweetwater, they’re done.