Better yet, you can order right from your phone, from any retailer in the world, while in the store, and never even have to deal with the sales guy.
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Guitar center is going under!
- Thread starter Sunset Shalom
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Better yet, you can order right from your phone, from any retailer in the world, while in the store, and never even have to deal with the sales guy.
I live in the Grand Rapids Mi.area,and in GR. there is one store that is a players store. In other words, they sell the stuff seasoned players look for. Extremely knowledgeable, and serious about what they sell. It' s a small store,small staff that makes sure the guitars they sell are set up to play. Unlike the chain stores they don' sell cheap 150.00 instrument packages that include every item to get a beginner's parents to think that's what they need at a cheap price. We all are aware of the fact that none of these packages are really the way to go. The basses I've seen at these types of stores are not for me. While there are well made inexpensive basses and guitars, I don't see them well represented. It seems to me these stores are geared toward non-seasoned players, ie.beginners,parents, or students,but certainly not anyone with much experience. In lower Mi. There are a small number of player stores,I have taken the time to seek them out and support them.
It's unfortunate that Gruhn Guitars is located in a tourist area,at least they sell quality gear. So dont be afraid to drive a ways to find a good music store, and support them.
Part of the conversation about marketplaces and cheap products that this thread has touched upon are these two things: 1. Slave labor/ Sweatshop labor in East Asia, South Asia, and Central America.
2. Environmental degradation from mass production and resource overuse.
2. Environmental degradation from mass production and resource overuse.
I'm OK with Gruhn being in a tourist area because it's also where I live. There are a lot of musicians that live here in Nashville. 
Gruhn sells mostly collectables. We also have a GC which has the best prices in town and Corner Music which sells basses that are somewhere between the typical GC stuff and Gruhn. It's a great place to be a bass player and I hope none of these stores ever goes under.
Gruhn sells mostly collectables. We also have a GC which has the best prices in town and Corner Music which sells basses that are somewhere between the typical GC stuff and Gruhn. It's a great place to be a bass player and I hope none of these stores ever goes under.
Actualy, no, to me it's not important. Perhaps he is supporting a wife and six kids on one income and really can't afford it or for some other reason the money is not available. There are a lot of people that have had their finances take a hit in this country in the past 20 years. What ever the reason, and there could be many, it's not my place to call some one out on this. Not MENT in anger, just trying to play fair .
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
The fact is, retail has changed. There are few music stores out there with good selection of gear. I would be hesitant to do so - not sure I would want to put out a $1500 instrument out for everyone to noodle on, when most people are buying on line. Even if I weren't buying, I would pay a fee just to be able to try playing a Lull Thunderbird, or a high end cab. How much do you pay for a night out for dinner and a show?
Who made a claim to fiction? I pointed out a fact relating to another commenter (commentor?) and you chimed in with your non-sequitur. Pay, don't pay, it affects me not in the least.
Nobody said being a supporting member was mandatory. I found humorous irony, given the topic and shared it. You seem to be taking a lot of thing not about you very personally. Have I done something to offend your sensibilities or harmed you in some way that you'd be so confrontational?
Actualy, no, to me it's not important. Perhaps he is supporting a wife and six kids on one income and really can't afford it or for some other reason the money is not available. There are a lot of people that have had their finances take a hit in this country in the past 20 years. What ever the reason, and there could be many, it's not my place to call some one out on this. Not MENT in anger, just trying to play fair .
Perhaps, but then I suppose Guitar Center wouldn't be high on the list of places to be shopping were that scenario true. Perhaps he's filthy stinkin' rich and, like the protagonist of a certain Dickens holiday yarn, has yet to discover the joy of giving. We can do this all day. I found it humorous, given the topic, and shared my finding. The subject of my needling doesn't seem to have taken offense, why do you?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
No offense taken. But a number of people do not understand the business model of this site, and think that they should be supporting members for the good of the site, a la PBS.
Gruhn Guitars has history and location associated with it. It makes business sense for it to stay right where it is. Just like GC Hollywood. Places like Elderly, though not location-specific, have survived by reputation, branding, and diversification. Elderly and Gruhn are mom-and-pop storefronts like Wall Drug is a mom-and-pop tourist trap gift shop.
I also prefer to patron stores geared toward experienced musicians. The only questions I need to ask are equipment-specific. And that I can find out on my own before I even enter the store. But the thing is, I typically purchase cheap non-pro gear. I do so either knowing exactly what I'm getting, or am less concerned about loss (since it's cheap). If I don't want to buy online I have to get gear at places like GC, because most local mom and pops often neither have good nor cheap gear. But I hate going to GC and I don't have one near me. So it's all online for me. I also rarely need to go to "good" local places. If I do it's to tire-kick, and these type of places REALLY don't like that. So while I want to support them, the reality is that they serve a niche market of which I'm not a part of. More power to the ones that make it work. But I won't cry for the ones that don't.
Once again, I'm not the target market. But I'm also still not convinced I'm the only one out there like me.
If GC goes away it'll be a shame. It's good to know that there's a big store like that available (in selected locations, of course) to buy gear when you really need it. By that I mean you walk in empty handed and you leave the store with an instrument, an amp, pedals and all the necessary accessories. The online purchase approach may not work for the majority of us. Sad.
There already is a turn-around market for expensive gear, as there is with clothes and cars. Return policies have only become more generous, despite rampant use and abuse. If businesses are already writing this into their plans, than to me the next logical step is the in-home demo. Not renting. Demo. Really a difference in marketing than actual service. But there's a reason "renting an apartment" has become "leasing a condo". Marketing works.
Ski resorts have done that for years - pay a higher rental fee, and get brand new top-shelf equipment for the day, whether you are experienced enough to need it or not. Scratch it up all you like. They just sell it off at the end of the season. Granted, ski equipment is expected to get scratched eventually. But that's why some people will pay MORE to ski on brand new, unscratched gear.
I don't see any huge misgivings on a subscription-based service for music equipment demo. I seriously wonder if any misgivings we might have are based on perception and tradition, and are not necessarily the reality. Just thinkin' out loud some more. Beats working.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Math is hard!
As far as I know, Bain is not involved with Guitar Center any more. Some of GC's debt was converted to equity held by another entity, whose name I don't remember now. That happened a few years ago. Whether or not GC survives may have more to do with the real estate markets than you might think. The GC in Seattle is right in the path of development. If the building is there in ten years, I would be surprised. If it comes down for development in two to five years, I wouldn't be surprised a bit. The building is a one story warehouse with parking on the roof. It's the kind of old industrial building that most cities have in older, less expensive areas. Rents are cheap for big square footage. When areas like that come under development pressure, the rents go up, and outlets like GC that operate on thin margins have problems paying the higher rents. Moving may be an option. Oddly enough, malls are a dying phenomenon in some places, especially older strip malls. Those kinds of buildings could be the salvation of Guitar Center if it can find space and make the move in an economical way. Then again, I may be looking at one very specific location and extrapolating in a non-valid way. I do think rents will have an effect on their viability over time. They aren't a real estate company and don't own their locations for the most part.
I like GC. Not love or hate. The reason I like GC is that when I travel for work, I can usually find a GC somewhere near wherever it is that I have to be. They don't mind that I go in and tune up a guitar and sit in a corner and play for a while. I don't crank up an amp and blast Smoke on the Water, so it's not the complete GC experience. But at least they provide what I consider a valuable service to me as a way to get some playing time in when I can't have a guitar with me.
See y'all next year when the next GC thread starts.
How do you say in TBlish? tl;dr
But if they close many, most or all stores, that could be hard enough on some bass gear companys that it could push them over the edge.
In a perfect world, Sam Ash would quickly rise and replace yet keeping their family company attitude.
Only Talking Heads thinks this is a perfect world tho. And even they think its riding on an incline.
But if they close many, most or all stores, that could be hard enough on some bass gear companys that it could push them over the edge.
In a perfect world, Sam Ash would quickly rise and replace yet keeping their family company attitude.
Only Talking Heads thinks this is a perfect world tho. And even they think its riding on an incline.
As somebody that knows a handful of guys and gals that worked at Sam Ash..... its no better. They treat their employees pretty poorly from most accounts.
I will repeat, this was not posted in anger and I was not offended, obviously the subject of my comment takes it too seriously. Maybe he's a tightwad, a penny pincher, or maybe he likes getting something for nothing, really none of my business. And one other point,don' know where your located,but in my area GC is the cheapest place to by gear, both quality wise and monetarily. So if you wish to be upset over these comments sorry about that,was never my intention. May you and yours have a wonderful holiday!!!
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Very very very true. I try really hard to support businesses that support their people but its really hard these days. It can also be hard to tell the difference between a company that treats people bad vs a specific manager at a specific location that treats people bad.
Either way... theres a lot to wonder about if GC goes under.
True, but like I said I'm picky and returns require leaving work etc. I shop online for some things, but I've still never bought a guitar online. I know there is 90% chance I'd have to return it, so I want to avoid that. I have to wait for it, set it up to the best of my ability, then if I can't get it the way I want it, take it to someone, and if they can't get it setup right (some basses just have physical defects that are hard to overcome) I'll have to send it back.
As far as sales guys, some of these relationships have benefited me later on in life.
