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Guitar Center Rant

#41
quasiz_bassist said:
I try to do that to, but it usually ends with bouts of laughter...:crying: hahaha

One time I went, and there was a kid and his dad shopping for a bass. Kid was a little jerk, yelling at his dad, "No you're going to buy me this one!" as he points out a highend warwick....
So he pulls one down, plugs it in, begins to play, and the most awful buzzy playing begins to come out of that ampeg. That little kid did not deserve that bass....I think he got though.
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wow theres alot of that out there. i went one time to look for my first bass and this emo chick was with her dad and she asked to play a warwick also. i was like "***!?!" cause she plays it for like 3 minustes then tells her dad "yah i like it lets get it" and when im leaving i see her loading it into her car:rolleyes:.
 
#42
Visirale said:
Though I can't stand the customers sometimes. The people who go in there and start shredding thinking they're something special. It seems so many middle-aged men come in and start slapping it up like they're Flea or someone... And I just wanna go up to them and be like "Really, do you ever actually get to play bass like that in a real live context?" I just go in and lay down my simple and rootsy stuff that I always groove to. No need to try and impress anyone at GC...
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Interesting. Being an older guy myself, I find that it's not normally the "middle-aged men...slapping it up like they're Flea..." Usually, we older guys tend to be more groove oriented and not too concerned with flash...
 
#43
quasiz_bassist said:
I try to do that to, but it usually ends with bouts of laughter...:crying: hahaha

One time I went, and there was a kid and his dad shopping for a bass. Kid was a little jerk, yelling at his dad, "No you're going to buy me this one!" as he points out a highend warwick....
So he pulls one down, plugs it in, begins to play, and the most awful buzzy playing begins to come out of that ampeg. That little kid did not deserve that bass....I think he got though.
Click to expand...


wow theres alot of that out there. i went one time to look for my first bass and this emo chick was with her dad and she asked to play a warwick also. i was like "***!?!" cause she plays it for like 3 minustes then tells her dad "yah i like it lets get it" and when im leaving i see her loading it into her car:rolleyes:. im pretty jealous lol. but also we all have to admit if we got to get a wick as our first bass ude do it too,:hiding:
 
#45
T. B. Player said:
The next time you go to a Guitar Center, grab a bass, plug it in and play the bass line to Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People."

For those of you under the age of 40, click here to listen - Link Removed - it's a low "G" in an eighth note pattern repeated continuously...it's the only note in the song.
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Do you have tabs for that? :bassist:
 
#46
Visirale said:
There must be some pretty bad guitar centers out there. I know I can always go to mine and play everything from fender, to ibanez, to warwick, to modulus, to EBMM, and every budget brand in between. I also live 15 minutes away from bass central, so I guess I'm a little spoiled... But they offer a great testing ground to try and figure out what you like. If you don't like it there, don't go, but we really don't need another "I hate GC!" thread.

Though I can't stand the customers sometimes. The people who go in there and start shredding thinking they're something special. It seems so many middle-aged men come in and start slapping it up like they're Flea or someone... And I just wanna go up to them and be like "Really, do you ever actually get to play bass like that in a real live context?"
Click to expand...
And that's just Rocco the manager ;)

But I kid Rocco...he's a good guy. Anyway, I don't know why people get so bothered by customers playing gear their own way. Seriously, does it really bother you? Does it make the least little difference in your life if someone plays at GC in a style you don't like?

BTW, you may very well have been talking about me. I am middle aged, and when I go to GC to test stuff out, I often play a few slap riffs so I can get an idea of how offensive the high end is. I'm glad you decided not to say that to me, otherwise I'd have to get all Chuck Norris on yo azz...well, as Chuck Norris as a middle aged guy with no karate training and in poor physical shape can get ;)
 
#47
A little OT for this thread, but I was able to get a sweet deal from GC a couple of years back for a pair of new (in the box from back storage) SWR Goliath III cabs. Both cabs for $550 each, out the door. Sometimes GC just flat out sucks and sometimes they are desperate to make some deals and get stuff sold. My wife just picked me up the Squier Sunburst fretless at the local GC and they gave her one boxed up from in the back and sold her a case for a very good deal too. Yeah, sometimes I cringe at some of the things that I see going on in GC, but I don't own it, and if it bothers somebody that much, there are lots of other choices out there.
 
#48
T. B. Player said:
The next time you go to a Guitar Center, grab a bass, plug it in and play the bass line to Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People."

For those of you under the age of 40, click here to listen - Link Removed - it's a low "G" in an eighth note pattern repeated continuously...it's the only note in the song.

Then, when you're done with the song, pick up another bass, and do the same thing.

Continue for as long as possible.

Z
Click to expand...

As far as that song goes, Larry Graham puts on a clinic on how to swing with one freakin note! that is talent my friends!

BTW, my favorite riff for the music store is the intro to "Sure Know Something" (Kiss) or the first few bars of "Strange Brew" (Cream)

To the issue of playing badly mentioned elsewhere, you know, some folks or kids are just starting out...live and let live I always say....now if said person trying out the bass is some kind of ego maniac and still stinks...now that is another story.....

And to any who have had to endure my playing in a music store setting, I am sorry and the twitching does go away....
:D
 
#49
Sorry, folks. I edited the original post.

I have been purchasing strings in bulk packs at GC for a few years. Two days ago, I went into a GC to purchase a bulk 5 set pack of bass strings. The sales representative said the five set packs were "old stock" not for sale. What does "old stock" mean? Why would a business not want to sale their "old stock"? I was told Guitar Center will carry individual sets of strings, no longer supplying strings in bulk packs.
 
#51
JimmyM said:
And that's just Rocco the manager ;)

But I kid Rocco...he's a good guy. Anyway, I don't know why people get so bothered by customers playing gear their own way. Seriously, does it really bother you? Does it make the least little difference in your life if someone plays at GC in a style you don't like?

BTW, you may very well have been talking about me. I am middle aged, and when I go to GC to test stuff out, I often play a few slap riffs so I can get an idea of how offensive the high end is. I'm glad you decided not to say that to me, otherwise I'd have to get all Chuck Norris on yo azz...well, as Chuck Norris as a middle aged guy with no karate training and in poor physical shape can get ;)
Click to expand...

Haha, I doubt it. It's usually some guy in a tie with a suit over one shoulder that looks like he's on lunch break from being a wachovia exec.

Might not be that common but I've at least seen it a few times.

I don't know, I don't mind it it just comes across as a mid-life crisis of bass playing. Amusing at least...
 
#52
RMay said:
geez, this thread went quickly of topic.

I have to rant. I have been purchasing packs of strings from GC for many years. Two days ago I went to GC and asked for my average order of a five pack of XL165s. The tools behind the counter told me they could not sell to me the five packs that were less than 5ft. away, because those packs of strings were old stock and so were all the other five pack of strings. I said, what? Great, I replied, sell them to me at a discount. Their reply,"No, we cant the five packs are old stock". Five packs are old stock. Sorry, IMO, that answer was pure BS and I kindly walked out with no intention of every returning to a GC. This was not the first incident with GCs, they have trouble performing basic mathematics.
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Rant away, but I'm sorry, what are you saying here?

PLS, re-read your post, repost and then we might be able to understand, at least enough to comment..
 
#53
Chronicle said:
And I believe the hate towards GC isn't fully justified.
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I hate it when people crap on about Guitar Centre full stop, no matter what the issue is.

I don't think you guys realise how lucky you really are to have a store with a selection like that. I live in Australia, by no means a "small" country, and even here the gear selection is very limited, not to mention spread out. If I wanna try something other than an SR4, P-Bass or a Jazz bass, chances are it's either not even on sale in Australia, or there are no stores around my area that stock it. I would love a store that has as much stock as Guitar Centre, who cares if the basses are set up poorly or the salesmen don't know what they're doing, at least you can go see what the bass looks like in person.
 
#54
ROON said:
I hate it when people crap on about Guitar Centre full stop, no matter what the issue is.

I don't think you guys realise how lucky you really are to have a store with a selection like that. I live in Australia, by no means a "small" country, and even here the gear selection is very limited, not to mention spread out. If I wanna try something other than an SR4, P-Bass or a Jazz bass, chances are it's either not even on sale in Australia, or there are no stores around my area that stock it. I would love a store that has as much stock as Guitar Centre, who cares if the basses are set up poorly or the salesmen don't know what they're doing, at least you can go see what the bass looks like in person.
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Gidday! I used to live in Sydney and now that I live in the US I second what you say!
 
#55
King Biscuit said:
View Post
"10 years ago nobody gave a crap about 70's Fenders."

And I still don't!
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Word. I had one for awhile. Bought it for $600 in 1996, It definitely had the nice Fender growl but it weighed 50lbs and killed my shoulder. When I finally sold it in 2003 for $1700, I was thrilled!!!

Certainly wasn't of design or craftsmanship standards of the 60's Fender basses IMO.
 
#56
i dont go in often but when i bought my first bass i went in tried out a lot of the demo models(not that bad cause the strings were worn in) and acted super excited and then was like...uhh i dont think i want to buy right now.. then i went online and ordered the exact bass :D
kinda low balling them outta commision but they deserve it :smug:

i buy my strings/cables ect in store if im around there but i make sure im in and out in less than 4 minutes :D

the first thing my friend told me was to go at dinner time (5:30) and it has never failed me since..i walked in and wasnt greeting by a 12 year old playing un recogniable chords and no drum solos by drugged up junkies(to be honest i was terrible the first time i went and i knew no lines/scales/progressions so im prolly the story of some1 else :D)...i was all alone in there with about 20 great basses...the employees there r good about putting the warwicks/fenders on the top tier and the ibanez/squier/deans on the bottom
 
#57
GuitarSatanCorporateLogo.jpg
 
#59
I honestly have no qualms with the Guitar Center in my area(Little Rock)

They always have a really good selection, the workers are helpful on all but the busiest days, and anything on the floor is fair game to try out, and all the amps are plugged in. My only complaint is that they put all they could in the space they have....which means that the guitars are hanging all the way to the top of the 20' ceiling.
 
#60
I love the Guitar Center in Miami. Its the only place I've seen a varied selection Warwicks, Stingrays, American Fenders, and Gibson basses. The Sam Ashes around here have some good stuff, but not as great as Guitar Center. And I agree that it gets annoying listening to 12 year olds riffing it out of tempo. But I usually go there to try out basses I'd otherwise never get to play, much less look at in person. I want a Warwick Corvette so bad though! there's a used one for 889$ but I don't even have that much. :(
 

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