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Guitar Center would sell more basses if....

#21
I bought a Gibson SG bass at GC last year. The price was $1395. Without me even asking, they said they would have their guitar tech do a set up before leaving the store. I had to wait an extra 20 minutes for the tech to work on it but was well worth it.
When I bought my MIA Jazz bass at another GC store in late 2009, they did not offer to do a set up. Go figure.
 
#22
I am not sure it is in their pricing model. I was in a mom and pop about 14 years ago and an Ovation rep was there, he tuned every guitar and changed strings on dead ones. I am sure the industry has changed quite a bit since we now have a few big players doing most of the business.
 
#23
If you're serious about buying a bass, then buy a set of your favorite strings and put them on the bass you want.

Otherwise this thread should be renamed "Guitar Center could indulge my stroking better if they spent more money on inventory by putting new strings on all the basses".
 
#25
So, the way to sell MORE basses is to add another $30+ to the cost of every bass on the floor?

If they change strings, they need to recover their investment - which means the price of every bass would go up with every string change.

And some of us do not like new strings in any case!

Not a good idea. Neither desirable nor realistic.
 
#27
The cost of maintaining the inventory to that degree: keeping strings & setups fresh, would be costly for materials alone. Their margins on many instruments is probably pretty thin and excess costs for accessories, which are the sales that keep GC's light on probably ain't gonna happen.

If you ask, I imagine they would at least clean and setup an instrument (as far as they could) for you to really try out.
 
#29
Forget strings. If GC could train their sales guys to tone it down a little they would sell a lot more gear. I once walked out of GC becuase I wasnt there 5 minutes before some jerk was trying to sign me up for a GC credit card!
This and they got to recognize that people who work a day job actually have disposable income. We can afford the stuff they are selling. So when someone rolls in to GC after 5pm on a weekday they really dont want your "whazzzup!" sales pitch.
 
#30
Say a GC has 20 basses on the wall. I guarantee not one single person who touches those basses has just washed their hands. Oil, sweat, car grease, chicken fat.... what else is on their fingers? 20 sets of new bass strings every three or four weeks? I dont think any retailer can be expected to absorb costs like that.
Do you wash your hands immediately before playing one of their basses?
 
#31
Marty Forrer said:
Say a GC has 20 basses on the wall. I guarantee not one single person who touches those basses has just washed their hands. Oil, sweat, car grease, chicken fat.... what else is on their fingers? 20 sets of new bass strings every three or four weeks? I dont think any retailer can be expected to absorb costs like that.
Do you wash your hands immediately before playing one of their basses?
Click to expand...

I try to.
 
#32
Guitar Center would sell more basses if they kept all the "customers" that damage and grease up the equipment and gear from doing so. That, and have the balls to tell the teen angst kid to lower the volume while playing death metal or the a-hole that thinks it's cool to test a bass with the amp's gain and volume maxed to 10, and saying, "I'm cranking it to 11! Get the Spinal Tap reference?"

Ugh.. there's not much that is wrong with GC. Most of the time, the environment is just spoiled by other "musicians". Just because of them, GC loses a sale from me since I can't even hear this "awesome new bass" I'm trying to try before I buy.

I'm probably the minority on this one. But yeah... changing strings is too costly. Just have praise the basses come with any strings at all. Imagine that, buying a bass solely on how it looks. :rolleyes:

Marty Forrer said:
Do you wash your hands immediately before playing one of their basses?
Click to expand...

Totally. I use their restrooms and wash my hands. One of my pet peeves is having "that friend/bandmate" just eat some finger/hand food and then picks up my bass to play it. It's disgusting and, to me, disrespectful.
 
#33
And would it kill them to have a cord out so you could actually plug in a bass. At my GC you have to go find a sales associate (which is nearly impossible) then he has to go find a cord. Then you have to figure out which amp is actually plugged in to the electricity so you now which one to use. And it's usually not the one you actually want to try out.
 
#34
I think the fact of the matter is that GC does indeed sell a ton of basses and guitars. Just not particularly to us. They've got a good thing going for themselves. The majority of sales are not to people buying $2000 guitars and basses, every time you go to GC, that Pedulla is still on the wall next to the Musicman. You know what's not there anymore? - 50 Squier starter packs, some Mexican Fenders, and an Epiphone Thunderbird.

They focus on volume, they're selling a ton of instruments under 600 bucks daily, I don't most of the players buying in that range are not overly concerned with a set up or dead strings, and yes, they usually set it up free of charge if you ask.
 
#35
They have basses at GC? Most of the stores I have been in have some MIM Fenders, Squires, a couple of Schecters, typical lower-end Ibanez models, maybe an Epi or two, and up way high so the great unwashed masses cannot sully them, a couple of MIA Fenders. Maybe 20 or 25 in total. The last one I was in had more Les Pauls than all the basses combined, and a horrible bass amp selection as well. There's a reason it's called "Guitar Center" and not "Bass Center". I feel better now, thanks!
 
#36
PBnJBassist said:
Guitar Center would sell more basses if they kept all the "customers" that damage and grease up the equipment and gear from doing so. That, and have the balls to tell the teen angst kid to lower the volume while playing death metal or the a-hole that thinks it's cool to test a bass with the amp's gain and volume maxed to 10, and saying, "I'm cranking it to 11! Get the Spinal Tap reference?"
Click to expand...

+1. At this point in my life, if somebody else comes in testing gear I usually let them crank it and drown me out, I'll wait a couple minutes til the kid finishes playing all the lame riffs he knows (like I care that he can play crazy train better than anybody else) and then I proceed to do my thing quietly.

I get that you need to know how loud it can go, but you don't need a ten minute test at stage volumes with a rig that is too big for every stage you will ever play...

Certain riffs should be banned from bass stores, thank god kids these days listen to awful era green day, that way we don't have to hear longview 29 times a day and Mike Dirnt's playing has gotten extremely lazy. I thankfully was around at the tail end of that... nice to see it die.

Do people still hang "No Stairway" signs?
 
#38
Yeah I agree it sucks when you go to play one and it has dead strings but I also understand the cost thing involved because so many folks play them. However, if I am serious about buying a bass and it has dead strings on it, Guitar Center has never balked at changing them for me so I can try the bass out the way it should sound.
 
#39
DiabolusInMusic said:
+1. At this point in my life, if somebody else comes in testing gear I usually let them crank it and drown me out, I'll wait a couple minutes til the kid finishes playing all the lame riffs he knows (like I care that he can play crazy train better than anybody else) and then I proceed to do my thing quietly.

I get that you need to know how loud it can go, but you don't need a ten minute test at stage volumes with a rig that is too big for every stage you will ever play...

Certain riffs should be banned from bass stores, thank god kids these days listen to awful era green day, that way we don't have to hear longview 29 times a day and Mike Dirnt's playing has gotten extremely lazy. I thankfully was around at the tail end of that... nice to see it die.

Do people still hang "No Stairway" signs?
Click to expand...

+100000

Hey guys let's go to GC so I can show you guys my awesome power chords on a Marshall triple super lead I can't afford on this awesome Gibson les Paul I will never even come close to owning and gotta have the gain at Max so I can practice my pinch harmonics that I can't come close to doing.

Whoa bro you're a god you just played smoke on the water and the intro to back in black. I now worship you.
 

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