How would you want

[gln1955]

The only thing I need a salesman to say is "Here's our basses, here's our amps, try anything you'd like. I'll be over there if you have any questions."

I can see where a raw beginner might want more, but really, even they should do their homework on the internet before going to buy something.

 

[BassUrges]

a raw beginner might want more, but really, even they should do their homework on the internet before going to buy something.

Well, OK, but if that beginner shows up here and asks for help, isn't the answer going to be "go try everything at GC"? Or maybe "I like Brand X," followed immediately by "I hate Brand X, try Brand Y." And isn't the tryout process going to be overwhelmed by questionable setups and what the last guy did to the amp EQ?

The Internet is great for telling us nut widths and magnet types, but actually pretty weak for helping the aspiring bassist find a good bass for metal. A knowledgeable salesman could help a lot.

 

[tfer]

And in regards to the setup,
The turn around for each instrument is so short that sometimes it's not possible, on the other hand GC has made it near impossible for techs to get paid to set up in house instruments and while they are easy and quick to do, they aren't worth the money if there is none involved. This is something that sucks at the moment

And that's why I spend my money at pro shops.
If you can't be bothered to give an instrument a 20 minute once over, quickly adjusting the truss rod and dropping the saddles to make an instrument playable (I'm not talking about a full setup here - just drop the action. I do my own setups), then you aren't interested in my money.