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I'm officially boycotting Guitar Center

#62
I don't get the GC hate. I've spent a lot of money there over a couple of decades and rarely had a bad experience. It's one of the better places to try out gear around these parts. Unlike an earlier poster, I give the store where I try out the gear a fair shot at my business. I don't always end up buying there, but often GC offers as good a deal as anyone. Their prices are competitive with the online retailers. It's true you pay sales tax but that's the price of having a brick and mortar store where you can actually try before you buy. They often carry very good deals on new gear, especially when they are closing out previous year models. I got my American Standard Jazz new for $970 on closeout. I bought a Les Paul Traditional Pro for around $1300 a couple of years back, same story. I bought a GK Neo 4x10 new at GC for just under $600. Those are very fair prices.

Some people complain about the floor staff being inattentive. Personally, I like to be left alone until I need assistance. Then I ask for it. And when I do, I never have trouble getting a sales person to spend time with me. I bought a Taylor CE414 acoustic guitar at a GC this past summer. They had two in stock. The young sales clerk spent the better part of an hour sitting with me, the two of us taking turns playing both guitars and comparing them so that I could hear what each one sounded like from across the room. I walked out with the one that had the nicer tone. And I had a good time talking guitars and jamming with a nice young man who was also a pretty good player. Try doing that over the phone with Sweetwater or AMS. As much as I like and do business with both of those retailers, there's something to be said for dealing with people face-to-face.

Is it true that their floor stock is sometimes dinged and not well set up? Yes it is. Then pass, or negotiate on price. Are the staff sometimes not as knowledgeable as they should be? Yes. Do your own homework and it won't be an issue. Will they lowball you if you bring in gear to sell or trade? Of course, same as any other retailer. So don't sell your gear there.

Honestly, I had worse experiences at the "mom and pop" stores that everyone claims to love back in the days when there were no alternatives.
 
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#63
kenneffdupriest said:
Went into GC in OPKS to rap atta friend of mine who works there and of course we wandered into the bass section and it looked like a russian grocery store. I was shocked, I looked at my Homes and said "Dude, ***?" and he's like "Yeah, pretty embarrassing huh?" It was very......thin to say the least.
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True. I've noticed the both the GCs near me have reduced their inventory a lot. The bass section is looking pretty bare these days. Not a good sign. I assume the company is trying to liquidate inventory and pay off its suppliers, as well as service the debt that was laid on it by the leveraged buyout a few years back. I hope they are able recover and come back.
 
#66
SirChallsA said:
Yeah the guitar center employees seem like they are generally a bunch of Dbags at least the ones in Sacramento. The younger guys seem Ok, but the older ones seem to have no time or patience. There's a guy named Mike at the Arden Guitar Center and that guy is a dick hole. He actually took a guitar cable I was using and playing through to go show someone something. Keep in mind, i am not one of those guys that plays super loud and obnoxiously... Then I'd understand but I was just minding my own business and he walked up and grabbed the cable and walked off. Hate that guy so much. Any time he walks up and asks if I need help I tell him I'll ask someone else. I'll freak out if he pulls that crap with the cable again though.
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Seems like a bit much, but you can't have it both ways, complaining that people are just there wanking off, and then complaining when he stops someone from wanking off.
 
#69
Thought I'd chime in here. I bought a used GK NEO 212 II back in June off GC's online used site. Cab came in, gave a quick check with my other neo 212 and mbf 800 and it seemed fine. I think I only hooked it up twice since then, as I play mostly casino gigs and a second cab is just really not needed.
Not really using it much, decided I'd trade it to a local bassist. After running it by itself, sounded like it had some voice coil rub going on,...not good. Pulled the speaker, and then noticed the other 12 didn't match up, someone had done a switcheroo. Not only not good,...now, extremely bad!
I'm almost 3 months out on my purchase, so no return, give my salesguy a call, and after a couple of back and forth's with the manager, they call back and are sending me TWO new gk Neo 212's! To say I was very pleasantly surprised is definitely an understatement.
I know this isn't the norm for GC customer service, or for just about anyone elses service , on used gear past the return date. But I felt it was only right to post an extremely good review since they went way above the bar for taking care of a problem for me.
I've had bad experiences with them too btw, but so far, the good outweighs the bad. I'll keep shopping there. YMMV.
 
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#71
Guitar Center is a love/hate thing for me. I've gone in there and gotten AMAZING deals on gear (Ampeg, Lakland, Fender), I've found super deals on parts and accessories. But I've also gone in there looking to buy a simple item that they don't carry- and been annoyed to hell by the noise. I've had super cool salesmen and super lame dorky salesmen who don't know s_ _t about the gear they're selling. I guess it depends on the the store, the time of day, the inventory, and who's working that particular day.
 
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#73
hdracer said:
Go to the Pro Sound department and look in the corner. There should be a rack full of rack ears, screws and other rack stuff.
All the GC's around here have them.
You just have to be smarter than the people you are dealing with.
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That's just the thing. It always seems like if a GC associate gets any hint that you may know as much (or more) than they do, they either completely ignore you or treat you like crap. That's not unique to GC, I guess, but it's a problem I've run into a lot at music equipment stores. I get that they don't like tire kickers, but sometimes I just want to try something out, and they either make it an ordeal, or never assist me at all. I swear I try to be as nice and non-obnoxious as I can - not a noodler or punk, not cocky. Just a normal guy who knows a thing or two about music and wants to check something out, and maybe buy something. Maybe not GC's target market, but still a potential customer.

Even at my local mom and pop I have to have my wife and kids with me, or I don't get any help at all. For years whenever I would get an itch to go to a GC (or mars, samash, whatever was around) my wife would ask why I would ever want to, because I would always just get pissed off.
 
#75
Funny I see all these anti GC posts on TB. I have been going there from time to time for years and never had an issues with them. Might be that I know what I'm looking for, ask the right questions and don't go in with a "tude" looking for an issue to post it here on TB?
 
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#76
I've had just as many good and bad experiences there as any small store. The only thing that really bugged me was when I was looking for a Fender truss rod tool and they told me they had one. When I got there they told me to order one from Stewart McDonald. Well I can order one myself, but I was hoping to buy one that day.
They are what they are. They've given me deals, too. There are still good people in those places.
 
#77
Illini10 said:
lmao! I have only gone to the GC in Peoria, IL and that girl is the only familiar face that has been there the entire three years I've been visiting. She is very nice but the description fits her well.
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That chick is apparently a CLONE.
Because I have seen her in EVERY G.C. that I ever went into.
I have not set foot into a G.C in over 7 years, but I concede to the adage of
"the more things change, the more they stay the same"
 
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#79
Spirit of Ox said:
There is no confusion, I was lied to. I wanted universal rack ears or a rack shelf. I explained what I needed, they didn't have it.
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Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by stupidity (or ignorance). I don't think you were intentionally lied to; either the guy you talked to on the phone didn't know they didn't have them or the guy you talked to when you went in didn't know that they did. I go into my local GC every once in a while. I know what they have; if they have what I need I may get it there and if they don't I go somewhere else. It's no big deal. I'm lucky to live in Austin, though, where there are lots of alternatives.
 

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