• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Is Anyone Here Generally OK With Guitar Center?

#121
Those are the ones that ruin the company's rep, in spite of whatever the good honest caring ones do. It's kinda sad when good service goes unnoticed and bad service is all that's remembered. And speaking as a former retail supervisor, I would definitely want to know if one of my people trashed the product and employees the way Dumbass did. He's the one that ruined that store for you.
 
#122
I have wondered how the whole "in-store tech" thing was going to play out, especially with those of us who know a thing or two about guitars.

I'm in the Denver area, and I had to look under every rock and pine tree to find a couple of good techs who I can communicate with and trust.

They're more rare than hen's teeth. How is GC supposed to attract and maintain a decent guitar tech?

I don't think any of my local GC's have in-store techs yet, but if they go there, the resulting fallout would be interesting.
 
#123
in my opinion(which is probably not the most informed as im a new player) it always depends on what you are looking for. GC will almost always in my experience has a larger selection than most local stores, however in my case i will stick with Guitar Villa in bethlehem as the service there was greater than i experienced at GC if you are ever in the area i suggest you go there and check it out. i went there to get my bass(a 1995 mexican p bass) checked out because i had just gotten it from my cousin and i wanted to get it checked out cause he said the neck was warped(i had no idea how badly it was, picture a ski slope) if i had gone to GC they probably wouldn't have done anything or try to sell me a new neck for it or a new bass altogether. the people at Guitar Villa took time to help me out and explain to me a lot about what made it work they also tried to straighten the neck, which they were to a decent degree compared to when i went in at least, for only $50 which allowed me to start playing so i didnt have to spend 200-300 upfront for a new neck or a new bass on something i wasnt yet sure i was gonna continue with at the time. so based on that experience if i need accessories ill go to GC (cant beat the selection) but if i need a new bass i will go to Guitar Villa everytime.
 
#124
re, in-store techs; I seriously doubt that GC is expecting to generate bunchs of hard-core repair biz with these guys. Our store has one, but he can't be over 23 years old (which doesn't necessarily mean anything...for all I know, he's had a soldering iron in his hand since he was born and learned from his dad or something), and got the position over a guy who definitely DOES know what he's doing as far as basic setup, etc goes. It doesn't matter to me all that much since our town has a repair-centric shop run by a long-term guitar/amp/etc tech...he's the one I hand my stuff to (as do a lot of the GC guys also...).
 
#125
jdepriest said:
Strat Guy – “I live I a log cabin and heat my place with a wood stove. During the day is gets really cold inside and when I come home and get the stove going it gets pretty warm. Can those quick temperature changes hurt the guitar?”

Dumbass – “Don’t leave it on a guitar stand cause if it gets knock over the headstock could get knock off and that would be an expensive repair”
Click to expand...

This is so classic. Not only did Dumbass completely not answer the customer's question, but the exact reason you DO use a guitar stand is so it DOESN't get knocked over. :rollno:
 
#128
I'm okay with GC because I know what it is, and what to expect from it's business model. We just got one in Omaha, and it's alright enough. I'll go to GC to check out, or buy the stuff, my main favorite local purveyor of musical instruments doesn't carry and that's pretty much it. I do vote with my feet and my wallet when it comes to being truly jerked around badly by any retailer/dealer, and I'll leave it at that; but in general I'm okay with GC.
 
#130
Take a look at GC's web site and look at "Careers". The web site is the place to get hired at a corporate level or mid-management. They hire their sales associates (I love that term) and tech guys on a local level.
Therefore the discretion of who is hired and comes into direct contact with the customer base is at the local level. You have a guy with serious retail pressure to move units per month or whatever; he is most likely not going to do a serious in-depth interview.....

That's a logical supposition; no?
 
#131
Vanceman said:
Do like that store, the Northridge one not so much. We have a new on in Santa Clarita, it's really small but still has everything a larger store carries.

One of the larger mom and pop music stores closed almost the same weekend GC opened out here. They must have seen the writing on the wall.
Click to expand...

I remember being stationed at Edwards AFB. The music stores there were awful. Me and a bunch of my buddies would make the 2 hour commute, every quarter to go to Guitar Center in Hollywood. It was a hike, but the selection was awesome.
 
#132
A follow-up on comments I made earlier; I was in our GC this afternoon (by coincidence, not directly related to this thread) and one of my employee friends happened to mention that the 20-something tech I told of earlier had just finished a fret-job on my friend's beloved '60 LP Special. He (friend) told me to trust my stuff with the kid any time.

I felt I should share that.
 
#134
Pilgrim said:
The thing that gets me about these threads is when people like the OP say they hate GC although they've never had a bad experience with them.

It makes just as much sense as the families that only drive Fords coz "30 years ago, grandpappy oncet got a Chevy that wuz a lemon!"
Click to expand...

Whoa, whoa... I never said I hated them. I said that I'm generally OK with them and I asked if anyone else is OK with them, too since GC hate is so prevalent lately.

No, I'm fine. Like you said, I never had a bad experience there. They're not entirely ideal and I can see some places that some would consider flaws (depending on your circumstance and what your standards and expectations are) but I never said I downright hated them. The opposite: I said they were adequate and I wondered if I was the only one since they catch so much bad word-of-mouth.
 
#135
pringlw said:
I don't have a problem with them but if you've been in one you've been in all of them. I find them boring for that reason. No "treasure hunt" at Guitar center.
Click to expand...

I would have to disagree with this in at least one area. If you're only interested in something new pringlw is absolutely correct. If you've seen one you've seen them all.

However, if you looking at their used inventory they can be a treasure hunt for sure. Just as an example, I live in Augusta, GA and Atlanta is just a couple of hours away. I can take my wife up there for to the aquarium for a day trip, spend a night and party some and there are 4 easily within driving distance of each other. Before she moved up here she was in Jacksonville, FL and I would go down for the weekend and could hit 3-4 different ones there.

As for the set-up issues, take a pocket tuner, a phillips screwdriver and a few allen wrenches with you . If you see one you really think you want, do a quick set-up on it. If they give you any grief just tell them you are doing them a favor since they either don't have the time or knowledge to set it up. If you decide to not buy it, they will still sell it faster because it will play better when you are done.
 
#137
We have Three in Wi, I'v only bbeen in the two closest to me Appleton and milwaukee, but I've spent a lot of money there and they treat me well. that being said, the store where I have my G&L worked on in Green Bay, will match price on anything he has in stock, and being a small shop has some finds in his store.
So GC is fine by me, but very inpersonable, cold coprate big business!
 
#138
+1 for being kinda ambivalent about GC. It's a good enough place to waste an hour or two with my boys (9, 6 & 2.5). They are far more enthusiastic about GC than a comparable amount of time in home depot.
 
#139
I'm indifferent to GC. I'll only buy from them for three reasons.

1) I need it now, and the other nearby shops don't have it.
2) It is on closeout.
3) I'm not sure if I really want it, so I buy and try. If I like it, I return it (in as new condition) and buy it from an independent.
 
#140
My very first experience with GC was many years ago when I was about 13. My friend had just bought a guitar and upon inspecting it at home, we found that it was a factory second that they sold to him at full price. They acted like they were completly unaware of their gaffe but then after my buddy's dad got a little pissed off, they gave him some money back on it. It was a Gibson ES-335.
I have had the typical standing at the counter and on complete ignore thing happen to me many times in the past, but nowdays the sales people are generally aware of who is in the store and don't let me leave without asking if I have any questions about anything. I schooled one employee on the CV Jazz Bass a few weeks ago and he thanked me for all the info on a bass that he should know all about as a GC employee.
GC gave me a GREAT deal on my two new GK 700RB II heads so I thank them for that.
I'm just glad that I know enough about guitars and basses where I dont have to ask many or any questions about what I am interested in.
Overall GC has been pretty good to me over the years but I just wish they had a staff that was more concerned about what they sell as opposed to how they sell it.

They know they have the market cornered on guitars and basses so I guess they think that they can hang them up on the wall straight out of the box but that is no way to sell a guitar. If it is not set up properly to begin with, how will anyone think that it is a great instrument?

Do some decent setups so the people can find out exactly what the guitar or bass that they are trying out is capable of. I think that is an important thing that GC does not care to address.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back