MEGA-big music store

My only fear would be that kind of store being like a Guitar Center or MARS Music here in the states. Yea, there are alot of toys to play with, but the service will be horrible, and the prices will be very close to retail, with no room for negotiating. HAve fun trying stuff out, but be wary of buying anything....

 

I agree here. Mars, and the like, are impressive as hell to see, but TRY to get some help. The few times I've been to them I couldn't get a sales person to give me a second look, and after about twenty minutes of being ignored and having to fight with all the other people there to get a look at a bass and plug it in only to have other guys competeing with each other as to "who was the biggest badass on their guitar", I had a headache and was ready to leave.

 

sometimes i feel lucky to live here in italy. we have beautiful women, bella vita, sun, pasta , pizza and small and crappy music shops!




in a shop like that i'd die in less than 5 minutes....

 

Actually, from my experience, that seemed to be the salesperson's job!
Pretty bad when you can't get the sales guy (or girl) off a bass so you could check it out.

 

...and that is why I dislike Guitar Center!

 

Which is precisely why you should patronize
different stores in your area, talk to your friends
and don't shop price alone.

In my city, we have Guitar Center. No MARS.
There are about 10 other music retailers. One is
a small shop, in my neighborhood, that offers
great service but their prices are really steep.
Knowledgeable, helpful staff. But the pricing
makes it tough to shop there.

In the middle we have "Bob's" (name changed to
protect the innocent. Bob's prices are kind of
competitive, they have a setup tech, the staff
are younger players but have enthusiasm and I've
never been hassled.

Then we have Guitar Center. Forget service.
Forget getting questions answered or anything
more than a passive-aggressive behavior when
you ask to try something out or ask an intelligent
question. Their prices can't beat, though.
But the kids in the store trying to impress each
other and/or the staff by doing the one funk run
they know on the bass over and over and over
are enough to never make me go back in there.

Here's the rub: I want, very much, to buy a Mesa
Boogie Powerhouse 4 x 10 cabinet. But GC is the
only Mesa dealer in the area, and I'll be damned
if I am spending $800 at that store.

So, I go to "Bob's". They just re-set up my Precision
for me, I can chat with the staff, and
when and if I wanna buy something new I'll go
there first even though I will pay a little more
money for the privledge. It's worth it.

Scott

 

That store is not far from where I grew up, so I frequented it very often. It's supposed to be the biggest store in the world with 4,500 squaremetres.
The service is ok, not better or worse than in smaller shops.

The different departments operate pretty independently, so it's more like several shops in one.

You sometimes can get better prices elsewhere, though.

 

Their online store has an impressive variety of basses. I wish they had pictures though for all the brands.

 

How much would this be in american dollars?

305,75

 

and I thought my local MARS was bad...
-Lee

 

Ok someone tell me why you put guitars like up to the ceiling?

Me: "Um yes, I would like to try that bass up at the top"

Sales guy: ""

 

The red line that's across the middle of the picture (with the black/white sign) is actually a walkway.
You either go downstairs to the main room or you can stay upstairs and walk alongside the wall.
You can reach any guitar (if they let you ).



Same in the pic of the drums department.

 

That's the way the main Guitar Center in Dallas is, and there are local shops that way too.

You have to ask them to get them down for you.