I am probably one of the few sorta active TB member that has no SW account. I may have been turned off by one Reverb sale that was actually a Sweetwater transaction.
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Minor Guitar Center Rant
- Thread starter faulknersj
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- guitar center
Man...
Same deal with the GC closest to me. Very light on in-stock basses, amps, and cabinets, all, and I do mean all types of drums. They're also light on cymbals, keyboards, and effects pedals. The only thing they have plenty of are guitars. I only go there to get things I need immediately.
I play it backwards; nobody recognizes it.Stairway To Heaven... in a different key... opposite hand.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
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guitar center, UPS, Fender
these are things they complain about most on TB
these are things they complain about most on TB
These are the things that form the basis of our community... and a solid foundation it is.
Hmmm. Interesting. At my local GC nothing is locked and if I want to try something and sales staff is busy I can just grab it off the wall, find a cable laying around somewhere, and an amp that's plugged in, and just go for it. They don't seem to mind my "help yourself" attitude, and as a result I've bought several basses there using that method. I can only guess that your local GC is locked down due to your local circumstances, and for that you can thank your local politicians whom you and your fellow citizens elected.
GC is such a mess, at this point it's more likely a money laundering enterprise than a legitimate store.
I was shopping for a new guitar last year and knew the exact model I wanted to check out. I went in and, despite there being far more staff than customers, nobody had any interest in helping me locate the right model.
I found it on my own, plugged it in on my own, and discovered the Floyd Rose system was severely messed up and the guitar was unplayable in it's current state. I asked for advice and said I was an interested customer, that was the model I wanted, I had cash in hand, and if they could get it into playable shape I was likely to make a purchase.
They told me they would send it to their tech, they could not tell me when he'd be in, when he'd fix it, if he could fix it, and no, they would not even call me to tell me when it was repaired. If I wanted it I could either buy it (for full price) unplayable or go shop somewhere else because they were NOT going to do any work just to sell that guitar to me.
I eventually went back a couple months later, the bridge tension issue was somewhat resolved but the action and tuning made the instrument completely unplayable, and since the nut was locked you couldn't retune it on the floor.
The staff refused to even tune the guitar or give me an Allen wrench to open the nut and tune it myself. So I bought a guitar from a cool local shop that takes great care of their instruments, and I'm sure that axe is still on the rack at GC, unplayable and unlikely to ever sell.
I was shopping for a new guitar last year and knew the exact model I wanted to check out. I went in and, despite there being far more staff than customers, nobody had any interest in helping me locate the right model.
I found it on my own, plugged it in on my own, and discovered the Floyd Rose system was severely messed up and the guitar was unplayable in it's current state. I asked for advice and said I was an interested customer, that was the model I wanted, I had cash in hand, and if they could get it into playable shape I was likely to make a purchase.
They told me they would send it to their tech, they could not tell me when he'd be in, when he'd fix it, if he could fix it, and no, they would not even call me to tell me when it was repaired. If I wanted it I could either buy it (for full price) unplayable or go shop somewhere else because they were NOT going to do any work just to sell that guitar to me.
I eventually went back a couple months later, the bridge tension issue was somewhat resolved but the action and tuning made the instrument completely unplayable, and since the nut was locked you couldn't retune it on the floor.
The staff refused to even tune the guitar or give me an Allen wrench to open the nut and tune it myself. So I bought a guitar from a cool local shop that takes great care of their instruments, and I'm sure that axe is still on the rack at GC, unplayable and unlikely to ever sell.
GC takes a lot of deserved heat, but if they weren’t around I’d have very few places to try a bass out at all. And I can buy any bass from their inventory nationally to have it shipped to my local store and try it there, if I don’t like it then I can return on the spot.
I can also get something like strings there in a pinch and they will always have something on the spot that will work.
So I think they do have their place, and I like music related jobs for younger folks and for people who just want to live their life that way. I’m glad they exist.
I can also get something like strings there in a pinch and they will always have something on the spot that will work.
So I think they do have their place, and I like music related jobs for younger folks and for people who just want to live their life that way. I’m glad they exist.
The last few of times I was in GC were unexpectedly pleasant experiences. The first was to buy a used Fender Rumble 75 that cost $100. Salesman came over, plugged it in and gave me a choice of basses to use. Pulled one off the wall, checked the amp out and bought it. The next time I bought a bass amp for my nephew. Same thing, only threw in a couple of cables. In and out in less than a half an hour. The latest trip there was to check out an Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro guitar. (For those of you who are looking for a lightweight, well balanced, versatile (push/pull pots offer over ten combinations), quality instrument that won't break the bank, this is it. $600 with a case.) Again, went into the store, asked to try out the instrument, was given a choice of amps and left alone to evaluate said gear. After ten minutes, I brought it up to the counter, got a case (a Road Runner hardshell) and left happy. That is admittedly, a small sample size, but three for three is nothing to sneeze at. Maybe I'm the guy that makes the bell curve work for the rest of you malcontents. 
The last few of times I was in GC were unexpectedly pleasant experiences. The first was to buy a used Fender Rumble 75 that cost $100. Salesman came over, plugged it in and gave me a choice of basses to use. Pulled one off the wall, checked the amp out and bought it. The next time I bought a bass amp for my nephew. Same thing, only threw in a couple of cables. In and out in less than a half an hour. The latest trip there was to check out an Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro guitar. (For those of you who are looking for a lightweight, well balanced, versatile (push/pull pots offer over ten combinations), quality instrument that won't break the bank, this is it. $600 with a case.) Again, went into the store, asked to try out the instrument, was given a choice of amps and left alone to evaluate said gear. After ten minutes, I brought it up to the counter, got a case (a Road Runner hardshell) and left happy. That is admittedly, a small sample size, but three for three is nothing to sneeze at. Maybe I'm the guy that makes the bell curve work for the rest of you malcontents.
You are proof of what Guitar Center execs need to hear imho. When a properly staffed store adequately greets customers and asks how they could help…they sell instruments.
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You might as well cancel the card if you don't use it. Synchrony Bank (who issues the GC credit card) is one of the worst credit issuers in America.
Unfortunately I am still using the card. The product itself wasn’t damaged, and the IEM system was enough to finance. I’ve thought about paying it off and canceling, but it did come in handy when I needed it. Plus, Synchrony got me with a Sweetwater card, so I’ll be stuck with them for a while.
I have nothing constructive to add so here is a Miner Ranting in a Guitar Center.
I'm sorry... So very, very sorry.
I'm sorry... So very, very sorry.
