positive GC stories, please

[Tampabass]

I'll go on vacation to the US this summer, I'll probably be able to afford a couple cheap gadgets to take home. I'll let you know then. I'll answer for now with a question (one I don't think deserving of a thread of its own or is too much of a derail, but if that were not the case my apologies in advance). I was thinking GC in the first place. I'll visit NY, San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, Seattle and DC. I probably won't have time for more than a couple GC trips, would love to know beforehand the top 2-3 stores amongst those cities for any of you. Thanks a lot.

fyi -- The bass selection at the GC store in Times Square is surprisingly limited -- mostly very standard Fender P's and J's, some Squiers, and maybe one or two other brands (Ibanez, maybe?). No Laklands, Sadowskys, or Roscoes. Don't recall seeing maybe more than one fretless, and maybe a handful of 5-strings. Don't recall any sixers. IIRC, there were some cool items in the vintage guitar area. Overall, that store is quite underwhelming, in terms of its selection -- but it is a beautiful store.
For bass selection, the GC in Hollywood is far better than Times Square (and, of course, there are oodles of interesting guitars there). I played several vintage P's, but none that screamed "take me home!"

 

[Pizza1988]

I usually go to Sam Ash (it is way closer), but one particular evening, the singer/guitarist of the band I was in at the time had to go there since they said they would install a recording program on his computer and show him some things if he bought the program there. I tagged along. As they are working on it, CKY comes walking into the pro audio room. Me being a huge fan couldn't breath. So I collected myself and walked out to plug in a guitar and play "96 quite bitter beings" and in no time, Chad came walking out "Who's playing CKY!?" and when he saw me he came over and we jammed a bit. After that, they showed us a song off of their soon to be released album - An Answer Can Be Found.

Guitar Center (that manager) was cool enough to let us hang out inside with them after the store closed even though the computer was long finished. Any time I did go in there since, I would immediately ask for that same manager to specifically give him my business/commission. It saddened me to hear about it when he had left. He was actually great to deal with and he would always give little discounts even on things like pick and strings.

 

[groooooove]

i once went in, played a bunch of stuff, found a bass i wanted, purchased it...

still have that one - my first bass.

i've seen sales people be idiots as well. a shame.

 

[milesdavisblue]

I have purchased two Basses from the GC used site on-line both were very fair priced and as described. I received and set-up both instruments to my liking just as I would have from any local music store. The sales people I dealt with were honest and polite whats to complain about? They even thru in new strings of my choice on both for no charge. I have no complaints of any dealings with GC.

 

[sabre79]

I've made two used purchases within the last two years. I bought a Bronco bass for $79.00 plus shipping and tax (aprox. $110.00) that was almost mint. I bought a Hartke HA2000 bass amp head that was in pretty good condition for $106.00 shipped. It was in the guitar amp section so it was mislabeled and lowered in price by $50.00. Buying used is great at GC. Selling to them is a different story. You're better off at Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

 

[bdplaid]

someone in another thread said he thought positive stories about guitar center are few and far between. my personal experiences are otherwise, and we regularly go to five GC stores. my husband and i have probably made 250ish purchases from GC over the years from something as minor as picks to guitars and basses and electronic cymbals. i don't think i've ever had a bad experience from GC, but part of that may be that i have realistic expectations. but we've had a few reps who got to know us - one who really got to know us, and he's the one who made my ric and taylor GC8 possible by letting us make long term layaways (7 months each).

when we were hanging out at various GCs a lot, they were mostly really nice. i got to know a couple guys in west l.a. in acoustics well, and we'd trade playing, customers and gigging stories when it wasn't busy. i admit that the guys from the electric guitars sections are never as friendly, but luckily we don't care

i have heard sales guys at a couple stores mislead customers. one guy told a buyer that he could keep up with a band with a drummer with a 40 watt combo, the other told a buyer that this all-laminate yamaha acoustic was an all solid guitar. sadly in both cases the customers bought the items, and in the case of the amp, i actually told him it wouldn't work, but he believed the sales guy.

but i've heard lots of sales guys/gals not lie, as well. and they can't really lie to me because i never rely on them for any information i mean, even the most honest person isn't going to memorize facts about hundreds or thousands of items in the store that they've never tried, right?

my used experiences - well, i got an SR500 for $199 and a rockbass streamer 5 for $249. my husband got a used gibson victory bass for a good price in mint condition in 1999 and they threw in a case. my husband got a line 6 amp there for a good price, although we had to wait a few days to pick it up because of the sheriff's department hold. i've never gotten a bad piece of used gear, but the thing is that if i did, i'd call and let them fix it.

as far as selling to GC, i've only done so a few times. a couple, including my luthite cort curbow, i got what i would have sold them for on CL. a couple things i sold because i didn't need them and i wanted the 15% off of a new item that you get when selling them gear. that worked out pretty well.

the worst thing about some stores are the customers. and it's true that over the years, GC stores have failed to stock things i wanted to try and buy including parlor and smaller guitars and lately bass cabs.

i've never had a problem making an exchange or return at GC. they always seem very willing to do either, but i've been lucky and never needed to exchange anything.

without guitar centers, there are so many pieces of gear i'd have never gotten to try and enjoy. they've helped me rule out many pieces of gear. they helped sell me some, too, like my ibanez SRH500, which i'd never have considered without "meeting" one at guitar center.

your turn!

My experiences mostly echo yours, but Sam Ash is better. Sam Ash is better because they have far better in-store stock, a much better bass department, and really went over the top for me once when I was buying/returning basses like there was no tomorrow. It became a legend in that store, and I apologized to them for being "that" customer.

But as for GC, the biggest problem I have is getting waited on. And in the Baltimore store which I visited recently, their used department was well below pathetic. It was very much like a trash heap. I've found such things to be directly related to the manager.

Other problems encountered at both GC and SA are very uninformed salespeople. This is no surprise, given their pay. I can't imagine working in music retail, the pay is so miserable. Both companies would be well advised to raise their pay and/or commission so that they can get better sales staff.

As for purchases at GC, I usually buy used, and unfortunately have to return most of it. The online descriptions and pics are poor, the used basses usually play like discarded instruments, and one time a bass had a broken truss rod. Another time a new bass purchase had a bad neck, which they cheerfully replaced, bit I saw the very same defective bass on their sales wall a week later. It should have been returned to Ibanez.

None of this keeps me out of GC, but truth be told it makes me glad I'm primarily a Sweetwater customer.

 

[Bassman474]

Just got this Peavey 2x15 bass cab from the used site. They had it listed at 50$ which I thought was either a typo or it was beat to hell. It's was about 80$ with tax and shipping and when I received it everything worked well, it has the original speakers and is in half decent condition for a 30+ year old cab. I'd say that's a positive on my end...

 

[bdplaid]

GC must be doing extremely well. two other chains that, like GC, were saddled with another companies' huge debts, toys r us and payless, went under. GC managed to weather that and are still open.

I was told by one of the salesguys whom I befriended that the brick and mortar stores are not doing well.

 

[Drop1]

I was told by one of the salesguys whom I befriended that the brick and mortar stores are not doing well.

They own a smaller chain of stores. I can never remember the name. They deal in more classical types of instruments. It's my understanding thse stores are pretty much keeping GC afloat right now.

 

[LazerCrazer]

Pretty sure GC would be doing fine if not for the mountain of debt Mitt Romney dumped on them. That snake in the grass. Probably learned clarinet in middle school.

Pretty sure Payless just had inferior quality shoes for not that much less. The way of the dodo, as it were.

 

[Dan Pomykalski]

that pretty much sucks. i wonder what they'd do if you looked very bored and said "yeah, yeah, yeah" in a monotone while gesturing them to move it along.

do those stores have the same manager, by any chance?

They do not.

 

[pcake]

Pretty sure Payless just had inferior quality shoes for not that much less. The way of the dodo, as it were.

that's what i thought, but they were victims of vulture capitalism

at least a good deal of it is true - i looked it up elsewhere.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I have many positive GC experiences, and have purchased many fine instruments there.
The negatives I've experienced: Poor setups and sometimes fret sprout, especially on new gear; revolving door of staff; lack of staff knowledge about the stuff they sell; the inevitable wankers playing at top volume. My GC also doesn't carry much new higher-end stuff, and I don't trust the tech to work on my instruments (nice guy, but he has a limited skill set).
But the positives are very positive: 45-day return policy; nice discounts; some of the staff members are great and will help you get deals and deeper discounts; relatively fair trade-in value, if you choose to go that route; occasional, exclusive limited edition instruments like the Fender all-rosewood-neck basses.
I've had fantastic luck with GC's used gear, especially when buying in the store (as opposed to online). I've snagged numerous terrific, barely-used basses and vintage pieces at great prices. (There's one guy out there who keeps buying top-of-the-line basses and selling/trading them to my GC for me to buy at used prices!)
I still support my local mom-and-pop stores when I can, but GC has been good to me.

 

[PockySteve]

On Monday I spotted this Epifani T210 on the GC used gear site, located at a store in Indianapolis. Listed as Excellent condition for $249. I ordered it right then and it shipped Monday night, arriving yesterday. It was packed really well, and truly is in excellent condition. I couldn't be happier.

 

[Ghook]

I grew up in San Diego and remember the old GC well yea it was a different place and time. Treated well at all the music stores there. The interesting thing about Nashville is I go to GC and am treated rudely but go to Corner Music and am treated like I've shopped there forever. Take what you want off the wall plug it in turn it up and play it. A totally different vibe in the same town.

Funny, we both had the same experience. Nashville GC vs Corner Music. It's good to see places like Corner or Creme City etc can still thrive in the corporate box store mkt place.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

I've never had a bad experience in Guitar Center that involved Guitar Center. I HAVE had visits that lasted about a minute because some idiot was playing very badly and very loudly, but hey, that's his good Guitar Center experience. Not a problem. I've bought six new guitars (three as gifts) including my two most expensive (which aren't that expensive, a Gibson SG Special and a Gretsch Streamliner) and one, an absolutely beautiful Mitchell single cut, which I returned because the knobs were so deeply recessed that they didn't turn. The store manager thought it might have been dropped and the shafts bent, although that maple cap was absolutely gorgeous. (Really, the whole guitar was spotless other than that, but that gave me a bad taste for Mitchell. It's the only instrument I've ever returned.) The return was absolutely painless, he refunded my money and even insisted on giving me a discount on the Gretsch I ordered in its place, even though I was anything but disgruntled.

I've also purchased three used guitars from them and was about to purchase a Peavey Foundation bass before I found a beautiful brown burst Foundation from a private seller. Their pictures and descriptions can be pretty much useless, but the only two with which I've been less than satisfied were the two I picked out in the store. (One I gave away and the other I'll probably either sell or eventually give away too. Both were cheap too, less than $250 total. Hey, I am very much a hobbyist, not a discerning musician, and I won't pretend otherwise. Unless there's something below hobbyist that still gets GAS. Then I'm that.) Sometimes their used prices are way too high but most often they are quite good, their shipping to my local store is cheap, and their return policy is reasonable. I've also sold them a $1,000 Headrush pedalboard/processor that I got in my Premier Guitar stocking. The sale price is $800 and they gave me almost $500 for my never been opened one, which I think is damned reasonable. And I've used their techs for setups and been well satisfied.

All in all, I'd put the Chattanooga store up against any music store I've shopped. Never really had a bad experience, never been ignored or badgered, always had the staff find someone knowledgeable if the salesman can't answer the question, never been pressured to buy anything or treated rudely. Sometimes I have to wait, which is fine - I want them to spend as much time with each customer as that customer needs. I've bought open box instruments and sale items from their sister site, Musician's Friend, as well as from Sweetwater, and a used instrument and sale items from Sam Ash, and I just bought my second instrument (a beautiful Firefly 338 semi-hollow guitar) from Amazon, and we have a great mom and pop store, Picker's Exchange, where I've bought a couple used instruments. I don't have a bad thing to say about any of these competitors, but most of my business goes to Guitar Center by preference. They're local to me, and they're good folks.

 

[Bander]

It sure sounds that way when you don't quote my whole post...

My local GC has a pretty poor selection.

You mean in your store. If you look at all the stores, they have the largest, most eclectic collection of instruments in the world. And a return policy - absolutely unbeatable and industry-leading. Samash is a far second. But I understand, they may not cater to your tastes, and don't have what you want. I've got many dozens of instruments, but never bought an instrument from GC, they don't cater specifically to what I like - they cater to what most folks like.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

You mean in your store. If you look at all the stores, they have the largest, most eclectic collection of instruments in the world. And a return policy - absolutely unbeatable and industry-leading. Samash is a far second. But I understand, they may not cater to your tastes, and don't have what you want. I've got many dozens of instruments, but never bought an instrument from GC, they don't cater specifically to what I like - they cater to what most folks like.

That's me - the lowest common denominator.

 

[timplog]

GC throws out 15% discounts, or they used to.

I live in the sticks of a state that has sales tax. I don’t just go shopping at GC stores. But I do hunt gear online.

The discount, and free shipping to a tax free Oregon store can be enough for me to pull the trigger on new gear. Gear that’s so new I can’t find it used.

The store contacts me and holds it until I pick it up next time I’m going in to town. And I have the return period, though I’ve never used it.

The manager of that store helped with further discounts on gear I bought for my kid’s school music program.

I’ve got no complaints.

I wouldn’t trade or sell there, I can do better, and I wouldn’t expect anything else.

It’s a music store. Bricks and mortar is tough these days.
I’m not going to drop by for strings when I’ve got Fret Nation.

I’m not much of a shopper, so I never think to extend a trip into Portland’s traffic by dropping by GC.

How’s that for happy?

I’ve found that the GC in north Portland on 1147 N Hayden Meadows Dr for me (coming from Hood River) usually skirts traffic and there’s a good crew there.

 

[singlemalt]

That’s the one.