Trying basses at guitar center sucks

[Wfrance3]

I just bought this from GC

It was squirrelly bad set up. E string was slap the fret board low, the rest were decent enough to tell what I was playing. I just figure GC is like that...
It’s not high service, it’s not pro. You know that going in tho. The bass I bought was actually missing a knob. - seriously, the salesman started to tell me they couldn’t take one off one of their other basses, but would order me a knob. That lasted about 2 seconds...
So, the bass was pretty, weighs 8.25 lbs, and everything else was good to go. Nothing wonky or less than brand new, so I bought it. This was on a Monday. Took it to my guitar repair shop that I like the same day. Ordered some low tension flats and had the shipped direct to the repair shop. GC not having LTFs is just another accepted norm. Kinda like GC not having someone competent enough to do a basic setup correctly. Got my bass, ready to rock that Friday. - Just kinda how it is. Nothing new under the sun. They did meet their own deal (Musicians Friend internet sale), which I thought was pretty sporting of them...

 

[fishdreams]

Well there is no other way to try basses. I don't care about store setup, most basses from a factory need a little work from a good luthier anyway. It really helps me to figure out which basses are for me or not for me; a bass can be great quality but I still want to put it back after 30 seconds. For example I discovered that the only Ibbys that work for me are the SR500 and the BTBs, not the more expensive, better built and appointed SR1300s etc. I also loved the walnut Ricks, and recently really enjoyed the new Sterling by Music Man StingRays.

 

[Leo Thunder]

Because people want cheap stuff, and they have to hire cheap labour to be able to sell cheap stuff. Very simple.

They want everything perfect and for free. Then they whine about not getting it.

 

[Samatza]

When I go into my local GC, a large percentage of the time the staff is standing around talking to one another or outside smoking.

We don't have a Guitar Centre in my town so I don't have any direct experience but I've read a lot of horror stories so I believe every word.
Most of the stores worth visiting are usually quite large with lots of inventory and grossly understaffed, in these cases I can understand that they probably can't do it.
They will however set a bass up to your liking if you're wanting to buy it and just want to verify that it feels the way you want.

 

[mapleglo]

At my local guitar center, if I want to try a guitar or bass, and it isn't set up properly, I'll just bring it to the tech. He'll stop what he's doing, and set up the guitar or bass for me. A few different techs have done this for me. I had one change the strings and lower the action. Another just changed out the high "E" string for me that broke while I was tuning it up. I ended up buying both instruments. I have to imagine they expect that if someone is asking for adjustments, they are interested in purchasing the instrument, and will happily accommodate them. Maybe my local GC is different than others, but it's been great.

 

[dramatwist]

GC is the "Costco" of the guitar/bass/drum world. Invest some time in learning to do your own set-ups. Then you can shop with confidence. If the instrument is way stupid out of whack, take it back.

 

[Leo Thunder]

I play with extremely low action so I would want to know if the particular bass I am getting ready to shell out serious clams for will handle that.

Of course you do want to know that but there's no way a store can answer it without doing it on request.
If they are setting up their instruments, they have to do it in a way that won't get them buzzing all over every second time the weather changes, so lowest action is not an option. It has to be set high enough to withstand a certain amount of neck movement. An expensive store might simply sell you a set-up with fret levelling if needed.
A cheap one trying to compete with online prices won't be able to do anything, not even an initial, middle of the road, safe set-up.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Went to guitar center yesterday and tried multiple basses. I was comparing p basses but I couldn't even tell which one I liked the feel of better because the strings were *no kidding* half an inch off the fretboard. It was like this for all the basses except for the vinterta series p basses because of their extra thick necks. How do they let this happen? It's really frustrating when you want to see how a bass feels and it is set up like that. Why can't guitar center maintain their demo basses? I feel like they would sell so much more if their instruments were set up halfway decent.

I bought my first "expensive" bass at Rudy's in NYC back in 1998. It was a Warwick. The awesome sales dude (forgot his name) sat with me going through a bunch of perfectly set up Warwicks in the great little bass room they had. It was an experience I'll never forget. Bass player's heaven.

I bought an active bubinga Corvette that I fell in love with.

Shortly after that, they started selling Warwicks in Guitar Centers. The first time I saw them there I was thrilled. Picked them up off the wall --- and it was a horror show! They felt and sounded like absolute garbage. Had I picked one of them up at the time I first purchased mine, I'd be on Talkbass screaming about how horrible Warwicks are. I swear the Squiers and well... just about every other bass in the store felt, and sounded better. I think because the Warwicks were probably the basses that were getting checked out and abused the most.

The great part of this story was that about a year after that, when walking out of a Guitar Center one day my wonderful wife said to me, "Joe.... is that a Streamer over there for $499?" It certainly was (she knew it because I was on the fence between a Streamer and Corvette when I bought mine, and she was with me). The bass was a Streamer Pro M that needed a new battery, strings, a setup, and the knobs tightened up. I snatched that thing and didn't let it go until it was secure in my house. It was a perfect, brand new bass - that they just couldn't sell because it wasn't maintained.

That kind of stuff doesn't happen too much any more these days , but I'm glad I got to experience it. I sold the bass immediately for $1000. I kinda regret that. It was an awesome bass, but I made a quick $500.

Eh.....

 

[Leo Thunder]

The awesome sales dude (forgot his name) sat with me going through a bunch of perfectly set up Warwicks in the great little bass room they had. It was an experience I'll never forget. Bass player's heaven.
…
Shortly after that, they started selling Warwicks in Guitar Centers. The first time I saw them there I was thrilled. Picked them up off the wall --- and it was a horror show! They felt and sounded like absolute garbage.

Each time we hear someone rave about that thing they found that "played like a dream", which they fell in love with, had to buy on the spot and never quite had one like it again, we know it's a fool who just bought a set-up but still wants to believe in magic guitars.

There is a business to be made in selling well set-up and well presented instruments like there is in serving well prepared food in a restaurant. Then there are those who eat raw ingredients they got cheaper at Guitar Center and think they look smart when they say it doesn't taste right.

 

[jd56hawk]

Went to guitar center yesterday and tried multiple basses. I was comparing p basses but I couldn't even tell which one I liked the feel of better because the strings were *no kidding* half an inch off the fretboard. It was like this for all the basses except for the vinterta series p basses because of their extra thick necks. How do they let this happen? It's really frustrating when you want to see how a bass feels and it is set up like that. Why can't guitar center maintain their demo basses? I feel like they would sell so much more if their instruments were set up halfway decent.

Nothing better than trying basses at GC for me. I must try out between 50 and 60 a year.
Not to mention, my GC usually has between 90 and 100 basses on any given day.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Each time we hear someone rave about that thing they found that "played like a dream", which they fell in love with, had to buy on the spot and never quite had one like it again, we know it's a fool who just bought a set-up but still wants to believe in magic guitars.

There is a business to be made in selling well set-up and well presented instruments like there is in serving well prepared food in a restaurant. Then there are those who eat raw ingredients they got cheaper at Guitar Center and think they look smart when they say it doesn't taste right.

That's why I have no issues whatsoever buying sight unseen, and don't understand those who have to play and feel a bass before buying. I mean... I do actually get that, but I think those people are closing themselves off to a LOT of great instruments. Most just need a proper setup to feel like a dream instrument. Whether bought in a store - or online.

And when people complain of online purchases sometimes being returns.... what makes them think that an in store purchase HASN'T been returned ??? And its GUATANTERD if hanging on a wall to have been played by others. Often times 100s of others. Greasy, grimy, smelly kids who can't play bass and eat cotton candy with their fingers, too !

 

[Leo Thunder]

That's why I have no issues whatsoever buying sight unseen, and don't understand those who have to play and feel a bass before buying. I mean... I do actually get that, but I think those people are closing themselves off to a LOT of great instruments. Most just need a proper setup to feel like a dream instrument. Whether bought in a store - or online.

Agreed for quality instruments. Anything from a serious brand should be made to play well. You could run into trouble with a $75 Glarry or worse that has warping wood or a misplaced bridge. I heard of Gibsons with misplaced bridges too…

The store experience tells you that a particular model is too large, too short, unbalanced or whatever else bothers you and that's valuable information. Don't get a Thunderbird online before you've held one and know you'd want that. Don't get an unspecified neck profile if you're sensitive to that aspect. Ibanez will tell you exactly how thick their necks are but Fender won't, so that's a gamble and weight is always a variable because trees are people too
Then there is the sound. The shop enables direct comparison of the electronics on various options.

There is a reluctance amongst musicians to learn to do set-ups. Many just never get to understand how instruments work and believe they are flipping a coin. The fear of getting a "bad product" drives them to unnecessary lengths, from trying them all out to buying "safely" expensive ones.

 

[andruca]

I usually carry an allen key set with me (one of those that hang from a keyring) anytime I'm going to a store to give a bass a try. More than once I've had to deal with obnoxious setups on the fly. Also many times I've been given slack for it, which I usually repel with something in the lines of "if you knew what you're doing better than me you wouldn't even have this unplayable crap in the showroom, but it's here and I need to be able to play it somehow, this is how it's done, you here for sure don't know, or care". Most times it's enough for them to go bother somebody else.

Unfortunately this is not just a GC phenomenon, happened to me in all sorts of stores all around the globe.

 

[Pizza1988]

I bought my first "expensive" bass at Rudy's in NYC back in 1998. It was a Warwick. The awesome sales dude (forgot his name) sat with me going through a bunch of perfectly set up Warwicks in the great little bass room they had. It was an experience I'll never forget. Bass player's heaven.

I bought an active bubinga Corvette that I fell in love with.

Shortly after that, they started selling Warwicks in Guitar Centers. The first time I saw them there I was thrilled. Picked them up off the wall --- and it was a horror show! They felt and sounded like absolute garbage. Had I picked one of them up at the time I first purchased mine, I'd be on Talkbass screaming about how horrible Warwicks are. I swear the Squiers and well... just about every other bass in the store felt, and sounded better. I think because the Warwicks were probably the basses that were getting checked out and abused the most.

The great part of this story was that about a year after that, when walking out of a Guitar Center one day my wonderful wife said to me, "Joe.... is that a Streamer over there for $499?" It certainly was (she knew it because I was on the fence between a Streamer and Corvette when I bought mine, and she was with me). The bass was a Streamer Pro M that needed a new battery, strings, a setup, and the knobs tightened up. I snatched that thing and didn't let it go until it was secure in my house. It was a perfect, brand new bass - that they just couldn't sell because it wasn't maintained.

That kind of stuff doesn't happen too much any more these days , but I'm glad I got to experience it. I sold the bass immediately for $1000. I kinda regret that. It was an awesome bass, but I made a quick $500.

Eh.....

Oh how I miss the days when GC/Sam Ash would stock German made Warwicks.

My obsession with Warwick has my girlfriend keen on them too. We saw a band over the summer down the shore and she was like "He is playing a Warwick, right? I can tell by the Gumby head" (It was a red colored oil satin finish on a corvette, really nice)

 

[user362432]

GC in my area are changing the entire management, as I can see.

 

[Kmonk]

They’ve got 5-8 at any time at my store. The tech rarely sets up store gear as he’s swamped with customer repairs... this is the norm for MOST GCs.

I have 6 GC stores within and hour of where I live. They usually have one MIA Fender. The rest of their inventory is MIM, Squier and low to mid level Ibanez and Schecter. They rarely have anything decent for used basses.

 

[mongo2]

At the GC near me the guitar tech's work area is right next to the Bass section and accessible so on the rare occasions that I found an issue with action I stepped over to their space and it was adjusted immediately. Same with a GC an hour away but the tech is closer to the guitars and the one time I needed to have a bass adjusted it was done immediately as well.

 

[Leo Thunder]

I usually carry an allen key set with me (one of those that hang from a keyring) anytime I'm going to a store to give a bass a try.

And if an instrument was ever set up to something playable, an adjustment of the neck is all it should need. It is the part that moves. Saddles don't float up and down just for fun.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Case in point, the first time I picked up a Squire VM jazz in my local GC, it had a ridiculously high action with a visibly bowed neck. Nobody would have bought it in that condtion, and my first impression was "cheap junk". When I finally played one that had been properly set up, I realized it's a decent bass. I understand GC spending zero time on a lower priced instrument, but the same seems to apply to high end as well, no set up whatsoever until AFTER sale. Would you buy a brand new car that wouldn't start, just on reputation of the brand, and assurance from the salesman that they will tune it up AFTER you buy it? You'd be stupid to do so, strange way to market a bass too. My local GC has around 30 basses on display, one of two used bass cabs, and the only new heads I saw were a Markbass and a Rumble 100. Slim pickings compared to the guitar section, and I have literally never seen a salesman stay in the bass area longer than it takes to say "any questions?" No attempt to market anything, and I never see the same salesman twice.

 

[Hounddog409]

Went to guitar center yesterday and tried multiple basses. I was comparing p basses but I couldn't even tell which one I liked the feel of better because the strings were *no kidding* half an inch off the fretboard. It was like this for all the basses except for the vinterta series p basses because of their extra thick necks. How do they let this happen? It's really frustrating when you want to see how a bass feels and it is set up like that. Why can't guitar center maintain their demo basses? I feel like they would sell so much more if their instruments were set up halfway decent.

not sure how 1/4" deters one from playing and getting a feel for a bass.

never had in issue knowing if i liked a bass or not, or playing it, with slightly high relief. Not like the strings are 6 inches from the fret board.......