I'm sure it's been said already 1000 times, but I wish they'd set-up their used and new stuff. There's enough employees around to have someone who should make sure all the guitars have decent strings, straight necks, and smooth fret edges...
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What would YOU like from Guitar Center?
- Thread starter xjeremiahx
- Start date
The one I used to go to in nashua,nh wasnt band, they had a pretty good selection of used gear. The one in Rhode Island is terrible.
I've picked up way to many basses and guitars to find out they have something wrong with them, or they need a set up badly. I've picked up a jazz bass once and the input jack didnt even work on it. Also ive tried playing through a few amps that were broken.
I can understand the amps being broken if they are a trade-in or something, I don't know. It would be nice if they fixed their stock, and made it playable.
I don't know if anyone said this but it would be nice if I could reach some of the basses at the top. I'm not the tallest guy but i'm also not short, i'm 5 11 and I can barely reach or can't reach some of the basses and guitars. It just gets annoying.
I dread anytime I go into Guitar Center.
It's funny an employee told my old guitar player (this was before he got really into gear) that the box in the back of his deluxe reverb was just a box fender had put there when they first started making them, and it was like fenders signature thing.
I've picked up way to many basses and guitars to find out they have something wrong with them, or they need a set up badly. I've picked up a jazz bass once and the input jack didnt even work on it. Also ive tried playing through a few amps that were broken.
I can understand the amps being broken if they are a trade-in or something, I don't know. It would be nice if they fixed their stock, and made it playable.
I don't know if anyone said this but it would be nice if I could reach some of the basses at the top. I'm not the tallest guy but i'm also not short, i'm 5 11 and I can barely reach or can't reach some of the basses and guitars. It just gets annoying.
I dread anytime I go into Guitar Center.
It's funny an employee told my old guitar player (this was before he got really into gear) that the box in the back of his deluxe reverb was just a box fender had put there when they first started making them, and it was like fenders signature thing.
A lot of people have been talking about taking the GC employees off commission. The only problem with that is I think you would lose all your older knowledgeable employees, and all you would be left with is the young high school nose picking, I just stand around and do nothing because I just get paid minimum wage type employees.
bajocallao
Supporting Member
- Jul 13, 2006
- 1,104
- 200
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- Endorsing Artist: D'addario Strings, Aguilar Amplifiers
The GC Murrietta has an on-duty luthier
It's his job to clean, set up and make any repairs to used gear and set up the new stuff. I think he does pretty well and everything I've played there was in good shape.
This is a shot of the Fender wall
Here's the Tele Tubbies (Bongo) basses and a few more Fenders and maybe even an Ibanez or two - but there's more-----
....and there's a whole 'nuther two walls of basses I didn't take a pix of.
Remember - this is one of the smaller stores too!
Just off the top of my had - they have Hofners, Yamahas, Ibanez, Fender, Rickenbacker, Squier, Gretsch, Music Man (Tele Tubbies), Epiphone, Danelectro, Dean, B.C. Rich, Schecter, Warwick, Peavey and a few others I cannot remember. So what's with YOUR GC?
Amps-wise they have the Ampeg, Orange, GK, Peavey, Fender, Acoustic, Line 6, Marshall, Ibanez, Mesa Boogers, MarkBass, Aguilar and even one of those ones with only a bunch of 5" speakers in it - although it wasn't there today when I went.
The bass/guitar section is manned by several gigging pros and I trust all but one of them to be looking out for my best interest. I guess it was a personality quirk that caused friction between him and me and it's not gonna get repaired if he always turns the other way when I come into the store.
The other guys are all great, personal and call me by my name. I can't ask for much more than that. I get great service and that makes me come back more and more.
I would like to see GC offer lessons though. That would make it just about perfect - well that and coffee and donuts would help too.
WOW! I want your GC!
I was in the GC-Murrietta again yesterday but this time I hadn't been there in over a week.
All the floor people came over and asked me how I was feeling - assuming I had been ill or so, and it is refreshing to get that sort of inquiry from them. The talent with few exceptions, all know me and they also know when I'm in a buying mood
Yesterday was just a look-see for me to check out if much new had come in or not and although there were a few things (the 5-inch, multi-speaker bass cab was gone) I went over to the harmonica section and started giving the salesman behind the accessories counter a lot of good humored grief about the shoddy packaging of the harmonica I wanted.
I told him that it looked pre-played and that I didn't want to get a disease from buying a used one (I knew it wasn't - the package had just fallen apart and they did a repair that just looked ba-a-d). He was spittin' feathers and Randy (mgr) came over and said there was an extra charge for the custom packaging.
He and I had a great discussion about the price, what sort of discount I wanted and what sort of discount I was NOT gonna get!
Eventually it got to a 10% discount, when all I wanted was $1.00 off. I just like to see Randy's eyes get all squinty-looking - then he smiles and we make a deal.
Now that's a nice place to shop. I feel like I am in a friendly poker game sometimes and the rest of the time I am treated with 'way more kindness and accommodation that I have come to expect from other stores - especially the managers of such.
Now - I know the GC/Murrietta is not a Mother-Ship store - that's the one in Hollywood; but I find a great selection of the things I want, and even though NO store can stock everything that everybody wants all the time - it's good to know that I can at least see a great cross section of the things that are important to me.
I've noticed that there are very few green basses or guitars and I think the store decorator should remedy that.
Quite frankly, if GC corporate bean counters took away the ability to talk to the help and banter with them, I wouldn't find GC as nice a place to buy all my gear as I do. I always feel special in this store; that's what keeps me going back for everything I buy.
I'm loving the attitude of most of the talent at the GC/Murrietta, and please feel free to use them as a model for the rest of your stores.
All the floor people came over and asked me how I was feeling - assuming I had been ill or so, and it is refreshing to get that sort of inquiry from them. The talent with few exceptions, all know me and they also know when I'm in a buying mood
Yesterday was just a look-see for me to check out if much new had come in or not and although there were a few things (the 5-inch, multi-speaker bass cab was gone) I went over to the harmonica section and started giving the salesman behind the accessories counter a lot of good humored grief about the shoddy packaging of the harmonica I wanted.
I told him that it looked pre-played and that I didn't want to get a disease from buying a used one (I knew it wasn't - the package had just fallen apart and they did a repair that just looked ba-a-d). He was spittin' feathers and Randy (mgr) came over and said there was an extra charge for the custom packaging.
He and I had a great discussion about the price, what sort of discount I wanted and what sort of discount I was NOT gonna get!
Eventually it got to a 10% discount, when all I wanted was $1.00 off. I just like to see Randy's eyes get all squinty-looking - then he smiles and we make a deal.
Now that's a nice place to shop. I feel like I am in a friendly poker game sometimes and the rest of the time I am treated with 'way more kindness and accommodation that I have come to expect from other stores - especially the managers of such.
Now - I know the GC/Murrietta is not a Mother-Ship store - that's the one in Hollywood; but I find a great selection of the things I want, and even though NO store can stock everything that everybody wants all the time - it's good to know that I can at least see a great cross section of the things that are important to me.
I've noticed that there are very few green basses or guitars and I think the store decorator should remedy that.
Quite frankly, if GC corporate bean counters took away the ability to talk to the help and banter with them, I wouldn't find GC as nice a place to buy all my gear as I do. I always feel special in this store; that's what keeps me going back for everything I buy.
I'm loving the attitude of most of the talent at the GC/Murrietta, and please feel free to use them as a model for the rest of your stores.
I go to the GC in Millbury, MA, in the Blackstone Valley Shoppes center (for those of you who don't live in the Worcester, MA area). I really can't complain, the staff is courteous and knowledgable, the prices are reasonable, and their used gear is decent. The only thing I'd like to see is a couple of basses with flats on them, for those of us who like flats - just a couple of Squier Ps and Js would be nice. More instrument cables for us to use would also be a nice touch. And maybe replacing the strings on some of the guitars would be nice too, I've played guitars with strings that are starting to rust! Oh, and dropping the temperature just a couple of degrees in the acoustic room would be nice - at times it feels like last Monday in the Northeast in there! I know they have to keep up the humidity in there for the acoustics, but a bit more comfort for customers would be nice. Just a few small suggestions, otherwise I don't have any problems with GC. Except when some punk wanker starts up on an electric guitar, then it's my sworn duty as a geezer to show him up! 
Selection, Selection, Selection. It's just extremely limited at any of the GCs I've visited in the Tampa Bay area (and Lakeland).
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
What would YOU like from Guitar Center?
Just once I'd like to go in and not get waited on by a kid with a bad haircut, black fingernails, and smells bad ... and I would someone there to actually know something about musical instruments.
Just once I'd like to go in and not get waited on by a kid with a bad haircut, black fingernails, and smells bad ... and I would someone there to actually know something about musical instruments.
Remember in my first post about being constructive? yes? no? guess not...
JeremyR - come to the highland park or arlington heights store. My store(Highland Park) we've got a few stingray5s, bunch of the Ibanez SRs in 5 string, The typical fenders, 2 MTD Kingstons, 2 Warwick, schecters
Logicman - thanks for the compliment. As somebody who has dealt with poor customer service before, I am trying to change the things wrong where/when I can. And I agree with you 100% about the profit margins. Obviously in a large chain(GC) the margins may be a bit higher due to buying gear in bulk, but it's not as high as it used to be.
Bertbassplayer - you nailed it. I think the commission aspect of my job drives me to be a bit smarter & knowlegeable(sp?) on products than my co-workers. If it wasn't a commission job, you'd have a lot more people that know less than they already do.
lol @ rtslinger. +1
Our store is just sort of "meh". My biggest complaint is that it's sort of dirty and in disrepair. The outside is awful looking and the inside isn't much better. They just don't take good care of anything, instruments and otherwise. The selection is pretty poor but I expect that in a small market like OKC. They have one GREAT employee, in pro audio, and one incredibly obnoxious one. Pretty average retail chain, if you ask me.
Now, the Raleigh, NC store? Never been there but dealt with them over the phone on some used stuff. The three or four people I talked to were WONDERFUL- the girl in accessories, one of the managers, and the guys in the warehouse. They shipped super quick, too. Great experience.
What would I like? Maybe just some pride and ownership by the employees.
Our store is just sort of "meh". My biggest complaint is that it's sort of dirty and in disrepair. The outside is awful looking and the inside isn't much better. They just don't take good care of anything, instruments and otherwise. The selection is pretty poor but I expect that in a small market like OKC. They have one GREAT employee, in pro audio, and one incredibly obnoxious one. Pretty average retail chain, if you ask me.
Now, the Raleigh, NC store? Never been there but dealt with them over the phone on some used stuff. The three or four people I talked to were WONDERFUL- the girl in accessories, one of the managers, and the guys in the warehouse. They shipped super quick, too. Great experience.
What would I like? Maybe just some pride and ownership by the employees.
It's a sales numbers game. If you aren't 'performing' then you're not long for the store.
And, most 'decent' places to work for don't have a employee revolving door turnaround like GC.
They are the K-Mart of musical instrument stores, never seem to have ANY of the amps that I'm interested in trying out, even though they are supposed to be the place to go to if you want to check out some amps...
GC in Arlington Heights, IL last time I was there had a TON of Mark Bass stuff and Acoustic amps along with a few Ampeg cabs and a bunch of beat up used gear that I wouldn't even want to touch.
No SVT heads, no GK Fusion 550's not much else either. Just a bunch of low to mid priced crap. And millions of Ernie Ball Music Man Stingrays and Fender Jazz Basses with the strings so high off the warped necks you'd need a clamp over your hand to help fret notes.
It's always the same scene in GC. Twenty something indie punks with the Green Day hairdoos, tattoos and piercings, know-it-all cocky 'salespeople' that have no answers when the questions get the slightest bit technical.
And then there are those stupid over the top commercials on the radio...."MUSICIANS!!" .......yeah, musicians. I go into GC on any given day, especially a Saturday afternoon and don't hear much music, just a bunch of kids trying to impress their buddies, other customers, and the staff with their blistering guitar 'solos' all day long and a selection of Metallica riffs.
Uggggghhhh!
Get me out of here...all I want is some strings!!
In my situation, its the exact opposite. My favorite Mom & Pop doesn't have employees that work on commission, and they're intelligent, friendly, and perfectly happy to help you out.
The difference is that they don't badger you as soon as you enter the door... you're allowed to do your own thing, and to me that's one of the best things about the place.
EDIT:
Also, I think one of the things that hits the staff hard (at least in my experience), as well as the clientele, is the idea of music as competition. There's a very set way of doing things for many GC associates, and the other methods of making music are blasphemy. For example, I was once told that running six pedals was too many, because it would muddy my tone up. I'd never seen that associate at one of my gigs, I'd never met him before, and I'd never played him my music. At yet my board was destined to muddy up my sound.
Remove commission and offer higher pay. "The Container Store" has a good retail compensation model.
Lot's of businesses suffer by using commission based incentives:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2004/05/01/368246/index.htm
I have 4 GCs within a 20 mile radius of where I live. From what I've experienced, they're all pretty decent. I do wish they offered a better variety of strings. After several months of belly-aching on my part, the Southfield, Michigan store has FINALLY started stocking 5-string sets of DR Black Beauties. They've had 4s for a while, but just started getting 5s. I bought a set, just to put my money where my mouth is.
I would like to see GC establish a string club where Prefered Card holders can get strings at a discount. If you keep us coming in to buy strings, you'll sell more of the big ticket items.
I also liked the Prefered Customer invitation only pre-sale events. Bought a Marcus Miller at one of these and a Bongo 5 at another. HAven't seen those in a while. Need to bring those back.
I would like to see GC establish a string club where Prefered Card holders can get strings at a discount. If you keep us coming in to buy strings, you'll sell more of the big ticket items.
I also liked the Prefered Customer invitation only pre-sale events. Bought a Marcus Miller at one of these and a Bongo 5 at another. HAven't seen those in a while. Need to bring those back.
Yes, but Toby Keith shops there. There has to be something to that, right ? Right ?
