What would YOU like from Guitar Center?

[Bevo1995]

I wish they would tell that guy to turn down.

Seriously, all you need to do is go to Strait Music in Austin and you'll love GC after that. Yeah, it's a "mom and pop" but the staff are all 'holes.

 

[vbasscustom]

i want them to stock vintage basses, at the prices they originally retailed at in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

 

[4001]

My question is will GC corporate actually see any of this?

Sure, copy the thread and e-mail it directly to them.

 

[Big chicken]

i want them to stock vintage basses, at the prices they originally retailed at in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

dont we all

 

[stratovani]

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!

One more thing I forgot to add. I absolutely detest it when they ask me for my name when I'm cashing out when all I've bought is a package of picks or something cheap like that. GC, if I buy something worth big bucks then I'll tell you who I am. Otherwise it's none of your g-d business. Get it?

 

[Kevan Campbell]

I would love to see a better selection of upper-end basses and bass amps, but I understand that there's no sense in having Fodera, F Bass, Epifani and Aguilar gear in stores where market research shows that the average bass sale is around a MIM Fender to upper level Ibanez, or on a good day an Ampeg SVT rig. So far the only bass related gear I've bought from GC is a used Carvin LB75 and a Crown XLS 602 power amp. However, my guitar purchases are a clearance PRS Custom 24 10 Top, a used Mesa Heartbreaker combo, a Fender AVRI '62 Strat, and pretty much all of my pedals/pedalboard (around $2200 over 3 years). It's not a matter of any ill will towards GC, just that I didn't find the gear or deal that I wanted and went elsewhere. I guess it's called Guitar Center for a reason, bassists don't seem to be the primary demographic to GC corporate, more an afterthought.

I actually prefer that the sales staff leave me alone beyond "Hi" and let me look around on my own, and while living near/visiting the Dallas GC, Oklahoma City GC, and now all Chicago GC's, I've only had a couple instances of obnoxious sales staff badgering me. At the risk of sounding immodest or something, I think that most of the staff seem to like nice customers who are polite and return to the same salesperson for repeat business while getting to know them as a human being, not just a salesman. The isolation rooms are a great idea, as is bringing back the ability to haggle on deals, especially used gear...I love me some used gear!!! Also, what if they hosted "Networking Night" every month or so for people to come and, you guessed it, network? $5 cover, pizza and soda, just hanging out and making some contacts?

Most of the staff I've run into have been polite, polite and as knowledgeable as can be expected for a chain store. I also replace the price cards under the strings, don't crank the amps past 2 or 3, treat everyone with respect and am gentle with the instruments I try while testing them out. No one there comes to my job and makes a mess, so I don't want to do the same to them.

All in all I like GC for what it is to me: a good place to pop into when you need stuff after other stores are closed, to try out newly released gear at your convenience, find the occasional awesome deal (thanks to the Used and Vintage part of the website) and occasionally a place to network and make contacts. I'd love to make my next bass purchase here, but that's not going to happen unless I find a Tobias Basic 5 Zebrawood like the one I'm looking at at a better price.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I really don't have a problem with Guitar Center.
Of course, I'm one of those 54 year old guys in khakis and a button-down shirt scanning for exotic or unusual stuff as mentioned in an earlier thread.

I don't expect GC to be any more or less than it is. MonkeyBass said it right, they carry a lot of cheap stuff because pound-for-pound, dollar for dollar, that stuff TURNS OVER much faster. Any retail establishment will eventually tailor it's inventory to the clientele that walks in... and trust me, they'll move a couple dozen Squiers or Ibby's for every Fodera on the wall.

Bitching because they don't carry high-end gear is looking at it from YOUR wants, not the needs of a business. If they sold more MarkBass than Behringer, there'd be more Markbass stuff in the store. They're tailoring the stock to the "hump" in the sales figures. There are simply more customers at the "wide & low" part of the bell curve.

Instruments not set up? Well, I'm sure that if the employees are as poorly-compensated as reported, they're certainly not motivated to pick up a truss rod wrench and start tweaking between customers. The fact that the Murietta GC has a tech in -house is amazing, and I'd bet the instruments there that get a little TLC sell better. Good move!

The thing about GC that a lot of youngsters forget (under 40, LOL) is that back in the old days, we DREAMED of having a big-box store with a little bit of everything where you could go see 50 to 100 instruments all in one place, new ones, old ones, accessories, everything. Guitar Center fulfilled that.

It's not perfect, and it's not tailored to us high-end afficionados, but GC reflects and serves their local market.

 

[thehangingmist]

i'd like to see GC in India

 

[251]

After seeing/reading some of the "What would you like from Gibson" thread, I wonder, with all the bashing of GC on this board(and nationwide), what would YOU like from Guitar Center?

Let's keep this constructive, i.e. no comments like "no idiots working there" "no guitars/drums/dj/lights/PAs/whatever"

Brands? Basses? Amps?

I'm just curious as to what some of you people would like GC to carry/do.

Personally, I'd love if they carried a few more brands than they do, and a better selection of amps IN STORES.... Spector, Hartke(i know they're owned by sam ash), Aguilar, Sadowsky(wishful thinking )

Moderators - could you keep an eye on this thread? I can see it becoming a total flame-fest, and I just want to see what people's thoughts are, OTHER THAN THE NEGATIVE. We've heard those enough already.

Thanks
Jeremy

Sound barriers so i can actually hear the bass I am auditioning over the other screaming guitars & basses.
Headphones for the people who think it is OK to test each amp until it clips.
A boutique bass room similar to the boutique guitar room. Doesn't a $5000 Ken Smith deserve the same respect as a Gibson 175, a Martin D40 or a $7000 Home Theater sound system? A quiet, comfortable room, meant for contemplating craftsmanship is a good sales tool. I audition boutique basses to know how they sound un-amplified & amplified flat. To do that now, I have to show up when the store opens on a weekday morning.
A rotating inventory of used boutique bases that visits the boutique room of each store for 3 months & moves on unless it is sold. Let me track them online using an individual item # to know when I can audition them, see if they're still available & maybe buy it later.
Trained bass technicians who can put the same standard set up on every bass in the store. Not the straightest neck possible. Not the lowest action possible. Say 0.015" relief at the 8th fret, 5/32" pick up spacing from the strings, buzz free string height + 1/32". OTH, I bought a clearance bass because the tech did not know how to correct a back bow with dual truss rods. Let's forget that last bit.

 

[TheBassPreacher]

A boutique bass room similar to the boutique guitar room. Doesn't a $5000 Ken Smith deserve the same respect as a Gibson 175, a Martin D40 or a $7000 Home Theater sound system? A quiet, comfortable room, meant for contemplating craftsmanship is a good sales tool. I audition boutique basses to know how they sound un-amplified & amplified flat. To do that now, I have to show up when the store opens on a weekday morning.

Actually one of the GCs here has a boutique bass room with the more expensive basses.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

One more thing I forgot to add. I absolutely detest it when they ask me for my name when I'm cashing out when all I've bought is a package of picks or something cheap like that. GC, if I buy something worth big bucks then I'll tell you who I am. Otherwise it's none of your g-d business. Get it?

You can always tell them "No"...

 

[phillipkregg]

Sure, copy the thread and e-mail it directly to them.

Unfortunately, seeing does not equal caring.

 

[phillipkregg]

Otherwise it's none of your g-d business. Get it?

Ha ha... this has nothing to do with anything - but I love your last sentence and the irony that you are in the Christian Praise and Worship club. LOL

 

[jwr]

A few things I would like to see at Guitar Center in Kansas City.

#1-better communication for people waiting on large purchases. I understand these guys get busy but I've been waiting for tracking info on a 2,600 bass for too long here and I'm starting to think I may not buy from them again (at least not a new bass).

#2-better selection in effects (the Best Buy behind Guitar Center usually seems to have a better selection than them. Kind of messed up if you ask me).

That's pretty much it. I like them otherwise.

 

[phillipkregg]

A boutique bass room similar to the boutique guitar room. Doesn't a $5000 Ken Smith deserve the same respect as a Gibson 175, a Martin D40 or a $7000 Home Theater sound system? A quiet, comfortable room, meant for contemplating craftsmanship is a good sales tool.

I agree with you...

But, if I'm gonna buy a boutique bass I'm gonna go to some place like The Low End or the Atlanta Bass Gallery.

 

[audiophile21]

More selection. All they have at the local guitar center is Fender, MusicMan and Ibanez with a few random basses thrown in. I'd also like to see some effect setups to test out like they do in the guitar section.

if you ask them, they'll set up effects for you... i had a field day at my local store making a poor employee set up all the effects i wanted, then walked away and didn't buy anything :]

 

[Staccato]

The tech's primary duties (if the store has one) are NOT to work down the rows of guitars/basses to tune 'em, adjust action & intonation on the inventory, or check 'em coming out of the box on the way to the wall.

IMHO, They are there (primarily) to perform repairs/work on customer's instruments that walk in the door, and charge them-according to a price sheet.

 

[lunarpollen]

Have all the gear set-up and ready to play. This includes, all the action on guitars and basses, keeping them in tune, and have cables at the amps to be used.

Oh yes, DEFINITELY the cables thing. The need to have at least one cable at every set of amps on display. I cannot tell you how many times I've been to my local GCs wanting to try out a few different amps and being unable to because there were no cables at all at any of those amp displays.

Also, although I understand how impossible it is to keep the entire guitar/bass inventory of such a store completely in tune and intonated, that doesn't mean there has to be gross negligence of the stock either. I hate going into a GC and finding an instrument on display that is completely unplayable (either defective or in need of MAJOR set up) after I had been in there once or three times previously over the past few weeks and showed them that the particular instrument was in need of desperate help. And for christsake, can't any of the instruments on display have pickup selector switch tips still attached???

And also, it would be nice if every so often a bass was strung with flatwounds, especially if it would be the most appropriate string choice for that particular bass.

 

[RonChase]

the key to the back door after hours

 

[LSquared]

I work about 0.5 miles from a GC (Fairview Hgts, IL). I've been over there 5-6 times, just a middle aged guy wandering around (usually on my lunch hour, in Khakis and button down shirt). I generally get completely ignored. But it's probably no worse than most big-box chain stores...

Seems like they have a pretty small bass selection, and mostly Fender. I've bought 5 guitars/basses over the last 2 years, none from GC. 2 from local non-chain shops, 1 from eBay, 1 from CL and 1 (pending, actually) from Talkbass classifieds.

Experience: I took my college age daughter to GC around Christmas, looking for a classical guitar. They had a nice looking one that was marked way down, till I picked it up and saw the rather dramatic crack up the back of the body. Not at all subtle, looked like it had been stepped on. It had no business being on the display floor. Seems like I hear a lot of similar stories.We bought elsewhere (from a non-chain). That's a huge No-No.

Suggestions??

I think some events would be great. Maybe an "Effects Weekend", for both guitar and bass... have an expert come in, spend 1/2 hr demoing various effects and their uses.... Repeat 2-3 times a day over a weekend. Let the folks experiment (and buy) in between sessions, but be sure and have stuff in stock!! Or maybe have a factory rep come in and talk about the various features of their instrumnents. Give me reasons to come in, let me see why I need to spend my cash.

On-site lessons could be a good thing, too. Heck, their might be a bunch of middle aged guys like me thrilled to spend lunch hour that way!