Interesting Article on Guitar Center

[onewilyfool]

Is this the swan song for GC?

 

http://www.ericgarland.co/2013/11/26/guitar-center-big-box-retail/

Read commentaries below article…very interesting!

[Pittgibson45]

Very interesting article, even more interesting comments. It seems like no matter what type of business it is, if all the company cares

about is the stock price, then it is a slippery slope to closing the doors for good. Not that the stock price isn't important, but it should grow

because you have a reputation of being a great place to buy something, not because you squeeze out a few extra dollars by sneaking

a charge past someone for a case that should be part of the deal or getting rid of great employees that know what they are doing to

pay someone else a little less. Unfortunately GC and the music instrument industry is/are not the only ones going through this. Every

stock holder wants their money for nothing--isn't that the mind set that started the recession and popped the housing market bubble?

Seems like the opposite mind set of where music comes from.

[Danner]

I hate walking into a Guitar Center. It's always a complete bummer for me. Especially getting frisked on my way out the door. There is nothing I like about the place.

 

Frankly, I just order the stuff on-line from Musiciansfriend (sister co.), Sweetwater, etc. Then, wait for the Wells Fargo Wagon to come be A Coming Down the Street.

[Pittgibson45]

I like to try em at GC and buy em somewhere else. I know for some people there is no somewhere else. It is nice to be able to try and compare a D 28, a J 45 and a 314 in one place.

[BigKahune]

.

I've bought some gear at GC and a couple of guitars - very carefully, in person, at a brick and mortar. I have the same sentiments as the author of the article. I've been into three different GCs - the majority of the sales people aren't very knowledgeable. But one of the places had a very knowledgeable manager. It's a good place to look at a large selection of electrics - acoustics is another story. I won't miss it if it goes. I much prefer places like my hometown shop Elderly, and a couple of the online places I buy from: Fullers and Wildwood.

 

 

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[Boyd]

That article is 6 months old. There's a more recent discussion of Guitar Center in this thread: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/110512-guitar-centers-woes/

[MissouriPicker]

I hope GC is around for a long time. Where else are you going to find so many guitars to compare and play? Certainly not at your local "mom & pop" store, if there is one. And where else are you going to play top end Taylors, Martins, and Gibsons? Not too many places around to do that. The smaller stores are very rare around here and they're not coming back. The few that do exist have a very limited inventory.....I have no axe to grind with GC and I've never been searched when leaving GC and I've been in GC stores many, many times. I think that's a ridiculous and/or greatly exaggerated statement. Besides,if someone doesn't like going to GC, then the logical and intelligent thing to do is not go there......GC is not perfect. Not in any way, shape, or form, but they do provide a place to buy musical instruments that you can actually play before you buy. The employees are a "hit and miss" quality. Same as employees anywhere else. Some give-a-damn, some don't. I find it amazing how people who hate GC continue to go there.......Whatever happens, there will still be places to buy guitars. Maybe not local, but you will still be able to get what you want.

[bluemoonofky]

I have never had anything but good experiences at Guitar Center.

 

I travel with my job and have been going to big box retailers for years.

 

Hated to see MARS go out of business years ago, but I still like going to GC and Sam Ash when in other cities.

[GuitarLight]

Long live Guitar Center.

[fortyearspickn]

All this was hashed out here ad nauseum - when the article first came out. As noted by Boyd above. Let's move on. The only thing worse than a Zombie thread is a Déjà Vu one.

[MissouriPicker]

What's the problem with something being rehashed? Some people may not have seen the original thread, may now have a different opinion, or maybe they just like discussing it again. I don't see the problem....How many times have we rehashed j45s, J200s, Hummingbirds, pickups, and everything else? We can't ban something just because one or two of us don't like it....or can we?

[fortyearspickn]

Sorry MP, I was traveling today and didn't have the time to provide a cogent, insightful, and fully developed comment.

My point, simply, was that a lot of members have already put a lot of time and thought into this topic. The back and forth discussion, analysis and conclusions occurred six months ago. To ignore them is insulting and de-motivating. I'm only suggesting that, after a new thread is posted, if it is a re-hash and labelled as such, that those who didn't read the first thread, go read it before they start posting what they think are original thoughts. But, if there are new insights to be offered, certainly they should Move Forward with those. So far, I don't see anything that qualifies as new, or adding to the discussion.

The catalyst here- an article written by a blog writer who may have had an agenda - is being offered here as "news" . An honest mistake. But you seem to feel that Sisyphus should be happy to keep rolling that rock up the hill, every time the gods roll it down on him. I think most folks weary of reading the same things over and over.

Your I suggestion that I was calling for a ban is also an honest mistake.

[modoc_333]

much more recent news:

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-guitar-center-completes-debt-swap-with-ares-management-20140403,0,3327446.story#axzz2zrf0H4vM

[MissouriPicker]

fortyears, there's not a problem......... My point is that its not a big deal to discuss something again, or even "again." Literally every subject on this forum has been discussed before. "I got a new hummingbird," "I got a J35," "What kind of electronics are in Gibsons?" Nothing much new in any of those discussion, but I like communicating with the people in them. If it's something I'm not interested in, I just move-on. It's not a big thing...... Communicating with each other is what keeps a forum alive. Say you or me buy a new J35 and we want to talk about the things we are impressed with. Should we just not bring the topic up because it's been discussed several times before? The adage "beating a dead horse" has been around for a long, long time, because that's what humans do. They talk about things that interest them. As far as agendas go, everyone has one. That's life. I don't see much either pro or con regarding GC in this thread. Anything new? I don't know and don't care. It's likely "new" to someone. We've already got whiners who don't like "this" thread, don't want "that" thread...lol...Kind of like high school. How many J200 pics have we seen? Anything new? Personally, I've see a lot of them and they all look similar, but I enjoy them, and more important is that the posters and obviously others enjoy them. What should we do each time a J35 thread starts-up? Give them a link and tell them it's already been discussed. ........And if you don't want to ban or move what some may consider "general information" or "nothing new" somewhere else, what do you want to do with it? I'm not being sarcastic. I just want to know what we do with people who enjoy discussing a topic. And who is being insulted? You're joking, right? And if some people have a particular angst against a particular poster, they need to grow-up.

[Paul E]

Well said Missouri Picker.

[vacamartin]

"but I enjoy them, and more important is that the posters and obviously others enjoy them"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amen!

[BobF_]

I hope GC is around for a long time. Where else are you going to find so many guitars to compare and play? Certainly not at your local "mom & pop" store, if there is one. And where else are you going to play top end Taylors, Martins, and Gibsons? Not too many places around to do that. The smaller stores are very rare around here and they're not coming back. The few that do exist have a very limited inventory.....I have no axe to grind with GC and I've never been searched when leaving GC and I've been in GC stores many, many times. I think that's a ridiculous and/or greatly exaggerated statement. Besides,if someone doesn't like going to GC, then the logical and intelligent thing to do is not go there......GC is not perfect. Not in any way, shape, or form, but they do provide a place to buy musical instruments that you can actually play before you buy. The employees are a "hit and miss" quality. Same as employees anywhere else. Some give-a-damn, some don't. I find it amazing how people who hate GC continue to go there.......Whatever happens, there will still be places to buy guitars. Maybe not local, but you will still be able to get what you want.

 

The only thing I would add to this excellent post is that my overall experiences with GC has been very positive. And when I try stuff out somewhere, I buy there if what they carry is what I've decided on. I think the whole idea of using retail as showrooms for online purchases is unethical at best ... and certainly very short-sighted. Not any better to use one retail as a showroom for another either.

 

I support my quasi-local shop (80 mile RT) when they can provide what I'm looking for, sometimes at a premium. It has to make sense, but I do what I can to keep them in business.