GC visit today...

[rct]

I don't know about yours, but ours is looking slim. Much much empty floor, like every department cut down on inventory again. You can't sell empty floor space, and that's just overhead you can't recover.

 

One American Paul Reed, one SE. ONE EACH. In a Guitar Center???

Probably more than 25 sub 200 dollar electric guitars. I have nothing against sub 200 dollar guitars, I am not a snob at all. But I am reminded greatly of the last year or so of Mars Music. Six(6) 99 dollar Squiers, another dozen 99 dollar Epiphones. A few Yankee Fenders and a half a dozen Gibsons. Half the amps are gone, literally. Keyboards cleaned out to the walls, one Roland. One Roland? In a GC? Most of the acoustics thinned out, down to a few Gibsons, maybe half a dozen American Martins.

 

Nuts I tell you, just nuts. I don't know how they can go on.

 

rct

[brad1]

Mine's the opposite. I live in Sacramento, CA. The place is packed. There is hardly enough floor space to walk around, and the walls are covered.

I have never seen so many used guitars and amps there.

[Izzy]

They just opened another one in the Heights (downtown-ish)...they're doing just fine down here.

[rct]

Hi Izzy! Haven't seen you in awhile, hope you are well!

 

rct

[rocketman]

Yeah I noticed that too in our GC. The number of high-end guitars has gone way down. Their business model seems to be more for the low-end user, so I can't blame them. For me I have the famous HOG an hour away so I don't mind much about GC.

[Riffster]

The two GCs here seem to be doing fine, then again this is Nashville.

[glp2012]

I just went to the Grand Opening of the Guitar Center in Westlake Village, CA. It was packed and people were buying guitars and other items. There are now at least five Guitar Center's within 45 miles of my location. That doesn't seem too bad to me...

[4Hayden]

Think they're closing stores that didn't do well

 

4H

[Frances50]

A GC recently opened here in Columbia, South Carolina. It seems to be doing well so far. Not a lot of high end guitars but they offer lessons, workshops and other unique ideas that the local mom and pop shops don't offer. I signed up for lessons and so far I like my instructor. Time will tell how successful it will be.

[Markini]

The Lawndale (CA) store seems to be doing ok, but RCTs observation on the PRS models is the same, its scant, though they do have a couple of $4,000 plus PRS high up the walls by the manager's office.

 

But yes overall they are pushing the $99 and $199 models.

 

Used to be better service there, just paying for an item can turn into a long wait. They always seem to have computer problems. But overall it looks like this store is doing ok.

 

 

 

[splake]

Was in G.C last night. Wifey run to do the normal B.S. errands and I head to G.C. I was the only guy in the place. Four employees roaming around like sheep. I sat in the Acoustic room and played the 64 Texan resissue and I had the whoooole place to my self. For all the bad rap G.C gets, nice to have a place to go when life gets heavy. I always try to leave with something, Elixers, picks, capo,. something.

 

Lots of empty racks in the Acoustic room here also. Hope it is not signs of things go come.

[Dennis G]

Think they're closing stores that didn't do well

 

4H

I signed up some time ago for their once in a while surveys. The most recent was a list of several stores, in several states, and had I ever been to one or more of them. My answer was no, so that was all I got to do, but I'd have to agree with 4H, it was probably a hit list of potential sites not cutting the mustard so to speak.

 

I shop (now and then) in the Fountain Valley, CA store, and it seems to be doing okay, although I've not been there in probably 3 4 months.

 

I'm pretty much done with buying "stuff" other than the necessities (strings, etc.) and if I can get what I need online, delivered to my door, well...

[fromnabulax]

I had a little time to kill yesterday and figured I would drop into one near Buffalo New York. I haven't been in a GC in about 5 years or so, and thought I would check out the latest.

 

The store itself looked fairly new. It was very clean on the outside with no hint of the bottom line financial troubles the company has been dealing with as of late.

 

I walked in and sure enough, it was Guitar Center. Bad 70s and 80s music being pumped as loudly as any Ozzfest or Van Halen PA ever. Not great lighting, claustrophobic displays, and maybe three salespeople looming over each customer speaking as hip as they possibly could.

 

I saw rows of midrange Gibsons, Fenders, PRS and Ibanez electrics, as well as a ton of Squiers. The Squiers were placed at eye level, but all the Epiphone's appeared to be as close to the ceiling and as far out of reach as was possible, making the reading of their neck tags impossible. At one point I wasn't sure which Epi 339 I was looking at and asked a sales jockey if he could read it, but it was too far away for him too.

 

The acoustics room had pretty much the same brands as the electrics represented, only instead of PRS it was all Taylors and a very small number of lower priced Martins. I honestly didn't know Taylor was making so many lower end guitars these days...

 

Two thing I noticed that surprised me. All, and I mean all of the stock looked quite dirty, pawed over heavily, and none of the stuff seemed to be set up at all, let alone set up well.

 

The other thing was the difference between their online prices and their floor stock. It was as if a customer was supposed to negotiate them down to their online pricing.

 

I have been thinking about a new Fender amp and went shopping while I was there. They had maybe 7 models total, and none were priced nicely.

 

I honestly can't imagine this place getting any less friendly to customers, and I felt very happy that I was no longer a kid and knew my around so that these hawks couldn't get their talons in me.

[LPguitarman]

My local GC is still packed with equipment. In fact, my son just bought a Blackstar HT 60 2x12 amp last week. Waiting for delivery. And before that we both played a 60's reissue Les Paul. It was sweet, but too expensive for my blood.

[RevDavidLee]

I haven't been to my local guitar center in awhile now but stopped in their yesterday because I saw via their website that they had a used Durham Electronics Crazy Horse Fuzz for sale (which I bought). I noticed immediately that their inventory had easily been cut in half from the last time I was there. I actually asked the salesman where all the inventory had gone (this guy was new from the last time I was there). He said what do you mean? I said I've been here several times over the years before you were hired and I notice that a great deal of your inventory is no longer here... his response was then - well it's all over at our warehouse so if we need something it's close by. I then said well I would think it would be difficult to sell a guitar or amp that's not here - most players I know want hands on to touch or try out something while they're here in the store rather than waiting for you guys to leave and go get something and bring it back from the warehouse. Her then said well we need to keep track of our inventory too - which made no sense at all. I mean what - you can't keep track of inventory in the store but you can if it's somewhere else?

 

I'm not suggesting anything ominous here but I will tell you that my observations were simply this - the salesman seemed prepped to answer the questions I had with specific answers whether they made sense or not & did the best he could to tow the company line with his responses. I understand that - it's his job and he's trying to keep it. Understood. But the fact is that over half or possibly more of the gear that used to be on the floor was gone. They have decidedly cut down what's being stocked in the store by a very noticeable amount.

 

Just my two cents worth to add to this discussion. Jeez it's 2a.m. I gotta crash. See ya!