daveinspain Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Well here I am in Boston again so I take my usual trip to GC to see what they got... Looking around I see an ES 175 hanging on the wall with the used guitars... Been after one for years. Ask for them to take it down off the wall for a look. Played ok, nice guitar but kept going out of tune.., I said what's up with is guitar, it keeps going out of tune. Answer from sales man: It's a Gibson they all do that. :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 as many guitars as they move through there, they prolly don't file the nut, or lube it. if they even do any set up work at all before it goes on display. i don't know about that model, but many gibby's are supposed to be plek'd. not that that means much IRL. so far i haven't been to impressed withe the one on my LP. were the strings old and worn out? how fast did it go out of tune? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Well here I am in Boston again so I take my usual trip to GC to see what they got... Looking around I see an ES 175 hanging on the wall with the used guitars... Been after one for years. Ask for them to take it down off the wall for a look. Played ok, nice guitar but kept going out of tune.., I said what's up with is guitar, it keeps going out of tune. Answer from sales man: It's a Gibson they all do that. :blink: He should be a "former" salesman quickly. The caliber of people they hire at those places slays me. I have had to bite my lip many times when I hear people like that guy telling a potential customer all about an amp or guitar that is so off base and wrong that I want to interrupt them but I don't. I admit though on a couple occasions after the sales person walked away - I have approached the poor naive customer & told them hey - that guy flat out has no idea what he's talking about. Go home and get on the internet and do some research of your own. They were like - oh really - well okay then I will - thank you! I must be getting older - I just want to say stuff like "all you punks get off of my lawn"... heh heh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gibson Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvercrow Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 He should be a "former" salesman quickly. The caliber of people they hire at those places slays me. I have had to bite my lip many times when I hear people like that guy telling a potential customer all about an amp or guitar that is so off base and wrong that I want to interrupt them but I don't. I admit though on a couple occasions after the sales person walked away - I have approached the poor naive customer & told them hey - that guy flat out has no idea what he's talking about. Go home and get on the internet and do some research of your own. They were like - oh really - well okay then I will - thank you! I must be getting older - I just want to say stuff like "all you punks get off of my lawn"... heh heh AMEN! My last encounter included a G&L Tribue series ASAT...listed for $700.00 used! No special /signature model, etc. I asked to speak to the manager- he was not there. I told the salesguy that if he wanted to get some "points" with his manager he should point out that NEW Tributes sell for less than this one they are offering for $700.00 used. He, politely I my add, told he how wrong I was, that G&L was "owned by Fender" and that they were "high quality, hand made instruments.." They won't hire me part-time because I don't say "dude" at the end of each sentence... I AM getting old... Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_randy Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 He should be a "former" salesman quickly. The caliber of people they hire at those places slays me. I have had to bite my lip many times when I hear people like that guy telling a potential customer all about an amp or guitar that is so off base and wrong that I want to interrupt them but I don't. I admit though on a couple occasions after the sales person walked away - I have approached the poor naive customer & told them hey - that guy flat out has no idea what he's talking about. Go home and get on the internet and do some research of your own. They were like - oh really - well okay then I will - thank you! I must be getting older - I just want to say stuff like "all you punks get off of my lawn"... heh heh I agree fully. The staff the Guitar Centers near me are ALWAYS bottom of the barrel for knowledge, being helpful, and really pretty much lack any and every quality you would expect from a sales employee at a place like this. This seems to be all across the board with Guitar Center, from rookie employee to store manager. They all are this way at the Guitar Centers near me, every time I am there. I can't really even put into words the disgust feeling I get from the staff in those stores. When people tell stories about these stores, they are really not exaggerating or talking them down to any degree of inaccuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 My friend just bought a brand new 335 from GC and the damn thing won't stay in tune at all. He says he had the tech set it up but the tech clearly didn't touch the nut or just did a terrible job When I bought my Rickenbacker it wouldn't stay in tune at all either. I loved the neck and pickups so I bought it and told the tech to set it up. That store has a good tech. My guitar stays perfectly in tune now So cool story right? I guess I'm saying a good tech can make most guitars stay in tune just fine. But GC never seems to have a half decent tech.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Well, here's my story and I'm sticking to it. Most of the guys at GC are "string changers" at best, at least IMHO. I happen to have a very friendly and knowledgable guitar dept mgr at my local GC. Other than that, well, the application must go something like this: Got earrings? good Got Nosering: even better Got Both: Bonus points Tattoos: Woohoo (and I have tat's, so no flames please) Know anything about guitar? Not really Okay, you're hired. Long live your local luthier!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Dave, ~in the nicest possible way~ just buy that damn ES-175 already or otherwise Rocketman will beat you buying a Telecaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glp2012 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Oh, oh, even better...I call a Guitar Center and ask if they have a certain product in stock. They say yes. I ask for a visual. They say yes. I drive to the store and get there within 30 minutes and ask for the item. It can't be found. I say you told me you visually saw one in stock. The guy says...we must have sold it. Really? In the last 30 minutes since I called some cat walked in and bought an On Stage two tier keyboard stand for $150...I doubt it. Or, how about the guy that can't look up an item using the website item number because it's not the same number they use in the store... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I love being so close to the HOG. The owners send their salespeople to Gibson for training. They know everything. GC sales approach is not meant for the serious user. Look at their guitars. Most of them are less than $800. But then again if you take a job you should try to learn everything about it. I was a cook at Perkins when I was in college. I knew I wouldn't be a cook the rest of life but I did the best damn job of it while I was there. I remember when I was given a 15 cent-an-hour raise thinking it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'd be backing out the door slowly, backing my way thru the parking lot and getting back in the car backwards like it never happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm glad we don't have them here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I guess it all depends on who you get as a salesperson. I've met some really good ones at GC and some that are just complete dolts - both on the floor at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I guess it all depends on who you get as a salesperson. I've met some really good ones at GC and some that are just complete dolts - both on the floor at the same time. Exactly! I've got 3 within a reasonably close driving distance and 2 of them have bent over backwards to sell me guitars once they new I was a serious buyer. I think that's the store managers philosophy trickling down. Both of these stores discounted used merchandise to get me to bite. Something the store closest to me refuses to do, even though I know they're selling the guitar for twice what they paid. I know we all want the perfect store but retailers of that size are more about volume than personal customer service. If they didn't exist I wouldn't have been able to check out so many beautiful guitars before buying. I always do my research before going shopping and have corrected many a sales dude about a certain guitar and components. I never count on them being knowledgeable.....ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 The sales person has everything to do with your GC experience for sure. I used to love to go to GC Boston, I had a sales man I always used to deal with there. He was a player, new his stuff... Worked his way to sales manager but he got an offer from Staples and GC let him go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 The GC near me seems to be cyclical. There is a high turnover rate. I might go in there one day and the sales people are helpful and knowledgeable. The I go in 2 months later and it's a whole different staff. I've told the story before I know. When my buddy Ed bought that R7 you now see in my avatar. The only reason he bought it from GC was because the guitar was so nice it sold itself. The staff was zero help. A little earlier we tested out a beautiful Les Paul Custom in Cherry Burst. It had a $3500 price tag but the setup was awful. Certain frets wouldn't even produce a sound. When we pointed it out to the sales kid, he just shrugged and said "yeah Gibson send them from the factory like that" :blink: Well, even if I believed that, I would think someone might want to take 30 minutes to make it playable for the person who might spend $3500 to buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 They won't hire me part-time because I don't say "dude" at the end of each sentence... I AM getting old... Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 ... But GC never seems to have a half decent tech.. Indeed. I think of them as the Walmart of guitars. I would never let them do any actual tech work. I have bought guitars there because they have inventory and I live in a tiny town with nothing - but I always expect I will have to do a set up. That said, a factory fresh 175 shouldn't really need nut work, eh? Still, if you like it - buy it and take it to someone for a quality set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Indeed. I think of them as the Walmart of guitars. I would never let them do any actual tech work. I have bought guitars there because they have inventory and I live in a tiny town with nothing - but I always expect I will have to do a set up. That said, a factory fresh 175 shouldn't really need nut work, eh? Still, if you like it - buy it and take it to someone for a quality set up. The nut on many new Gibsons seems to be the most ignored build aspect at the factory now days. My 2013 lightburst LP was a great guitar that became an awesome player once the nut was corrected. And your right it shouldn't be that way. Especially for that kinda moolah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar God Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Never been to Guitar Center, so I don't have any Guitar Center stories or experiences there. The closest one to me is an hour and a half - two hours away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny V Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 IMO, one needs to be an educated buyer no matter where you go. I have visited the local GS enough times to know what sales people know their product and are reputable. There are a few. Kenny V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I went to GC in Asheville, NC yesterday and it was pretty good. It only had one electric Gibson, a Les Paul Traditional, on the wall. It had three or four Gibson acoustics. The stock was pretty new - I think it's a new store - but pretty thin. I checked out an Epiphone ES-175 and a returned Godin 5th Avenue and they were decent. The Godin was kind of a brick but sounded o.k. thru an amp. The 175 was pretty nice! The sales guy was really nice and backed off when I mentioned I had a 335. I bought a bottle of Virtuoso polish. One and a half thumbs up. - [thumbup]/2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I really hate liking GC but here's my problem: When I go to say, Rockin Robin, which is a local independent store...the people there sort of ignore me after they say, "wellcome to R&R". They act like it is a burden to assist me. I know part of it is the "look at this chick guitar player, ew." I mean, there is some sexism there. They are stuck up and their prices are higher on standard goods like strings and such, which is why I just friggin' hate that place, though they have really cool old guitars and will price match. Fullers is WAY more professional but they have no used items or vintage or odd stuff. Vanilla. I would sooner go to GC for strings just because the guys there do not care if I play or not and because I MAY find something cool on a rack. Some staff members know nothing about the products they sell, but I'd rather have a nice dude who just says, "wow, you know more about it than me," than some jerk who is not even trying to assist me rolling his eyes because he gets to work at a guitar shop. Also, the return policy is BOSS with GC. I don't do it often but the comfort of it makes me prefer them over any other store. I can research stuff on my own, and frankly, long as its not damaged or flawed...research be damned, we fall for the thing itself no matter what we hear or read. Just ring me up fast and be nice, that's all I ask Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I'll take GC over our local independents as they're just weirder than sh*t. One place has items that belong to the owner and aren't for sale (but all the Chinese stuff is), one place has tag team salespeople that hover over you like vultures just waiting for you to keel over so they can lift your wallet (that's the place that had a Les Paul advertised for $500,000 or something like that) and the other place feels like I've wandered into a Baptist Summer Camp and am about to have a tract shoved in my hand. They're nice enough but all the Martins are from Mexico and the rest is from China. At least in GC they ask me what I want, I tell them and then they leave me to my own devices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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