RBSinTo Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) On 9/24/2021 at 10:28 AM, Whitefang said: I recall sometime in the late '90's there was a huge ad in my paper for a place called "Mars Music". I went to check 'em out. Seemed a nice place. But a few years later I learned of a new place opened up in some other town called "Guitar Center" so I went to check THEM out, and it was the same-set up as Mars. You know, the wall of guitars, the separate rooms for acoustics, etc. I began to wonder whom stole that idea from whom. And as I was just browsing, I couldn't say if the prices at one were lower than the other or just the same. And that Mars location is long gone. Whitefang Whitefang, Perhaps Mars and Guitar Center used that set-up to display their instruments because it is both an efficient use of their space and an effective marketing tool. As an aside, many years ago in another life I managed two large Shopping Malls here in Toronto. A company that sold televisions took space and wanted a blue wall near the store front to display them against, because the screens look best against a blue wall. The mall owner disliked blue, and at first refused to allow me to approve the architectural plans, because of the retailer's colour choice. After verifying that virtually all T.V. retailers displayed their merchandise against blue walls, my boss consented. My point is, retailers use what works best for them, and the layout you describe was likely not one that one "stole" from the other, but merely a large store industry standard. Here in Toronto, Cosmo Music, one of the city's very finest music stores uses the layout you describe for their guitar store, because they have both the breadth of inventory and the space to do so, while The Twelfth Fret, a physically much smaller store, and a high-end string instrument only retailer does not. RBSinTo Edited October 2, 2021 by RBSinTo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Toronto, eh? (no pun intent) BEAUTIFUL city. Visited there with the family in '84(MY "previous life" ). LOVED it. I still have framed 8X10 photos I took at night from the CN tower. And being a long time fan of the movie "The Silent Partner", visiting the Eaton Centre mall was a treat too. Whitefang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Whitefang said: Toronto, eh? (no pun intent) BEAUTIFUL city. Visited there with the family in '84(MY "previous life" ). LOVED it. I still have framed 8X10 photos I took at night from the CN tower. And being a long time fan of the movie "The Silent Partner", visiting the Eaton Centre mall was a treat too. Whitefang Whitefang, Yes, Toronto is indeed a beautiful city, although our greatest problem these days is our red-hot real estate market that has no home regardless of size or condition selling for under $1,000,000.00, and getting more expensive monthly. Just so you know, Sgt. Pepper keeps threatening to visit, share dumplings in Chinatown, and play my D-28. Perhaps you and he can arrange to come up here together, so I only have to alert the authorities once. Whatcha think? RBSinTo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 On 9/22/2021 at 4:26 PM, MissouriPicker said: My local GC (about a mile from here) has evolved into something with literally no resemblance at all to what it was around 17-18 years ago. From knowledgeable sales folks, they now have teeny—boppers or “cool” people who don’t know their *** from a hole in the ground. I’ll get strings there when they’re on sale, but I won’t spend big dollars there anymore. I have no confidence in the in-store employees and definitely don’t need a “gear advisor.” My local GC had a used acoustic 12 string I was looking at. I picked it up but good night it was all out of tune, then they told me.... C tuning, and badly at that . One of the employees there told me another employee screwed with the tuning because there were "some songs he was playing the other day". Guy offered to tune it so I waited while he "attempted" to put humpty dumpty back together. Five minutes later and it was still wasn't in tune. I left them with the guitar, they asked me to wait just a little more but I'd had enough. Had they just left it alone I might have bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 12 hours ago, Nifty said: My local GC had a used acoustic 12 string I was looking at. I picked it up but good night it was all out of tune, then they told me.... C tuning, and badly at that . One of the employees there told me another employee screwed with the tuning because there were "some songs he was playing the other day". Guy offered to tune it so I waited while he "attempted" to put humpty dumpty back together. Five minutes later and it was still wasn't in tune. I left them with the guitar, they asked me to wait just a little more but I'd had enough. Had they just left it alone I might have bought it. What kind of Guitar was it? It’s not that hard to tune a 12 string? Especially if you're using a Tuner? How would they know it was in C Tuning if they don’t know how to Tune a Guitar? Maybe you could’ve told them it had something wrong with it & if the deal was right you’d buy it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtim Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 (edited) Well I do know they will work with you for sure on price. I bought a brand new 2018 American profession strat from them and they took a nice discount off price on it. I called in advanced and asked what they had and then said I will be there in a couple of hours. When I asked what the best price I could get it for out the door, it came to 1354.00 tax in. It was listed at 1499.99 I bought it. Edited October 28, 2021 by bigtim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 I recall back in 2011 when I saw the San Jose GC advertise a Hummingbird Custom Koa guitar, I was in Southern California. I called them about the guitar....told them I was interested, and could get there the following week...but ONLY if they took it off the wall, put it in the case and not let anyone play it, (customers). They agreed..... I went there the following week and bought it. On a side note, the guitar was so green when I got it, I was only hoping it would 'age into' a good sounding axe....and after 10 years, I have to say it's un-feckin'-believable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 22 hours ago, bigtim said: Well I do know they will work with you for sure on price. I bought a brand new 2018 American profession strat from them and they took a nice discount off price on it. I called in advanced and asked what they had and then said I will be there in a couple of hours. When I asked what the best price I could get it for out the door, it came to 1354.00 tax in. It was listed at 1499.99 I bought it. This is common. I look at GC like a car dealership. There is MSRP, then what they can/will sell it for. I got a good deal on a LP Classic. Friend picked up a Studio with a decent discount. I always try local first though. We had some nice music stores around until GC showed up, then some of them closed up. The "internet" didn't help either. One store became mostly a repair shop. He' still in business and carrys used instruments but the selection is sparse. The other store doesn't carry much guitar inventory any more, mostly horns, and band instruments. I got my first LP from them decades ago. But they're no longer a Gibson dealer and their inventory is a third of what it once was. The manager has vented more than once about the box store down the street(referring to GC) getting first shot at anything that comes out. Its really a shame cause it was a fantastic store for musicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtim Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 I do not have a problem with HC because, the mom and pop ships are hardly around where I love anymore. We have one music store and I do support him but buying string and such but, the population here doesn't support the finer guitars and is geared toward beginners. They focus mostly on lessons anyway. So to me checking out GC from time to time isn't a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 I've done a lot of business with GC and embraced them after having to deal with my rip-off local shop when during the times before GC came to my neck of the woods. Aside from all the "issues" with GC, they are a great place to get gear. But as always, YMMV. I just don't get into having to support the local shop just "because"... If they suck, they suck... There's a reason all those local shops that used to be around yesterday aren't around today. Good business goes where it's welcomed. Places like GC are the reason I can get good gear conveniently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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