NeoConMan Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Went to the Best Buy in Tempe, Arizona today to check out their MI Department. (That's what their nametags say on them in the Musical Instrument department...) Gear was clean and neatly displayed. Kids working there had plenty of enthusiasm to make up for their lack of knowledge. Prices are OUT OF SIGHT!!! Seriously, I think they have everything tagged at MSRP. Fender American Strat is $1400. Deluxe Strat is $1600 Hot Rod DeVille amp I played thru is $1000 Blues Junior amp is $600 - double what I paid for mine! LP Traditional I played was $2800 Okay, the bad news. The HRD I wanted to plug into would not power up. One of the kids was climbing behind displays to trouble shoot, I recommended plugging in anyway to see if the power indicator light bulb was simply burned out. Turns out the amp worked fine - the light came on later..... I wanted to crank up the Traditional and a Taylor solidbody with mini humbuckers to compare, so they sent me to a demo room with a bunch of big amps stacked in there - all but one were solid state. Grrrrrrrr...... Plugged into a Bogner Alchemist head - it lights up but does not work. Another kid finds that it needs a cord to plug the head into the 4x12 cabinet it was sitting on. No, duh..... Both guitars were substantially out of tune but otherwise in excellent shape, outside of the grimey fingerprints. All the Gibsons are hanging on foam rubber, I pointed out the finish blistering on the headstock of the Traditional. The kid said he will mention it to the management team coming in tomorrow. I told him to push for white cotton of some sort. He was telling me everything he knew about the vulnerable Gibson finishes (didn't take long to see he was clueless) and how they react with other materials inside cases and it makes them crack, split and chequer... Hey, he means well and at least shows concern for his merchandise. One issue I have with the whole damned place is their emphasis (resulting from expensive demographic research) on solid state amps, modeling amps, effects, gadgetry and cheapo guitars. They look good, but they really suck. Beginners are indeed their target audience. Overall, it was what I expected from Best Buy. Well done, professionally set up, clean, well-lit, and staffed with eager employees. Not bad... Considering the sorry state of affairs inside all four Phoenix area Guitar Centers, I think BB can smoke 'em even with the stupid high prices and amateur staff. At least all the merchandise at Best Buy worked with minimal fuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Neo..this is coming from my heart man...shut up. Also my Best Buy doesnt sell guitars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 Care to expand on that comment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 What do you want for stop metioning GC in every topic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSG_Standard Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Kids today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 What do you want for stop metioning GC in every topic? Do you play the harmonica ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamienAzrael Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 They've got some nice gear at the Best Buy's with MI departments....The only problem is the one by my house has a few idiot salesmen...but it could be worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 What do you want for stop metioning GC in every topic? WHY would you defend that company? Here's what I want.... I want YOU to buy enough stock in the parent company to gain controlling interest. Bain Capital is it? Mitt Romney could fill you in on the details, give him a call. Once you CONTROL the company, make the necessary changes to pick them up from the stinking, slimey gutter of the guitar business and operate like they should - all the while making a profit for shareholders. You could start by telling everybody here how much money, in total, you and your folks have spent at Guitar Center. We'll try to figure out if that's enough for you to corner the guitar biz and get GC by the tail..... .... or you could just click elsewhere..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Do you play the harmonica ? ...I own one but i just fool around with it...why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 There's a bit of innuendo involved.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckledzepplin Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Kids today... +1000 I am embarrased by my generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 ...I own one but i just fool around with it...why? Do you like peanut butter and jelly ? And a glass of milk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 Dem00n, do you like gladiator movies? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Do you like peanut butter and jelly ? And a glass of milk? Not in the mood axe...tommrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Hand Grenade Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Stores that usually display MSRP prices are usually suckers for negotiating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Not in the mood axe...tommrow. I'll be busy tomorrow. scroggin and sloshin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Monday good for you axe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamienAzrael Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Honestly though....I don't mind Guitar Center....The sales guy I work with at the one here down in Hallandale, FL is really good...Actually knows his **** and gives me good deals...But that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackHawk233 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Dem00n' date=' do you like gladiator movies?:-) [/quote'] Hahahaha, you would... Love airplane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Hand Grenade Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Although this was cool to have... I got one that says i am a bikini inspector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 I was contacted by the Geek Sqd and offered a Special Agents position. Its funny I was the lead tech for the Geek Sqd for the entire state. The program went belly up except for some large markets and they got rid of most of us hired by the program. The way they got rid of me was illegal and I took them to court. They settled out of court and I got this I love a success story!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Considering the sorry state of affairs inside all four Phoenix area Guitar Centers' date=' I think BB can smoke 'em even with the stupid high prices and amateur staff. At least all the merchandise at Best Buy worked with minimal fuss. [/quote'] You know the sadest part? (well, sad for GC at least) Best Buy has been on the musical instrument business for what? A couple of years? And they already are better at it than GC that has been around forever. I guess it's now up to BB to decide wether they will become another GC type of store or a good store. They got time to improve and the kids working there will get wiser as time passes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Best Buy sells guitars? What the ----? The BB's we have around Pittsburgh aren't doing that yet. There's something weird about being able to buy a Les Paul and a Maytag refrigerator in the same place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mick Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 All Eye've ever seen at BB were Gibson Maestro's and Finder Starcasters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 The selection at the one in Tempe was not as large as most Guitar Centers, but is indeed nicer. There are several Gibsons and Taylors along with American Fenders, and even the imported stuff was decent. The only place GC has 'em beat is truly high end Custom Shop instruments and such. Problem is, GC lets those guitars get beat up and damages the nitro finish on foam hangers. I don't know how many Best Buy stores there are in the Phoenix area, but there are several. Only two brand new stores are doing musical instruments though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.