Biff Velvet Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Today I went to the local big box retailer, I was looking to buy a vox valvetronix 30 watt amp (to get rid of my Line 6 Spider III...mentioned in a thread I made a lil while back.) First I ask one guy casually hanging out in the corner if they have any...his response "whatevers there man" Ive worked retail for about 2 and a half years (it sucks btw lol), his response either tells me he's new, or he doesnt care at all. So I look for a second guy. He actually takes the time to look it up on the computer, it says they have one in. However, after some looking around, he couldnt find it. Fair enough, I know sometimes that retail inventory systems in large stores can be inaccurate. When I ask for some help looking for a alternative, he tells me about the fender blues amp (I forget the name) Which of course is twice the price. Now I'm aware that its a very good amp, but Im pretty new to this stuff, and after a bit of homework, the vox is what I wanted. I ask for another option...and he then disappears. I made it painfully obvious I was there to drop money. Fine. Since Im here with some friends, why not try out a few guitars. I've been mulling over getting the new-ish 84 Gibson Explorer reissue, I'd inquired about it previously about a week ago, and got a vague answer, so I decided to try my luck with the fellow at the counter...he types it in. Then he proceeds to tell me that theyre not in the system, not listed yada-yada. "theyre new so it usually takes a couple of weeks, then we get some in" was my answer. Too bad these came out in late 07. At this point I felt like a fool, so I just had to get outta there. I only go to this place because the financing plans make it a cinch to buy things, besides that...Im no longer a big fan...sometimes things just dont seem right there. Another place about 20 - 25 mins away is a mid-sized shop. The guys there are the same guys that pretty much told me Epiphone was "poo" when I was looking for my first guitar, on top of that theyre generally not too sincere unless you walk in there with a armani suit. The place in a local mall has terrible selection, and BRUTAL prices. One guy once tried to sell me a Roland Cube 30 Watt for 300 dollars. "Best he could do" was 200 plus tax. Nice. The last place Ill mention is a little bit outta my area, but seems like its run by some pretty nice guys. However selection is limited and I dont have the financing options readily available. Oh and once a guy tried to sell me a Explorer blem. I asked whats wrong with it and he said that its been refretted back at the Gibson factory...oh and the neck isnt straight. (Is that still okay to sell? Im serious in asking that btw) All in all, I apologize for my rant. However Im sick and tired of feeling awkward, feeling like a fool and feeling like a piece of meat with some money in my pocket. I had to let go of some pent up frusteration. lol thanks for reading this epic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockin_Dude Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Ya well ,that is an ongoing problem . Just got off the phone with one of my friends that live there..Like free said i was right ,he came over into michigan and spent a day ..Looking in the phone book and found a couple shops .he got what he wanted took he a couple weekends of coming over the bridge till he found what he wanted...He said it was worth the trip ..I hope he comes down over the weekend soon ,his trun this time i was up in december for a stay .seven hours drive from here ,good times for sure ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokestack Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 No need to apologise. I think a lot of folks will identify with your thoughts and feelings. There are plenty of folks in this industry who do care...but far too many who don't :^( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Wha?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockin_Dude Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I agree with you Smoke for sure, Better to find a mom and pops store to deal with ...A lot of people that work in the big box stores Don`t seem to care ,no service for sure...or it`s just a paycheck to them .. or a job .who cares ..:- , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Velvet Posted February 21, 2008 Author Share Posted February 21, 2008 Unfortunately that leaves me with little to deal with....sigh. I feel dumb giving the big box store my money but...it is what it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I always: 1) Do my research on the Internet first - but do not buy there 2) Go the the local "mom & pop" music store, and if they have it and if the price is reasonably close to what I can get on the 'net (remembering to factor shipping charges in the 'net price), I'll buy it there. I won't expect my local store to match the price, as I know that they don't buy in the volume the big box or 'net stores do -- I figure the little bit more that I pay at the local store is for the personalized service they give me. 2a) I always buy the consumable items (strings, reeds, straps, picks, tubes, etc.) at the local store, because I know that is their day-to-day business, and I want them to be there when I need them. 2b) BTW: There is another local store that I will not do business with because they do not give good service and I've had a couple of bad experiences with them. 3) If the local music store does not have and cannot get what I want (in my town, that means Gibson/Epiphone), I will go to either a "big box" store or the Internet. ------ Get to know the owner(s) of the local store. If they are good business-people, they will go out of their way to please you and keep you as a customer. If a clerk is rude or uncaring to you, let the owner know. Don't rant, don't demand, but simply lay the facts out there and let the owner decide what to do. If we want to have a good local store that is part of the community, we have to support that local store. If we go to MF or GC first, the local store and the extra services it provides may not be there when we need it. If we don't involve ourselves in the local store and let the owners know how they are doing, we can't expect them to respond to our needs. I realize it takes more than one person, so we have to educate our fellow musicians. On the other hand, if all you want is price (which I understand is important - I make musician's wages), then shop the Wal-Marts of the music world. But IMHO there is a balance between price and service. If you have a good local store, the few extra dollars you spend on your gear is paid back to you in service. Of course, in some communities there are no good music stores anymore. It is hard to compete with the Wal-Marts of the world. If the local musicians have already abandoned your local store, chances are there won't be anything to replace it :-( Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangbang Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I am lucky....I live in Metro Detroit and there are lots of good shops around with some very helpful people. My guitar Tech is well known for his work but a bit expensive and very busy. He has aved me from wasting money on mods. Better off spending it on new guitars,amps,stomp boxes,ect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvyellow Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I gave up on that "big box Canadian store with the financing." BRUTAL service and the ownership group doesn't care, they told me they "know their competition" = they know they can get away with substandard service and damaged goods sold as new. Email the higher ups at that company, let them know of their "service." Maybe if they hear from enough of us they'll change...BTW, I get everything (strings etc) at the place down the road from me, that way they'll be here when I need more gear tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewie Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I am probably the luckiest guy around. I live in the Niagara area and can get to several good ma and pa stores in less than an hour. But of all of them I deal only with one. I get excellent pricing and service is next to none. I ususally check the Big Box (We all know you are talking about LMQ) for prices and several of the other stores just to get a feel for them. Then I try to get into a store that has the guitar in stock and try her out. Then I go to my local shop and get the best price, with a free set up and amazing service. I pay with a credit card and don't have to worry about financing. I just today got an email about a Gibson Les Paul in Fireburst, that I ordered a couple of weeks ago. It has come in and my tech is setting her up with D'Addrio strings for me. I know it will be perfectly set for me because he does all my guitars exactly the way I like! Oh yea the price. 1099 plus tax. I will pick it up tomorrow and if there is one flaw in it I won't take it and he will order me another one. Biff drop me an email and I will give you the name of the store. It is a little out of your area but I guantee you will love the prices and the people. If they don't have it they will order it. And they won't give you any bullshit due dates. They are a Custom Shop dealer, Gibson dealer and a Fulltone dealer as well. It isn't a huge store but they do a ton of business. Depending on where you live in TO it is probably and hour and a bit from T0 all highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer2525 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I have the same problem with the big box place in my area. Either the sales people act like they don't give a crap or they try to sell you something you don't want. I agree with Notes. I go to the mom and pop place where I first took lessons about 25 years ago. After telling the owner what a terrible experience I had at the box, he said that if I needed anything to talk to him and if he doesn't carry it he will try his best to get it for me somehow. And after chatting with him for awhile turns out he knew my dad. My pops used to play piano and bought all his sheet music there. I wish you luck in finding a decent shop Biff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Till maybe 6 or 8 months ago, the local "mom & pop" shop in my area was the way to go. Their core sales people are now gone (IDK if they left because of the shifted attitude toward customer service, of whether customer service went to Hell because they left). These new jack-offs are too busy trying to impress the customers with their off-key jam/tuning sessions to actually help a customer, and if they grace you with their attention at all, they're rude, snide and condescending. Sorry, I'm not gonna be talked down to by some hack who was toddling around with a load in his drawers while I was out playing for a living 20 years ago. They've seen the last dime they're ever gonna see from me. Thankfully, I established a decent rapport with one of the guys at GC (who became their store manager about 3 years ago) when I moved to this area in '01. If I go in & I don't see him, I'll ask for him. If he's not there, I'll ask them to let Andy know I stopped by and he'll call with-in the next day or two to see what I need. Isn't that the kind of service we used to expect from the "mom & pop" places? Ironic that I'm getting it from our local Guitar Center instead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry1281734007 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I've dealt with both large box outlets and small stores in my area and agree that it's important to support the small enterprises as much as possible. However, I have had good experiences with our local big box store (L&MQ). If you go into these stores on a regular basis you get to which of the staff are really interested in helping you. After that, look for those sales people whenever you're shopping for something. I've found they're usually pretty objective about the stock they carry. Sometimes the small stores are more motivated to sell what they've got on hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 My current affliction was to be checking out the wood in the new Gibson LP clear finished swamp ash. Young man, maybe half my age (probably less), asks to help - no thanks, just looking. No I don't want to try it. No, I don't want to buy it. No...yes, maybe you can help me. I want to buy a piece of wood that looks like this, but without the guitar attached. Ah, I don't think I can help with that. Oh, good! and it only took 4 or 5 tries. Well, you don't have to be rude, I was only trying to help! Thank you, I was just looking; now I'm just leaving. Time before I wanted to buy a set of strings and had to ask 3 different salespeople before one of the would take the time to ring them up. The place is a joke. I expect to find the orange giraffe and "Toys R Us" sign everytime I go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper1281734000 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Notes Norton summed it up for you. Go to the mom and pop shops. If they don't have it, or need a wide variety of things to compare, got to big stores, then go to the local store. The prices are a little higher, but the service is worth the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I buy what I can from the local dealers. Some of them do most of their business with the local school system and the other stuff is just icing on the cake. There's a Peavy, Fender, and Martin dealer who carries a good mix of amps, guitars, and pa stuff. They do a lot of Church PA installation. They will match the big box dealers on price. I just bought an SM-57 mike there for $95 and tax to mike my Vox AD50VT. There's also a Vox dealer about 25 miles south who does a lot of local business and matches prices. The rest of the music dealers are dance and music teaching stores who carry a few instruments but not a lot of choice. One carries chinese knockoffs you never heard of and his big deal is an advertisement that says, "Electric guitar $50". You know what he sells. His guitars have 3/8" action at the 12th fret. I've been to 2 of the 5 Atlanta GC locations and have been satisfied with the service and product availability. When I say "Just looking" they point me in the right direction and let me play around with whatever. They will float through and ask me if I need anything and give me a name to ask for when I'm ready to buy. If I ask for help, I get it. But then, I live in the South where people are a little more friendly than some areas of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewie Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Hey Biff I went today and picked up my Les Paul in Fireburst. All I can say is Wow. It was set up perfectly and looks amazing. I told my tech you might be contacting him. If you called before noon today he spends Friday mornings in his inner sanctum doing set ups and repairs and won't take phone calls. Again I am amzed by the service and the price. I hope you have the same experience that I have with them. BTW what are you looking to buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Velvet Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 I was looking to pick up a new amp, and was looking into the gibson explorer reissue in my dp, or maybe a flying V. This might be a couple of months from now however, Im thankful for your help and will most likely make a nice trip to niagara when the time comes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewie Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 If I were you I would keep an eye out for the Canadian dollar. The current prices are a direct result of the dollar at par. In the last two months I have purchased a 65 Deluxe Reverb, two Strats and the Gibson. I think I have saved about 500 bucks over the old prices. Check out my new Gibby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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