coolcarl Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I wandered into Best Buy in Beaverton Oregon the other day an when I didn't pay attention to how far I had walked into the store, I came upon a whole wall of guitars (Mostly Epiphone Fender and Gibson!!) They had sound proof display rooms and everything. I had no idea that they have secured a dealership. Their prices are competitive with Guitar Center and other music stores. I don't work for Best Buy or anything, I was just excited to be GASing over new Epis while my wife was obliviously shopping for DVD's. She rarely lets me into or near any music stores! I was wondering if thats just here in Oregon or have they done this in other areas. They had Keyboards too (real ones like Yamaha MotiF XS8's) and some nice amps among other things. A very nice surprise...don't tell your wife...LOL! This is no Dis to the mom and pop music stores which I also love. But it is a nice convenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emetry Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Yeah, Best Buy has been moving to become an instuments retailer for a while now. This only spells good things for all of us, since that means Guitar Center won't control purchase/sale prices of all instruments anymore. FINALLY a competitor with them with a comprable buying power! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I think he made a good point about the wife, too. Whenever I want to go to the music stores, it's a hassle no matter who I'm going with who's not a player.. but best buy. everyone has something to look at and time to kill in there. TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 On the plus side, you're more likely to talk to a salesman who knows a little bit about what they're selling at best buy than at guitar center... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Best Buy is "testing" in-house music stores in several of its locations ... the majority, it seems, in California and in Minnesota (where the corporate HQ is located). Additionally, they sell musical instruments and related gear on their web site. It's simple enough: As more and more of their typical products, TV's, computers, media, video games, and appliances are being sold at lower prices by WalMart, they are looking for new profit centers to go into. There is fairly good mark-up on musical instruments. Certainly better than computers which is virtually non-existent. So it makes sense. Thier prices are NOT discounted below what you'd find at a Guitar Center, Musicians Friend or similar retailer. I've heard from friends in California that the service/product knowledge in the stores is on a par with what you'd find in a Guitar Center as well. That's about the size of it ... just another place to check if you're looking to buy something. No major drama either way. I guess this takes the whole "Mom and Pop Store vs The Big Box" argument to a whole new level, huh? MIDI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 On the plus side' date=' you're more likely to talk to a salesman who knows a little bit about what they're selling at best buy than at guitar center...[/quote'] The last time I purchased an instrument from GC was back in the 80's and it was a good experience. We have three GC's in a 100 mile radius of each other. I strolled in on both of them lately and the sales personnel have always been helpful, and were never hesitant to pull a guitar down from the wall and let me play. I don't expect them to be all knowing, but I do appreciate how I was treated. So far no complaints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Yeah, unfortunately that's not necessarily chain-wide. I can't count the number of times I've been told "I'll have to check, hold on" followed by "it's not available that way" only to go home and find what I was asking about online, generally on musician's friend, which might as well be guitarcenter.com... Granted, most of them are friendly, but a large percentage are less than what I would call "qualified". I've literally had the following conversation in gc: Me: "do you work in guitars?" Salesguy: "yeah, what can I help you with?" Me: can you explain how the controls on this robot guitar work?" Salesguy: "I think it tunes itself. I'm not sure, I'm a drummer." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Me: "do you work in guitars?" Salesguy: "yeah' date=' what can I help you with?" Me: can you explain how the controls on this robot guitar work?" Salesguy: "I think it tunes itself. I'm not sure, I'm a drummer."[/quote'] LOL!!! friggin drummers I glimpsed at one of those Robot SG, but they were asking $$$$ ..... I find myself playing the faded cherry and faded brown gibby SG's both times at GC.... The price of $749 is very tempting, and if I walk into GC a third time, I may come home with one8-[ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 LOL!!! friggin drummers I glimpsed at one of those Robot SG' date=' but they were asking $$$$ ..... I find myself playing the faded cherry and faded brown gibby SG's both times at GC.... The price of $749 is very tempting, and if I walk into GC a third time, I may come home with one8-[ [/quote'] Unfortunately, I am not a fan of the faded series. The only thing I do like about them are the headstock and the price... They just feel cheap to me. And this is from a guy who uses a fake Gibson as a main guitar, oh, the irony! No, my current case of GAS is more serious... I have my heart set on a desertburst Gibby LP Traditional, price tag roughly $2100 before tax. That's gonna hurt. But, at least I won't have to spend as much on upgrades as I do on the guitar, like my fakes, LOL! I should really see a shrink, I think I have a problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Unfortunately' date=' I am not a fan of the faded series. The only thing I do like about them are the headstock and the price... They just feel cheap to me. And this is from a guy who uses a fake Gibson as a main guitar, oh, the irony! No, my current case of GAS is more serious... I have my heart set on a desertburst Gibby LP Traditional, price tag roughly $2100 before tax. That's gonna hurt. But, at least I won't have to spend as much on upgrades as I do on the guitar, like my fakes, LOL! I should really see a shrink, I think I have a problem... [/quote'] really:-k ... To me it feels somewhat like my 74, and it sure is a whole lot prettier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Generation Zero...Forgive my curiosity, but I notice, by your amp list, that you have 4x12 slant/straight cabs X 2...meaning 4 4x12 cabs? And 2 100 watt heads? Where do you play??? That's a lot of "loud!" LOL! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larkin38 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Is this Best Buy`s hedge. Going into the musical instrument business as a means to try to stop their slide into filing for bankruptcy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Generation Zero...Forgive my curiosity' date=' but I notice, by your amp list, that you have 4x12 slant/straight cabs X 2...meaning 4 4x12 cabs?And 2 100 watt heads? Where do you play??? That's a lot of "loud!" LOL! CB[/quote'] Yes, it is quite a bit of loud, much to the chagrin of my neighbors, LOL... I generally run just the Mesa, pushing both cabs. It is loud, but not too loud, really. It's more for widening up the tone. You'd be surprised how much fuller an amp sounds through 8 speakers than 4, even at lower wattage and volume. Eventually, I want to push one cabinet with the Mesa at 50 watts, and the other one with the Peavey, dialed somewhere about halfway between the 5 watt class A setting and the 100 watt A/B setting. (The Windsor has a knob to select between the two modes, so you can blend the properties of both. I imagine that plays hell on the tubes, but it sounds great, LOL!) The Windsor is a really sweet amp for 400 bucks. It's not quite as nice as a Marshall, but for under a third of the price, it's close enough for my tastes, especially running in tandem with the Mesa. My only issue is figuring out how to get past a grounding issue when running both heads simultaneously, and also what to do about clean tones. The Mesa cleans up really nicely with a volume pedal, even on the high gain channel. The Windsor, not so much. I still need to tweak it a bit, I'm sure it will once I have time to dial it in right. Sure, it's overkill in the small bars we play, but it looks and sounds great! My other guitarist has a pair of Marshall 1960A cabs and a 60 watt Marshall head pushing them, so we're both way overdoing it, LOL. We forced our bass player to buy a second cabinet just so he could be heard... :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 OK...you're "one of Those!" LOL! (Just kidding) I play bars, too..but I get hassled about my "Blue Junior" being "Too Loud!" I do, however, understand the bottom end fullness of closed backed cabinets, 1 or 2, at a time. There was a time, in my "misspent youth," that I used a 200watt Marshall Major (AKA "The Pig") and 2 "tall boy" 4x12 Marshall cabinets. A girl"friend," at the time, and her family were sitting on the porch, of their farm house (10 miles away from where we were playing), and she told me every song we played, in the correct order, the next morning. LOL! So, I know about "loud and full!" But, nowadays, I rarely get to do that! But, it's cool...if/when you can get away with it! ;>) I was just curious...that's all. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custer Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I gota agree with duane v, I'm fan of the faded finishes also. I like the way they look and feel. My next major purchase will probaby be a gibby faded sg cherry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I too, have a "Faded" LP double cutaway (TV Yellow), that's quite toneful! That finish looks good, on certain guitars, but it's not (usually) my first choice. However...I'm not that crazy about really "wet" looking gloss finishes, either...at least not on guitars! Now, on Cars...sure! I like guitar finishes that are like some of the Gibson "VOS" versions, where they look like they were ONCE Glossy, but have aged to a nice, almost semi-gloss finish. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 shwoooo8-[ ..... I feel better, I thought the low price was influencing me to make it better than it was.... thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 OK...you're "one of Those!" LOL! (Just kidding) I play bars' date=' too..but I get hassled about my "Blue Junior" being "Too Loud!" I do, however, understand the bottom end fullness of closed backed cabinets, 1 or 2, at a time. There was a time, in my "misspent youth," that I used a 200watt Marshall Major (AKA "The Pig") and 2 "tall boy" 4x12 Marshall cabinets. A girl"friend," at the time, and her family were sitting on the porch, of their farm house (10 miles away from where we were playing), and she told me every song we played, in the correct order, the next morning. LOL! So, I know about "loud and full!" But, nowadays, I rarely get to do that! But, it's cool...if/when you can get away with it! ;>) I was just curious...that's all. CB[/quote'] Oh yeah, I'm PROUDLY "one of those", LOL! I'm the guy who refuses to stack the two cabinets, too. If they won't fit side by side, I only use one. When we play our "home" club, we both have our cabs side by side, so the bass player has to put his cabinets in front of the drum riser, on their side, LOL! I don't claim to have much skill per se, but I do have the one thing you CAN buy, a killer tone! I've at least got ok rhythm chops, and I've got a lead player on the other side of the stage, so I just hold my own with a huge wall of aweome tone behind me.... And I'm humble about it, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordy01 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Yeah' date=' Best Buy has been moving to become an instuments retailer for a while now. This only spells good things for all of us, since that means Guitar Center won't control purchase/sale prices of all instruments anymore. FINALLY a competitor with them with a comprable buying power![/quote'] For me and my Canadian brothers (and sisters) Future Shop is now stocking guitars. For everyone else not from Canada, Future Shop and Best Buy are sister companies here in Canada. Owned by the same group. I walked in to a Future Shop store in south Edmonton, and there they were. A whole wall of guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Nelson Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 really:-k ... To me it feels somewhat like my 74' date=' and it sure is a whole lot prettier[/quote'] Geee, you've got a '74 SG too? What'd you pay for that at the time, about twelve hundred? C'mon man, let's see some photos...don't be shy... Mr.Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floydpink7 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 For me and my Canadian brothers (and sisters) Future Shop is now stocking guitars.. So far I've seen Washburn' date=' Schecter and a bunch of other small brands being sold here in Canada. No Epiphones though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvyelwhiteflag Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Long and McQuade, a big chain up here in the frozen north, own the rights to and distribute Epiphone. I can't see them allowing Future Shop to take sales away from their stores...because you know it would :0) Wonder if they'll get F##der stuff in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 No' date=' my current case of GAS is more serious... I have my heart set on a desertburst Gibby LP Traditional, price tag roughly $2100 before tax. That's gonna hurt. But, at least I won't have to spend as much on upgrades as I do on the guitar, like my fakes, LOL! I should really see a shrink, I think I have a problem... [/quote'] They had sold the Desertburst one I was GASing over, but they had one in Iced Tea with a gorgeous flame in the top... In another $1600 some odd dollars, she'll be mine. I set the shrink appointment for the middle of next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Generation Zero: If you are young enough to still have good hearing, invest in a set of musician's sonic earplugs!! Now! Seriously, I wish I had done that when I was playing a 200 watt Peavy with 4x12s. Now that I'm old my hearing is suffering from a loss of highs. Back then, no one sold a solution that still let the tone come through. You'll wish one day that you had not stood in front of that "wall of sound" unprotected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Generation Zero: If you are young enough to still have good hearing' date=' invest in a set of musician's sonic earplugs!! Now! Seriously, I wish I had done that when I was playing a 200 watt Peavy with 4x12s. Now that I'm old my hearing is suffering from a loss of highs. Back then, no one sold a solution that still let the tone come through. You'll wish one day that you had not stood in front of that "wall of sound" unprotected. [/quote'] ya know I played some pretty big venues and rehearsed at full volume 2-3x a week back when I played rock and my hearing is fine (though my wife might beg to differ). I used two Mesa Boogie Mark II b amps with two full stacks and ran a Laney half stack for my semi clean sound, and I used this set-up playing small places like the Roxy and Gazzarri's.... I went down memory lane when my old band mate posted a couple of vids of our band in 1983 or 84 on youtube at Gazzarris... friggin hilarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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