Disappointing...

[DJB08]

Guitar Center kind of disgusts me at times...well, it would be all the time if they weren't offering so many sweet discounts these days...(ie. the awesome pres. day sale in which i was able to get my dot. the $50 off anything $350+. 15% off online purchases - they have some deals)

 

And the area that I'm speaking of mainly comes down to instrument maintinence. quality control?

Please GUITAR Center. please please please start giving a **** about guitars!!!

 

I went in to try out some Fender amps in case I decide to sell my Twin.

So i try out the DeVille(I think - either way, nice amp, not my Twin)

What did I plug in to it? The closest thing they had to my Dot. A beautiful Ebony Sheraton 2.

 

What a clean guitar! What excellent work..dialed in just right(for my taste) and it was singing!

But, wait..What's this? the Bridge PUPs tone + the Neck Volume AND Tone controls(pots) were basically as lose as you could get them w/o pulling them out of the hole...

 

I was going to say something after I was done my test run but, a salesman, yes, a salesman, actually came up to me.

"Pretty, sweet sound ya' got comin' outta there.."

"Yes, it's nice but you might want to take a look at these controls in case you have some one who is seriously interested in this great guitar.See this..." and i wiggle the controls in their place..

"Weekend kids I guess"

And he walks away.

 

It's unfortunate.

I won't get started on the Acoustic Room.

[Stevie Nazarenie]

in engalnd you would have been insulted and thrown out the shop!

[TWANG]

You know I *****ed about the acoustic room in a couple of forums. at my GC.

and the next time I went in there almost all the crap was gone.

CoinkyDink I'm sure, but they do seem to change from time to time.

Overall though..

last guitar I bought at GC had ALL loose screws.. even the tuner bushings were loose..

sure it was used but how long does a freakin screwdriver test take?

 

Those guys are too busy polishing things or whatever..

 

 

TWANG

[z-clay]

I buy from GC and usually have to make adjustments on what I buy. I actually prefer that they dont mess with it.

[RotcanX]

Guitar Center is kind of like the Walmart of music stores. What do you expect?

[duane v]

I've had great experiences at the Pasadena and Hollywood GC's...... Great service and prices.

[charlie brown]

I've had great experiences at the Pasadena and Hollywood GC's...... Great service and prices.

 

Yeah' date=' when I lived in LA...Hollywood, Pasadena, and Sherman Oaks GC's were all pretty good! Never really had

a complaint, with them. Other's, in the area...were another thing, altogether! So, I think a lot of it depends on

the manager, and his "team." How well they're picked, trained, and motivated. Just because it's a "Big Box" store,

doesn't have to mean it's a nightmare! Although, I concede, [i']some[/i] of them truly are!

 

CB

[davidg3333]

I pointed out to someone at GC that some of the lamps in the high end acoustic room room were making some of the instruments very warm - the necks were hot to the touch. He was conscientious enough to take me at my word and start adjusting them. They were pointed at some pricey acoustics.

[midiman56]

I have no major beef with GC. They are what they are and they get a pretty good amount of business from me. As a result, I sort of get treated like a king if any of the regular full-timers are around. The thing is, any guitar in the place is there to be pulled off the wall and played. As a result, they get a little banged up ... especially if they've been there a while. THAT's why the higher priced guitars require a ladder to get to them ... some form of control is better than none, I guess!

 

If you see one there you like, either negotiate $$$'s off for ever scratch, dent or issue ... or make them order a new one for you at the store price.

 

Jim

[brianh]

I agree that they are what they are but, that you can't treat an experience at any one store the same as at another. It all depends on who you get, what their slaes and technical experience level is, whether they've burned out yet, and what they had for breakfast. I worked electronics retail for many years, and believe me, you get so sick of the same ol' 4 walls, customer know it alls, and price "biters" (as we used to call them), that you often eventually become apathetic, arrogant, or shell-shocked. Having paid my dues on the sales floor, and seen every imaginable kind of sales/customer interaction, there is, I tend to give those guys a break if at all possible.

 

Back in the day, it was mandatory to work Saturday from 9 to 9, and we had to get there at 8 for a "pep talk" and stay after to tidy up the store. So it was easily a 14 hour shift. Then we had to work every other Sunday, 10 to 5 so another 9 hours, not to mention whatever 12-hour days during the week the manager assigned to us. On top of that we had to attend off-site sales seminars and meet our sales targets. It basically consumed our lives and left precious little time to play, so as you can imagine, we were often working those 14 hour days hung over, sick, on 3 hours sleep, or all of the above.

 

That doesn't mean that I don't negotiate on price when I'm in those places, I just try to do it without being obnoxius. I remember incredible deals we used to give the customers we liked, the ones who treated us with respect and didn't act like know it all jerks. Some of my clients included Rick Ocasek, Pat Metheny and J. Geils. Those guys got super-star treatment not just because of who they were, but also how incredibly nice they were to us. J. Geils used to bring beer in at closing time, and we would let him (and whatever model girlfriend he brought along) in after the doors were locked. And there were hundreds of others that got similar treatment because they were just so damn pleasant to deal with.

 

So next time you're in a store, try to be nice to your salesperson, you might be surprised how much you stand out from everybody else. That doesn't mean you have to endure insults or being ignored. The easiest and most profound way to deal with that is to vote with your feet. It's not like we don't have a million choices of where to buy stuff these days.

[wardog]

my goal with purchases from gc is to see if they have others in the back still in the box. i try to get one that has not been put to work on the floor. So, Far this has worked for me.

 

i will say that the gc's i go to in the detroit metro areas do a great job of protection and maintenance of there inventory.

[Lord Summerisle]

I gave up on GC some time ago, although I do periodically browse in there, as there is one close by.

 

I like to use Mom & Pop stores, you never know what you might find! I always go to my local music store for picks and strings etc. The owner is an excellent repair man too...My Hagstrom came from a local Mom & Pop store...I know GC sell Hagstroms online, but I have never seen one in their stores...

 

But when I buy new gear these days 9 times out of 10 it comes from Sweetwater. Great service, the guitar or amp you receive will always be immaculate (and it's nice to be able to look at the actual guitar you will be buying online before you buy it, rather than just looking at a generic picture).

[Dave]

Just like the old saying, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar", it's the same in the guitar world. I try to stop in from time to time, buy some strings and chat, but not too long. These guys have other work to do and often don't have time to sit and chat.

 

I try to buy where I can touch, feel, and play. I've only bought one guitar mail order; that was my '56 Goldtop reissue that came in the crushed box from GC. I've told this story before, but the box looked like someone sat on it and the foam inside the Epi box was in pieces. I think UPS slid it into the truck and it hit something that stopped it suddenly (the wall, maybe?). Luckily, the guitar was pristine and not hurt in any way. I expected the headstock to be broken off.

 

Guitar Center is attractive because they have such a huge selection. It's a shame that you pick up one to try and it frequently has rusty strings that are way too high off the fretboard. I know it's expensive to change strings on 200 guitars, but sometimes you have to maintain the stock.

[DJB08]

What everyone said is true. And i totally agree.

TWANG mentioned acoustic rooms and so did someone else...

There was a point when basically all the higher end acoustics had strings that were totally rusted.

I mean, c'mon!

 

But, the Wal-Mart of music stores is a good way to put it.

I just had to vent quickly before I went to the kitchen to make coffee for today

[brianh]

I try to buy where I can touch' date=' feel, and play. I've only bought one guitar mail order; that was my '56 Goldtop reissue that came in the crushed box from GC. I've told this story before, but the box looked like someone sat on it and the foam inside the Epi box was in pieces. I think UPS slid it into the truck and it hit something that stopped it suddenly (the wall, maybe?). Luckily, the guitar was pristine and not hurt in any way. I expected the headstock to be broken off. [/quote']

I wish these mail-order places had an option to use FedEx instead of UPS. My UPS guy leaves everything in the driveway propped up against the garage door because he's too lazy to walk and extra 20 steps to put it on my covered porch. That's where I found my Riviera P93 on Monday. Sheesh.

[LesBonfire]

As you can see from the tag I'm from Toronto, up here in Canada there isn't Guitar Center there is Longe n McQuades. It's basically the same deal tho, they have all kinds of guitars. They own the Gibson distributor in Canada and they have a bunch of twats runnin' their joints haha. I've never bought a guitar from them, just accessories but I find that they are way to snuffish there. I did however pick up a Gibson Les Paul Studio a couple weeks back in Buffalo during the US memorial day sale for half the price of what we'd pay up here. $740 US after tax! They are $1500 after tax up here...the guys in there weren't too bad and I got my Gibby fresh outta the box! Personally I stick with the guitar shop down the street from me...oddly enough named "The Guitar Shop"...really nice guys in there and a really fast tech who gigs locally and knows his stuff. I only use the bigger places to check out the wide variety...then get the smaller shop to order what I want. Keep the money in the pockets of those who need it...

[sledge57]

Well in GCs defense, to the original poster, I bought my Sheraton II at a small well, respected shop and I had the same issues. It's more an Epi thing I think.

 

I have 3 Epi's (not many compared to some of you) and everyone came with loose electronics and only one of them came from GC for what it's worth.

[scottsgh]

if you want to hear something really funny, go to you yube, and type in, "fu#k guitar center. i can't remember the guys name , nice peter maybe? he's great, he does another one called 50$ is a *****. but the guitar center one will kill anyone who's ever dealt with them, you will be going, god thats so true!

[theDeuce]

maybe you should post on the forum at guitarcentersucks.com

[lpfan]

I like to support the local shops too. Screw GC! The only thing they are good for is that it gives you an easier opportunity to check out more gear. I also use Craigslist ALOT.