FirstMeasure Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 UGH! And if you go at the wrong time of day...that 3 hour trip can turn into 5 hours! Bumper to bumper can really ruin your day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I dare you to find a guitar that isn't in dropped D. and an amp that isn't maxed out!. it will take a second to tune it back to E standard. it will take a second to turn the volume and gain down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 it will take a second to tune it back to E standard. it will take a second to turn the volume and gain down. Now that you mention it, that seems to be a passing phase around here. Usually find the tube combos all warmed up with a really clean sound and and standard tunings. Last year was a different story, all dropped D or even C#. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvar Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 it will take a second to tune it back to E standard. it will take a second to turn the volume and gain down. Yes, I know that- but when you get 5 or 6 people blasting out,(the Saturday afternoon cacophony, if you will) all playing a different riff, it's pretty hard to tune anything. That's why I avoid GC on the weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 This may surprise some since I'm the grouchy old man, but the teens who actually know something about the guitar don't bother me nearly as much as the kids from toddler age up to the teens who know absolutely nothing about guitars but bang on them on the stands and go running through the aisles like some twilight zone zombie monsters. At least the teens who actually play something, obnoxious as it may be to some of us sometimes, aren't doing much worse than messing with an easily resolved tuning issue, making their own guitar moise and putting fingerprints and a little "wear" on guitars. They're also likely to eventually buy something not unlike old folks. The younger monsters should have parents forced to pay babysitting fees of $150 per 5 minutes of parental-unsupervised time in the store. And that may be too gentle a suggestion. I really don't understand it because I was taught not to touch anything when I was a munchkin. I doubt some of these kinds have been taught any self discipline so handcuffs and leg irons still wouldn't be enough protection for instruments. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 This is a practice done at all retail outlets. Macy's, Sears, Best Buy, etc. All are schooled to ask if you have one of their cards and the employee gets rewarded.(usually so much money per card sign up) As with any music store know what you're looking at and how much you're willing to pay. If they won't budge on price walk away. While playing a new custom classic les paul at my local GC I had to tell the 2 trained sales experts standing around me that the fretboards were baked maple on these beauties. After finally telling them to go look it up, one did and came back to say I was right. I know but it still irks me, I personally don't like credit cards one bit and with some of the horror stories of these "store credit cards" (GC included), I would rather avoid them completely. I keep a credit card from a major bank in the rare case a huge emergency comes up but I always try to keep a nice safety net in the bank for these events. No matter what, I have to drive 50 miles or more just to get to any kind of music store. As much as I'd like to support some local economy, I selfishly want a decent experience. I know what's going to happen at GC, I'm rollin' the dice and paying the price at a small place. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the questionable business practices you get from the High Desert and San Bernardino. Wild West Guitars in Riverside is a very nice store, but it's another 20 minutes down the road and back. That's 40 minute added to an already 3 hour round trip. I just want to get my strings and go home by then. I hear you there FM, the closest GC (in Overland Park/Kansas City area) is close to 2 hours from me. Although I hear great things about some of the shops in Wichita so I may go there instead. The only thing we have here is 1 small shop that carries strictly fenders and I usually go buy strings, slides, etc. from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretter Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 No matter what, I have to drive 50 miles or more just to get to any kind of music store. As much as I'd like to support some local economy, I selfishly want a decent experience. I know what's going to happen at GC, I'm rollin' the dice and paying the price at a small place. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the questionable business practices you get from the High Desert and San Bernardino. Wild West Guitars in Riverside is a very nice store, but it's another 20 minutes down the road and back. That's 40 minute added to an already 3 hour round trip. I just want to get my strings and go home by then. There really isn't much else to choose from around here(the Inland Empire.) The only mom and pops I know of don't have much of selection and no major brands to speak of. GC and Sam Ash are about the best choices locally, for me anyways. But my experience with them has been overall good. I just wish I didn't have to buy floor models. But there's a way around that, I see one at GC that I like, then I order it from them on-line. And if I don't like what I got, I can return it to the store I didn't buy it from. That's a good on them actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejay Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 My issues with the store is the employees but I have the same problem with fast food to you know? Just happens that my local one the staff knows nothing about the gear they carry, they often mis-speak, they have no idea what is in the ad, etc... I travel, so I will stop at GCs along my way... out of all the stores I have been to there were 2 that could actually help me and I was happy. They will give 60% of what an item sells for USED when they buy from you typically. I have only sold them gear when I didn't care that much to pursue on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 There really isn't much else to choose from around here(the Inland Empire.) The only mom and pops I know of don't have much of selection and no major brands to speak of. GC and Sam Ash are about the best choices locally, for me anyways. But my experience with them has been overall good. I just wish I didn't have to buy floor models. But there's a way around that, I see one at GC that I like, then I order it from them on-line. And if I don't like what I got, I can return it to the store I didn't buy it from. That's a good on them actually. Yep, that's how I do it, also. Unless I can tell it's just been put out on the floor I go on line after trying them on for size. Also, it's good to see someone from my neck of the woods on here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I know but it still irks me, I personally don't like credit cards one bit and with some of the horror stories of these "store credit cards" (GC included), I would rather avoid them completely. I keep a credit card from a major bank in the rare case a huge emergency comes up but I always try to keep a nice safety net in the bank for these events. Yanno Jeff, the ONLY store credit card I ever use is the GC card. I like it 'cause they don't charge interest for one year. I would NEVER let a charge go on for more than a few months, so I never pay any extra. I always pay off my regular Visa bills each month, and since I use them for almost everything, the monthly bill can be quite large....but if I pay it off, there's never any interest....but with the GC card, I can take a $700 bill, (what I just charged there last month), and pay it off at $250/month and never pay any interest.....and $250 flys under the radar! Might not float everyone's boat...but it works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Yanno Jeff, the ONLY store credit card I ever use is the GC card. I like it 'cause they don't charge interest for one year. I would NEVER let a charge go on for more than a few months, so I never pay any extra. I always pay off my regular Visa bills each month, and since I use them for almost everything, the monthly bill can be quite large....but if I pay it off, there's never any interest....but with the GC card, I can take a $700 bill, (what I just charged there last month), and pay it off at $250/month and never pay any interest.....and $250 flys under the radar! Might not float everyone's boat...but it works for me. Same goes for me Rob. I use my GC card when buying something on line, like my new Gretsch 6118. Free financing and I pay it off in 3 or 4 months. I've never had an issue, never paid any finance charge and my bank account doesn't take a huge hit all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Same goes for me Rob. I use my GC card when buying something on line, like my new Gretsch 6118. Free financing and I pay it off in 3 or 4 months. I've never had an issue, never paid any finance charge and my bank account doesn't take a huge hit all at once. Okay....so you took what I said and put it into the Reader's Digest format! People have to beware of overuse of anything.... credit cards amongst the most important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I guess it's just anxiety over using credit cards, I'd just hate to dig myself into a hole in the event something major went down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Free financing and I pay it off in 3 or 4 months. I've never had an issue, never paid any finance charge and my bank account doesn't take a huge hit all at once. Me too. I've bought two guitars that way - 12 months no interest. Why not let them hold the note? Costs me nothing and makes my purchase easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I guess it's just anxiety over using credit cards, I'd just hate to dig myself into a hole in the event something major went down. Which is why you HAVE to pay them off each month! (except for the GC card.... as long as you pay it off in a couple of months, no charges!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Work in Progress Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 While playing a new custom classic les paul at my local GC I had to tell the 2 trained sales experts standing around me that the fretboards were baked maple on these beauties. After finally telling them to go look it up, one did and came back to say I was right. I read this awhile ago and tried the same thing in my GC today (a few hours ago). My sales person told me it was Rosewood to which I responded, "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's baked maple, unless this is some sort of after-factory change." She consulted 3-4 other sales people and 1 of them even BET (just a soda, I should've said 25% any item in store. lol) me that it was rosewood. They started asking how long I had been playing and sort of acting like I was crazy. I had him pull up the GC site and wouldn't you know it, the specs said baked maple. In their defense, the reason why it came up is because I asked if it was rosewood because it was as dark as rosewood, no where near the color on the Gibson site. It was sitting next to a natural finish Explorer with a rosewood fingerboard. The Explorer had a much more figured fingerboard compared to the baked maple, that was a giveaway for me. WIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I have never bought any gear from GC. I have a SA that's closer, and they treat me well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenderGuy1 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 ive never been to Guitar Center, im 13 and my local music store treats me very well, Every saturday the employees and me get together for a Hendrix jam, thats why i like my local store called Lathams music, (im in australia) Musos Corner has the same thing as guitar center, cranked and loud on saturdays and i like that, my local music store lets me have it at 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Cooper Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Never, EVER, buy anything off of the wall. It has probably been handled a thousand times and might have even belonged to someone else for less than 30 days. The guitar in my hands right now - my Gibson SG Standard - came off the wall at Guitar Center...I love my guitar! Was it handled before I bought it? Probably...certainly...and yet it went for a LOT less than a 30 year old, beat up, "vintage" guitar would go for, scarred, banged, dropped, beer-spilt-on, broke-then-repaired, handled by hundreds... Whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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