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Guitar Centre Service or Rather Lack of it.


steve mac

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I popped into The Guitar Centre in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago looking to buy a decent guitar strap and a set of Loxx strap locks. Went up to the guy behind the first counter I came to, to ask where the straps where (it's a big store) and also if the Loxx was suitable for my guitar. After waiting for him to get off his phone I asked and was told it was nothing to do with him and I should go across the store and ask at the accessories counter. Got there and waited for one of the ladies to come free only to be told by one that I should wait for the other as she is the expert. Waited for the other who said the straps are over there and she doesn't know any technical stuff and I should go to the back of the store and ask the store tech. Off I went passing the meager selection of straps on the way where I waited once again for the guy to get off his phone to his brother. Now this guy was eventually helpful but by this time I had lost patience and walked out.

Fast forward to today where I walked into The Guitar Centre in San Fransisco, greeted by a personable chap who asked if he could help, I said I what I was after and he walked me over to the straps and said he would be back in a moment and walked off never to be seen again. As it happens the had a nice Levi Leather strap so all was well, but really next time it's a mom and pop store for me.

Sorry long post and really just a rant.

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I feel your frustration...when I want something specific I usually go in and just ask for the manager or specific department head...GC is notorious for hiring musicians...not salespeople, and not training them, and their turnover rate is just abysmal [most go into it just to get the employee discount]. Sometimes you'll get lucky when browsing and find someone who has been there more than a week and knows something.

 

But, on the flip side, hundreds of non-buyers come in there everyday and mess with the gear and waste the staff's time.

 

You should have told me when you were here...there are 2 GCs within a 15 minute drive [plus a Sam A$$ and several mom & pop stores, and Norman's Used and Rare Guitars is right in my town!!]...and the GC HQ is 20 minutes down the 101 from me...and I could have answered most of your questions ;)

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That's one reason why I always go to my local Ma and Pa music store first. The prices are competitive (they have to be in order to stay in business), I get personalized service, and the owner gave me his cell phone number, telling me if something should break down on the gig, give him a call and he'll deliver something to finish the gig with.

 

I also buy my strings, reeds and other consumables there. I pay about a dime more per set of strings, but it helps keep him there when I need him.

 

The down side is that his stock is limited. He doesn't sell enough to get a Gibson or Fender franchise. But then, I play a Parker anyway.

 

On those few times when I had to go to GC, it was almost like shopping for a musical instrument in Best Buy or Wal Mart.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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You've nailed it Bob it is like shopping in a supermarket, but remember where I am from its nigh on impossible to browse in a guitar shop so a big selection of guitars and guitar related stuff is a novelty for me. But contrast this with the great service I am used to in these here United States and there lies the rub.

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The selection at GC and Sam Ash are usually great. And with their volume they get the brands the small M&P stores can't carry. That's unfortunate, because I remember when small, personal, local stores carried Gibson and Fender. They may have carried only one or two of each model, but that was enough to test them and then have the color you wanted ordered for you. The local guitar tech would set it up for you and you got the guitar without a scratch on it (you get to put all of them on yourself).

 

But times change.

 

In the past 5 years I bought a sax and guitar via the Internet. (Mac Sax and Parker Maxxfly). I long for the old days when I could go into a music store and try these things out first, but here in South Florida there are no stores that carry these brands. I love the sax and the guitar, and it worked out well in the end, but I still would have rather tried them out first. It's like buying a new car without a test drive.

 

But that's the way of the world now, so I've adapted to the change.

 

But yes, the big box music stores are great places to go and drool over the guitars.

 

Notes

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i prefer teh mom and pop shops but i have been known to frequent cottage industry interweb sorts as well... guitar straps in particular i have a fondness for american bison for the leather as it is as soft as elk hide, possibly a bit softer with a nice stretch and it holds even headstock heavy guitards in place with impunity... i get them from a cherokee man that makes them up himself... ive worked bison hide myself and its a labor of love... rugged, yet elegant simplcity...

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