Who works at or owns a music store?

[Clyde42]

Sell, trade, buy, or repair. If you are "industry" how does it affect your perception of value and quality in guitars, amps and such?

 

I have conflicting opinions myself. In some ways, it is a great time to buy just about any kind of gear. Decent playing guitars with "pro" features like die cast tuners, alder bodies, etc. for $100, effect pedals for $29, cool little mixers for $79, internet forums and sellers where you can learn about consumer savvy and get sweet deals, and on and on.

 

Then there are the issues of regular failure of some products, inconsistent quality of even the "best" brands, poor wood selection(mostly in necks) for stable guitars, "lemons" that are always in the shop(accompanied by their pissed off owners) and poor, difficult service from many(wholesale) vendors.

 

Discuss.