Wondering about my local guitar center!

[myname1]

OK, I live in Peoria, IL. and we have a guitar center that is about a year old...it has not been built for very long....but what do you guys think about this?

 

I called there last thursday because I had recived one of their specials catalog that had the new PRS SE custom guitars in it for $499.00.......I get ahold of a guitar salesman and ask him if they have any in stock. Now this was what he told me....he said that "they" would not let them get any in at that location.(Whoever "they" he was referring to was...I am thinking either he meant guitar center corporate or PRS...I did not think about asking at the time and he did not say)

 

So my question is, why is it that some guitar centers can apparently get that item and others cannot? Also, is this only on this item or is it on other items they carry. I KNOW that all guitar centers do not carry the same things, but I have never had a large chain tell me they "could not" get them any in! Could it be that the PRS SE customs are scarce and they want to only send them to places like LA guitar centers where they would be better sellers??

 

It really is not a big deal, but that is the first time I have ever had any music store say they cannot get in a model of guitar when they are a dealer for that type brand. (PRS in this case)

 

The reason I ask is because he said that he could call another guitar center and see if they had one in stock for me to buy....but I really need to play one first.

[Treborklow]

Maybe it is because they are a new store. I'm just guessing of course. Maybe a GC employee can answer this.

[No Soul]

within its own system, guitar centers have rankings.

Usually, a ranking applies to the entire store, but in some cases different departments have rankings.

The rankings start at D for the very very small GC stores, and go all the way up to AAA (or was it AAAA?) for places like the Hollywood store.

Without going into the specifics, yes, certain GCs will carry things that others dont, first and foremost this is determined by what their ranking is. The general ranking is pretty obvious I think, some markets are larger than others, and thus will have more selection.



Next is by what is actually being sold. The GC I worked at was the smallest and oldest of the 4 in the area, yet had more Gibson Les Pauls and Gretches than the rest.

And finally, by special orders placed.
In your case, Im sure the salesperson was correct in saying that location will not ever receive the SE custom unless special ordered.

IF a lot of them get special ordered, then they just may receive them on a regular basis. But this rarely happens.


EDIT:

I just realised I kinda read your post incorrectly.
Does this specific location stock ANY PRS guitars?

[curseoftruth]

+1 for above. And a little more:

And while PRS is loved by all, they are a pain in the ass company to work with. Notoriously slow in supplying the dealers with new gear AND even slower in responding to special orders. Just a fact of life and that is the mighty PRSs fault, not GC. If you notice, most GCs carry a {censored}load of used PRS guitars. The new ones are slow to arrive and to feed the masses, they purchase used ones. Yes, they actually go out and buy used ones.

Your GC can order the guitar you are interested in for you, even though it is not a stocked item.

I have had on order from my local GC, an older, well established one in a top 10 market, a PRS SE Soapbar II Maple in Blue Matteo for going on 3 months now. My guys follow up on it continually. My guitar order is the ONE that put it in the system for guitar center. They didn't even list it as an inventory item. Once ordered, PRS started giving them different delivery times. Now on eternal backorder. At the same time, Chuck Levins has recieved a couple of them, but those must have been some of the first to hit the market and are gone. Even MF lists the item, but delivery of them is not scheduled until 3-31-06. My local store has recieved and sold some regular SE Soapbars and even a couple of the CSB SE Customs since I ordered mine (sweet ass guitars dude!)

Lets also look at pricing of these. Chuck Levins is selling the new SEs for $390 to $420. A full $100 less than MF and GC are advertising in some cases. I got a SCREAMING deal on mine (price match quote from Chuck Levins that I printed out). Keep in mind, I am proably one of the best customers they have as well, I know almost everybody in the store, they know my name, and I buy {censored} loads of gear there.

www.chucklevins.com and when you get a quote via email or call, deal with Brian, a top notch guy.

I've been playing on the Cherry SE Soapbar II in the store (first one they have had that hasn't sold in like 2 days) and at first was like, well, I don't really want to keep mine, but now I am wanting it as a backup for my SG Classic.

[CMcKenzie]

Another store in your area may be the authorized dealer. For example, my local GC doesn't carry ESP because the local Sam Ash does.

[mulch]

Originally posted by CMcKenzie Another store in your area may be the authorized dealer. For example, my local GC doesn't carry ESP because the local Sam Ash does.

 

 

That sounds right. Though our GC in M-town sells PRS, they are not the biggest authorized dealer and dont have any SE customs yet. There is a local shop, Martin Music, that is an authorized dealer and they have 2, along with many other top of the line PRS's. Martin Music has won several top seller awards and gets PRS stuff first. BTW - make sure you check out the paint on an SE Custom before you buy it. The 2 I saw were lacking in paint quality.

 

jw