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Spotted this over on TGP - Guitar Centre content


Vince

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I've been to one and I have to say, it wasn't bad. They had all kinds of stuff that you just can't find in stores here. The guys in the store were really nice, but they were infatuated with my accent so I may have been a novelty to them. People always complain that the people that work there are knobs, but that is no different from the people who work in music stores over here. I didn't buy anything because I didn't want to haul it back on the plane, but my ex brother-in-law whom I was visiting in L.A. did and the employees didn't bug him or try to b.s. him.

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Originally posted by Vince



This song and all the negative hype surrounding them makes me want to go to the states, just so I can visit one!!!

They can't be THAT bad... Can they??

 

 

no, theyre not. to a group of obessive people who live, breath, and {censored} guitar dealing with guitar center employees who are just that- employees not experts on every little thing- makes them mad for some reason.

 

i think its a mental problem too- either they wanted to work there but looked bad in a black tshirt and mohawk or its like the unpopular kids in school making fun of the popular kids for not knowing about dungeons and dragons.

 

but what do i know right?

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Originally posted by Mr.Picklebottom


i think its a mental problem too- either they wanted to work there but looked bad in a black tshirt and mohawk or its like the unpopular kids in school making fun of the popular kids for not knowing about dungeons and dragons.


but what do i know right?

 

 

But those popular kids didnt work in the local D&D supply store did they?

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Originally posted by therhodeo

But those popular kids didnt work in the local D&D supply store did they?

 

 

smart talented people dont work jobs for $8/ hr or whatever, do they? i get your point but when i buy stuff from bestbuy and can tell a technical specs conversation is above the 16 yr old salesman's head i get over it. some people cant.

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Originally posted by Mr.Picklebottom

smart talented people dont work jobs for $8/ hr or whatever, do they? i get your point but when i buy stuff from bestbuy and can tell a technical specs conversation is above the 16 yr old salesman's head i get over it. some people cant.

 

 

I understand what you're saying, but most of the problems I have had at GC are the older manager types. I dont have a problem with them not knowing something. I have a problem with them acting like they do and then being a douch when you tell them otherwise.

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Originally posted by therhodeo

I understand what you're saying, but most of the problems I have had at GC are the older manager types. I dont have a problem with them not knowing something. I have a problem with them acting like they do and then being a douch when you tell them otherwise.

 

 

yeah, its best to smile and move on in those instances.

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Guitar Center Pros:

They have a wide selection of gear (better than any other music store in my area by a longshot)

They have pretty good pices (you can also, bargain with them for better deals, and they will usually price match)

Cons:
They have overlyagressive salespeople who will sometimes give you errounous information to sell a product (this really isn't their fault, it's the way they're trained, plus the more expensive the item, the more they will make off of the sale)

The gear on the floor isn't kept in the best condition (usually due to 15 year olds banging out metallica riffs on it)

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I got to the point where walking into a Guitar Center (there are three in my area) just sucked the life outta me.

Walls of equipment, tumor-inducing flourescent lights, your ears assaulted by a mix of the {censored}e music they pump in and a thousand crappy riffs through a thousand crappy amps. Like a trench of despair, it is staffed by a crew of give-a-{censored} hip gangster wannabees punctuated by a few new hires who at least pretend to care.

I'm not a religious guy, but if I was, GC would be one the rings of my own personal hell.

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If you have some experience with some of the better MI retail* stores that were in big and sometimes small cities GC does suck in many ways.Prices aren't really all that great, inventory looks impressive but often is lots of the same thing,often no inhouse repairs,questionable ethics like separating cases from guitars when they are included in the price,ignorant staff,piped in music that distracts from the gear you want to check out,churning of employees with purposeful highturnover rates to hold down labor costs...

*examples of decent stores some of which are still in business and worth checking out over GC,others marked with RIP that are gone or sold out to GC.

Cintioli Music Philadelphia PA
Medley Music Bryn Mawr PA
Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center Wheaton MD
Music Mart An Arbor MI RIP
Al Nalli's A2 MI RIP
Veneman Music MD & NOVA RIP
Elderly Lansing MI
Gordon Keller Baltimore RIP

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My guitar center is actually decent here. I dont go to the main one down town, which was in my opinion {censored} compared to the one I go to.

Sure there are sometimes kids but not too often, I actually hear a lot of good players come out sometime.

I've gotten damn good deals there and the people I work with there help me out a lot. They treat me well. Plus theres this cute chick at the accessories counter that makes sure you get the *best* possible deal on whatever your buying, at least for me. (line 6 dl4 new for $150, new FL9 for $65, PW cable kit $30, upgrade on a traded in monster cable among other things :)) She's down to earth and kinda hot like that chick from Mythbusters hot.

:thu:

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Originally posted by Mr.Picklebottom

no, theyre not. to a group of obessive people who live, breath, and {censored} guitar dealing with guitar center employees who are just that- employees not experts on every little thing- makes them mad for some reason.


i think its a mental problem too- either they wanted to work there but looked bad in a black tshirt and mohawk or its like the unpopular kids in school making fun of the popular kids for not knowing about dungeons and dragons.


but what do i know right?

 

 

 

I would agree, 100% - most of the complaints I hear from people on these boards are remarkably childish.

 

But you're missing one piece of the puzzle. Guitar Center is a "superstore", and as such they have enourmous buying power, and the ability to grind manufacturers & distributors for extremely low pricing. Add in the sheer size of the stores, and you get a situation where the superstore offers a huge range of products at extremely low prices.

 

It sounds like great news for the consumer, but it really isn't. Smaller, traditional music stores can't compete with GC - When Guitar Center comes to town, alot of small shops leave. In the cities where that has happened, customers had their options dramatically reduced - not everyone shops on the internet.

 

I worked at Guitar Center in San Diego for about 6 months when I was 20. I won't get into what went on there, but the impression got was that Guitar Center management would sell you a drumset for your quadreplegic child - talk you into it - anything to make the sale.

 

There's nothing inheretly wrong with all that, of course... that's business... but personally, I like having options, so I shop at the local mom& pop (Mark's Guitars here in Spokane).

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Originally posted by cantoXIII

honestly, i've never even been to a guitar center. but they can suck my balls, because the internet makes every guitar store obsolete.

 

 

Yeah, right.... only if you are prone to buying musical gear without playing it first....

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Originally posted by virtualtoad

Yeah, right.... only if you are prone to buying musical gear without playing it first....

 

 

most of the time, if you're planning on buying something, you already have a solid idea of what you're getting. yeh, i can't play 10 different marshalls on the internet, but if i'm looking to buy one, i already know which model i want. i don't let some salesman sway me into the flavor of the month gear because he has no {censored}ing clue what kind of music i play, how i play, or why i play. he just wants my money.

 

do i really need to go inside a music store to hear how this cable is going to sound compared to that one? no. guitars are the ony thing i can see being necessary to play before you buy. but hell, the past 3 i've had i didn't even do that, and i'm happy.

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Originally posted by mc5nrg

If you have some experience with some of the better MI retail* stores that were in big and sometimes small cities GC does suck in many ways.Prices aren't really all that great, inventory looks impressive but often is lots of the same thing,often no inhouse repairs,questionable ethics like separating cases from guitars when they are included in the price,ignorant staff,piped in music that distracts from the gear you want to check out,churning of employees with purposeful highturnover rates to hold down labor costs...


*examples of decent stores some of which are still in business and worth checking out over GC,others marked with RIP that are gone or sold out to GC.


Cintioli Music Philadelphia PA

Medley Music Bryn Mawr PA

Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center Wheaton MD

Music Mart An Arbor MI RIP

Al Nalli's A2 MI RIP

Veneman Music MD & NOVA RIP

Elderly Lansing MI

Gordon Keller Baltimore RIP

 

 

Stop in Mid-Michigan Music if you're in Bay City, MI. It's not very big, but it's a cool store and they keep a pretty quality inventory.

 

I really don't mind the local GC though; I found the guy that actually knows his {censored} there and I usually just go through him.

 

Mid-Michigan Music is still better though.

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