Members therhodeo Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 What do you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tocs100 Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by TheAtomicJeff No, it was at the Plano store but this kid was also just strumming open strings at very loud volumes. "'4-year-old guitar addicts, and the places they inhabit: on the next Geraldo.'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NoirAbattoir Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by therhodeo What do you mean? Well, the idea that Norlin era Les Pauls suck has really been kicked around by the LP purists, and let's face it, purists suck. For these people, if it isn't an old-school vintage 50s or early 60s LP (and some of them don't even think anything past 59 is worth a {censored}) it's inferior junk. They also are the same people that pay $4,000 dollars for the reissues (which are exceptional guitars). Now, in terms of LP purism, if you are collector, fine, sniff your cork and look down your nose at anything that isn't a part of the historical prestige of the early LPs. But make no mistake, Norlin era Les Pauls are excellent guitars. Their workhorses, really. The {censored} reputation they get is based upon departures from the original design. Yes, it's not going to sound or even feel just like a legitimate '59, but they are excellent guitars of high quality for any serious musician. And they do have that signature Les Paul sound.For example, Pete Townshend could have played anything he wanted in the 70s. What was he playing? Norlin LPs. Why? They {censored}ing rock. Sure, there are some boat-anchors out there. To be honest, the heavier ones I have found were from the mid to late 80s. The 70s to early 80s however weren't all boat-anchors. Yes, the pancake body sounds like a really bad idea. To be perfectly honest, some of the best sounding LPs I have played were pancakes. The necks are made of 3 piece maple. Let me tell you, from experience, three piece maple necks are like spring steel. They simply don't react to humidity or temperature changes like mahogany necks do. I can't tell you how many warped neck nightmares I have had with all mahogany-necked gibsons over the years. The steel/nickel tuners they used in the 70s are {censored}ing awesome. Much better than those plastic tulip ends which always, always deteriorate, come unglued, turn to {censored}. Is the Norlin era Les Paul a replica of the original Les Paul? No way, but it certainly isn't a piece of {censored}, either. Being that you can get them for around $1,200 dollars still means that you can still buy a high-quality Les Paul for a decent price. I sold my newer ones for Norlin ones (once I learned the ins-and-outs of them) and I haven't looked back. There is no condensed version of this post, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members therhodeo Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 This one was $1895 and had 1/8in gaps between the top and the top of the pickup rings. The neck was 3 piece maple and the frets were horrible with buzzes up and down the neck. The top was 2 pieces and they come together about an inch above the pickups. I would rather have a new les paul than this one. I have a 79 SG that plays and sounds amazing so I know there are some good guitars from this era. Im far from a cork sniffing collector. I just expect the day manager to know what he's talking about. Same guy that told me theres no way that you can gig anywhere with only a 30watt tube combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuyaGuy Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by ColorsoundKid There is no condensed version of this post, sorry. norlin and pancakes=good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by dangerous dan All your Americans love to hate Guitar Centre and some of the posts on hear about the place are just great. I go to the US a few times a year on business and always pop into one to pick up some stuff as it's much cheaper than the UK and I can relate to all the stuff you hate about the place. Sadly we don't have a chain like that in Europe. So what's you favourite story / incident / event in the place ? I could probably have an anecdote for every visit there to be honest - but my favorite fingernails on a blackboard feeling is when some 16 year old with pimples trys to tell me all he knows about pedals... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ScreamCage Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 About a year ago, I went in to try out an Ibanez Artcore. I find one, and ask of the guys if I could get a cable. He gets me a cable, finds an amp, plugs it in for me (so far, he's been pretty nice), and then proceeds to play for twenty minutes on the guitar that I'm there to check out. He finally gives it to me, I play maybe one or two riffs, just long enough to get the feel, and get up to leave, when the guy says "so, you're a Soundgarden guy?"...I really wanted to hit him. I had alsowanted to stay longer and check some other stuff out (they had a CB Stalion in that day), but the guy took up all my time. Needless to say, I didn't buy the guitar from his store (I didn't even get it in the same county). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tocs100 Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by 1DZReverendDavidLee but my favorite fingernails on a blackboard feeling is when some 16 year old with pimples trys to tell me all he knows about pedals... Ding ding ding: we have a winnah! (Don't forget the Harry Potter shirt, along with the pimples.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members therhodeo Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 While I was in there thursday I got to witness them quizzing a new guy on the 3 different types of resonators and the differences in single coils and humbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CHOUTMUSIC Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 scroll down to the video to hear Nice Peter's song {censored} Guitar Center Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gil1 Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 I want in to buy a pile of studio stuff, about $2000 worth. I told the Salesperson that a few of the pieces were cheaper elsewhere. So she said "I can't give you a discount on those, but I'll sell you this other piece you need really cheap, and it'll make the package the same price." But they had to special order the really cheap item that would make the deal, and it never came in, so she just refunded me that pittance. I eded up paying about $300 more for the whole order, and I sware she intended to do that from the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gil1 Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 I had a friend who worked at GC, and I made some business cards for him, with a PRS on it, in a pretty different layout. 6 months latter all the sales men at every GC had these badges with the exact same design on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members S.L.B. Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 I like how the salesman ignored me untill he found me sitting down playing a les paul standard through a Matchless combo amp in the high end room......Then he was like "Hi! Do you want to take that home with you today?"Nice sales chops buddy.....I came back and bought the guitar the next day....too bad I had to wait 30 minutes to get anyone to talk to me, Maybe because I didn't have on the polo shirt or the calvin kleins like most GC Les Paul Buyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ericlaurence Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 i hate guitar center as much as everyone else but i have found some killer deals there on used gear. they are so dumb that most of the time, they don't realize what they have or what it's worth. below is the story of my $261 jazzmaster... jazzmaster for $261.38!!!! holy crap! i just got back from guitar center and boy is my wallet/brain tired. well, not so much the wallet. i got a MIJ jazzmaster for $261.38! here is the back story (and pics)... so after reading a thread on stripping the paint off a squier tele custom i decided to head over to my local guitar center to see if they had them in stock. i figured it would be a cool project. especially since the guitars are only $200. anyway, i asked and they didn't have any. so i started talking to the guy and he asked me what kind of guitars i play and i mentioned a jazzmaster and he stops me and says, "let me show you this..." and walks over behind the counter and grabs a jazzmaster. i was looking it over and noticed it was a little beat up (see link below for pics) so i asked how much and he said "$300." so i was thinking "holy ****!" i calmly asked to plug it in and try it out. i played it for about 10-15 minutes and knew i was going to buy it but they didn't know that. i had them look for a replacement tip for the 3-way switch because it was missing. while they had one guy look for that i heard the back story on how they got it. turns out that they JUST got it from a trade in. like less than 2 hours before. they didn't even have time to tag it and put it on the floor (lucky for me). they found a black toggle switch tip that worked and i even got them to adjust the bridge for me. heh. after that he asked if i wanted to get it and i said, "is $300 the best you can do on the price? i didn't really want to spend that much today. do you guys take ASCAP discounts?" he said he would honor my ASCAP discount (which is 10% off). score! so i walked out the door with a semi beat up MIJ jazzmaster that plays pretty good and a pack of strings for $286.44 after taxes. i'm still in shock. take a look at the pics at the link below.http://www.ericlaurence.com/jazzmaster/ i think the guitar was made between 1991-1992 based on the serial number "LE ######". does this sound correct? and by the way, it's got gold hardware which i've never seen on a jazzmaster before. turns out it's a limited edition run. score! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Uma Floresta Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by The Friendly Ranger On Friday afternoons after school there are usually a half dozen of those guys going at it full blast. Add to that an employee playing a half-hour drum solo and you've got the recipe for a headache and possibly infertility. +1, I hate that. Forget about testing anything out. So much noise. The only place in guitar center where it's quiet enough to think straight is the acoustic room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JimVW Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Me, looking at Crate Palamino 32: "What power tubes does this have? EL84s?"Salesguy: "No, they're EL83s"Me, chuckling: "That would be pretty unusual. Could you check for me?"Salesguy: "So, what kind of gear do you have now? Are you a Gibson or Fender guy?"Me: McInturff, Fuchs, Doolin, Eastman, Carr, Tokai...Salesguy: "Um, you don't hear of those much" (he had no idea what I was talking about)While I was looking at the back panel of an AC-15Salesguy: "Yeah, that's a great amp. It will make you sound just like Van Halen and ZZ Top!"Me: Salesguy, as I was walking in: "So, do we have enough guitars for you?"Me: "Probably not; I'm pretty picky." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am Chris Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 one time i walked in the store and asked about an sg special. the guy proceeds to pick up a standard. i tell him i don't want the standard, i want the special. then here comes the pich for the standard. all while he's talking, he grabs a cable and begins to plug into a twin, continuing his pich while also adding that he's played sg's for 20 years and they're the best guitar he's ever played. right then, he goes to plug the cable in, and he looks at me with a confused look on his face. about 15 seconds go by until he realizes that the input is not on the bottom of the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Uma Floresta Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by JimVW While I was looking at the back panel of an AC-15 Salesguy: "Yeah, that's a great amp. It will make you sound just like Van Halen and ZZ Top!" Me: "Yeah, but if you really want that Brian May or Tom Petty or U2 sound, you'll want to take a look at this Mesa-Boogie..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wilbo26 Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Another fun experience was when I went in, and sat down to check out this cool looking old Danelectro mini-stack they had in there. It was plugged in and all ready to be played, so I reached back to flip the power switch, and ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!! Nothing like getting the piss shocked out of you. I don't try out vintage amps at GC anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sense_of_henry Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 I have never been to a GC (I'm in Canada) but I must admit that after hearing these stories the next time I am near one, I am stopping in just for the entertainment. I find that most music stores have a few employees who don't know what they are talking about. I end up nodding along politely to whatever they say and wait for them to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ericlaurence Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 really though. where do they find these employees? do they just go to local bars that have 80's metal cover bands and say, "hey broseph, you want a job?" they are the worst sales people out there. if anything, they should just sit back and wait for the people to come up to them. just make themselves available and then try not to push the upsell/crosssell first thing. talk to the customer about what they are looking for BUT DO NOT TRY AND TALK THEM OUT OF IT. if they want to buy a $150 squier, let them. take the easy sale. don't try and push them towards a $400 fender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members comfortablynumb Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 One time I told the effects guy I was looking for a heavy Mesa/Boogie type distortion pedal.. he took me to the Boss rack and turned on either a DS-2 or an OS-2 (can't remember) and cranked the gain up to 3.. I've had them offer me all kinds of crappy deals on my used gear. The worst was the $100 for my MIJ Tele.. That was right before he told me that anybody who knew what they wanted wasn't going to buy this guitar. I left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mezcalhead Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by ericlaurence jazzmaster for $261.38!!!! That looks like the limited edition MIJ .. blonde with gold hardware, released in 1994 as a set with a blonde DRRI I think. Worth more than what you paid for it for sure. Even if it wasn't an LE the Japanese JMs are still very nice guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members forgottenking Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 I got an offer of $70 for a prestige RG-1738. (needless to say I walked out) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuyaGuy Posted August 28, 2006 Members Share Posted August 28, 2006 Originally posted by ericlaurence jazzmaster for $261.38!!!! *note to self: hate ericlaurence with all your heart. * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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