Members clay sails Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 There are weekly threads bashing Guitar Center on this forum. I wanted to start a thread giving a shout-out to one of my favorite stores on the planet. Every time I go into their store, there are hundreds of guitars to try, plus amps, effects, and other fun stuff. There are locations in most metropolitan areas so I don't have to waste time with a mom n pop shop that has 8 guitars on the wall. The biggest reason I want to give a shout-out to Guitar Center is because I find their employees very helpful and friendly. When I call them on the phone, they are courteous and make an effort to help me. When I was going to buy an expensive PRS last year, I tried to buy from two independent stores, but their prices were higher and they did not call me back. The guys from two different Guitar Centers called me back as promised. So: I just wanted to give a shout out to a store that has always done right by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 GC would be great if it weren't for their clueless employees and high prices... :poke: YMMV I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 's mel gibson Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 We don't have them here in Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ralph onion Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 Who is your employer? Just kidding. I have had pleasant experiences with the GC in Lakeland, FL. You can talk to the Mgr anytime and he knows his {censored}. Does the 10% discount still apply if you ask? Havent been there in over a year but my son goes there frequently and is satisfied, I guess thats why he goes back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dragoro Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 GC has been good to me the times Ive gone there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members photon9 Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 It seems at least anecdotally GCs vary greatly by location in regards to their staff. I have been to 6 GCs in 2 states and I do confer. None were necessarily bad and I don't really barter anyway. One time I got them to knock $20 off a MIM tele because I didn't want the gig bag. The biggest revelation I've had about guitar center is this: It's not necessarily bad, just bland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lefchr Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 If they didnt have clueless employees they would be much better. I will never forget the time I brought a amp in to sell and they told me it was worth less cause I had it modded.... with new tubes:facepalm: I grabbed my amp and walked right back out. The only thing they are useful for is strings on days that other music stores are closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Padrino Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 I think where most people go wrong...is if you treat someone there like crap, they will be more likely to be return that treatment to you in the future. Having worked in retail all through college, i KNOW I've done this before. We used to warn each other if we saw return customers coming back who were assholes, and i repaid the favor. I find i get great service if i call ahead and actually tell them I'm going to buy _______ (insert type of item here). So if i want to check out the guitar way up high on the wall, they don't feel like they're wasting time by going to get it, because they know eventually they're going to get money out of me. As far as dealing goes, I've never had a problem. On less expensive items they're less likely to do it, that's a given. But especially around the holiday's (normally when i buy gear anyway) if you have the balls to walk out on a slow day, most of the time they will come after you and cut you the deal. So to the OP, i like the idea of NOT bashing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lp_junkie Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 GC has had some great gear at decent prices, I spend a lot of money there so they call me when they have something I might be interested in. I just go there during the day to avoid the sound of tortured out of tune guitar wanking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members etawful Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 I remember going to the LA store with my uncle back in '93 or so and being blown away by the size of the place and the amount of dealing they were willing to do. They've really gone downhill (in my opinion) since then. I mean I can still get what I need at a somewhat reasonable price, but it seems like ever since their competition like MARS dried up, they don't even try any more. When you had MARS, Guitar Center and even Sam Ash as separate entities, they'd try to outdo each other, now it doesn't seem like they feel the need since they haven't got any competition in a lot of the places they operate now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cbh5150 Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 While I've done my share of bashing GC, there are still no better alternatives within at least 50 miles of me, and none of the M&Ps can come close - they generally have any combination of the following: a piss-poor selection, piss-poor pricing, or a piss-poor attitude. The only store I have been to that can beat GC on price, selection, customer service, and overall coolness is Dave's - but that's 250 miles away If it wasn't for GC (or Sam Ash, for that matter), I wouldn't be able to try out about 90% of the stuff I find online, and they still have the overall best selection compared to everyone else. And you can pick up some really good used deals, as well. Yeah, while they've gotten quite pedestrian from store-to-store, and their big "sales" aren't what they used to be, I still have yet for someone to give me an example of something better overall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StillRock Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 I blame GC, Sam Ash, and this forum for my GAS. The mom and pops tend to not want you to touch a guitar if you're not going to buy it... in some cases, seeming to go just shy of demanding a driver license or deposit to try them out. GC has no problem with letting me play that $3500 PRS, even though I don't have $3500 in all of my guitars combined. It's a Toys 'R' Us for guitar geeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benzem Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 It's fathers day not april fools! I don't believe it. pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CoqBelliqueux Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 If they didnt have clueless employees they would be much better. I will never forget the time I brought a amp in to sell and they told me it was worth less cause I had it modded.... with new tubes:facepalm: I grabbed my amp and walked right back out. The only thing they are useful for is strings on days that other music stores are closed. Yeah, it's hard to go back there after such events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ajympt Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 My GC is generally pretty good- they have alot in stock, they honor the damn coupons for most things, you can tell they hate idiots on the line 6's as much as you do, and they don't give you crap when you return a used guitar because it doesn't work for you. They don't seem to be in quite as good a mood as the Music Go Round guys (I'm never 100% sure what they're doing when I go there, but they seem to have a good time doing it) but overall I really can't complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NinjaModder Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 They are nice because their jobs depend on it. If they don't sell anything they don't have a job. I think that is why some people take them as bad people. I was wanting a small little thing, I forgot what it was... a slide or guitar stand. Something like that. Well the guy who was helping me said he would be right back with it but then he got distracted by some one else wanting a guitar. He pretty much forgot about me and ignored me. I no longer talk to that guy but I understand. He gets more money out of a guitar.My GC is generally pretty good- they have alot in stock, they honor the damn coupons for most things, you can tell they hate idiots on the line 6's as much as you do, and they don't give you crap when you return a used guitar because it doesn't work for you. They don't seem to be in quite as good a mood as the Music Go Round guys (I'm never 100% sure what they're doing when I go there, but they seem to have a good time doing it) but overall I really can't complain.I wish my GC guys hated line 6's like that...I bought a Marshall Haze a while go and I went through a bunch of them because they kept over heating. He told me that if I am looking for a different amp the Marshall Haze and Line 6 Spider were about the same amps..... Apparently the Haze was a modeling amp?.....But I must admit I like them. They put up with my massive amounts of returns and exchanges! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 I went in my local GC yesterday to play a couple artcores. For about 20 minutes there was not a guitar clerk in sight. This was both good & bad. But I will say I have made 2 or 3 really good deals in GC in the last year. You might have to muck around and work offers back and forth between the sales clerk and the Mgr - but still I have done very good I think in the last year. I can remember when I was in garage bands as a teenage in Janesville WI (1970's). The only music stores were Mom & Pop's and you paid top dollar for sub par gear. We had to drive to Milwaukee for cripes sakes to find any decent gear. Short Story - I like GC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kulardenu Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 They Suck! Suck! Suck! But if they were gone they would be sorely missed... Every dog has it's day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members photon9 Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 The mom and pops tend to not want you to touch a guitar if you're not going to buy it... in some cases, seeming to go just shy of demanding a driver license or deposit to try them out. I've never had this problem at any M&P I've visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stevenjuel Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 not enough guitars with p90s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 My GC was an absolute {censored} hole to deal with, but we got a new manager a few years ago and a huge turnover in employees (coincidence or not) and they are actually really good to deal with. I don't ask a lot of them because I understand that they are there to sell things and chances are they don't know everything about every product, but when I do need to find something they are helpful. I've never gotten them to hook me up with a discount though. The last regime even screwed me on a price that I had 'guaranteed' just two days earlier but I couldn't get in because I had to pull a 24 hour shift for work to cover for someone else. I ended up buying it because it was the best LP in a 30 mile radius and I had been looking for several months, but I never forgot about it. I did get them to throw in a $60 strap though. So in my experience it really does depend on the employees and you can end up with both extremes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diadorastriker Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 It seems like those who are not in metropolitan areas tend to like GC, but those who live for example in New York seem to hate GC as the mom and pop stores are top notch. I dont necessarily hate GC, but I prefer 30th Street or ludlow guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 i can't really complain abut GC... GC in Wichita, KS traded me my current Crate VC3112 straight across for a Randall RH-150-G3 head that i got for free... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grantus Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 I'll give them a cheer and a quarter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigspan Posted June 20, 2010 Members Share Posted June 20, 2010 Its nice to know that not ALL Guitar Centers are awful and filled with know-nothing, care-nothing hustlers. If you've got a "good" one near you, be joyous and give them your business.The rest of us will just have to suffer and envy you for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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