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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:30 pm
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:51 pm
Posts: 2503
Location: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Hello Liveatsix,

Guitar Center seems ok to me.
Good deals sometimes, uneducated salespeople
sure but that could be anywhere and
frankly I'm treated well in the 4 Guitar centers
I visit regularly.

So I give Guitar center "thumbs up"

Cheers.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:30 pm
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Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:23 pm
Posts: 56
Location: VA
I will head over to GC just to check out new gear, but I always try to purchase things from my local shop. I feel better putting my money in a local business instead of a huge corporation. Just my thoughts though

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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:01 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:09 pm
Posts: 440
Location: Rochester, NY
That is one thing I insist on... if I buy a guitar from Guitar Center, I demand one from the store room, in a box, not a "used" one hanging on the wall.

If they don't have it, I can go to HOG, who usually can come close on price, or "forget" the tax.

If all else fails, I'll order online. I usually only order non-instrument things online (biggest purchase is a case), but I will if I have to.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:19 pm
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:13 am
Posts: 1952
Location: tucson
i dont go there for reason #2 mainly shop at independent fender dealerships in tucson we have 2 great ones


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:04 pm
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:12 pm
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As a corporation, I hate GC. As far as the stores themselves, they all vary from store to store. Our local GC is OK. It just depends on who's working there at any given time. As they are a corporation, they try to pinch every penny wherever possible. They "roll over" their staff every three months to avoid paying out any benefits, but keep the department managers. I can pretty much guarentee that the arrogant ones are the managers, while the ignorant ones are the new hires. By the time the newbies learn correct information about the gear they are selling, they get the boot. At least thats how it was when I worked there 4 years ago. GC's that have few arrogant managers tend to be the most enjoyable as he/she is knowledgable and friendly at the same time. Our local GC has only like two arrogant managers, while the others are cool. I'm just glad that while I was there, I helped a good deal of people find the right guitar for them. I still get stopped on the street by former customers that recognise me, thank me for helping them and doing them right (unlike other employees they had made purchases from), and wonder why I don't still work there. They always walk away with just a bit of resentment against GC as a company, but continue to make purchases from the departments that have the nice managers.

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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 7:15 am
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:01 am
Posts: 3
You all need to understand how GC works. Like Home Depot, they started out with well trained people and a broad assortment of good condition stock. As the years passed, and the put the local stores out of business, they no longer had to pay for a well trained staff ot provide cherry condition products. There was nowhere else for the comsumer to go. Now they have become the Home Depot of music stores.

You also have to understand that their salespeople are on straight commission. This means that if you don't buy something, they earn nothing. Their incentive is now to have you purchace something; anything. It does not matter if it's the right item for you or in great condition.

If you shop there you are entering a strict "buyer beware" environment. You need to do your homework before you enter the door, and be willing to walk out if they don't have exactly what you want.

The last issue is that as they leave all their stock out to be played with, much of it is damaged to one extent or the other. In spite of this they sell these goods at full price. Unethical; definately. Illegal; perhaps. List means nothing and virtually all musical goods are now fair traded. Check any site and you'll see the same price on the same item.

Good luck!


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:03 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:55 am
Posts: 404
I found one of my two local guitar centers to be be very good because the guitar and amp sales people are very knowledgeable and did help me find things I am truly happy to own. I think that's because there are some good music people available in the job market near the university and the local music district. The other guitar center is a wasteland. The people that work there are completely ignorant of almost everything and I have no plan of returning there. So I guess it depends on where you are.

There are two music stores near me that are owned locally. One is very poor and I don't know how they stay in business. The other one is fabulous and I am lucky to live near it.


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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:36 am
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Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:40 pm
Posts: 873
Location: The Heartland
The Guitar center closest to me has some very arrogant and unhelpful sale people. Our locally owned store on the other hand took a lot of time helping me with my questions and after the purchase the certified Fender tech explain what he was doing and why he was doing it as he set up the guitar. Guitar center seemed to want me to purchase only high end items while the local shop guided me more toward what I needed and could afford. My daughter had the very same experiences I had this last week when she went shopping for a guitar.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:40 am
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Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:30 pm
Posts: 257
Location: Chicago
I have had very few positive experiemces at GC.
My local store knows more, actually have the guitars on the wall set up to play and can match GC prices.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:52 am
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Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:15 pm
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Location: I don't even know that!
The one I go to is alright. There's this one salesman that is always nice to me and helps me out by making sure I get good gear that isn't blemished or anything broken. He always gets me his employee discount and lets me know when the sales are. So I've had a pretty good experience with GC. But I was the lucky one to make friends with a respectful and cool guy that works there.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 9:38 am
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:37 pm
Posts: 1811
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
pohatu771 wrote:
That is one thing I insist on... if I buy a guitar from Guitar Center, I demand one from the store room, in a box, not a "used" one hanging on the wall.

If they don't have it, I can go to HOG, who usually can come close on price, or "forget" the tax.

If all else fails, I'll order online. I usually only order non-instrument things online (biggest purchase is a case), but I will if I have to.


I agree. I once bought an amp at Guitar Center. I asked for one out of a sealed box. They had no problem with that, and brought one out (from the back storeroom) for me.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 9:50 am
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:37 pm
Posts: 1811
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Sinderone wrote:
You all need to understand how GC works. Like Home Depot, they started out with well trained people and a broad assortment of good condition stock. As the years passed, and the put the local stores out of business, they no longer had to pay for a well trained staff ot provide cherry condition products. There was nowhere else for the comsumer to go. Now they have become the Home Depot of music stores.

You also have to understand that their salespeople are on straight commission. This means that if you don't buy something, they earn nothing. Their incentive is now to have you purchace something; anything. It does not matter if it's the right item for you or in great condition.

If you shop there you are entering a strict "buyer beware" environment. You need to do your homework before you enter the door, and be willing to walk out if they don't have exactly what you want.

The last issue is that as they leave all their stock out to be played with, much of it is damaged to one extent or the other. In spite of this they sell these goods at full price. Unethical; definitely. Illegal; perhaps. List means nothing and virtually all musical goods are now fair traded. Check any site and you'll see the same price on the same item.

Good luck!


Wow, that's an eye opener. I didn't know that they worked on pure commission. I once asked one of the sales persons about commission and they said they got commission, but I thought it was a combination of salary and commission.

I've often wondered about the guitars "on the rack". I've seen scratched pick guards and other minor damage from people playing them on the showroom, as well as missing springs for the tremolo. Probably one of my reason for making big cost purchases online.

I buy mostly string, guitar polish, straps, and "supplies" type purchases from GC. But the one time they sold me an amp, they were more than willing to give me one from the store room(sealed box) upon request. I've also found one or two sales persons that I trust and deal with all the time, and request them, when I'm searching for things that cost a bit more.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 9:57 am
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:56 am
Posts: 2766
Location: metro Chicago USA
'Been going to the one in metro Chicago (Villa Park) for over a decade and ALWAYS was treated well and got good stuff at good prices.

NO, repeat, NO problems, ever. A Fender amp cabinet began to separate after life 15 months. THey took it back, pulled a new one out of a box and smiled, "Here you go."


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:54 pm
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Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 3:16 pm
Posts: 248
Location: Hilo, Hawai'i
My GC (Medford) has always been good to me.
I only have 1 other place to go in my town, a very little place with not much in the way of inventory.
I dunno, until I have a horror story myself, I like Guitar Center.

-David

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:10 pm
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Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 2:47 pm
Posts: 101
Location: North Carolina
Personally, I have not been in one yet. I buy all my gear (picks, straps, cords, etc...) from local music stores. The closest Guitar Center is in Charlotte I think, and that is 3 hours away from my house and I am not driving that far unless my parents offer and I have nothing better to do. If I wanna play a guitar in a store, I will go to one of the local music stores and play. But thanks for the information on Guitar Center, now I know what I can expect when I do go to one.

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