I t is a shame to hear about the demise of Guitar Center. They had a huge selection. If I could of afforded to collect more Guitars I would of gone back there an found out about their closing.

I bought 2 Guitars from them both Mini Stratocasters for collection purposes. One is Fiesta Red and the other is Black. Both were made in Indonesia.

I was a amateur player that got into collecting in the 1980's after I heard over the radio of Fender's bankruptsy. I managed to scrounge up several Vintage Guitars by going to every shop I could find that sold Fender Guitars. I had a original Fender Starcaster with the F holes that I sold after the 2001 Tech Bubble. I also had the 1983 American Paisely Telecaster that was assembled in Japan when they were learning to build fenders.

I have a very rare Custom Vintage Shop Guitar Fender owed me a favor back in 1986 after forgeting to make a 62 reissue Fiesta Stratocaster. I ordered the guitar when they first opened the Corona Shop but now the Fiesta paint was out of stock. Lou Rose Music explained to Fender about my being a good customer. People in the office at Fender told me they would give me one from the Nam show after the show was over. I was aslo told by the office that I would have to accept a high serial# for the Guitar they were taking out of the Show case. They said there was only one Fiesta Red 62 reissue so this had to be the one of the First made at the Custom Shop! The plate is different then the later Vintage Guitars because the Guitar was built for the show! While Lou Rose was on the phone with Fender I spied a Red BowlingBall Stratocaster I bought it right away. I Also ordered a 3 tone sunburst 62 reissue Stratocaster from the Custom Shop through Lou Rose Music. I had to wait until january 1987 becuase of the special release date. Regardless the fiesta from the showmust be a prototype because it was 1 of 2 at the show. They gave me the one with the slight flaw in the paint and gave the other to a Fender Employee. Iam thinking that employee might of been George Fullerton because i bought a magazine that says he got one of the guitars in fiesta red that were produced. I know what they told me over the phone from Fender. They told me that the guitar they were giving me originally was not for sale but because they made a mistake the Fiesta 62 was mine!

I was lucky that day because they did not have a batch of Fiesta paint mixed and that somebody offered to make good by letting me have one of the Stratocasters only meant for the show not for sale. Still a lot of people can not believe that I was sold one of their first Guitars to come out of the New Fender Vintage Shop! When the Guitar came back from the show Fender sent it right to Lou Rose Music. Lou Rose Called me up one day an told me the guitar was delivered. I just about broke my neck getting there to retreive it. So if all you Vintage shop employees wonder where that Fiesta 62 Reissue went from the show I got it. Thanks!

THEY HAVE NOT GONE UNDER! WHAT IS THIS, A FUNERAL?[/i]

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http://www.twitter.com/CAE_Music

It's not a done deal, man! It's an internet rumor. There's been no such announcement or any reliable hint even!

You can go back and buy a few guitars. They'd probably like that.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

OK - but you heard that Ibanez are buying Gibson, did you?

I now expect a statement denying it shortly. Which will no doubt prove it!

- C

*runs out to buy up all the gibsons he can real fast* ......you just wait.....you'll see

This thread should be locked for false information.

I hope GC doesn't close down. I'm sure famous guitarist have an account with them to continue buying instruments.

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Clarence Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 - March 21, 1991)

I don't know about anywhere else but here in Vegas I can tell you the two G.C. stores are going strong. Everytime I go in one of the two the place is as busy as it always has been, all the staff is still working, and the inventory seems to be making turns. I think this is all a bunch of B.S. started be either someone with a grudge or a competitor trying to boost their own business. Wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.

Thought it was Peavey?

Maybe tomorrow it will be Walmart.

I thought it was Gibson buying Fender

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I have very important news regarding the guitar center closing..This information was given to me by a very reliable source...It is a cousin of a girlfriend of a friends child who knows an employee that heard another employee talking on his cellphone in the bathroom after having an argument with the manager and he said and i quote (I don't care about this job the place is going to close anyway)..So it must be a sure thing..But just to confirm this i went on several guitar talk websites posting questions about guitar center closing..The results was that other people heard it from other guitar forums.. So once again this also confirms the fact guitar center is closing by the simple fact that there is cross talk between the forums about the soon to be closing.
I will be accepting cash or guitars and quality effects pedals and amplifiers for me providing this somewhat useless but valuable information ..Please understand that i cannot offer up any more secret internet chat as the information is just far to valuable and i don't want to infringe on any corporate secrets...It has taken to many seconds of my time to do this in depth forum hopping..So since i have done this precious searching i feel due compensation is in order ..So send money and gear freely.Please feel free to PM for address for compensation...Thank you

I've seen nothing in the WSJ or anywhere else about GC being in any trouble. Or at least, no more than any retailer at this point. The problem with any such business rumors is that they usually turn out to be untrue -- but just enough not to never totally discount them.

There were rumors that my employer was about to padlock our front door two years ago. Within hours (the movie biz is a "very small" community in some ways), top execs at all the major studios were calling our CEO asking if they still had time to send over a runner to pick up their work.

The irony -- we were in the midst of our best year in company history. The rumor was total BS and ultimately traced to an employee spreading it. We've dealt with this on and off for 5 years (especially) since becoming an LBO ourselves. Each time it's proved to have been started by our competitor or one of our own employees with an axe to grind.

So far, I haven't heard anything even of the nature that GC is considering closing less profitable stores. That's often an almost necessary step if a company is considering bankruptcy protection. I've seen no evidence at least in the Sherman Oaks store of reduced merchandise and I haven't noticed fewer employees.

I'd have to see a lot more tangible evidence before I'd worry too much about this rumor.

Well, ya know since Behringer bought PRS I'd believe anything from here on in...

- C

I haven't really enjoyed my visits to GC. Each time I went to what I naively thought the greatest guitar store in the world, I ended up very disappointed and left with nothing in my hands. Now I have only been there twice each in different cities of Michigan but same results as their staff members were pushy and lacked knowledge. Each store had staff that tried to sell me every guitar on the wall even though I was specific about what brand I was there for. And one guy didn’t even know or hear of Hagstrom before. I don’t expect everyone to know about Hagstrom guitars but if you’re working at GC and you sell Hags from your web site maybe you should have heard of them before. LOL

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"just being awake I was scared... the only way to win this thing was to give up... and I did... thank God that happened casue then I was able to ask for help." S.R.V. R.I.P.