Someone traded in a nice vintage amp to one of my local GC's I used to frequent. Thing looked like it had never been played. Saw it from across the room (Angelic choir sound here). About the same time I walked over to it - a salesman met me there. Asked if he could help, I stated I'm interested in this particular amp. He says you know I've been watching this one as well.

I guess there's a policy for employees where they have to wait a certain amount of time before THEY can purchase traded equipment/gear (not sure). So he tries to direct me to other amps, I'm like - nah, this is the one for me. So I put it near the counter and continued perusing. The look on this kids face was as if I had strangled his Mom.....sickly. So I decide to put it in lay-a-way. But before I left the store I took my phone and took a pic of the amp. This kids look told he wasn't too happy that I had purchased this amp.

I go back a few weeks later to pick it up. He's there and he has this nervous fidgety look on his face (he had a feeling the jig might be up). I give him the ticket, he comes back out with some decrepit POS amp. And I mean dripping with the latter. I'm like, whoa buddy we have a problem here. That's not the amp I purchased. He says "look at the sticker, everything matches up". Here's where I get pissed. I stated it's obvious there was some hanky-panky going on. Serial #'s didn't match up, and it was easy to tell the tag had been switched, and the ORIGINAL serial # sticker had been replaced with something else.

He stated if I didn't want it, a refund would be no problem. And then his co-worker comes up and he ask the dude if he could complete the deal - he was going on break. By now I'm livid. I stood there contemplating the move I should make. It was about an hour before closing, so I stated "I don't have my phone with me to show you the amp I purchased, but keep the amp here and I'll head home and call you back within an half-hour to make sure I'm not mistaken".

Got home viewed pics, and chuckled. I was right. Got on the horn - called them up and stated that I would be in the next day for my refund. As you can guess, "Mr. Salesman" called in sick. How do I know? I asked for him specifically. Did the transaction, got my refund and jetted. I didn't even want to speak to the Manager at that point. I've spent MAJOR buck at this place, and a few of the guys knew me by name. But what that kid/company attempted to pull on me was juvenile at best.

Here's where karma is a female dog. About a week later, I'm scouring fish wraps and sorts for amps. The updated version of that amp was for sale for p e a n u t s. I had to drive about an hour and a half one way to view it, so I said what the heck. Nothing beats a failure but a try. Met the seller and he pulls out the amp AND footswitch (the GC amp did not have the fs). We do the deal, I head home. Thinking about that little sales guy the whole ride back. Long story short - I got a better/cheaper deal AFTER the GC incident.

I probably could have had the kid fired, because we both knew he did some dirty #$(, but I got my money refunded and to this day I've never and will not spend a penny in that joint. And this particular GC gets some pretty decent trade ins. What upset me most was that kid (IMO) attempting to insult my intelligence. I can only imagine what goes on in that store on the regular. I hope he's reading this.....and still employed.

Cazz,you may be doing the store a huge favour by bringing up the issue of the crooked kid to the manager/owner.As all of these guys are in the business for money they don't want someone working for them who would be low enough to pull a fast one on a customer.If the manager was in on it to Id write the head office,I'm not living in the US but I've heard enough horror stories about GC that when I go there I'll most likely stay clear of them.IF GC's rep is so bad I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate a store manager being in on a crooked deal.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Well do you want a Pooky Bear to train up. I took her to music makers in Lincoln when she was six. Told her not to touch anything. She kept stroking different guitars saying things along the lines of, "I like this colour Daddy". I keep telling her not to touch.

Next thing I know she's stood in front of twelve strats. Reaching out to a pewter Clapton, "Daddy I liiiiee"! as she fell into the rack.

The assistant was about to say something to her directly. I stopped him with a look. Then I had a word with mischievous daughter. Amazingly she didn't damage herself or a guitar.

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No no and no

I don't know if Pooky Bears and Armadillo Childs get on very well...

It was a long process before she had "walk around" rights in the music shops...we started by taking her to art museums in her stroller, reinforcing what we had started teaching her during religious services (there's a time to sit down and be quiet).

I pushed her through a guitar show in the stroller, too, telling her about the different instruments (a tear nearly came to my eye when she could identify a Strat, a Tele and a Les Paul at the age of 2 and a half)...off-brands and copies confused her.

Later (instrument-wise), I took her to pawn shops (not in stroller) and taught her not to touch anything there, either.

Then I would carry her through the guitar shop (no room for strollers) until I felt comfortable enough to let her walk beside me.

She still gets the "Hairy Eyeball" from me on occasion, when she gets too close to something she shouldn't...but overall, I can't complain; she's a good kid (but don't tell her I said that!)

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

So did you go to the buy a set of strings, get a free set up?
I was at one of their locations, and it wasn't busy.

They were spending extra time with a kid's guitar making sure it was set up properly for him to learn on--it was excellent service, and all for the price of a set of strings.
I was at a different one years ago, and the guy did a horrible set up on my guitar--so I got Dan Erlewine's book, and started doing it myself--I already knew how to do most of it myself.
I practiced on a cheap guitar, and so I didn't take any of my guitars.

But this other location did a great job on the kid's guitar--I've had greta service from them before--I will keep going there.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

Last Wed. we had four families on vac in Boston (we are from Toronto) after visiting Fenway Park we (3 guys all musicians) saw that guitar center was right there & decided to go in. After spending 45 mins looking & testing a couple of used pedals I tell the sales guy which one I wanted....

We go to the cash reg then he tells me he couldn't sell it to me until this week, due to their pawn shop licence while they check to see if it was stolen.. (OK I clearly understand the policy,) So I tell the guy they shouldn't put it out until the day it clears..He gives me the dumb look so I just walked away really pissed......

Funny thing my brother-in-law also was going to buy a couple of cymbals with stands & it was the same scenero they couldn't sell them yet,, well they lost a total of $2100. between the three of us because my other brother-in-law was going to buy a used U.S. 60th strat & told the guy he'll pass...

All I can say is what a load of crap guitar center in Boston is ...

I will no longer shop at GC when on vacation. The really sad thing is nothg will get done to resolve their lackluster business model.

That would make sense--to not display it until it is available.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

HI got two music shops one local and one up the coast from me. My local store has a guy follow me around like im going to steal somthing.And tells me not to handel any guitars. And i have been going to that store for 20 years. but the one up the coast form me tells me as i get in the door. Grab any guitar and plug in to what you like What a diffrents that makes..Cheers..From..Aus...

So I think everyone can agree that GC is not a fun place to be anymore. It used to be the Walt Disney World for musicians, but now it's just a place to deal with "salesmen," tortured equipment and young kids playing poorly played, distortion drenched and hack versions of their favorite music.

On that note I feel for the salesmen. Think about it if you had to hear hum bucker, crunchy, way too loud, out of tune and poorly played guitars wouldn't you want to get back at people by making their shopping experience awful?
If I were a salesmen, at GC I think I would shoot myself in the head.

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1975 Sunburst Stratocaster rosewood finger board
1979 Stratocaster with roseowood finder board
2001 Candy Green Clapton Stratocaster
2007 Andy Summers Inspired Telecaster
2007 '51 P-Bass
2012 Taylor 110
2015 Mystic Ice Blue Deluxe Stratocaster Plus

Our local shop is so famous and the guys working there are so brilliant, so awesome, so absolutey important that you won't earn a "hello" when you enter their shop. No, you'll have to wait until they find time to drop their more significant work (nose drilling ...)

Funny enough, a guitar got stolen last week. I guess a client had to wait forever and decided to walk out with it.

Cheers

Amerigo

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"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."

my worst shop experience was with rivington guitars in nyc

i ordered a 62 avri strat in surf green off ebay from them ( i was desperate for the surf green strat). A few days later i got a big box in the mail opened it up and saw a brown g & g case. I could not get the case open though so i called the shop asking if a key came with the case and they forgot it. They said the case did not come with a key and that i needed to line up the lock (basically where the key would go to open it) with my finger and that would work. I did this on one of the locks and it worked the other one did not open. So i called them and asked for help...they told me the same thing and hung up. Finally after two days of trying to open the case i took a hammer and pried the case open. The guitar was great and after looking in the pocket where all the case candy was guess what i found in a plastic bag A KEY FOR THE CASE. I called them and said i want you guys to pay for the case. They said no and offered me a shirt. I will never buy a guitar from them again.

any visit to guitar center, wich is only when i am in a bind and NEVER a major purchase.

I have had no real bad experiences, but why is it in so many shops, if you are just browsing you have an assistant permanently perched on your shoulder, but when you want to buy, there's nobody in sight.

not a terrible experience, but here's my story.

I had given up playing guitar for years and sold everything. I decided to start again and with $1000 in my pocket for an amp and guitar I went downtown. there are two small stores right next to each other so i flipped a mental coin and went to the one on the left. I took my (mostly well behaved) 10 year old daughter and a 60 year old friend with me.

I told the salesman my story and asked him to demo some suggestions. he played 3-4 guitars on 3-4 amps over about a half-hour for me and we debated the pro's and con's and we talked about lessons. The Manager of the store came over and tapped me on the shoulder and was quite upset. he had a recorder (the plastic flute) and my daughter and was upset that she had picked it up off of the display and blew into it, so he couldn't sell it. I said "ok" and took the recorder and laid it down on my jacket and resumed talking to the salesman. the manager tapped me on the shoulder again and said that I needed to pay for the recorder. I told him "sure. how much is it?" it was $5 and I said "sure, ok" and went back to talking to the salesman and the manager tapped me again. he said "I meant now". so I got up, paid for the recorder and went next door and bought a guitar. I still think about that and shake my head. I'd have paid for the recorder with the guitar and amp, and almost figured he'd throw it in on the deal. I don't know why he was so upset. they had a whole rack of them without covers or sleeves on them and no "do not touch" sign. ah well, I've spend over $5000 from the other store in the last year or so and have a great relationship with the staff there, so it's worked out.

@stompk: what a story. There you see how bad vibes work.

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"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."