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Post subject: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 6:26 am
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Rock Star
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Headed off to Guitar center looking for some Pawn Shop basses to try. They had none, but they did have the tortiseshell pickguard I've been wanting for my Jazz.

Got into a long conversation with the salesman, who claimed he was a bass player, maybe.

We started talking about fender basses and he started telling me about American Specials and how wonderful they were. They have more of them than American Standards and a whole bunch of Squiers. The conversation went downhill after that, he was trying to convince me how good they were and I was telling him how bad they were. My son in law, who doesn't even play, was laughing. He was with me when I went to try out the Specials last time.

After we left, son in law asked me why the last few times we went there, the people working there were clueless. I just said, they're salesmen, plain and simple. Got to move what you have.

Like I said before, get an American Standard, you get a whole lot mor for not too much more money.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 1:39 pm
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In my early years on the bass(after 20 yrs as a drummer)I worked at a brand-new GC in my area,at the time I was also working as an apprentice to a Fender licensed repairman and taking bass lessons from a local music store owner/guitar repairman,so my point being as I was learning the GC sales job and on fixing basses I was aware of some very shady dealings which led to me to give my 2 weeks notice.
A bass I purchased for myself(Geddy Lee sig bass) before working there 3 months earlier was deemed NON-repairable by Fenders guidlines,it was returned to the store by me for a full refund,while training for my new job I was told to put it back on the sales floor labled "DEMO MODEL" 20% OFF!.
I could'nt F'en believe it,with my refund I purchased a H/Way 1 Jazz bass to take the place of the G/Lee model I had lost and after not being able to get the bass to play the way I preferred I brought the bass to my bass tech and he told me to bring it to a luthier for neck work,this is the same luthier I was apprenticing under and was a lic. by Fender warrenty repairman he told me that the neck would cost Fender more to repair than to just give me a new neck,cool right..? on the flip side the neck is on a 6 month backorder due to the high number of replacements,it seems that MANY of these necks jazz and p-bass designs were getting the famous"cowtounge" which basically means the last 5-7 frets(give or take)were high due to moisture getting in the neck pocket and making wood under the fretboard raise up,sometimes grinding the frets will work if its a low lift but usually the frets are pulled,fretboard is cut and removed,neck is planed to remove the lifting and then its put back together with hopes of fixing this problem permenately.
So now after this happeing to me twice already I begin to see a pattern with alot of the Fenders I take out the box and ready for the floor,no set-ups were getting done before boxing,many were missing things like allenkeys,straplocks,straps/casecandy...etc,and just an overall poor quality of the basses,now the guitars were'nt coming like that,only the basses,most had crappy necks with uneven relief from bass to treble side after set-up and tuning,I compaired them to a different brand every shipment received and it was only the Fender basses coming in like this,all our basses were from a distrubution factory and not Fender directly so I did some investigating.
Come to find out GC was getting the factory seconds or blems they are sometimes called,I cant say it was on purpose but when I would complain about the quality of the basses I played and usually recomended I felt like I was talking to deaf ears,they said I had a sour taste in my mouth because of my 2 problematic basses,it had nothing to do with 23 basses I brought to their attention that were worthless,and the 6 more I had to return after spending countless man hours trying to remedy(I enjoyed working on them,it only made me a better tech)these worthless guitars.
So after 6 months of beating a dead horse and after being told I waste to much time worrying about how good floor models(the same models that the cust bought)played,I just gave in and left,I will not even buy strings from them,they are now owned by a giant conglomerate faceless entity,at one time they would let you haggle and sell it for what they bought the guitar for as long as you made money on accessories, which is where there profit really is for everyone involved,but now its black and white,no haggle no deal.
This is my experience,not to say everyone I had with them was bad but the ones that really mattered were,do your own research and learn from the mistakes of others,ther'e still stores out there that actually care about what they sell,I am sure there's one around you. :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 2:00 pm
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Unreal. I've been riding the "THEY SELL SECONDS" horse for a while. I'm glad I have what I need now and am willing to take my chanches with Musician's Friend. I've had really good luck.

I've purchased three basses at GC and never got any allen wrenches or anything. I was told they throw them away as soon as they get them in.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 2:17 pm
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THATS JUST A FEW OF MY WAR STORIES,I hope they are done with this practice,but I was there last year and a Guy I was hired with way back when is still there,and he was arguing with a customer about doing a refund on a YOU GUESSED IT..! Fender with a warped neck,I did him a favor and verified the customers claim,but if I was'nt there to side with the customer(a 16 yr old kid who saved for over a year to buy this bass)he would have gotten skunked,KNOWLEDGE IS POWER,learn to set-up your bass!!! it will help you with dirty underhanded salesmen. :evil:

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BOOMSHANKA: "May the seed of your loin be fruitfull in the belly of your woman"
Neil quoted from the "Young Ones" MTV Sketch series.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 3:12 pm
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Location: Basel, Switzerland (Local Sanitarium)
lawsuitbass wrote:
In my early years on the bass(after 20 yrs as a drummer)I worked at a brand-new GC in my area,at the time I was also working as an apprentice to a Fender licensed repairman and taking bass lessons from a local music store owner/guitar repairman,so my point being as I was learning the GC sales job and on fixing basses I was aware of some very shady dealings which led to me to give my 2 weeks notice.
A bass I purchased for myself(Geddy Lee sig bass) before working there 3 months earlier was deemed NON-repairable by Fenders guidlines,it was returned to the store by me for a full refund,while training for my new job I was told to put it back on the sales floor labled "DEMO MODEL" 20% OFF!....


what a nasty story, although i guess you honest i almost can't believe the system behind the rip-off, is that still going on? :?:


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 4:29 pm
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He's going to call me and I can make it happen on my end.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 6:37 am
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Are you gonna try to come?

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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 3:47 pm
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Sabre Lane wrote:
If the tour gets down to Tampa, and I get a little advanced notice, I will find a way to make it work no matter what.


I'm getting a little impatient with you! I said, we're coming to Ft. Meyers first, then Tampa then we're storming fjbasse's gated community! :D

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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 6:54 pm
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Now that's just wrong, you're going to give Sabre nightmares.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 7:32 pm
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Of course I'll take the responsibility, I have broad shoulders and will make this my shining moment.

Just to set the record straight, I don't mind being called Grandpa at all but, my oldest grand daughter, the only one who talks, calls me Pepop. At times it's Pepaw or Pappy. As of late it's Pepop.

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Isn't she sweet?


I think we have another participant for the Tour, Stoker. He's on the way when Rez comes to me.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 6:06 am
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Mrs. Pennywise (alias, Gammaw) bought that for her.

And for your enjoyment!



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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 6:14 am
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Thank you Bob, she is adorable, here's her sister. This is her reaction to reading Sabre's posts when he's cranky.

Yes, Rez was always in the plans for the Tour.


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 4:43 am
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pbassbob wrote:
I almost wonder if she's trying to figure out what the heck is up with her sister's appearance with that Pennywise pacifier in place! :shock:


The picture was taken on New Year's Eve. My son in law is pure blooded Italian and everybody gathered at his place.

The caption for the picture is:

"These people give me a headache!"


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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 8:24 am
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Just a suggestion, my vaca time is burned...any chance we can do it in the Spring? Our Norhtern blood won't boil so much with that Southern heat? I know, I know, I'm originally from the Tropics, but the Frozen Tundra weather has gotten me. I'm like the shortest Viking you'll ever meet - plus not having other Viking features, like white skin, blond hair, eat a lot of foods with sour cream, wanting to destroy everything, and hates being on boats... :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Went to Guitar Center yesterday
Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 8:59 am
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The time will come when all the planets align and everything will all fall into place. We're still going to keep it a secret from Brother Dave. The YouTube video will be great! The expression on his face will be priceless.

Uh, just a thought, General Zod doesn't own firearms does he? We definitely want to surprise him, but not too much. If you know what I mean.


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