Local GC wall models all set up super high. Why??

[beaubrummels]

For a while, I wouldn't buy a guitar unless it was set up. My thinking was, if it's set up, I know for sure it can be intonated and play in tune. If it's not set up, can't be sure if the truss is good and it can be set up, etc. Plus, if they won't set theirs up, I could go to another store that has the same model and find one set up, somewhere. (That's not the case any more, unfortunately. The 'other' stores are almost all gone.)

[JOLLY]

The hair is worse than the guitar playing. And that posture, is he trying to play guitar or blow himself?

[ThreeChordWonder]

Keep the grubby little fingers off, naturally.

[Mincer]

It is worth a trip to a specialty store, certainly. Or just buying at home with a good return policy. The GC and Sam Ash in my area are no different than the experiences here, and I hate the hard sell as soon as you ask a question.

[GuitarStv]

I should stop walking into guitar stores without my own kit of things they should have ready for any customer who wants to try something out:

• headstock tuner
• 2 instrument cables
• 1 speaker cable
• 9V battery
• BOSS compatible power supply
• picks
• 3mm hex wrench
• 10-in-1 screwdriver
• Gibson multi-tool
• snacks
• non-alcoholic beverage

What else?

What, they can't spring for a beer? (And as a demanding tone purist, I demand a good craft beer . . .)

[Mononoaware]

Keep the grubby little fingers off, naturally.

That'd occurred to me, too. Makes as much sense as anything else. Regardless of the reason, I won't be buying from there. I've been to payday loan pawnshops with better gear presentation than this.

It is worth a trip to a specialty store, certainly. Or just buying at home with a good return policy. The GC and Sam Ash in my area are no different than the experiences here, and I hate the hard sell as soon as you ask a question.

Yeah. It's just unfortunate that they have the best variety in my area--a massive two-story-tall wall of pure GAS--but the worst setups ever.

But you can't play eye candy--you need a real instrument to make music. Or somethin' like that.

[ThreeChordWonder]

You'll also notice they put the top of the range Gibsons and Fenders really high up and the Squiers and other lower price brands lower down. Have you figured out why yet?

As for hard sell, I really haven't noticed that in any of the Houston area GCs. Well, not like walking onto a used car lot, that's for sure...

[Mincer]

That'd occurred to me, too. Makes as much sense as anything else. Regardless of the reason, I won't be buying from there. I've been to payday loan pawnshops with better gear presentation than this.



Yeah. It's just unfortunate that they have the best variety in my area--a massive two-story-tall wall of pure GAS--but the worst setups ever.

But you can't play eye candy--you need a real instrument to make music. Or somethin' like that.

It is tough when it is the only choice. I got to the point where I can't really tell if I want to spend the money unless I use my own gear. So I've bought online for the last 15 years. Many times there is hassle-free returns, no tax and free shipping.

[eclecticsynergy]

IME the "techs" at Gtr Center sometimes haven't been worth their weight in manure.
Now I don't doubt that at many branches the tech may be competent or even highly skilled.
But it's a crapshoot.
And it doesn't take many clowns to give the whole chain a bad name.

[Securb]

I returned my Carvin X100B to Guitar Center. I told them it was badly modded and making a ton of noise, with the BOOST on the amp is unplayable. 2 days later I see the same amp back on the GC website for sale. Not cool.

[JamesPaul]

Not coll at all! The employee doing the poor setups probably just powered it up and decided it is good.

[Mincer]

I returned my Carvin X100B to Guitar Center. I told them it was badly modded and making a ton of noise, with the BOOST on the amp is unplayable. 2 days later I see the same amp back on the GC website for sale. Not cool.

They know they can flip it quickly.

[dave74]

Guitars are high-up so people don't sue them for slashing fingers on the rusty strings. "have you had your tetanus booster sir?"

[dave74]

Guitars are high-up so the two fat kids in black T-shirts and camo cargo shorts can’t reach the JH-600 and the one neck-through BC Rich and sit in the middle of the store playing the intro to “South of Heaven” for seven hours.

I swear we only do it to piss-off the Strymon lovers!

[ThreeChordWonder]

I would imagine these guys work on commission. They would want the guitars to play as well as possible and be desirable to the buyer.

The sales guys and gals by and large don't do setups. Their job is to move merchandise out the front door and to fill up the cash registers in the process.

Anyway.

90% plus of their sales are probably to people (kids and newbies) who don't know any better.better next 19% probably don't even trust the GC techs to begin with and / or prefer doing their own setup anyway, leaving the 1% who expect discount store pricing and boutique service.