Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
- Thread starter BloodRose
- Start date
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
Should you be happy? Sure!, ANY guitar store nearby is better than nothing. If you use high end gear, you won't be impressed. However, no matter how much boutique stuff I play, I still enjoy jamming on their selection of les pauls, strats and teles... usually through whatever Fenders they have floating around.
Should you be happy? Sure!, ANY guitar store nearby is better than nothing. If you use high end gear, you won't be impressed. However, no matter how much boutique stuff I play, I still enjoy jamming on their selection of les pauls, strats and teles... usually through whatever Fenders they have floating around.
Guitarist
Mesa-ologist
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
I'm in love with Guitar Center. The employees where I'm at are great guys and continue to do nice things for me and other customers. I was just in a very vulnerable situation where I lost my power cord to my Rectifier head. I went down and spoke to them about my situation and they, out of their understanding, just gave me one. Awesome guys. And great gear down there as well. Lots of fun!
I'm in love with Guitar Center. The employees where I'm at are great guys and continue to do nice things for me and other customers. I was just in a very vulnerable situation where I lost my power cord to my Rectifier head. I went down and spoke to them about my situation and they, out of their understanding, just gave me one. Awesome guys. And great gear down there as well. Lots of fun!
Ez74
Active member
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
1 just opened up a month or so ago in my town .... and i was really disappointed.... and the staff didnt seem to know what they were talking about
.. for example...
someone posted here that they saw the highway 1 fender teles going for $350 so I went and asked the guitar salesman about it....
he looks at a highway 1 tele sitting in front of me and says...
" well the price tag says $550, so it's $550".... "maybe it was the mexican higway 1s"
1 just opened up a month or so ago in my town .... and i was really disappointed.... and the staff didnt seem to know what they were talking about
.. for example...
someone posted here that they saw the highway 1 fender teles going for $350 so I went and asked the guitar salesman about it....
he looks at a highway 1 tele sitting in front of me and says...
" well the price tag says $550, so it's $550".... "maybe it was the mexican higway 1s"
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
I've had a few postive experiences at GC's, mostly Seattle area ones. I've had a lot of negative experiences in the Houston area. It must have something to do with regional management.
any GC close to you is probably better than none. Hopefully you have some great small owner shops around as well.
I've had a few postive experiences at GC's, mostly Seattle area ones. I've had a lot of negative experiences in the Houston area. It must have something to do with regional management.
any GC close to you is probably better than none. Hopefully you have some great small owner shops around as well.
GuitarGuy503
New member
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
GC is pretty cool. They got a variety of different gear, but I have experienced bad service on several occassions. They do have nice employees but in the past I've asked questions and they were clueless to the answers and werent much help. They are famous for not returning calls also. They were supposed to track me down a POD XT at one of their other nearby locations because the one i went to was out of stock and they never called me back. Thats just one example. I got plenty more.....
I think it really depends on the location. I think the people who work at my local GC are nothin but unhelpful slackers. Maybe you will get lucky and get some reliable helpful employees in your area. :smack: :dance:
GC is pretty cool. They got a variety of different gear, but I have experienced bad service on several occassions. They do have nice employees but in the past I've asked questions and they were clueless to the answers and werent much help. They are famous for not returning calls also. They were supposed to track me down a POD XT at one of their other nearby locations because the one i went to was out of stock and they never called me back. Thats just one example. I got plenty more.....
I think it really depends on the location. I think the people who work at my local GC are nothin but unhelpful slackers. Maybe you will get lucky and get some reliable helpful employees in your area. :smack: :dance:
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Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
the stores not bad i went to one in oregon city portland area and the people looked at me weird like theyve never a puertorican before and like some have said were horrible at callbacks. the one i went to in florida was run by people who previously worked at a similar store called mars music and they were helpful al one of the managers in the lakeland tampa stores was a nice guy and a good musician and since one of the underlings had made me wait for long more than once i got a discount extra warranty on the pedals and strings and picks so i stayed loyal to the guy until i relocated.
the stores not bad i went to one in oregon city portland area and the people looked at me weird like theyve never a puertorican before and like some have said were horrible at callbacks. the one i went to in florida was run by people who previously worked at a similar store called mars music and they were helpful al one of the managers in the lakeland tampa stores was a nice guy and a good musician and since one of the underlings had made me wait for long more than once i got a discount extra warranty on the pedals and strings and picks so i stayed loyal to the guy until i relocated.
T
theodie
Guest
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
One thing I like about them is, they beat anyones price. Before I am going to spend some $$$ I call around to musiciansfriend, Sam Ash, Washington music center, ETC and ask them for their price then go to GC and ask them what they can do. I will go back back to the other stores and see if they will beat it and so on. I got a Korg Trition Studio 88 key for a freind of mine for $2800. Everyones price on them is $3400.
I would have to say I like them.
One thing I like about them is, they beat anyones price. Before I am going to spend some $$$ I call around to musiciansfriend, Sam Ash, Washington music center, ETC and ask them for their price then go to GC and ask them what they can do. I will go back back to the other stores and see if they will beat it and so on. I got a Korg Trition Studio 88 key for a freind of mine for $2800. Everyones price on them is $3400.
I would have to say I like them.
bearballz
New member
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
Yea, their ok. I usually go there to check out all the lastest gear. I got my deluxe reverb there for $425.00 which I think was a good deal. I also just bought my Spider II for $285.00. Usually if there is something I'm interested in I'll try it out there and then go try to find it online soemwhere else. Usually the online stores have better prices because there's no sales tax.
There are 4-5 GCs in the Chicago area and they differ in the quality of service and selection. I definitly think their better than Sam Ash stores in terms of prices and service.
Yea, their ok. I usually go there to check out all the lastest gear. I got my deluxe reverb there for $425.00 which I think was a good deal. I also just bought my Spider II for $285.00. Usually if there is something I'm interested in I'll try it out there and then go try to find it online soemwhere else. Usually the online stores have better prices because there's no sales tax.
There are 4-5 GCs in the Chicago area and they differ in the quality of service and selection. I definitly think their better than Sam Ash stores in terms of prices and service.
T
theodie
Guest
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
You have to get GC and Sam ash to compete with price buddy. I never buy gear for the sticker price at one of those stores.bearballz said:
aleclee
Major General GAS
Could be good, could be bad
Could be good, could be bad
Depends on the GC and what your local stores are like. If you have some nice mom & pop stores, it's a bad thing. If there are no decent stores around, it could be a good thing. Given the scarcity of "good" small stores, it's probably not so bad.
We have three GCs here in the Denver area. Two are pretty good and one has cool stuff but I have a huge axe to grind with Bob, the mgr at the Denver store, and will not spend a penny there as long as he runs that store.
GC does a pretty good job of stocking a variety of models of "the usual stuff": Fender, Gibson, Crate, Marshall, Boss. Their prices on a lot of that stuff are quite competitive--especially if you're inclined to haggle. They're usually cool about letting you try things out and the 30 day return policy rocks.
OTOH, a lot of their stuff is shopworn. They don't carry much that's not made by "the big guys" (e.g,. Rivera). Too many salesdoodz don't know jack about the stuff they're selling and don't seem interested in learning (I blame this on bad local store mgmt). On the higher end stuff (e.g., PRS and nicer Gibsons), their prices are way higher than stores that specialize in those brands.
As a result, I stop in mainly to check out their used gear (I scored a Soldano HR50 half stack for $700 a couple years ago) and to pickup up odds and ends like cables.
My $0.02, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.
Could be good, could be bad
Depends on the GC and what your local stores are like. If you have some nice mom & pop stores, it's a bad thing. If there are no decent stores around, it could be a good thing. Given the scarcity of "good" small stores, it's probably not so bad.
We have three GCs here in the Denver area. Two are pretty good and one has cool stuff but I have a huge axe to grind with Bob, the mgr at the Denver store, and will not spend a penny there as long as he runs that store.
GC does a pretty good job of stocking a variety of models of "the usual stuff": Fender, Gibson, Crate, Marshall, Boss. Their prices on a lot of that stuff are quite competitive--especially if you're inclined to haggle. They're usually cool about letting you try things out and the 30 day return policy rocks.
OTOH, a lot of their stuff is shopworn. They don't carry much that's not made by "the big guys" (e.g,. Rivera). Too many salesdoodz don't know jack about the stuff they're selling and don't seem interested in learning (I blame this on bad local store mgmt). On the higher end stuff (e.g., PRS and nicer Gibsons), their prices are way higher than stores that specialize in those brands.
As a result, I stop in mainly to check out their used gear (I scored a Soldano HR50 half stack for $700 a couple years ago) and to pickup up odds and ends like cables.
My $0.02, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.
T
theodie
Guest
Re: Could be good, could be bad
Re: Could be good, could be bad
Re: Could be good, could be bad
I usually go in there for used gear also, one can find very good deals on used stuff. Haggling helps also.aleclee said:
\m/(00)\m/
HeadBanginologist
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
which mars music?
the one on powerline? thats the one i used to go to all the time.
anyways, GC is alright. but most of the time, they dont know ****. i went there one time looking for a dimarzio yjm and the guy pulled out a superdistortion an evolution and a tone zone :laugh2:
pm12 said:
which mars music?
the one on powerline? thats the one i used to go to all the time.
anyways, GC is alright. but most of the time, they dont know ****. i went there one time looking for a dimarzio yjm and the guy pulled out a superdistortion an evolution and a tone zone :laugh2:
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
the mars music i went to was in tampa then they were bought out by sam ash and shut down instead of using the good location so gc came 2 stores down from where the mars was.i went looking for a jb and a distortion in white as well as a hot rails set in white i only wound up with 1 white pickup and the guy tried but i was thinking hes lost. pulled out a duckbucker and was all this will work and i said arent these less than half the output than the rails he didnt know but i didnt want to make him look even worse. it just wouldnt have worked for me since i wanted super high output for my frankenstrat
the mars music i went to was in tampa then they were bought out by sam ash and shut down instead of using the good location so gc came 2 stores down from where the mars was.i went looking for a jb and a distortion in white as well as a hot rails set in white i only wound up with 1 white pickup and the guy tried but i was thinking hes lost. pulled out a duckbucker and was all this will work and i said arent these less than half the output than the rails he didnt know but i didnt want to make him look even worse. it just wouldnt have worked for me since i wanted super high output for my frankenstrat
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
I love GC. I was selling my '69 Fender Mustang, and nobody (including Sam Ash!)wanted to put more than $300 into it. Guitar Center gave me $500, plus I found a killer Ibanez RG570 (used & beat up) there that day for $175!! Like I said, I love Guitar Center
I love GC. I was selling my '69 Fender Mustang, and nobody (including Sam Ash!)wanted to put more than $300 into it. Guitar Center gave me $500, plus I found a killer Ibanez RG570 (used & beat up) there that day for $175!! Like I said, I love Guitar Center
51501984
New member
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
I find that the best time to go to GC is in the morning when they open , if you go on the weekend at about 2:00 pm forget it , you won`t be able to hear yourself talk with all the racket going on . I find the GC in my area pretty good though as they always have the strings I need at good prices and you can always jam on a Les Paul or Strat that they have sitting around plus they usually have all the latest stomp boxes on display. Since the GC in my area is near my inlaws home I can escape and take my niece and nephew to GC and let them bang away on the drums there , I guess I`m contributing to the racket!
I find that the best time to go to GC is in the morning when they open , if you go on the weekend at about 2:00 pm forget it , you won`t be able to hear yourself talk with all the racket going on . I find the GC in my area pretty good though as they always have the strings I need at good prices and you can always jam on a Les Paul or Strat that they have sitting around plus they usually have all the latest stomp boxes on display. Since the GC in my area is near my inlaws home I can escape and take my niece and nephew to GC and let them bang away on the drums there , I guess I`m contributing to the racket!
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
Thanks for the insight everyone. Jax doesnt have alot of shops. The mom and pops have gone under except one or two and one of the major 2 stores around here dont let you touch anything highline unless you offer up a security deposit. And they are wicked overpriced. The other store (has 2 locations) is better, but keep the 5 high line axes behind the counter..
Im sure GC stocks mostly entry stuff cuz thats what moves, but my hope is that they wont be too stingy about letting me test the better stuff.
Thanks for the insight everyone. Jax doesnt have alot of shops. The mom and pops have gone under except one or two and one of the major 2 stores around here dont let you touch anything highline unless you offer up a security deposit. And they are wicked overpriced. The other store (has 2 locations) is better, but keep the 5 high line axes behind the counter..
Im sure GC stocks mostly entry stuff cuz thats what moves, but my hope is that they wont be too stingy about letting me test the better stuff.
matt99camero
New member
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
I give them a break. You can't expect them to know every detail about every little thing in their store. I mean they should be able to tell the difference between a single coil and a humbucker but I wouldn't expect them to know all the specs on them. If they don't they should have books around to be able to answer your questions. They have been pretty good to me. I went to buy my GAX70 and they didn't have one in red only black so I paid for one and they put it on order. It's an hour and a half drive to GC for me and I was kinda bummed that I was going to be going home empty handed and have to come back, but the guy let me take the black one home and play it until my red one came in. I thought that was cool, they could have just let me go home with nothing knowing that they already had my money anyway for the red one I put on order. That makes me want to do business with them again.
And when I go to GC I don't think of their stuff as entry level at all. There are so many sweet guitars I wish I could afford in their like a Taylor or Les Paul studio. Even $500 for a guitar to me is not entry level. I had to work my a** off for to have what I have and my biggest purchase was my MIM tele and I take care of it like people take care of their $2000 guitars.
I give them a break. You can't expect them to know every detail about every little thing in their store. I mean they should be able to tell the difference between a single coil and a humbucker but I wouldn't expect them to know all the specs on them. If they don't they should have books around to be able to answer your questions. They have been pretty good to me. I went to buy my GAX70 and they didn't have one in red only black so I paid for one and they put it on order. It's an hour and a half drive to GC for me and I was kinda bummed that I was going to be going home empty handed and have to come back, but the guy let me take the black one home and play it until my red one came in. I thought that was cool, they could have just let me go home with nothing knowing that they already had my money anyway for the red one I put on order. That makes me want to do business with them again.
And when I go to GC I don't think of their stuff as entry level at all. There are so many sweet guitars I wish I could afford in their like a Taylor or Les Paul studio. Even $500 for a guitar to me is not entry level. I had to work my a** off for to have what I have and my biggest purchase was my MIM tele and I take care of it like people take care of their $2000 guitars.
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Quencho092
New member
Re: Getting a Guitar Center in my hood...
miami is a nightmare for guitar shops, all you got is GC in kendall, and a Samash in NW miami. Even the mom and pop shops rip you off, at one they tried to sell me an epiphone joe pass used for 800 bucks, its on musicians friend new for 600-700.
miami is a nightmare for guitar shops, all you got is GC in kendall, and a Samash in NW miami. Even the mom and pop shops rip you off, at one they tried to sell me an epiphone joe pass used for 800 bucks, its on musicians friend new for 600-700.
