the next step in the evolution ofbrick and mortar music stores should be the combination of music shop and watering hole. Just make sure you get good insurance for the gear
The transperformance deal was interesting for using different tunings, not just from one song to the next, but within one song. I remember seeing Jimmy Page using one on TV in the 90's. The verse and chorus were in DADGAD, but the solo was in standard. Not that 99.9% of people need that, but it was pretty cool.
Hi.. I'm at 1:12 .. which feels like forever that I've been listening.. some good points, some less so.. but no one so far has mentioned the number one reason you would go to a physical store: Neck comfort.. neck comfort is a vital for guitarists, you wouldn't buy clothes that didn't fit you nor should you buy an uncomfortable neck.. neck comfort is a important selling point for visiting a physical store.. I personally don't go to physical stores because Glasgow is so far away, and Guitar-Guitar are such a rip off (Scottish equivalent to Guitar Center) .. anyways I digress.. if I stayed in a city, you betcha I would go along and try out a guitar first before buying.. and if I liked the people in the shop, I'd probably buy from them so long as it's not a rip off.
Last time I went to Guitar Center was earlier this year shopping for an acoustic. It was in pretty sad shape. Several guitars were missing strings. All of the preamps had dead batteries. They’ve been doing a bad job of just being a guitar shop, regardless of who their customer is. Focusing on the upscale client is a terrible move, because those players are probably going to their trusted local shop. Just like they shop at nicer grocery stores and never set foot in a Walmart. If Guitar Center wants to fix it’s ailments it should start with just being a decent guitar shop with playable guitars and knowledgeable staff. Also, maybe think about not letting the seven-year-olds bang on the electronic drum set cranked to 10. Or give them some headphones.
GC is almost surely already renting out premium shelf space. Their Silicon Valley (Santa Clara) store used to have a fashion runway of Gibson guitars, all locked up but you could ogle and fondle them. My GC has a whole wall of Fender products as you enter the guitar section, and that's surely not an accident.
I’m surprised that the manufacturers aren’t upset with GC because I pick up almost any guitar in there and it plays like crap. It makes you feel like those models are bad when in all actuality it may be excellent with a quick setup. Action so high you can barely press the strings down, necks that are bowed like a banana. Guitars would sell if you pick it up and it plays great. And they really need to clean the place up too! My wife won’t even go into the store with me because it’s dirty. You would think a store close to Palm Beach Florida would be nicer.
Holy shit look at that. Did Gibson actually have a hunchback guy named Igor tasked to procure parts for that monster? "Only the best parts, made by geniuses, Igor!" Then the guy comes back with rotary phone innards and the motherboard from LL Cool J's old beeper... And not for nothing, Gibson actually made this cut from whole cloth and plopped it in Jimmy Page's hands, but did they have to? How many of you would have forked over the dough for an LP (or a tele) with Page's B-Bender installed by the manufacturer instead of this, which neither Gibson nor Fender has apparently ever deigned to do?
They should make a KFC Extra Crispy Fuzz with a Hot Gravy switch. And of course you've got to put Bootstrap Original Recipe '51 Tele pickups in the guitar. Bootstrap pickups are amazing sounding and really a underpriced. They use premium materials and sign and number every pickup. I have a set in my G&L ASAT Classic Tele.
I'd take the crazy Les Paul if you gave it away? But really, that should be auctioned off to serious Jimmy Page fans, to benefit the Jimmy Page Foundation for Recovery from...Something. For someone who needs a lot of tuning changes per set (within reasonable range), a Variax is a pretty good stage solution. Not particularly satisfying to play at home, but reliable onstage, both for the same reason: The piezo pickup that drives the modeling compresses dynamics.
I still go to GC. Nothing wrong with it. The only thing that pisses me off is that I can't see what is actually in stock. I go down to the store and they don't have what was shown to be in stock. BS. They hardly have ANY good pedals, either. Just the basic stuff. The coolest stuff is used and they're WAAAAY overpriced compared to Reverb.
40:38 "They're always after me lucky charhms!" And side note, GC really needs to figure out their used gear stuff too. I don't mind if they want to function like car dealers with a, "We'll take any guitar in trade!" policy, but not all of them should make it onto their used wall. Some should get placed into the dumpster where they belong. Same goes for mid-high end set-neck guitars with neck angle issues. They shouldn't be selling used import guitars for $500-700 if they need a neck reset.
GC here in Central California has not had a single current, relevant piece of guitar gear - ever (almost 20 years in town). Not one item you might see on a YT demo and try. What they do have is experts at cold shoulder and non-affected employees who know anything. I heard an employee correct a customer who said he had a little Squier amp. The kid said, there is no such thing as a Squier amp. Except for there are. I only go to GC to sell gear now... I do not need one of their 45,000 terribly set up Affinity and Bullets. It is a painful experience here.
I like GC’s rewards system. My main issue with them is that, since they don’t seem to have a main warehouse (or do they?) they just pull things from whatever store has them in stock. On several occasions I have bought new, but received clearly used, sometimes dirty/blemished items. I bought a Boss looper pedal from them a couple of weeks ago in-store and when I got it home there were batteries in it, so it was clearly a return. When I called about this, the employee I spoke with said they don’t sell those as open box (they do and they have one listed on their website). It works fine so I decided it wasn’t worth complaining over. Anyway this isn’t Yelp so I’ll stop whining lol, but my advice is to order for store pickup so you can examine your purchase before taking it home.
My GC thoughts before they do anything else : (1) Get new vacuum cleaners and use them! (2) Install demo rooms where a person can demo gear (especially acoustic instruments) away from the noise of those noisy players (3) Have a special room where all those noisy players can play together and help each other learn those noisy songs, and finally (4) Have a quiet place where the wives and girlfriends can go and maybe have a smoothie and sit in a massage chair instead of standing beside their guy with a "I am bored, will you please hurry up" face.
I don't think GC's target market was ever the high-end experience. How can they return to something that never existed? Sure, they brought more serious musician's in because they had way more dealership contracts than most mom and pop stores (I remember the days where many stores only had a single premium brand, or two at most). But they always were the big box store with lower prices, but mostly sold lower tier equipment. They should focus on that experience. The beginner needs more knowledgeable staff than a pro does. They need qualified techs. They need music teachers. They are making their money on budget gear, but they don't provide any support for those players.
you two seriously need to check out the Transperformance system. Page did amazing stuff on it, as did the Tea Party's Jeff Martin. If I had the cash, I'd already have two of them.
I don't mind looking at cheap guitars playing them the one complained I have it from Guitar Center is there amplifier selection you might have 15 or 20 one 12 amplifiers that are just basically something that I don't want so where do you go to find a good amplifier
I just bought a new Firefly Strat for 189.00 ! It has every feature that I like . I collect less expensive guitars that I mod sometimes . I wouldn’t pay $9500 for a guitar because I would be afraid to play it or take it anywhere. I’d just hang it on the wall and admire it. Mom and Pops have to stay in business . Who is going to fix all these $800-$4000 guitars??? I’m learning to fix my own guitars and loving all the changes I can make happen. ❤ PS …I get ignored at Guitar Center because I’m over 30 and I’m a woman. But I have had a premium experience for our local music store.
That kfc themed guitar would look super good if it wasnt kfc themed lol, if it was the same paint & relic job just without the branding and decal, Id personally buy it because it just looks really sweet haha
A few things that keep me visiting GC (although it's dangerous, because it leads to spending money): (1) Some real finds among rare used instruments, some quite affordable. (2) There's always at least 1 Fender Deluxe or Hot Rod DeVille, to provide a reliable test bed. (3) Discovering some well-made instruments from smaller makers, like Sire or Chapman. (4) Generous return window that small stores can't afford. (5) "No Stairway to Heaven" sign. (6) Like at any music store, provides day jobs for musicians. I do wish they'd stock inventory with a little more imagination. (Like maybe some PRSi that aren't Custom 24's for 594's.) Barnes & Noble rebuilt its big-box sales by giving individual stores' managers freedom to choose their own inventory, and there's a model there. Overall, I feel guilty about how many things I've tried out at a GC, but bought in a slightly different or prettier variant somewhere else.
All those entry level guitars are just names a lot of times. The glarrys and chinese brands made it a really cheap hobby to get into. I dont think the quality is far off if it isnt as good or better. Its tough to ask a customer to spend 500 or a bit less when theres stuff on amazon and elsewhere that is sooo cost effective. They like consignment and second hand a lot, so its a bad deal for them since those 300 dollar 500 dollar rigs arent anything special and they dont have resale value. Its wild how much and how many guitars you can get for that amount of money. You could get a bass too.
The arguments over this tuner got me wondering if the car and airplane crowd had a similar argument when they came out with electric starters? Crank starting your car or flipping your propeller to start your airplane were much simpler than adding a battery, a charging system, starter, solenoid and other bits just to start your engine. We know who won that argument and even the motorcycle world quit putting kick starters on cycles.
I'm in the market for a new guitar for $700. There is a lot out there and lots of options but Reverend is what I really want and it's just out of my range.
I was at a very historic site in Berlin and at the corner right next to it was a 2-story KFC. It was like watching America win a Civ culture victory in real life
That Les Paul, regardless of how it works or sounds or plays, is an albatross and is kind of an insult to the tree that it was made from, it's so ugly.
I maybe stand practically one but I like going to GC for the experience part. Fun to walk around, play a few things, and sometimes take something home - or order it. But maybe it's a dying model, like Blockbuster - IDK.
It looks like the life support guitar Gibson made for Gary Rossington so he could play yet one more tour. RIP Gary Rossington, you were the most underrated guitar player.
I recently visited the Guitar Center in Vegas, and it's by far and away a much better store than what is in Salt Lake. The Vegas store had Gibson USA and Fender American models just out on the floor, their "platinum room" had actually really nice guitars. Not the story in SLC. You don't have a selection of higher end guitars and catering to only the entry level players is a legit problem.
Aw man you guys are talking about my pet monster. We have one sitting on top of our pa speaker where my band practices. It was our drummers when he was a kid. I love that monster cab lol.
Ahhh, the Chuckie movies (My Buddy was the beginning of the many Chuckie Movies)....my son was terrified by those toys when he was very young. Thanks guys!
Thanks for playing my song and for the feedback! Ryan, I will check out Owlsey and be sure to never utter the word "brain" into a microhphone as long as I live.
Bring back the ROBOTS Gibson!!!! Those guitars were actually great guitars. Lots of bang for your buck... ebony fretboards, headstock binding, killer pick ups, limited finishes. And honestly the auto tuning was just an option as those guitars could still be turned manually. As recent as the last couple years several companies started to sell handheld auto tuners like the roadie $70.. essentially the same concept that Gibson was incorporating on the Robot Guitars. 🥸🥸🥸🥸
the next step in the evolution ofbrick and mortar music stores should be the combination of music shop and watering hole. Just make sure you get good insurance for the gear
The transperformance deal was interesting for using different tunings, not just from one song to the next, but within one song. I remember seeing Jimmy Page using one on TV in the 90's. The verse and chorus were in DADGAD, but the solo was in standard. Not that 99.9% of people need that, but it was pretty cool.
Hi.. I'm at 1:12 .. which feels like forever that I've been listening.. some good points, some less so.. but no one so far has mentioned the number one reason you would go to a physical store: Neck comfort.. neck comfort is a vital for guitarists, you wouldn't buy clothes that didn't fit you nor should you buy an uncomfortable neck.. neck comfort is a important selling point for visiting a physical store.. I personally don't go to physical stores because Glasgow is so far away, and Guitar-Guitar are such a rip off (Scottish equivalent to Guitar Center) .. anyways I digress.. if I stayed in a city, you betcha I would go along and try out a guitar first before buying.. and if I liked the people in the shop, I'd probably buy from them so long as it's not a rip off.
Last time I went to Guitar Center was earlier this year shopping for an acoustic. It was in pretty sad shape. Several guitars were missing strings. All of the preamps had dead batteries. They’ve been doing a bad job of just being a guitar shop, regardless of who their customer is. Focusing on the upscale client is a terrible move, because those players are probably going to their trusted local shop. Just like they shop at nicer grocery stores and never set foot in a Walmart. If Guitar Center wants to fix it’s ailments it should start with just being a decent guitar shop with playable guitars and knowledgeable staff. Also, maybe think about not letting the seven-year-olds bang on the electronic drum set cranked to 10. Or give them some headphones.
GC is almost surely already renting out premium shelf space. Their Silicon Valley (Santa Clara) store used to have a fashion runway of Gibson guitars, all locked up but you could ogle and fondle them. My GC has a whole wall of Fender products as you enter the guitar section, and that's surely not an accident.
I’m surprised that the manufacturers aren’t upset with GC because I pick up almost any guitar in there and it plays like crap. It makes you feel like those models are bad when in all actuality it may be excellent with a quick setup. Action so high you can barely press the strings down, necks that are bowed like a banana. Guitars would sell if you pick it up and it plays great. And they really need to clean the place up too! My wife won’t even go into the store with me because it’s dirty. You would think a store close to Palm Beach Florida would be nicer.
Would you go to GC to try a Gibson Transperformance?
What if we kissed in Guitar Center next to the Transperformance Gibson?
Holy shit look at that. Did Gibson actually have a hunchback guy named Igor tasked to procure parts for that monster? "Only the best parts, made by geniuses, Igor!" Then the guy comes back with rotary phone innards and the motherboard from LL Cool J's old beeper... And not for nothing, Gibson actually made this cut from whole cloth and plopped it in Jimmy Page's hands, but did they have to? How many of you would have forked over the dough for an LP (or a tele) with Page's B-Bender installed by the manufacturer instead of this, which neither Gibson nor Fender has apparently ever deigned to do?
Thanks, Man!
$200 guitars have never looked better!
They should make a KFC Extra Crispy Fuzz with a Hot Gravy switch. And of course you've got to put Bootstrap Original Recipe '51 Tele pickups in the guitar. Bootstrap pickups are amazing sounding and really a underpriced. They use premium materials and sign and number every pickup. I have a set in my G&L ASAT Classic Tele.
MD 20/20 orange juice, blue berry and banana are especially tasty
!!! Love you all and have a blessed day!!!!
Regarding GC, this CEO is clueless. Probably make a couple zillion more $$$....
I'd take the crazy Les Paul if you gave it away? But really, that should be auctioned off to serious Jimmy Page fans, to benefit the Jimmy Page Foundation for Recovery from...Something. For someone who needs a lot of tuning changes per set (within reasonable range), a Variax is a pretty good stage solution. Not particularly satisfying to play at home, but reliable onstage, both for the same reason: The piezo pickup that drives the modeling compresses dynamics.
I still go to GC. Nothing wrong with it. The only thing that pisses me off is that I can't see what is actually in stock. I go down to the store and they don't have what was shown to be in stock. BS. They hardly have ANY good pedals, either. Just the basic stuff. The coolest stuff is used and they're WAAAAY overpriced compared to Reverb.
40:38 "They're always after me lucky charhms!"
And side note, GC really needs to figure out their used gear stuff too. I don't mind if they want to function like car dealers with a, "We'll take any guitar in trade!" policy, but not all of them should make it onto their used wall. Some should get placed into the dumpster where they belong. Same goes for mid-high end set-neck guitars with neck angle issues. They shouldn't be selling used import guitars for $500-700 if they need a neck reset.
GC here in Central California has not had a single current, relevant piece of guitar gear - ever (almost 20 years in town). Not one item you might see on a YT demo and try. What they do have is experts at cold shoulder and non-affected employees who know anything. I heard an employee correct a customer who said he had a little Squier amp. The kid said, there is no such thing as a Squier amp. Except for there are. I only go to GC to sell gear now... I do not need one of their 45,000 terribly set up Affinity and Bullets. It is a painful experience here.
I like GC’s rewards system. My main issue with them is that, since they don’t seem to have a main warehouse (or do they?) they just pull things from whatever store has them in stock. On several occasions I have bought new, but received clearly used, sometimes dirty/blemished items. I bought a Boss looper pedal from them a couple of weeks ago in-store and when I got it home there were batteries in it, so it was clearly a return. When I called about this, the employee I spoke with said they don’t sell those as open box (they do and they have one listed on their website). It works fine so I decided it wasn’t worth complaining over.
Anyway this isn’t Yelp so I’ll stop whining lol, but my advice is to order for store pickup so you can examine your purchase before taking it home.
My GC thoughts before they do anything else : (1) Get new vacuum cleaners and use them! (2) Install demo rooms where a person can demo gear (especially acoustic instruments) away from the noise of those noisy players (3) Have a special room where all those noisy players can play together and help each other learn those noisy songs, and finally (4) Have a quiet place where the wives and girlfriends can go and maybe have a smoothie and sit in a massage chair instead of standing beside their guy with a "I am bored, will you please hurry up" face.
I don't think GC's target market was ever the high-end experience. How can they return to something that never existed? Sure, they brought more serious musician's in because they had way more dealership contracts than most mom and pop stores (I remember the days where many stores only had a single premium brand, or two at most). But they always were the big box store with lower prices, but mostly sold lower tier equipment.
They should focus on that experience. The beginner needs more knowledgeable staff than a pro does. They need qualified techs. They need music teachers. They are making their money on budget gear, but they don't provide any support for those players.
you two seriously need to check out the Transperformance system. Page did amazing stuff on it, as did the Tea Party's Jeff Martin. If I had the cash, I'd already have two of them.
I don't mind looking at cheap guitars playing them the one complained I have it from Guitar Center is there amplifier selection you might have 15 or 20 one 12 amplifiers that are just basically something that I don't want so where do you go to find a good amplifier
I just bought a new Firefly Strat for 189.00 ! It has every feature that I like . I collect less expensive guitars that I mod sometimes . I wouldn’t pay $9500 for a guitar because I would be afraid to play it or take it anywhere. I’d just hang it on the wall and admire it. Mom and Pops have to stay in business . Who is going to fix all these $800-$4000 guitars??? I’m learning to fix my own guitars and loving all the changes I can make happen. ❤ PS …I get ignored at Guitar Center because I’m over 30 and I’m a woman. But I have had a premium experience for our local music store.
I picked up a Solo neck for a build I’m doing. Really nice for the price. But I haven’t installed it yet.
That kfc themed guitar would look super good if it wasnt kfc themed lol, if it was the same paint & relic job just without the branding and decal, Id personally buy it because it just looks really sweet haha
A few things that keep me visiting GC (although it's dangerous, because it leads to spending money): (1) Some real finds among rare used instruments, some quite affordable. (2) There's always at least 1 Fender Deluxe or Hot Rod DeVille, to provide a reliable test bed. (3) Discovering some well-made instruments from smaller makers, like Sire or Chapman. (4) Generous return window that small stores can't afford. (5) "No Stairway to Heaven" sign. (6) Like at any music store, provides day jobs for musicians.
I do wish they'd stock inventory with a little more imagination. (Like maybe some PRSi that aren't Custom 24's for 594's.) Barnes & Noble rebuilt its big-box sales by giving individual stores' managers freedom to choose their own inventory, and there's a model there. Overall, I feel guilty about how many things I've tried out at a GC, but bought in a slightly different or prettier variant somewhere else.
All those entry level guitars are just names a lot of times. The glarrys and chinese brands made it a really cheap hobby to get into. I dont think the quality is far off if it isnt as good or better. Its tough to ask a customer to spend 500 or a bit less when theres stuff on amazon and elsewhere that is sooo cost effective. They like consignment and second hand a lot, so its a bad deal for them since those 300 dollar 500 dollar rigs arent anything special and they dont have resale value. Its wild how much and how many guitars you can get for that amount of money. You could get a bass too.
The arguments over this tuner got me wondering if the car and airplane crowd had a similar argument when they came out with electric starters?
Crank starting your car or flipping your propeller to start your airplane were much simpler than adding a battery, a charging system, starter, solenoid and other bits just to start your engine.
We know who won that argument and even the motorcycle world quit putting kick starters on cycles.
I think the word you were looking for was...
...LoverTucker!
More premium guitars isn't going to help Guitar Center. I stopped going there years ago due to crappy customer service and long waits to buy shit.
I'm in the market for a new guitar for $700. There is a lot out there and lots of options but Reverend is what I really want and it's just out of my range.
This would be awesome for my band, Dot Matrix.
Remember when GC has good customer service and they would setup your brand new guitar for free?
I believe Solo is kinda big deal in Canada, but since 2 boys in SD never heard of 'em, nevermind....
The guitar center near me has seen better days. Worn, dirty carpet, limited inventory, and okay prices make it a dismal shopping experience.
I was at a very historic site in Berlin and at the corner right next to it was a 2-story KFC. It was like watching America win a Civ culture victory in real life
How dare you assume that my fancy has been struck! How dare you, sirs!
My brother had a my pet monster! J.Mascis should buy that monster cabinet.
That Les Paul, regardless of how it works or sounds or plays, is an albatross and is kind of an insult to the tree that it was made from, it's so ugly.
1:09:50 #pedalisland
Ibanez Purple Taco Bell 5-string bass
phil x wore it flipped up like that. 😂
3:50 I can vouch for Techno Empire / Sleven BIGTIME. Cool place / people.
That “guitar”, though….
evil incarnate
What guitar shape is Boston Market? Les Paul?
There's 3 Guitar Centers here! Escondido, La Mesa, San Ysidro. La Mesa one is really good imo
I always forget the San Ysidro store exists -steve
Holy crap is this the guitar center podcast now 😃😲
A Whataburger guitar will be an orange V with white stripes
Flying V is a local Airport dive bar.
Firebird-X and LP-X: Grandpa?
If you say "neetch" one more time...
Trans perfobia activated
I maybe stand practically one but I like going to GC for the experience part. Fun to walk around, play a few things, and sometimes take something home - or order it. But maybe it's a dying model, like Blockbuster - IDK.
back room studio for selling time for making demos,.. and selling recording equipment! .. tell them WalterEGeaux Music sent ya!. c.2024 copyright!
It looks like the life support guitar Gibson made for Gary Rossington so he could play yet one more tour. RIP Gary Rossington, you were the most underrated guitar player.
Loved the song!
Thanks!
@@austinm419 You have more?
I recently visited the Guitar Center in Vegas, and it's by far and away a much better store than what is in Salt Lake. The Vegas store had Gibson USA and Fender American models just out on the floor, their "platinum room" had actually really nice guitars. Not the story in SLC. You don't have a selection of higher end guitars and catering to only the entry level players is a legit problem.
Asmr to start. Can’t go wrong.
I WISH that Guitar Center called it "Pedal Island", which is an objectively better name than "Pedal Station."
Didgeridon’t !
😆 🤣 😂 😆 🤣 😂
Aw man you guys are talking about my pet monster. We have one sitting on top of our pa speaker where my band practices. It was our drummers when he was a kid. I love that monster cab lol.
i love that Les Paul! more future gear. stuff from the 50's and 60's is cool, but i want more future tech!
Ahhh, the Chuckie movies (My Buddy was the beginning of the many Chuckie Movies)....my son was terrified by those toys when he was very young. Thanks guys!
the tech of the transperformance could be improved today
Smashthe like button! Great show!! Late to the party.....
Tremendous closing song! 😺👍
Thank you sassycat!
When we were kids we'd steal it because the Flat bottle fits in your pants
Thanks for playing my song and for the feedback! Ryan, I will check out Owlsey and be sure to never utter the word "brain" into a microhphone as long as I live.
just dont rhyme brain with 'insane' and you should be in the clear.
Great serious conversation about Guitar Center
Rubios would be a Cabronitas Telecaster
Gc is barely alive jts been run badly 4 ever
Glad to see that monster make it on the channel!
A guitar for Buckethead?
I’d use that monster cab
Is the song at the end AI?
Nope, it was writtten and recorded by me with a bunch of cheap equipment about 10 years ago 😆
@@austinm419 Cool song, friend!
Sonic Youth used to gig with dozens of guitars for tunings esp in their later years playing stuff from all over
Guitar Center CEO says, "F*** the poors." 😡🎸
Bring back the ROBOTS Gibson!!!! Those guitars were actually great guitars. Lots of bang for your buck... ebony fretboards, headstock binding, killer pick ups, limited finishes. And honestly the auto tuning was just an option as those guitars could still be turned manually. As recent as the last couple years several companies started to sell handheld auto tuners like the roadie $70.. essentially the same concept that Gibson was incorporating on the Robot Guitars. 🥸🥸🥸🥸