ALL NEW GUITAR CENTER EXPERIENCE
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- Опубликовано: 26 дек 2024
- Baxter and Jonathan are here to talk about the all New Guitar Center Experience. We think you will enjoy the new direction GC is going in. Let us know if you have checked out the GC near you lately?
115 NE Broad St, Southern Pines, NC 28387
910-725-0807
Shop@Casinoguitars.com
SHOP HOURS : MON - SAT 11AM - 5PM, SUN 12-4PM
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The “Guitar Center Experience”. We all love it. You walk into a GC with a pocket full of money, in search of the perfect guitar, and… an employee. After thirty minutes of searching (for the employee), you snap out of it and ask yourself.. “Why do I keep entering into this God forsaken, barren land of sadness and frustration? Never again, I say! Never again!”
The drum section at my local GC is always like that. The wind whistles and a tumbleweed rolls by. I just walk behind the counter to grab what I need and go back to civilization in the guitar section to check out
Man, you must be going to the same one I go to.
@@honkytonkinson9787 😂🤣
My GC experience is similar but I would add stacks of product still waiting in boxes to be shelved making it easier for the employee's to stay hidden being the boxes.
Completely agree , it’s SWEETWATER and ZZOUNDS for me for ever. No annoying GC employees pushing warranty’s on me. Thank God for the internet. 🛜
When I worked in our local GC I would ask, as soon as a customer walked in, if they needed any help. If not, I'd leave them alone but check in every 10 minutes or so. If they needed help I'd stay with them to answer whatever questions I was qualified to answer and if not, get another associate who could. Even though I only worked three days a week I had several months with the highest sales. Customer engagement is everything. And I didn't "sell" things. I just talked to the customer and developed a proper relationship for their time in the store. What I sold was myself, not gear. I had a lot of people who requested me and that is always the goal.
"What I sold was myself, not gear." And that, my friend, is the key to any great salesman. If you don't gain a rapport, and a touch of respect, you don't get the sale. You sound like the guy who figured that out. I've worked behind the scenes at a new car dealership for decades. The best car salesmen rarely talk about the actual car unless they are asked specific questions of course. The best salesmen are really just looking for an invite to the customers' next backyard barbecue or at least be friends on Facebook.
It's too bad they allow some stores to be run in such a way that you're discouraged from doing anything but rushing people through a sales funnel as quickly as possible.
Not too mention diminishing the value of any interaction that doesn't result in a complete sales ticket with coverage and gear card and lessons.
The Guitar Center in Nashville has made a quantum leap over the last couple of months. Customer service and especially the used instrument inventory has been a focus for them, and it shows!
The GC in Rockville MD outside of Washington DC had a bunch of pedal boards with killer pedals hooked up to amps to play through. Really cool idea. Much more inventory as well.
Went to GC last week to buy an amp. Very few amps in stock. Not one employee offered assistance. Went home and ordered from Sweetwater.
I worked for GC for years. The customer experience is long gone.
That's all I use these stores for. It's gotten so grimey it's like buying a used car.
@@FortressofShred they might still be good for strings if your mom & pop doesn't have what you need. I remember buying some pics there last year. So there's that.
There was a time when the employees would approach you as soon as you picked up an instrument. And agree with whatever you said. I sat and played a $125 epiphone les Paul special one day until I got the Amp dialed in and then grabbed a Gibson les Paul gold top. I left with the gold top and the amp, but that guy was totally ready to sell me on a $125 guitar until he found out I had money. Then the epiphone was a garbage guitar to him. I think they are playing the opposite now that they've had complaints about pushy sales staff
@@aaronmcnair1829 There's A GC near my doctor's office. They had a beautiful Red Les Paul that I was interested in, and I went in several times but could never get anybody interested in pulling it down. One time the salesguy got pissed that I was still waiting around. I just walked out and said at least you're not Mars Music. A comment that went over all of their heads. When I went in to buy the pics the LP was gone. I have an appointment next month, maybe I'll see if they are still there.
Sweetwater does it right. Excellent, premium service, and they filter out all the bad guitars with the 55 point inspection. GC seems like a gamble, I walked into one recently and the display guitar was banged up, and seemed the others were still in factory boxes. Real gamble buying from them.
THE LOCKS ARE OFF!!! Went to the GC in Pasadena, CA and virtually every guitar was unlocked and playable. There was a Fender Ultra on the bottom row next a Squire. I walked into the acoustic room and immediately played a $3400 Martin. No waiting for permission, keys or ladders! A great experience… except that it took forever to get a salesperson to ring up a simple set of strings. Great store, way understaffed.
All the guitars minus the very expensive ones have always been available for play with out being locked at the store in the city where I live. The very expensive ones they keep in a playing room and those are locked (not the room), but if you want to play them, you just get a staff to unlock it for you. It also doubles as a amp room and you can go in there shut the door and turn up the amp loud to test it out more loud than you can on the main floor. So on the main floor you can play Gibsons, expensive Fenders, expensive Jacksons, etc. They do try to keep people from beating on the guitars and making them used.
Yeah I went to Pasadena and they had a custom shop telecaster on the bottom row near the amps. They had all the American Vintage line guitars next to the Squiers.
Was just in vegas. Every guitar was locked. Only things that were playable were squires and cheap used gear
I work at guitar center rancho only stores that are having a lot of theft are keeping locks on like our store
Yea I was surprised everything was unlocked at Pasadena. I thought maybe because of “guitar-a-thon”
Always loved Guitar Center. Live in north Chicago Burbs we have some good guitar centers here, three that are close to me. Have probably bought 20 guitars over the years and never a problem with service or any issues were always taken care of. Return policy is great you have 45 days to decide if you want to keep it. Actually bought 3 used ones in the last month they have some great price cuts at the moment. Got an Epiphone Custom Les Paul with a hard shell case for 400 bucks, they go for 899 without a case, an Epi Les Paul Junior for 200 bucks. Keep it up Guitar Center.
Guitar center in Roy Utah is where I go it's nice when I can go in and pick squier Guitars and bass guitars off the wall and they're set up properly and frets are clean and polished and no sharp ends and all the instruments are in tune and ready to play so i can decide what to buy and having more pedal effects and choices in strings and picks and books and cases 😀😊
I’ve been impressed and scored some great guitars recently. My local store is great ! I’m 68 years old and played music and guitars for over 60 years. They are great and very receptive to greeting me. It’s in CRESTWOOD MO. OUTSIDE OF ST LOUIS.Missouri
Always brighten my mornings.
Unpopular experience: the Guitar Center I go to in Plano has always been great to me!!! They know me by name, and I know most of them. We love talking with each other and it’s a great experience for me.
Yep Plano, Farmers Branch , and Lewisville have all been great stores with friendly staff.
The Dallas store on 75 actually has decent service at times but their inventory is catered almost exclusively for entry level and beginner players. So I just don’t have any reason to go in anymore.
Tried to buy a used delay at GC and it would only turn on if I pushed on the switch with my hand because it had obviously had something fall on it and smash it in. I said I’ll still take it with a discount because I mod pedals and could swap the 3PDT and they said nope full price…which was $10 less than the new pedal. Still listed on the site 4 months later.
I got a cable yesterday at GC. They were nice and helpful.
The acoustic room in the Indy area store had me worried a couple months ago. Standard J45 behind glass when they used to be right on the back wall within easy reach.
Stopped in a couple days ago and was relieved to see things looking more like they used to. A lot of lower end Martins, high end Gibsons, and huge variety of Taylors throughout. The BACK-back room looks like it’s going to be their used acoustic room. I’d maybe rearrange some stuff if it were me, but it was good to see something of a return.
The black boxes are called whisper rooms. They can be installed in a facility without the need of a building permit. Depending location and zone. They are a very cost efficient solution for a company that leases space.
i went to the GC in Raleigh a week ago and was blown away. Was so happy to see amps again! the overall experience was so good i left a glowing yelp review. hope they get better... i miss going to GC
The box from Hellraiser that calls the cenobites is the "Lament Configuration". Which hopefully will be available at these upgraded GCs
I vultured into a Sam Ash yesterday to scavenge some home studio gear. On my way out I remarked to the guys to said hello to me on the way in: “You know, when I saw the news you guys were closing, I was like, damn, there goes my part-time retirement job.” They smiled a little glumly, and one shook his head and said, “You don’t want to work here.” I said, “Well, it beats Guitar Center, doesn’t it?” They looked at each other, shrugged and nodded.
Scavenge? 5% off previous prices? No scavenging possible there. A going out of business sale should offer steeper discounts than that
@@Gk2003m I'd read liquidators are in charge of this. If so, that's how it works. They slowly increase percentages off. I worked for a retailer that went to liquidation and it was just like that.
@@Gk2003m Discounts get steeper as time passes. The stores near me are less than a week away from closing, so at this point they’re definitely motivated to empty them.
Ours in Chattanooga, TN is like magically clean and organized! It’s like it used to be when Matt was managing it. I’m happy to shop there again!
The GC store in Cedar Hill, TX is fairly small, but the staff is always helpful. The new manager there took time to discuss all the promos they offer, but I never knew about. And I've been buying from GC since their early days in a shack on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.
The GC in Springfield MO is pretty nice. 95% of the time when I enter, someone says Hello or Good Morning/Afternoon, whether they are at the checkout counter or somewhere else nearby. They are helpful as well when I'm looking for something that I know they have, but might have moved. My last interaction was when a lady assisted with searching through their website for a case for my '71 Ventura 335 Short Scale Bass.
I go to guitar center about every 2-3 weeks in 3 different Texas cities. Always a good experience. I noticed a lot of people talking lessons nowadays. Kids taking drum lessons is like having a drum machine to play along with while you sample a squire or Mitchell. The best thing about GC is the return policy without having to ship it back.
I grew up with Chuck Levins Music in the 70’s, so I’m spoiled for life…..nothing compares
Veneman's was really good too. Until Guitar Center bought them. The Levins or Veneman experience largely depends on the sales person you dealt with. Both had some.really great, helpful people but each has their turds as well.
Agree with you both. Bought my EB3 at Chuck's in 70 and my Acoustic 360 in 71. They're still there I think.
In 2002 I went to a huge group interview for a sales position at a new GC opening in Nashville. The competition was fierce just to get to the next stage. There were about 100 of us in the first stage. Met at a big hotel lobby downtown.
I didn’t even make it to the next stage.
You dodged a bullet. Its a horrible place to work.
I went into the GC location in Hickory NC a couple of weeks ago, a really good selection of everything.
Guitar Center did a number on the small music store much as Home Depot and Lowes knocked out the small lumberyards.
I used to feed my family on home improvement and renovations until Home Depot taught the public my trade.
Signs of the times.
Here in Summerlin at the GC 132, I participate in drum lessons, and they have some excellent teachers here.
Always busy and employees come and go quite frequently in sales...not teaching as much.
I have bought equipment here which I am satisfied with.
I have purchased used cymbals threw GC with no problems and returned cymbals that turned out to be gongs. At GC, one can try the instrument, which we can not do at Sweetwater.
I have been working at GC for 7 years both full and part time. I took the job instead of retiring. I have extensive sales experience and know a lot about gear. We are understaffed and the younger associates don't know anything about guitars and amps. They are lazy and don't clean up after themselves. I have finally reached the point where i am going to quit. GC is not salvageable.
Did you end up quiting?
@Jeremya74 At first I reduced my hours but then unfortunately I had to take a medical leave of absence. I might return part time next month just to do something.
in 2000, i opened store 521 in CT... pro audio.. when they had knowledge-based pay scales in pro audio.. i now live less than a mile from that store, it is a shell of what it was... i hope this store gets to keep rolling!
Hale road next to Christmas tree shop that actually went out of business in 2022, I believe.
Moved out of Manchester after 49 years. Live in Vegas now next to GC 132. Summerlin. Rock and Roll
I am currently taking drum lessons at GC.
Couldn't be happier.
Thanks youz guyz! I got one in Winston Salem & one in Greensboro. Hit one in CLT not too long ago too…
The Raleigh GC is my local one... although I guess I could go to Cary, but the first and for a long time the only GC in central NC was Raleigh. I remember buying my first guitar from there in 2006. Sadly I bought my second guitar, a PRS Custom 24, from the Sam Ash on the other side of US-1... which ist doch jetzt weg gegangen.
So I took your advice and went back to my local GC. Hoping to find a higher Quality of guitars then I have gotten use to seeing at GC. I basically wrote GC off a few years ago. It’s a shame too because they are only a mile from my home. I was so happy when I saw AAA top Les Pauls, Fender Ultra Luxe, and Ultra’s. It was reminiscent of the early 2000s. I was even about to buy a Les Paul that I really connected with. But, upon closer inspection I found the head stock was split. I liked this guitar so much I even tried to work out a price that made it worth my time to get the headstock repaired. They were not interested. I did find another guitar I liked. I offered to trade my Fender Jaguar. They offered me a 1/3rd of the retail value and would not move. When I showed them that this Guitar also had minor damage from the store hangers. They still were not Interested in trying to negotiate. In fact the manager was not at all helpful. I think it’s great that corporate is trying to change their image. But without proper training and Quality control. It is inevitable that they will meet the same demise as Sam Ash.
You should have walked out of the GC after the first sign of poor customer service. You were very patient to no end for no reason. You wasted your time. They will not learn their lesson if we do not demand service and leave the second you see that it is useless to expect any idea of good service. especially when it is not there. Ordering online is easier and not frustrating.
My last GC visit: Fender Stratocaster, American Performer ❤❤❤, to “replace” my 74’ Strat, that went with half of my life😢. I’ve had great experiences at all Guitar Centers in Vegas❤
Would have swung by if I knew y'all would be there! I'm only about 20 mins from GC. Right across Capital, is the sad sight of store closing signs on the Sam Ash store. I've been in the area 15 years, sad to see them go under. Going to be in Pinehurst on the 5/31-6/1 for an anniversary night away from the kids. Going to sweet talk the wife in letting my stop by Casino on the way back!
I really enjoy your videos but what’s with the soft filter look? I’m old but I’m pretty sure I don’t have cataracts.
Bad focus, filter, or lens choice. Really is a strange look.
I think they just need to clean the lens. Probably just a bunch of sweat and gunk after swapping lenses (that’s just a guess)… alternate solution… up the contrast a bit before uploading the videos? Another potential reason… these dudes aren’t exactly spring chickens. Maybe they don’t want ultra crispy 4K resolution that will show every line on their dinosaur faces, lest we find out they’re so old, their skin is being held together by duck tape and paper mache (j/k guys). I think we’re just going to have to life with some mystery in our lives. :)
Where I lived in Maryland, GC came in and ran out a local store, Gordon Miller Music. They were awesome. Now that GC is only slightly better than others.
I bought my first electric at GC, the "used car salesman" pressure routine was intense and annoying. I went into the other GC in the area a few months back to get a travel guitar, but the only guy I could find wasn't willing to go get the missing parts out of the box for the display unit so I could actually see how it fit me. Gave up, went and ordered it online. Never again.
My closest Guitar Center is about 350 miles away. I was just there last week and 2 or 3 sales staff asked if I needed any help. I still like my local guitar store more.
I visited the GC in Fresno and Sacramento lately. In both locations no one said hello or seemed to care that I was there. In Sacramento they would walk by me and not one "hello" or offer to help even though I showed genuine interest purchasing something. I decided to walk out and order from Sweetwater.
I’d love to see a GC that has been vacuumed once or twice a decade.
I vacuum my store 3 times a week! Gotta admit though, its seeing less foot traffic these days :/
To get the staff gung-ho enthusiastic, give them a friggen raise. You make more at McDonald’s.
How can we check which GC’s are getting the new experience/equipment?
My biggest problem with GC is the state of the instruments on the wall. Which is fine if they have a shiny new one in the back, which in my experience they never do. I’m not paying new price if the first thing I do when I bring an instrument home is clean it.
Agreed. They definitely need to have a better process for putting instruments up on display, both as new out of the box and once they've been demo'd.
@@BCarpenter2314 I mean if you see the guitar at its worst a still like it enough to spend the money… that’s gotta mean something. A good set up and new strings made my epiphone a different instrument than when it left the music store.
@@guywholikescheese97 Well in almost every case when you get a good luthier to setup a new or older guitar will make the difference. However, the key word is getting a "good" luthier, not some guitar roadie for a local band who can change & tune a busted string on the weekend. And as far as wanting to buy a new guitar hanging on the wall in GC that has more fingerprints or dust on it than a crime scene. That BS lies on the GC employees who are in charge of that department, period. I wouldn't put a $300 Squier Strat back up on the wall much less a $2,000 Martin after a customer checked it out without cleaning it & making sure it's in tune for the next possible customer to play. A lot of these GC employees lack of appreciating the instruments in the store is a big part of the problem with customer service. Just saying...
I took a AVRI 52 tele into guitar center to trade and the MANAGER told me he couldnt take it in because there was no serial number on the headstock! For those who dont know, the number is pressed into the bridge, just like the old ones. But a manager of a guitar store should know that you think?? But I generally buy a lot of guitars from GC only place you can still buy used guitars for a fair price...AND 45 day no questions asked return policy if you buy a dud,cant beat it.
Im pretty sure the one near me is going to be a D or C level. I dont mind that they have mostly low end stuff, but they never get the cool low end stuff. (There isn't a better store within 50 miles so i stop in sometimes - most of the staff is chill and tend to have good knowledge, but nothing exciting to sell.)
That GC in Raleigh used to be The Music Loft... It's for sure an ill-designed building for a music store.
It was originally a Toyota dealership in the '70s.
Agree!!!
When the Durham GC closed I went to Sweetwater & have been there ever since....
We have about 3 in the Nashville area. Their stores are not created equal. Some are tiny and have little stock to ones that are huge. The employees vary too from nice to obnoxious. I've never understood how GC could be such failure ? What could be better than going into an actual store and trying guitars and gear before buying.
Good morning, gentleman.
If there’s one Chicago-area GC that gets the glow-up, I’d put my money on Highland Park. The greatest service culturally would be to beef up the location in Chicago’s North Side, which is only a few miles from Chicago Music Exchange and thus could strengthen a sort of guitar shop core in the city. But Highland Park is an outrageously affluent suburb that’s easier to get into and out of, and also happens to be the home of an independent music store that has a Plek machine. An altogether more lucrative synergy.
We have one in Asheville, Not the worst one I've been (Falls Church, VA) in but it's just not the old Guitar Center 'experience from years ago.
you guys are great.....
That was the Raleigh guitar center wasn’t it?
I had a very similar experience a few months back where I couldn't get any help to save my life in GC. I had actually purchased something online that was shipped there and what a nightmare that was to get someone to find it.... then when they did find it they were expecting me to just take this used item in the box it was shipped in... I had to hold their hand and tell them to open the box.... take the amp out... turn it on and confirm it worked.... I've never seen such incompetence... GC can change a hell of a lot about the structure of the business, but unless they get staff that doesn't suck.... then nothing will change... and right now it seems that GC staff are the absolute bottom of the barrel... I won't go into my local GC just because I now dislike the staff that much and the very thought annoys me.
I'd consider entering one if they had one in mankato, instead of having the ONLY 2 STORE LOCATIONS IN ALL OF MINNESOTA being both in the cities. It's a w and a half hour drive through the hell that is city traffic to get to the closest guitar center near me. It's 30 minutes to my closest small guitar store.
I love that they leave me alone. Especially when they forget to lock up a Martin D28 and I get to finger pick it for a few minutes :)
If you are not there to buy anything you are just another parasite.
I visited a GC store in Winter Park, Florida a couple of days ago and liked the inventory they had. However, I was there for about 1 hour looking and browsing their inventory and no one came to ask me if I needed help or offered to help me. I was looking to buy a couple of accessories but left the store empty handed due to the lack of customer service… if they want to stay in business, they need motivated employees…
Can’t u just ask? Go to counter and ask for ur stuff
The Lament Configuration Box. ❤
They have destroyed the commission structure for the associates! Good luck 🤞🏾
I bought two PRS high end, a 10 top and a Private Stock recently from GC...I also picked up a $7000 Taylor 914CE.. they're returning to their origins .. no more $299 specials hanging all over the place.
I can't see myself buying a higher end guitar in GC. Just the service and the vibe of the place makes me feel like their 'high end' is mostly factory seconds, even if it isn't. My local place makes the high end experience feel actually high end. Same $5k (or whatever) for a guitar, but what I play at my local place has been setup and is ready to go. At GC even odds if the strings are rusty, I have to hunt to find someone with keys, and I've yet to play a guitar there that wasn't in dire need of a basic setup.
I only go to GC to kill time on that side of town, look for stupid cheap pedals/guitars, and the occasional GC exclusive color. That's about it.
Many years ago, in Tampa, there was a great music store called Thoroughbred Music. They eventually were bought out by Sam Ash. I spent a lot of money there because they had small rooms set up with amps so you could grab a great guitar and plug it in and try it out. Today the "great" guitars are hung up high or locked up so you need to find someone (not easy) to unlock it every time you want to try a different guitar. You can't fall in love with a guitar without playing it. Making customers feel like thieves and the incredible lack of service are the reasons I no longer go to the "big" music stores.
They didn't kick you out? Plus one for GC.
GC used to have all kinds of Tier 1 stuff available to Platinum Room stores. I was part of the initial roll out of Platinum room managers way back over 15 years ago. I had a company blackberry, ability to log in remotely to the POS system and I could place my own special orders to stock cool stuff in the store and this was in OKC. I left in 2017 a few years after things just went down hill and now my old store looks like shit, they have bass amps blocking the exit of the platinum room because its so close to the front door. because of theft the store looks like a maze just to slow someone down from stealing.
Customer service in the Phoenix area (Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa) is excellent. My complaint has been they have a very limited selection of high end guitars (Scottsdale has a few) and amps. Hopefully this plan solves it.
I have a career but, I've been thinking about a part time Guitar Center job:
-Pros - Hang with guitar nerds, extra cash, store discount.
-Cons- Less time for home chores and Honey-to-do-Lists
😂❤🎸
Shout out from Asheville 🙌
Don’t forget the biggest con. Having to listen to horrible renditions of Metallica and Slayer at ear piercing levels for hours everyday. I swear I hear that on almost every visit to GC and it cuts my visit short every time.
I think NC needs to have two flagship stores. I'm in WNC and Raleigh is 4-5 hrs away! The Asheville store has always been halfway decent and given the local music culture here it would make sense as a 2nd flagship.
This is so weird, but I know I have met you both at some point and first time I've ever seen a video of yours.
Here's a thought, they could increase their size and improve the layout by just moving across the street into the soon to be empty Sam Ash building.
i kinda dig the shitty on the outside awesome on the inside vibe of the classic GC experience. makes it feel specialer. bought my first guitar at the El Cajon blvd store in San Diego, when they opened one in San Marcos it never had that feel. ive never stopped at the one in Cary cause i figure it would be similar. some locations can be cursed anyway... wasnt Tiger Direct over there once too...?
but they do gotta do something about the Sheryl Crow posters and stuff lol. just dont put MGK up lol, just maybe, stuff thats not sun faded.
IMO, Guitar Center needs to consolodate the number of locations and look at expanding the locations they keep to be able to include more inventory. Players of all abilities want to be able to walk in to a place and put their hands on all sorts of brands, models and price points. Don't cater to one type of player... realize your name means something to a lot of players and do your best to make them all feel welcome.
YES!!!!! I have been saying this for years. They have their Music and Arts Center subsidiary for small format stores to sell supplies, books, beginner instruments and lessons.
My local guitar center near Atlantic City is hurting so bad I just drive by they pictures in the window are so faded they should just pull them down it’s an embarrassment 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Did they finally vaccum? Or pick up the empty boxes and random trash from around the store? The West Springfield Mass. store is always an abysmal wreck.
The GC in Chicago (Belmont Ave?) was the largest wonderland I had ever seen as a young musician. Man, I miss that place!
Was there recently, don’t think they’ve caught up yet, a total mess
My friend who owned a music shop, once told me,he couldn't hardly afford more expensive guitars etc like I wanted. Cause they didn't sell very fast,so he had to appeal to beginners kids mostly. But I managed to get some nice guitars there. Peck
The problem for me is I am not looking for an expensive guitar. I prefer the Squier Classic Vibes, Epiphones, or Schecters. I am not going to spend $2000 for a Les Paul that is a recreation of the one my dad played in high school. That sort of nostalgia has no appeal to me. At that price I would expect my guitar to come with modern features like locking tuners, stainless steel frets, Fishman Fluence pickups, an Evertune bridge, etc. Brands like Schecter, LTD, and Jackson are making these exact guitars. That's the guitars I want to see at Guitar Center. Not a bunch of expensive Gibson or Fenders. Still I will go into the Hollywood store and see what I can play next time I buy some strings.
Guitar Center is the best option In my buying needs. I search their used/vintage inventory online. It is a secure way to buy used gear without getting burned. If I find what I like, I have it shipped to my local store, about 10 miles away. Takes a week to arrive where they will text me to let me know. Now, I inspect the guitar at the store, plug it in before leave, make sure it works, lol. If I don't like it in person, I get my refund before I leave the store. If it makes it home, I still have time to deep dive into the guitar and make sure I really like it. If not, I return it. Guitar Center has no problem with the return.
That return policy is very nice and a lifesaver sometimes. Especially in this new world of hype hype hype every corner.
Over the last year, I had shopped for a nice acoustic guitar. I was trying to find the one that spoke to me. Because what few local shops remain in LA mostly focus on low to mid-range guitars, I ended up venturing into a Guitar Center. It was horrible. I had to constantly go and find a guy wearing a mask and surgical gloves and ask him to unlock the next guitar I wanted to try. And he had no idea of what kind of guitar might interest me. What should have taken 30 minutes took 2 hours and I stuck through it because I really wanted to find that guitar.
Unable to find it at GC, I ended up buying a new guitar off Reverb. after trying several $4k guitars, I ended up with a Yamaha FSX5 at less than half that price. By the way, I went to the particular GC I went to because their website said that store had one in stock. If they did, I didn't see it and the employee wasn't interested in looking into it or getting one in.
I wonder if it would have been different if I wanted a nice Taylor... but I didn't want a Taylor.
Don't agree with much Baxter comes up with. But he's got GC dead to rights on the remodeling. If theres one thing I learned above all else in the bar and restaurant business. A fresh coat of paint with some new signs and decor, can subliminally reprogram a shoppers mind before they even get in the door. Proper lighting and colors are critical to peoples attitudes. Its been proven scientifically, to effect us in ways we're not even conscious of.
Smells. Smells are another sense that can entice people in many ways. Both physically and psychologically. Fresh cut wood and various other common construction materials, put my mind into a positive state when I smell them. They smell like prosperity and success to me.
From working at GC and other places like it I prefer they leave me alone. They used to swarm like sharks because it was commission pay. Which was guitar centers biggest cause for failure. Commission based employees ignore customers requests and concerns typically and just push the highest value items they can get on their paycheck. You end up with a disconnect between the passionate customer or beginner customer. Because the associate doesn't sell from experience and care. It becomes a calculation to make ends meet.
Tell that to every other business that's commission based.
I was in the Raleigh store yesterday and they were putting out a bunch of guitars ( did they know you were coming? ) i had to ask an employee if they had any Fender locking tuners, he had to look on the computer to find out they had none. Definitely disappointing.
The first time I walked into a Guitar Center was around 1981. They just opened their first store outside of SoCal in Chicago. I went to the grand opening. As soon as I walked in the door I saw a BC Rich Bich doubleneck. Koa with maple necks, cloud inlays. It was like that moment from Wayne's World. I bought it on the spot for $3200 in 1981. That's like $15k adjusted for inflation. And they had financing. Unheard of at the time. I went back a few months later and ordered a Bich 10 string. Those were the days.
But they were not good days. They destroyed the mom and pop business.
I don't feel sorry for them. They brought something new, but they destroyed something old and important. And then the internet killed them. I guess life progresses.
MId to late 70's the original Hollywood Guitar Center -- the Big Daddy - was amazing. They sold stuff literally 10-12% over their cost (yeah I had access to the wholesale prices) and it was a good chance your salesman was an amazing player and many no doubt went on to major careers as a player - not a salesman.
I worked at a little independent guitar store for 7 years when I was a teenager. Every time I walk in the guitar Center I'm reminded of how much better that place was than any of these giant department store shit holes. If these big chain stores going down brings those back, it's totally worth it
I like how Jonathan is wearing his CG shirt in a video about GC. How do we find out if our local GC is going to be one of the upgraded stores?
How can I tell what level my local store is?
there's a used PRS S2 at my local GC that is really cool but is marked at 4k! I would like to buy it but I've been trying for a MONTH to get the actual correct used price. I've called them and went back and spoke directly with the manager. He promised to call me back the next day. STILL NO RESPONSE.
If it makes you happpppoyyyy, it can’t be that baaaaad!
PANDORA'S BOX!
I just wish someone would answer the phone at my guitar center, totally ridiculous. That would be a new experience for me in Wilmington, Delaware.
They had a Pelham blue 335 that I would love to pick up.
Do you remember Mars?
Dig the CG tee.
It's sad that GC has to lock up so many of their guitars. I went into the Tacoma wa store a few months ago and I thought maybe it's time to buy a guitar a step or two up from my mid range Martin and Alvarez guitars. I asked an employee if someone would help me by unlocking one of the Taylor guitars. I waited about 20 minits and no one showed. I asked again and waited another 10 minutes finally decided I must have been out of my mind anyway so l left the store empty handed. They saved me a lot of money that day.
If they implement this nation wide, I’m assuming the “flagship” store here in Wisconsin will be in Brookfield… possibly Madison.
If I need another handful of Strats and LPs, I will go to GC. If I want anything else, I will shop at Sweetwater or my local Heid Music. Literally 78% of the guitars at my GC are Strat and LP…and that doesn’t include other brands with the same body type. And then they send emails every week saying come buy a Vintera, here’s a $5 coupon.
they just need to put starbucks and ultra fast WIFI with lounges in-site!! duh 🤦♂️
Also 4k screens with the latest videos of Spotify's top 100!
Market to Millennials, Gen Z's & Alfas!
The thing I used to love about Guitar Center, having one or more of virtually every current model from the major companies, is also their biggest weakness: I don't see how they can afford to maintain the quality and depth of inventory that made them a draw and compete with the online juggernaut Sweetwater now that so many consumers are comfortable with online guitar sales. And I can't see that corporation getting it together on the customer service end to compete with ships like Casino, Wildwood, Chuck Levin, etc.
Where do I go to get the "Ratty washed up" GC experience in California?
Try Orange,Ca
@@bigscofan it's on the list. Thank you.
We have 2 in Charlotte NC
The Lament Configuration
I’m a Hellraiser aficionado!