What Happened to Guitar Center?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- What happened to Guitar Center? We discuss the recent article with the CEO and 3 predictions are made for 2025 and beyond.
Music Inc Interview
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Company Man - The Decline of Guitar Center
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#guitarcenter #guitar #sapulpa #sapulpaguitaracademy #guitarbuyingguideforbeginners #sweetwater #amazon #bankruptcy #retail #tulsa #tulsaoklahoma
The problem that have with what the new CEO said in his interview is unless you play "premium" gear....you are not a serious or real musician. So am i supposed to prioritize a 1000$ guitar over rent? Over food for my wife and daughter? Over paying bills? His comments come off very elitist. I guess the working class that are on a budget are not real musicians to him. I didn’t realize that my skill level and validity as a musician was determined by the price tag attached to my guitar.
…i’m not a real anything anymore.
Local guitar stores are better than guitar center
@@WOKINTUSD I always try to support the local stores.
I guess the new ceo is clueless with comments like you are not a, serious musician unless you buy expensive premium gear for which I find offensive.
And while I look premium gear I am like eddie van Halen I like what I like and guess what it makes me angry that he insulted Eddie van Halen.
Because Eddie did not spend a grand to make his Frankie he spent 50 bucks on a basswood body and 80 dollars on a neck and molded it to his liking let's see yngwie malmsteen in Sweden did not spend a lot of money on his strat and Marshall plexi Amps.
Let's see did Steve vai spend 3 grand to make his charvel green menie guitar before Ibanez approached him.
And that's the difference between an elitist ceo and collecters who want wall pieces and a musician so for me I will build and make what I want just like Eddie and no off The shelf guitar today will do that for me when I will have modify it anyway to meet my specs now an acoustic that's a diferent story.
The other issue I have is I can't find decent amps in stock either at guitar center anymore or even bass guitars. And what about rack mount processors don't see them in stock.
Man I miss the old days when you could get what you need at reasonable prices ohh I can't even find my ernie ball cobalt strings In Stock anymore with the 9 to 46 Guage. Just my thoughts and for God sales bring back having all parts as a brand in stock
I thought the person made the musician, not the equipment.
I think Guitar Center needs more cowbell.
Guitar Center has essentially been squeezed out of the market by online and boutique shops/brands. Their biggest problems are they don't do anything exceptionally well compared to their competitors and failure to improve their online presence.
Great points here. Thanks for watching.
AMEN!!
Last summer I was trying out some effects pedals and they had the drummer dude help me who didn't know anything about guitar or FX while the knowledgeable guitar players stood there chatting and not really willing to help at all...
@@Willam_J I've found their used inventory in-person to be hit and miss, but their online used experience remains terrible. You get 1-2 poor quality pictures for each guitar and a title, that's it. No specs, description, blemish/ding highlights, or additional details.
Reverb or local marketplace offerings are easier to browse through, have more detailed descriptions and photos, and are usually less expensive because they are P2P sales.
The only thing you can't do online is actually play the guitar. Hear it, feel it, before you buy it. That seems to be a luxury of the past. And guitar Center didn't help - stocking nothing I'd want to play to begin with.
Last time i went to Guitar Center, Nobody with any knowledge on the gear, 20 years old kids payed minimum wage to stand around and do nothing. rather get guitars from Ebay or Reverb from Japan at 1/3 of the price.
Any you'd recommend from ebay? Like a good budget one
@@chrisguzman7926.... As one who has made Multiple various instrument purchases (electric Bass guitar, Lap Steel's, Console Steel, Ukelele Bass, Harmonica's, Mandolin's & Melodica's)... from GC, Sweetwater, zZounds, Reverb & eBay.... they all have their strong & weak points.
I have purposely bought a really "cheap" bass guitar from ebay over a year ago..... you know what (?)... other than changing to a set of LaBella Flat wounds.... it's been a really great Bass guitar, and I have some "mid - range" ($350. to $700.) Ibanez, and other "name brands"... that quite frankly, Do NOT sound any better or more "musical", than this cheap, eBay, bass from Glarry guitars... that I payed a "whopping" $129. for... Including a 20 watt (6" speaker), strap, cord and soft case.
So, ok... the cord is Not a name brand... but, it works well... the "soft case" is thinly padded, nylon travel or dust bag when not in use, and the strap is.... "ok". The bass, itself is quite light and can be played for hours without any fatigue whatsoever...... AND, it Stays in Tune!!.... which is more than I can say for some of my other, much more expensive "name brand" basses.
Again, the bass I purchased was from "Glarry Guitars" (yes, they also market 6 strings as well) and they have 4, 5 & 6 string basses for Under $200. Glarry has been around for many years and the quality of their guitars & basses, for the price they sell them for is absolutely amazing.
There are many other "no names" as well on ebay, and a very good friend of mine who has been playing Bass for nearly 54 years now.... bought a "no name" off of ebay for $89. (with a case!).... almost Three (3) years ago for practice at home. He has a "custom built" (for him) Carvin 5 string bass, that he personally picked up at the Carvin "factory" when it was finished... which he paid $5000. for.... in 1985!!
It's solid wood, and the difference in weight between it, and this "no name", is the Carvin weighs a hefty 14.5 lbs, and this "no name" from eBay, weighs just under 6 lbs. It may be light, but he's had NO neck issue's whatsoever (himself, or the bass)... the neck is perfectly straight, just as mine is as well.
He plays that thing for At Least One to Two hours, every day.... and hasn't had a minutes trouble with it.... and, it also (like mine)... Stays in Tune, and it still has the Original strings that came on it... they sound great!
Anybody can have "won't stay in tune" issues, with Any guitar if the tune "Down" to the intended note.... always tune "UP" to the intended note, which will put a "pre-load" on the tuner, keeping it from backing Off.
I finally got him to order a set of LaBella Flat wounds for it a few days ago... from "Just Strings" dot com, up in New Hampshire... Great prices and they Are, the Largest string dealer... in the world. They have strings for instruments I've never heard of before, from all over the world. If you need strings, you might want to check out their website, first.
Having said all that... you can always "update" a "cheap" guitar with pickups, tuners, strings, etc, etc... without breaking the bank if you like, if you have a mind to do so.
Exactly. The few older experienced guys/gals working there are obviously not happy.
As a former GC employee, I must say that their major downfall
is how GC treats its workers. They appeared more interested in selling
the Pro coverage insurance. I recall days getting scolded because my pro coverage sales
were low, yet my sales high...
I've seen uneducated guitar rookies, trying to sell to the mom and pop croud,
because they couldn't sell to the pros who visited the store.
As a long time simi professional guitarist, they put me in the pro audio department
selling DJ mixers and pianos...I mean wtf?
Then being reprimanded for leaving my department to sell a 1k$ guitar...😠
Working for peanuts will never bring good employees!
And the POS system is still green screen 1970 s crap....
It use to be the place to go!
NOT ANY MORE 🎸 🎸🎸
And they wonder why sales are ROCK BOTTOM 😂
That was definitely much of my experience when I worked there in 2015. I wasn’t really interested in trying to sell the pro coverage, because most people didn’t qualify for it anyway. Also, the commission structure is so weird, that it’s more about pushing certain products, than you selling people what they want and need. I sold a lot up there, and never made any commissions. In fact, I couldn’t even afford to buy anything in the store when I worked there.
I used to work for a guitar center too and the Internet there was so slow!. Did your store have a slow Internet issue too? Lol
They sell demos as new.They resell returns as new,too.They give the 10 percent discount for New ,but it should be a 20 percent for used and returns,in that case.
This is happening at Sam Ash as well
Yeah, I returned a bad vintage guitar that could never play right unless it had a neck reset. (I work on and collect guitars and I know what I am talking about) They didn't even hesitate, they just put it back on their website
ever buy jeans or shoes at the mall? A dozen people may have tried on your shirt.
“Demo model” you mean a floor model? Do you not want to try the guitar before you buy it? Cause every guitar is gonna play different so I want to make sure it feels good before I buy it
@@PhilDietz and that’s gross too. Having worked retail (soft goods) for many years I typically request one from the back. I’m a little more lenient with outerwear.
I used to work at guitar Center about 15 years ago. Back then you could buy any guitar part for any guitar off of a giant wall of parts and guitars pedals now there’s one case with pedals and one case with practically no parts or guitar accessories at all. I bought one of my guitars from guitar Center. It was a good deal if I hadn’t if I found it somewhere bought it there. About ten years back, they got rid of almost all of that part of their business and now they replaced it with lesson booths. It’s obvious that their business model is not about guitarist and guitar players. It’s about selling the cheapest thing or the most expensive thing to the noob. And now it seems they will go 180° just to course correct.
That’s exactly what happened to mine had a great god had been 20 foot section of pedals and picks and strings on the wall behind always one or two guys working it that knew their stuff. Now like you said it’s all been replaced by what seems to be unused lesson/practice booths. And a little setup off boss pedals.
It's a complete failure of GC's board to adapt to the changing market. It took a global pandemic to get them to give us a usable app.
they don't know what they are doing
I worked at guitar Center from 2012-2023’ they are going to go out of business. They don’t give AF about their employees. They changed their commission structure in Feb of 2023. They don’t have knowledgeable employees, they have ran them all out of the store. The lack of staff and consideration for the customer is glaring. From October of 2022 to 2023 I was the only pro Audio employee for months. It’s really sad but they did it to themselves.
Sweetwater is lightyears ahead…
Darn right they are. So is the German based company and peach guitars in the uk
Sweetwater sucks just as bad.....I asked them a few questions and they wouldn't give me answers on a guitar....it would have taken 5 minutes to check....then 4 different rep's proceeded to call me everyday for a week. I told them if they spent that much time answering my questions they would have sold me 3 guitars. I keep trying to buy from them but they are flat out losers!
Kinda find that hard to believe. I’ve been buying from them since 2007 and their customer service then was really good and outstanding now. Guitar center is a dinosaur that nobody wanted to walk into cause you either get jumped on, or ignored.
No they're not. Very overrated and usually higher priced. I've been to the bricks 'n motar store a few times while traveling through. It is a nice store, but it's not their primary customer base. They've screwed up 2 online orders for me and I doubt I'll try a third.
Sweetwater sucks! They're laughing at you for believing the 47 point inspection means anything.
I worked at guitar center september of 96 to march of 98. And we had at least 30 employees plus at our store in covina ca. You were able to purchase your gear right at the department you were shopping in. They divided the store into four sections each having registers no less than 6 people in every section. There was pro audio/ keyboards, guitar/ amps, drums, and accessories(strings, picks, straps, pedals, rack gear, books and videos, pick ups, capos ect ). I worked security and answered phones. (The most demanding job except for the managers.) And we had operations, and warehouse guys doing shipping and receiving. I went to guitar center in 2022 theres a center island with just 4 people there. I did however get a guitar new out of a box. But getting someone to help you took forever i was playing a guitar in the acoustic room where they keep the acoustic guitars and it did take a lot of time before a salesmen came to help me because your not allowed to take a floor model out of there to a register. The staff when i worked there we dressed nice and neat managers wore ties. The store manager was not dressed nice i didnt know he was the store manager because he looked like crap. When i worked for guitar center you were helped immediately. They closed the store i used to work at supposedly the san dimas location was the new location. When i worked there they didnt close any locations they were expanding. So yeah who ever owns that company now doesnt know what they are doing. Because we would never get away with any of the bullshit thats going on now. Sloppy service. We get fired for the way the store is run now.
I used to shop at that store back then and always dealt with Gar. He was a great guy, experienced musician who always took good care of the customers. I purchased many PRS core guitars in that store and always got a good deal. Good times!
Spot on. I was in a GC 2 days ago, and waiting for a sales guy to unlock a few guitars standing behind the guy wanting to sell his 10yo Line6 amp.
*_Guitar Center’s website for used gear is horrible. Bad pictures, very little to no info on what they’re selling. Unreal in this day and age!_*
Yeah, and if you email them with a question, like, why is this more than a new one or, this looks like a sl4x but you have it listed as an sl1x, no reply.
The understaffing comments resonate. These stores are always short staffed: Target, CVS, Walgreens, Subway, and Michael’s arts/crafts. Chain auto parts stores are super slow because people with simple purchases are mixed in with those more complex transactions and returns.
I worked in Remo customer service for a few years until 2001. In those days, Guitar Center was a huge client, and we catered to them. They frequently had Grand Openings that required special percussion items, including world percussion drums (djembes, etc) cut in half to make a couple of 3-D decorations for their walls. We did everything possible to meet their deadlines, even if they needed a last-minute order. I haven't kept up with them since 2001, and it's sad to see their downfall.
This was the demise of Mars Music…all the “new guitars” hanging on the wall, became used guitars hanging on the wall..because of playground theory…
And daddy's junky music.
I order three times from the to store vintage Kramer they call me I drive an hr o the store and they can't find the guitar they diseapeared.
Those guitars I always wanted would have been investments.
Everyone these corporations are so fucking greedy now.. They can all kiss my ass.
I'll buy a 150 dollar Amazon guitar and make it great myself.
Screw em all. Don't like Duncan or dimarzio pickups either. Everything is way over priced and the same sound and quality can be found for far less
I worked my way up to assistant manager at a GC in socal in the early 2000’s, here’s exactly what happened…
There was a massive push to hire clerks to ring up sales rather than train experts in each department. You get apathetic employees with limited to no knowledge on the gear that shoppers and musicians feel and despise.
Simultaneously, online companies started to explode and, thru the years, manufacturers have sold out to China and phased out their mid-priced ($700-$1200) lines which were the bread and butter for GC sales.
Honestly, the commentary on floor models was never really a problem…most musicians (minus the wealthy premadonnas) prefer played gear and being able to hear it before purchasing. Used gear was a huge seller and you’re right, GC was always horrible at being able to move used gear store to store, but I think Reverb has completely destroyed GC’s used gear market!
A lot of the problems you mentioned are nothing new for mom and pop stores going back years or even decades. At two local Dallas stores, I remember waiting half an hour for the one guitar dept. clerk to help me and I remember buying an amp and they had a 14 day trial period. I returned it on day 15 and they refused to give me a refund. I also remember selling an amp on consignment and they never called me when it sold, so I called them but they said I had waited too long (after 90 days) and they would not give me the money. After those experiences, I just started ordering from the online companies!
Guitar Center became the Walmart of musical instruments store at least 20 years ago. My home town had 8 separate music stores in the late 1980's-early 90's when I was still at beginner level. I moved far away from Michigan in 2001. I went back home back in 2013 for a visit and all 8 stores were long gone only a Guitar Center which was not there in 2001 was in business.
Another thought, if they wanted to remain competitive the might want to ditch some of the non guitar departments in areas that they have low demand for.
I have to disagree with you there. Not everyone that walks in the store plays guitar. You got DJ's, drummers, sound guys, keyboard players, vocalists etc.....
Bought a Gibson Custom Korina Explorer a few years ago for $1800. They made me buy the case separately. They used to come with the Axe...... about 6 months later I brought it back to get the money I needed for a lifesaving surgery for my Dog. It was in perfect condition, always in the case went not being played and never abused. They only offered me $600. w the case for a better than $2000. initial sale. Saw it later on the wall for original price and advertised as new...never again.
I really enjoyed your video. I can recall many a guitar bought at guitar Center over the years. Now, I don’t go there anymore because the local competition is so much better. Local competition (in my case, Dietz music In Omaha ) has better products (Strymon for example ) for advanced and professional grade users, and are willing to make better deals. The local guitar Center here is like a graveyard for forgotten dreams. It’s sad to see. Totally agree with your assessment regarding not enough registers and employees. They need a dedicated person for people looking to sell instruments. Basically I will go to guitar Center to sell my instruments and get out of the house. They don’t have much there that I’m interested in buying anymore.
Assuming GC wants to keep their big physical presence I do agree that it has to be a playground, maybe even a physical hub for musicians with more service, more performances etc. Unfortunately it is probably a mistake keeping a big physical presence. I dont really care if I can check out a mid level ($1500 or less lets say) instrument but if I'm buying something real nice like a custom shop I do like to see them, others may feel more comfortable just returning until you find the right one.
Nailed it.
I had a very similar experience living in Fresno. In the 1990s even with his big as that town is, you couldn't get a good amplifier. Impossible. We made peddle boards out of plywood because we had never heard of companies that made stuff like that. Nobody stocked it. There was ONE store that sold Gibson guitars.
Guitar Center changed all of that. Suddenly you could get a good guitar and a good amp without driving to LA or San Francisco. The mom and pop stores were blindsided because they had been stocking cheap and mid-range guitars from wholesalers. Anything above that they wanted to sell the customer on a special order. Meanwhile Guitar Center had the guitar on the wall and you can try it out.
However by 2008, you didn't just have a market turnaround, you had things like Craigslist and eBay that would allow you to actually buy and trade gear with other musicians.
Did have a huge opportunity to sell a used gear if they just took good photos of it and had an inventory system for it. It's crazy how they're missing out on that opportunity. Imagine you could go to a guitar Center and someone there could give you a deal on a used piece of gear you're looking for. "Too much? Will we have a used one in Tulsa. Here's the photos."
I taught at GC for one year. The woman that booked the students liked to play favorites and gave her friend pretty much all the students and never booked me more than 5 students a week. Then I got a job teaching at School of Rock and they booked me 50 students a week right away. And this broad at GC wanted me to quit SOR because she said it was a "conflict of interest" Then I quit. GC. Not a friendly place to work.
Guitar Center was awesome in the 90s. We used to rent 4 tracks and mics from them and record our band in my buddies basement. I haven't been in one in years though. I started ordering gear from Musician's Friend in the late 90s, and we had some good music stores locally too
I have access to 3 GCs, each one run very differently. Coming form decades of musical instrument retail, I had begged the GC management closest to me (which they FINALLY made the following change a few years ago) to understand that guitar accessories cannot be behind a counter where you have to ask a busy salesperson to get it for you- accessories must be on kiosks b/c older people (the people with most of the money) can't even see that far behind the counter. I'm still trying to get them to understand why it's bad for business to keep guitars up high so customers can't even see them. Also, keeping better instrument up high denotes "out of reach" for not only budding musicians, but for parents, thus helping to murder future clientele. It is better to keep them at eye-level behind glass which gives them more perceived value. Never mind having to ask a sales person who then needs to go find and climb "the ladder of shame" just to get it down and put it away. How demoralizing and anti-sales is that? I gave these suggestions without suggesting they were doing something wrong, just to offer professional help to pass onto upper management at corporate.
Your analysis is spot-on. 20 years ago, I bought an Epiphone semi-hollow body from their location on Ventura Blvd in CA. It was the best I could afford at the time, and their people could not have been more helpful. Fast forward to last year: I had always wanted to own a Fender Stratocaster, but raising a family had to take priority. Finally, I had the money to get the guitar of my dreams. I went to the location in Las Vegas. I had the cash in my pocket and was fully anticipating walking out with my "baby". Nobody greeted me at the entrance. The few employees that were there looked the other way as they walked by. All the guitars were locked on the hangers, so I couldn't even pick one up to entertain myself while waiting. After waiting there for over half an hour, I decided to just leave. Nobody asked me if I found what I was looking for on my way out. I ended up buying from Fender online. I will never go back there!
The salesperson at the counter was on a very long phone call while completely ignoring the customer who had come into the business to make a purchase. I would have stated to the individual who was on the phone "Hello sir or miss, I'm the only one here in this department right now and I have a few people who I need to offer assistance too, can I get your number and call you back in a few minutes once I get this line under control?" There is never someone there to check you out.
I'm a retired sales dude, and I hear all of this and I think on one hand - you reap what you sow. Too bad for Guitar Center. On the other hand - after reading/studying up, saving and lusting after two items for quite awhile - I walked into the Guitar Center in Glen Burnie, MD and bought a 2005 Les Paul Standard (Heritage Cherry, of course) and a 2006 Fender Jazz Bass (tobaccoburst American Standard, of course). Now I wander in and it just feels sad - the environment is terrible. It feels like a dead environment, no blame or fault being leveled at the employees here. I understand, I was in the cable industry when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 hit us, and it was veddy scary.
The only problem I ever had with GC is when I bought a Nord Stage 3 and the online salesman messed up the paperwork for 48 month interest-free financing. By the time I found out, the promo had ended and GC never offered it again. They did however let me return it for a full refund, as the Bank was billing me at 35% interest because of the screw up. The local store tried everything to get me the 48 months but couldn't make it happen.
I really wanted that Nord keyboard but nobody else had that promotion.
So a couple days ago some friends and I went to 1st Sam Ashe to see what they had available. They were just about closed, there walls were bare. We then went to Guitar Center. My friends were having fun playing guitars but I being a lefty couldn't really play any because whatever left handed guitars were up high and locked up. One employee told me I only need to ask and they would take one down for me to play. But I only been getting good at guitar this past year; mostly I am a drummer. So I played the drums while I was there but of course it was a right handed set up. Almost 2 years ago I bought my electric drum set from the Guitar Center. I found that they the young employees are willing to help when they are not too busy. I wish a Genie would give me $2000.00 to spend at Guitar Center, maybe as a new guitarist I don't know any better, but miss the fact I couldn't go into Sam Ashe and just play their music instruments like I used to and of course wishing I had the money to buy. Just recently I learned of their Progressive financing. That is something online stores don't have the opportunity to just play an instrument.
Interesting video. I haven’t purchased anything from Guitar Center for over 10 years. My experience in the past was that half of the guitars/basses on the wall were damaged or badly out of tune. Just trying to get a tuner and a cable was always a hassle. Try to tune a Floyd Rose on the fly. For over 10 years, I have exclusively purchased guitars or other equipment from either Musicians Friend who always has a 10/15% coupon available, or blemished/demo models from Musician’s Friend, AMS/Zzounds or Sweetwater.
I purchased a $7000 signature guitar from GC. I made 1 simple request, and that was that I wanted to be there when the box was opened the day that I picked it up so that it wasn't played by their staff because it was a very sought after signature guitar. The manager was like "yeah, sure, no problem!". When I arrived on the release date, the guitar was opened like a month before hand, they put their GC sale tags with the price of the guitar like already they had it sitting on the shelf, the guitar was tuned to standard when it was supposed to arrive in a drop tuning. The signature pickups looked like they were swapped out, when I tested them at home, they weren't as hot as other people's measurement of the pickup set, which could explain the strings being changed and tuned to standard. I was fuming mad, when I asked the sales rep at the counter why the guitar was opened and had sale tags and had obviously been modified when management assured me the guitar wouldn't be opened until I picked it up, she told me that if it was a problem, they could refund the guitar.
Not happy at all. I took the guitar and left.
Since I paid for this with the GC credit card, I was due for a nice $$$ rewards certificate, they mailed the $200 certificate, but it was expired. I got the run around when I tried to get them to make it right.
GC continued to call and e-mail me when they had their promotional sales, I was patient and explained the negative experience and told them if they could fix the issue with the $200 certificate, I would buy a Moog Sub37 and remain a customer, they said they couldn't give me the $200 in rewards that was sent expired, so I asked that they lose my contact information.
I will NEVER do business with this classless company ever again. Good riddance!
I walked into the GC in North Charleston, SC… I was excited about going there, up until I walked into the store. The place was unkempt, filthy and with a limited inventory. I was never asked if I needed help and I ended up leaving empty handed. I spent more time in the parking lot coming and going vs in the store. An absolute let down.
I know what you're talking about, we used to shop there 20 years ago and it was amazing, now I have to bring a rock and roll hanky to wipe the tears away, I will not be going back
Great video. The problem I have with GC is the employees don’t seem to care because they don’t get paid enough to. In olden days salesmen would make a great desk in an amp or guitar in hope you will come back and make up the initial loss by buying a lot more gear. The employees have no option to work with a buyer. You get the list price and that is it!
I've been playing for years (since the 70's) and always hated Guitar Center. Not sure why but every time you walk in you feel overwhelmed, under talented, over stimulated, or something else. It would be great if you could go into an "iso-booth" and try gear out. Employees should be musicians, and invested in your experience in obtaining gear, instead of being just retail clerks. I don't know how the crew gets paid, but an incetive device I think would be a step in the right direction towards incentivizing the clerks and customers. Give the employees authority to make deals on the spot,. You're right about being too few ways to get checked out. IDK, maybe I'm talking out my ass, but again I hate shopping at Guitar Center.
I have been seeing TH-cam notices by TH-camrs that the end of guitar center is here. I have been seeing that for many many years. But they’re still here.
It's too bad about Guitar Center, recently bought a Taylor 12 String (was only online) , I told the counter girl I'll buy it online and she said in front of everybody "then I don't get my commission". That is a no-no. I felt sorry for her and bought it there. I sold it 4 months later intonation issues. Was never set up or looked at. They are selling $2500 crappy guitars. Finished with Taylor also.
I purchased several guitars from GC many years ago and it was not as bad as it is today. I was in my local GC the other day And I saw a nice ibanez AMH 90, so I took it down to give it a try. The fret ends were so sharp they cut my fingers. I know that's a manufacturers problem that sometimes comes with cheaper guitars, but have you tech go thru the guitars once-in-a-while and service them! No one is going to buy a guitar they can't even play. Also, I bought a brand new guitar from GC online and they sent me a new guitar wrapped just in bubble wrapping, no inner shipping box,no owners manuals. No tools. Just a " new" guitar in bubble wrap!!!!. I don't know how it arrived in one piece. That was my last purchase from GC. And nothing at all for the jazz player🎉. Thank God for Sweetwater.
I got a call from Guitar Center today. It seems like they are trying to be like Sweetwater. I hope GC sticks around. It's my favorite store.
I worked at the Boston GC back in 2003, and I haven't shopped at one since. It was awful. I still have nightmares sometimes about being back there decades later.
No sir you are honest and spot on.........
I went into a local GC guitar store recently. I was hoping to buy a new Martin or Taylor acoustic electric. I was prepared to pay approximately $3000 for a top rated guitar. I walked into the separate room where they keep the acoustic models. I required assistance because the high end guitars were hanging on devices which were locked up. I went up to the "salesperson", a twenty something dude with a "Hey Man", "O Wow" attitude. At the time he was talking to two "tire kickers" (they were really not interested in buying anything.) sitting on stools and fondling instruments. I waited a few minutes in the hopes that I would get his attention. HE COMPLETELY IGNORED ME LIKE I WAS INVISIBLE. This may have been attributable to the fact that I am a senior citizen .Regardless of the reason why I was ignored, I obviously did not like the feeling. It was very disrespectful. I proceeded to purchase a Taylor 714ce from an on line retailer. I would never walk into a Guitar Center store again. This probably has happened thousands of times at various stores across the country. And you wonder why the company filed for bankruptcy?
What happened needs one word - Shareholders. And that is whay all companies like Boeing, Guitar Center, GM, etc... fail. They squeeze every facet of the business to make money for the shareholder, long departing from the actual business of what made them who they were. Small private guitard shops have an owner who wants custmers to keep comoing back. AND IT Looks like it when you walk in. When you walk into GC it looks like they stocking only the fast moving items that sell in builk. No time or space for the carft. It's all about funding the dividends to shareholders....
Excellent point and one I should've stated in the video. Once companies like this become part of an investment portfolio it never seems to end well. It's always a slow decent into mediocrity and eventually bankruptcy. That big investment they made into expanding retail stores should've been invested into their online presence instead. That was a costly mistake for them, and one I don't expect them to bounce back from. Thanks for watching!
I went to GC in Tucon to sell some gear. I got wholesale for the gear and some stuff they wouldn’t take for the same reason i was selling it. I didn’t move. I don’t buy anything there. There were 3 people in there and it still took an hour for them to contact corporate for their offer. That’s it. I have no reason to go there. They could have still had it all, too many chiefs not enough Indians. The employees are just on the treadmill to nowhere. It is a company. It has nothing to do with musicians. It has to do with money and they are beyond broke. They will close in 2025. I predict LOL
I'm a professional bass player in Nashville Tn. I only shop guitar center for strings because they stock the brand I use. Not even Sweetwater has them.
For all my basses I buy direct from Kiesel/ Carvin. Custom made. From factory to my front door. Everything else, local store and Sweetwater.
Last new Guitar at guitar center, I had to have them order it. they got two, in the box, I picked the one I wanted , no floor model. I still have my Butterscotch FSR Tele, It is still very nice after 10 years.
Part of the problem with GC is the salesmen know very little about what they are doing. They treat every customer like they know nothing.
Some of us have been building and playing guitars for 50 years. Like the last time I went in the salesman started telling me lies about PRS SE guitars. I just walked out and will not go back.
I bought my first drumset from GC and 40 years later I'm still buying gear from them. But I have to agree you have to wait forever for in store even you buy online and do a store pickup you may still be in there for 30 minutes or more
Guitar Center’s best move would be to open a performance space in their stores that routinely draws traffic for music enthusiasts of all ages and economic situations. This would make a GC store a place to appreciate music making and have tactile access to products they could order right there or have them delivered. There aren’t enough Blues Lawyers out there to buy high end gear to keep them profitable. Working pro musicians will go to whoever gives them the best price and have a good return policy. The GC music lessons initiative has limited value. Lots of kids just watch TH-cam videos to figure how to play songs for free or invest in a TrueFire account. GC tried a rehearsal facility model in SoCal. Not sure how well it worked for them but a combination teaching, rehearsal, retail and performance space (with an associated restaurant/bar Nextdoor) might make it a big winner
GC shhould close some unerperforming stores by at least a quarter. Invest hevily into their website. Go back to treating the employees better, bring back real commissions. And the biggest thing..look at what Sweetwater is doing and copy some of it. Go back to being a music store and not just a company that sells guitars. I think youre spot on. They wanted to be the Walmart of music stores but bean counting in the wrong areas has turned them into the Kmart of music stores.
Great insight, Steve. Closing some stores and reinvesting it in online sales would help them I think.
In 2000, Guitar Center acquired mail order and e-commerce retailer Musician's Friend for $50 million.
This reminds me of what happened with Blockbuster Video vs Netflix. I'm rooting for GC to still be a thing in the future, but also learned to never sell my used guitars to them 😂😂
I have been a working musician for many many years. 58 in fact. I've seen and done a lot!!!! The bottom has simply fallen out of the music business all together. A lot of studios are gone, no budgets to record, music is downloaded for free so there is little incentive to produce amazing art and get paid. The golden pot at the end of the rainbow is gone and everyone is scratching their head and asking what happened. Even at the NAMM show a lot of the big boys aren't showing up. I hung out for a while with some of the guys from guitar center but I didn't want to say anything. They are really only interested in moving merchandise and don't really care if it is a toilet or guitar and from my experience most of them don't know the difference. That is what Guitar Center is and has always been. At least Sweetwater has spokes people that are real player and technicians and know their stuff. Anyway, my opinion is that the young people today have two many new high tech distractions to set down and make art so there is no need for guitars. Guitars unfortunately have become dinosaurs. Hopefully something new musically will come along and be fresh but for now I don't see music climbing out or the dull drums any time soon and the future looks bleak for Guitar Center's future.
My local Guitar Center just last week fired all but two employees, including all the managers, they brought personnel in from other locations to maintain the store, I'm just not really sure what's going on, or if it is tied to the current situation with the new CEO trying to shake things up.
That's interesting. Many have been predicting GC to go the way of Sam Ash.
Thanks for watching!
You hit a lot of good points!! I agree with what you said if you get better deals online you’ll go online. My local shops act like they don’t want my money so I’ll go to Sweetwater or reverb. Not sure if it’s the area around me or what, but I prefer the GC over the mom/pop shops around here. Ngl my GC has some good employees although I don’t agree with them all the time with trade in value or how they price some gear frankly.
Guitar center is absolutely crap. First of all, no one really helps you every once in awhile you get a person that's okay. Sometimes I walk up to the counter with what I'm trying to buy and the dude will look at me and run off. Happen multiple times. Two, the other big issue I have is that I'll get a used guitar that's marketed excellent condition and then when I get it it's absolute crap. Purchase five guitars from them and all five of them have been garbage. Three of which were returned and two were worth salvaging. I even brought one in pieces because I was so mad. I would rather buy guitars from ebay and Amazon. Especially Amazon has an amazing return policy, but the truth is I've only had to return one.
If I were GC, I would put the door person back up front to greet customers and minimize theft, then I would FULLY stock the acoustic guitar section with quality brands like Tayler, Martin, Gibson, Epiphone, Yamaha etc., Then I would go to the electric guitar wall of shame, I mean wall of fame, and start thinning out the heard replacing cheap poorly made guitars with more iconic brands like Fender, Gibson, Music Man, Schecter , just to name a few. I would also allow customers the ability to negotiate price like they were able to back in the day! Then I would educate my staff regarding how to post an effective used guitar add online, one that will get the item sold sooner rather than later. The ad would have to include CLEAR photos of all sides of the guitar and the description must have as many details as possible such as the guitar's make, model number, year produced, country of manufacturer, type of woods used and any applicable electronics/pre-amp types the guitar has. I would also have a consistent grading system like "poor" "good" "very good" "excellent" and "mint" and have set rules on how to rank the guitar properly and using a one inch arrow or something like that in the photos to point out any applicable flaws to insure the highest level of disclosure is achieved. Last of all, I would find out why the website GCdotcom and MFdotcom take so long to load and I would have that fixed. In my opinion these websites should load at least as fast as their competitor's websites! Please note, I am a guitar player which is why this review has a guitar player's bias!
Biggest issue in Sarasota is the staff. Makes it difficult to have any type of decent customer service.
Would I buy a 5k guitar from guitar center? Yes. Because I would rather buy a guitar I play and every guitar is different imo, even the same make and model may play differently in my hands. They need a room that players can "level up" to enter that has the 1.5k guitars. Book a lesson session and pass the level to get VIP access to the expensive guitar room. Not good enough? Keep going with lessons to level up.
This would allow the playground for those messing up the good guitars but need to play and find thier beginner guitar, and allow space and more of a concierge service the better players and high rollers. A separate checkout in the leveled up room for those of us that are sick of guitar center lines just to get a pack of strings.
I started shopping at the first Guitar Center, back in the 70s when I was playing for a living. Back then, most of the Guitar Center employees were also musicians, knew the products they were selling ... and had a respectful level of intelligence. These days, at least in my area, Guitar Centers are mostly staffed with idiots that know very little about the products they sell, how to interact with musicians, and how to properly deliver a product. I recently bought a mandolin from one of the local Guitar Centers. The cashier (not a salesperson or consultant) didn't have the original box or any other appropriate box, so he stuffed it into a plastic bag! I almost ripped his head off. Another employee found an appropriate box for the mando so that I could get it home undamaged. The online sales isn't very good either. Guitar Center is going out of business?? My only question would be "what took so long?".
The thing about guitar center is the employees. I have been in retail management for a very long time 30+ years. I worked in middle management at GameStop. Guitar Center reminds me of GameStop. The employees look and act like they hate their lives. I know they pay crap. Ringing you out they try to offer everything under the sun. You can tell it's all kids that hoped GC was going to their dream. No one wants to really help you because they are short staffed an miserable. They just want their shift to end. It's sad I feel for them. I left GameStop because of this toxic environment. GC is the GameStop of the music world. BTW I know no one left in GameStop they all left.
Guitar center in Hollywood is full of homeless people and zombie barely surviving salesmen. That’s what happened.
The problem for me is service after the sale. I have bought several guitars from Guitar Center but I have sold them because I can never get one set up like I want it. Buying an expensive guitar and not having class A service attached to that is a downer for me. I want a tech I can trust that can tell me everything about the guitar then not having to pay so much for service that often takes a few weeks.
Poor service. I’ve toured for years as a guitarist and went to the GC in north Houston for a Martin. The guy in charge of the acoustic room didn’t know a Cort from a Collings and when I said I was interested in one of three D28’s on hand, he asked if I was buying or just “tire-kicking”. I replied that I wanted to play all three before I decided. “But you’re gonna buy today?” I said I might. “Well, come back when you’re ready to buy. I drove down into Houston to Fuller’s and bought one of the six they had. And they left me alone.
Guitar Center is CRAP! Started with SAM ASH in '85 and continued intil COVID. Istarted with Sweetwater in 2010 and never looked back. Stepped into a Guitar Center 3 times. Twice in New York (14th Street store) and wind up in two fights there due to staff being rude as I was checking out some DJ gear. The last time was 2017 in Arlington, VA where I stepped in got a pair of drum sticks, paid, and walked out. The place looked deserted. Never like the place. I would go anywhere else or order from Sweetwater before I would step inro another GC again.
Hi,
Good info…How does GC make money on warranty work?.The customer doesn’t put out any bucks for the work. Please explain. Thank you. Regarding their employees, at the GC I shop at, the service is lacking…the customer is often ignored. As you said, most of this inventory is in some form or another, used. Buying on the Net from outlets such as Musician Friends, you are really buying from GC….you are not told that. In some ways, GC is just a scam center. When I want to acquire a new guitar,,,I want it to be just that., NEW.
It's a bit of a misunderstanding. I meant warranties as in selling extra protection and extended warranty plans. However, they do make money on working on guitars as part of a vendor's warranty as the vendor will compensate GC for the parts and labor.
GC used to be cool af ,but nowadays everything is locked down, all the good stuff us 20 ft in the air,there's always loud music playing, it used to be super busy,but now a dead scene,snobby employees, I wonder what happened?
Poor , check and balances, purchases, Sales, mark up = Gross profit......lack of monitoring any company suffers from neglect, or monitoring sales, what is hot what's not get rid of it......they trying to save taxes by eliminating their stockrooms, created overheads on the sales floor.....Customer service is suffering. It was my Candy Store in the 90's. As a Drummer it was nice they had set's out to play and compare....
No more play ground no more sets to play, Sam Ash suffering as well......the flame is going out.....
I got a better deal getting my first electric guitar from the fender website. . .my color, my price, my sound. . .along with amp and zoom pedal with plenty of mods. I love it. . .
I'll stick to the smaller shops I have access to. Even if guitar center was next door
A lot of people order online from Guitar Center, I don't think they're going out of business any time soon!
Guitar center should really have string and accessory vending machines. Will probably cut the lines by more than half.
Amen!
At my local GC they have a worn out looking telecaster with a bad paint job. $12k ., btw Brent Mason custom whatever .
Next time I go Iam going to grab a acoustic and play out there in the lobby by the electric guitars not in the room temperature control room environment plus I worked for FMIC manufacturing guitars and also in the FMIC distribution center
I think the employees at my local GC are great. My issue is their selection there is just lacking. That not really something you can compete with amazon over. I go there sometimes to try drum sticks or other accessories sometimes. I'll check the very few cymbals they have in stock & maybe fiddle with an acoustic guitar.
I still see the attraction of the place. When I was a kid it was a cool place cause it was cool to play publicly and try all the things and get some info from employees.
I mean now... if I were to ever go for another guitar it would be another custom built or a very specific model. I'm even looking at custom cymbals.
Y'all complaining about whatever comment the CEO made but he's absolutely right. If I want high end gear and want to try it girst, I'm going to have to drive an hour and a half to chicago music exchange where they stock expensive and/or niche cymbals and guitars.
I have also bought some used gear off the GC website when its the best price I can find. Usually slightly damaged stuff.
I think the cables and audio equipment there is overpriced & they just don't make intelligent decisions about what to stock in a lot of areas of the store. Like stuff where a person who does a fair bit of research would find the highest recommended bang for your buck items in multiple price ranges. I did buy an audio interface there once & my original legal copy of reason was bought there like 12 years ago.
Idk what else to say. Its still a cool place but their stock isn't amazing.
GC had the worst management and terrible sales staff ..... Amazon is putting them and Sam Ash out of business - free easy returns
Guitar Center appears to be another Toys-R-Us, destined to be washed away by the ease of shopping on the internet. Of course, as you mentioned, a new student might want to try the guitar out in person, that might be the only realistic market left for them to tap.
Some of the guitars do not have the frets dressed properly. When you move your hand up and down the neck you can cut your fingers.
They need sound proof rooms to crank up amps. Some do, my store in natick ma used to have one , then they remodeled and got rid of it. So stupid.
They also used to do a free setup if you bought a guitar. Not anymore
I'm thankful for the GC near me, I'd much rather wait in line than order my items online
Brilliant video.
That premium gear comment is evidence the new CEO isn't in the game. The best guitars I've played are all inexpensive...or at least they were in the day. The best playing guitar I ever owned was was a late 60s Teisco Shark. Next to that was a late 70s Aria Pro II, that one was a $799.00 list guitar heavily discounted to under $300 in 1979. I prefer my MIM Fenders to my USA made. I have a few oddballs that are also great players. A Vantage guitar from the late 70s with split coil Humbuckers, a Switch guitar with some original hot pickups, a few yard sale found guitars: a $6 Alvarez acoustic and a $25 Alvarez acoustic ($1200 original price) with built in electronics, and a 74 Rickenbacker 360 yard sale find (with wiring issues) in 1977 at $75. My favorite bass guitar is a Hoffman mini bass ($149 originally) that I bought to accommodate a rotator cuff injury. Turns out to be a great bass for recording. I choose it over a Fender jazz bass and Gretch short scale bass even after my shoulder was repaired. Most of my song writing is done on a $5 Suzuki classical guitar...another yard sale find though it needed some resurrecting. One of the best Stratocaster necks I've ever played was on a Harmony Strat copy. I've played a lot of vintage and modern Fenders to justify that comment. The prettiest guitar I've ever seen was also the worst playing guitar I've ever played. It was at a GC store, a cream white MIJ Fender Telecaster with gold hardware, bigsby type trem, binding on the body front and back. It was really something to look at. It was so heavily coated in thick poly finish that while playing the guitar there was no feedback through my hand or fingers. It was at least as heavy as a Les Paul too. I couldn't hand that guitar back fast enough.
The last two times I visited Guitar Center, the people there were just soulless - for that reason, I preferred the Sam Ash in my town... which of course is now closing... So like most people, I suppose I'll be buying from Sweetwater from now on, although it sucks, because it would be nice to try gear before buying... and if there was a place to do it locally, I would totally buy from them, despite the extra mile that Sweetwater goes to, particularly on how they sell the guitars (not a guitar player myself, but I can appreciate the ability to buy a very specific model).
I worked at Guitar Center briefly late last year. I don't even want to waste a bunch of time talking about them ... but just trust me ... they absolutely suck as an employer. From the top, down .
Their policies are at best stupid as hell and borderline illegal. As an instructor, they initially told me they paid $20 an hour ... After some time spent on "training", they "clarified" that if fhere wasn't a student in front of me, they would only pay at $10 an hour ... And later, they said I would have to CLOCK OUT(!) if there wasn't a student in front of me! WHILE still working at the store ... They literally decided that they didn't want to pay me $5 for working for half an hour to sell a @$1,000 guitar or piece of equipment for them ... Or while drumming up more students ... They are MORONS!
Great information. I was curious about how they paid instructors since that's my main income here at Sapulpa Guitar. Those little rooms don't seem great either. Thanks for watching!
My nephew and his wife worked and watched it through its decline. Worked in several stores around the country. Apathy on the floor is horrible, no instruments get set up, and damaged instruments get hung on the wall. Employees can't be found for assistance. None of this is the fault of the Pandemic. Its corporate and local store mismanagement.
It's ultimately the people's fault. They're consumerists who want to shop around online and pay less. This is what kills local/brick-mortar business, along with the government's refusal to use its authority to support the real thing and incentivize consumers buy local. The people vote for their government representatives.
I wonder how overworked GC staff is... Maybe they have 3, 4 people running a big store. They accumulate different functions that never were part of their job description when they were hired. Go to glassdoor and read employees reviews. It must be a horrible place to work.
I hope corporate will be able to make GC more sustainable and a better place to work in the future.
@mudchair16 You think it's the "people's fault" because they want to shop around and get a better deal? Give your head a shake. Why should people spend more just to support a large corporation? That makes no sense whatsoever.
@@Joe-mz6dc True. Your wallet/credit comes first. Screw those big corporations.
I have shopped the Daytona Beach, FL store. Horrible customer service, inventory never in tune, much less set up. And I also have plugged into a non-functioning amp more than once.
The only reason I went was to demo guitars and keyboards advertised as "in stock" at the location, only to drive there and find out the instruments were not.
Ten years ago I bought a USA Telecaster in the Sarasota, FL store. The manual included with it was in Spanish. Fortunately, I am semi-literate in Spanish, but it did make me wonder whether I was purchasing a "new" guitar.
When you are basically the only brick and mortar in town, you can be as crappy as you want. Some parent not knowing any better will get sucked into buying a guitar for a kid.
Locally my Guitar Center has the worst service, worst employees....and you cannot talk to a regional manager. Bought all my stuff from Sweetwater because of the awful experience.
How many places do you get to walk into and talk to the regional manager...and why would you need to?
Who cares
Go to GC and play the gear you want and then buy from Sweetwater and even get candy
MeToo
SweetWater
or
Zzounds
Well then u spent a shit load of $, Sweetwater is expensive as hell!!
It’s great gear, but ur definitely gonna pay for it! I’d suggest EBay or Reverb. New or Used, sometimes I really don’t care about a ding or two. But u will 100% get a better deal on one of these two sites…
I stopped going to Guitar Center a couple years ago and vowed never to return, for the following reasons: 1) When I go during "off hours" to avoid the crowds, I walk in and usually discover apathetic employees who have cranked up some loud, thumping music over the store's speaker system, with zero consideration for customers who might want to play a few guitars and be able to hear what they sound like (what a concept!). 2) They let teenage customers plug in and crank the amps for at least 10 minutes at a time, or longer. Meanwhile, there I am as a 50-something year old ready to spend at least $1,000 but, because I can't hear myself think, I simply turn around and leave. 3) I can't tell you how many guitars hanging on the wall are unplayable due to the plastic-wire used to attach the tags are wrapped in between the strings, near the head stock (unbelievable). I realize the tags might not start out this way, but end up working their way up from the headstock to getting tangled between the strings and the nut. It's clear they have been this way for a long time and no one bothers to untangle the tags to make the guitars playable. Apathy. Apathy. Apathy.
…the acoustic room is stocked with rusted strings.
I went to a GC like 2 years ago and had the purpose of buying a fairly high end guitar and amp and didnt crank the amp because it was just the 100watt version of my previous amp but wanted to hear a telecaster through it and some jackass came in cranked an amp and started terribly playing Metallica riffs and I was told to "turn down" when I was just strumming chords lightly and at a lowish volume to just hear how it sounds... Not sure of the employee thought i was the one playing loud or not but I told them thanks im gonna buy this rig off sweetwater and walked out 😂
Yep teenage tappers wailing away that have 50 cents to their name. Incredibly annoying
@@apollomoon1 I find that comment completely off color. Although I'm far from a teenager, I find it somewhat elitist or agist to not allow someone of any age to play an instrument For whatever time they choose. Within reason...
I have to say if I myself went in to play a given instrument, or to play several to make a decision, generally I either had cash in my pocket or was saving to make a purchase. Sometimes I would go in and play the same instrument several times before making a purchase, but always with eventually making a purchase in mind. I'll be there reminding myself of what I'm saving for or just making fully sure that particular guitar was the one I was going to drop my money on. But like I said within reason I expect to be allowed to play, at any age & not be hassled.
@@incredifunk i played them as well and agree with that part of your comment. But there is no denying that people with no intention or means to buy spend hours in those places just trying to show off. Go to a truly professional private store not a big box entity to drop your $$.
Saturday evening I found a guitar online marked in stock at the Bellevue Wa Guitar Center. First thing Sunday I went to the store to buy the guitar. It was not in stock. I picked a similar guitar off the wall and decided I could settle for that one. At the front desk I noticed the Wall guitar was missing a part and pointed it out to the employee. The employee indicated they do not have nor could they get replacement parts but they have 3 new identical guitars in the back. Perfect! I'll take one of the new ones! After about 15 minutes the employee came back and said they don't have any in the back. Nice. So I left with cash in my pocket and no new guitar. Sweetwater delivered my new guitar in just a few days! Inspected, tuned, and not one fingerprint or hint of being touched on it!! Plus 1 for Sweetwater!
don't forget the sweets😋
Ans your Pocket book didn't have to take a huge blow out to get a crappy guitar center guitar. 😂
I’ve been to a guitar center a few months ago, went back to the drums and everything was a disorganized mess. Couldn’t even find anyone to talk to. I’ve been getting everything from sweet water, excellent customer service
Yeah, the one in Rockville MD is exactly like that. The one in San Francisco was excellent however with dedicated employees to help you out. Though it's probably not there anymore since covid, went there six years ago.
@@Darrylizer1 I agree with you guys, some stores are better than others it seems. The one in Marietta Ga is great, the one here in Augusta is okay not great though. I'll tell you though they will get instruments from Fender and Gibson and some others before Sweetwater does. However if I had a choice I would go Sweetwater easily. Peace fellow guitar slingers.
Wow you must be talking about the guitar center in North Charleston South Carolina..... A once UberCool place to shop and we all look forward to going
Now we don't go
I had the same experience and took my $$ to Sweetwater. My ,local store was empty and not one salesperson approached me.
yes some are very good and well stocked many get the first run of product as soon as it drops
I remember when the GC in my area had their Grand Opening back in 1998:
It was a really big deal: They had a line outside the door, and they even brought Yngwie Malmsteen to do a clinic.
So last fall I went to that same GC, and asked the staff if they planned to do anything for their 25th Anniversary.
I got blank stares.
Sad.
Sweetwater is destroying GC. At SW, you can actually see the guitar you are buying
Yes, that’s very true. Although, I’ve had some disappointments with some guitars that supposedly went through their multi point inspection but certainly didn’t appear so when I received the guitar. I have three GC locations in my area, and if one store doesn’t have what I want, I go to the next. I just prefer to have the guitar in my hands first before purchasing.
I love the SW free 2 year warranty and great customer service and shipping isn’t insane, SW seem to love our feedback and really give a sh$& about customers.
Oh really? If you live there. Then they screw you if you can't see it.
And Sweetwater employees won’t harass your wife trying to buy something for you.
@@kelalamusic9258 sw 55point inspection is a sales gimick however its still better than nothing. they simply look over the guitar to make sure it works, its not a setup. they also do the 55point inspection when the guitar arrives, so it could be months after it got sold. its to insure they dont sell u something broken and dont have to pay shipping cost returns
As an ex employee of Guitar Center, I can tell you that Guitar Center has done this to themselves… I worked in the guitar department and guitar sales people don’t even qualify to start making commission until they sell $10,000 worth of guitars… And that was 20 years ago.
It's said what happened to guitar center. The whole music store scene changed around the late 80s early 90s. When I was playing in bands from the time I a teenager until my late 20s guitar center was cool. There was one store in San Jose California where I live near by. Only musicians worked there, and they new there sh..t. Then it became corporate and intead of musician going in to and working the store it became a weekend warriors customer base, nothing but tech bros living out their rock and roll fantasy. The employees seemed like the same guys working at the Apple store. Not sure if this is exactly part of their demise, but when it chased away real musicians like me I can't imagine it didn't help. BTW I got my first drum set at a mom and pop shop.
Teaching there was a nightmare
I still buy from Guitar Center. Really good policies. Decent prices. No, they all aren’t created equal.
Same, I'm forunate to have not had issues at the GCs I've shopped at for 30+ years, but I've def heard horror stories.
do you recommend the one in Stafford/Sugarland ?
@@ratbazturd5562 I purchased a Martin 000-16 from the Farmers Branch location in Dallas. They matched an Reverb price on the guitar. That location failed me on a trade-in so I tried the one on North Central Expressway and made a really good deal with my trade-in to buy a McPherson Sable. The Webster location has also treated me well. Bought a Roland Street Cube Ex there. Have visited Sugarland but due to inventory at that time did not make a purchase. You just have to shop the GC's to find one that works for what you are buying.
You can't afford even a guitar these days because everything is damn expensive
I know what you mean. I see a $5000 Les Paul and I wonder, "Who's buying these things? Mom and Dad?"
@@John-g6x1h More like "Grandma and Grandpa" these days. Also, think of doctors, lawyers, and other well to do professionals who are either hobbyists or collectors. They are largely out of reach for regular working musicians actually trying to make a living with their craft.
That is simply not true @WOKINTUSD. Sorry to sound insulting but you may need a lesson in using the internet, and you and everyone can great great guitars at all price points if you shop and do research.
@JasonCaron-qv3cp a sales guy told me that if you had a guitar on layaway you can lose it cooperate greed . When they killed layaway it's only a matter before. Fender and Eastman and epiphone make all solid wood body for less 3000 or more 5000 . So Martin is getting killed because they can't compete with these companies Gibson is making affordable acoustic and electric solid les paul and sg affordable guitars I am not going to pay 7000 or 9000 for acoustic or electric
@@WOKINTUSD - no one needs a $5000 guitar. Watch some Jack Pearson videos on TH-cam. He RIPS on Squire's and jokes that he has them specially made in Indonesia. You can pick them up for less than $200 and they play and sound great. I recently picked up a Squire Tele from a store in Baltimore that was signed by some guy I'd never heard of that was in White Snake for under $150.00. It kicks butt. Shop around and try some different stuff that is not top brand, and don't feel like you have to have a brand new Gibson Les Paul Murphy Lab. Look at Fire Fly guitars on Guitar Garden and watch some compare videos. Also Sire makes sick guitars for under $1000 and you can get on Sweetwater and send back if you are not happy.
Sweetwater gives u candy😍
I'm going to share two personal experiences that caused me to hate Guitar Center. 1st, about 5 years ago, I was looking for some Zildjian A custom hi-hat's. I looked online every day at my local GC. A set finally popped up. I called to make sure they were still there in store before I drove to buy them. When I arrived, I went to the drum department and there they were. Some 10 minutes later, an employee asked me if I needed anything. I said I wanted to buy these hi-hat's. He looked at them very puzzled. For an oddly long time. He then took them and walked away. I thought, that's weird. Where is he going? I walked up to the cashier, thinking he would bring them. After about 15 minutes, I asked the cashier if he would find out where the employee was at so I could buy them and be on my way. He went in the back and a few minutes later and asked me what he looked like. I told him. A few minutes later, he came back and said, "No one knows anything about it!" I was getting upset. I saw the employee walk out of the back, and I pointed him out. The cashier went over, and they had a long conversation. He came back and told me they were sold. Needles to say I was pissed! I think the employee saw that they looked like new and was priced fantastic and wanted them. I started driving home. I decided to call the store and ask to speak to the manager. He apologized and said he had another set that was just as nice, and he would let me have them for the same price. I went back and bought them. I told them that was a horrible way to run a business and to treat a customer, and I won't be back. 2nd, I look at drums online that Guitar Center is selling. Often, they have wrong information on the drums. Sometimes, they don't even get the brand right. The wrong model and sizes. It's ridiculous how awful they are. It's like they just grab someone walking on the sidewalk outside the store and hire them with no training. My guess is that it's at the top management all the way down to the newest employee.
I had a similarly bad experience at GC in Oxnard, CA about 20 years ago. For a month straight I'd bought about $1000 per week worth of gear. Each time I went in they weren't very friendly and no one recognized me either. Since they'd been selling me the wrong used speakers for my bass head, I brought in the manual. One of the employees was so offended by that, he yelled at me and wanted to fight! I never went back. I get guitars from wildwoodguitars and wilcuttguitars now.
Old veteran retail music store guy here. Walked around the GC in Mobile last year for an hour, no one even spoke to us. And they weren't busy at all. Someone should tell them the old guys usually have money. Would have fired the lot of them.
That happened to me in Sam Ash, tried to buy a guitar there twice, got totally ignored both times! (Atlanta location)
Would of been on you like stink on shit lol Especially if I noticed you checking out Gibson
My issue with guitar center is when I go to buy something I can’t get any help from the staff, and when I can get there attention it’s usually just a finger pointing to where the item is or might be in the store. Often times they don’t even have the item. So after an hours drive and frustrated with traffic and guitar center I will take my chances and buy it online. I really miss the guitar center of the good ol days. Oh and yes, I’ve stood in line waiting to pay for an item only to just set it down and leave.
This same thing
January’24 Oxnard GC
Walked out with nada 💨
Try calling the store next time before driving out there instead of complaining about having to drive out there to find out they don't have what you need.