Pure L wrote:They're all the same then. I always get accosted by someone calling me "dude" way too much. This same guy always tries selling me the shittiest things possible. The experience is nearly overwhelming each time.

I get the "dude!" treatment, too, though I've enjoyed answering the ever-so-slightly-smug "so, what kind of music do you play, dude?" with the truth: "I've been playing guitar and electric ukulele...through the laptop...to accompany belly dancers." It's always amusing to watch their eyes bug out.

Guitar Center has provided me with fun and entertainment for many hours that I would have been bored. Whenever I'm in the city and am sick of walking around I cruise into the ol' GC and waste a couple hours playing with shit I have no intention of buying. All your stories are funny, but alien to me; seeing as rarely has any employee come up to me trying to be Mr. Salesman. I've gotten the "You alright here, dude?" on the pass-by, but that's the extent of it.

Guitar Center especially rules for A/B'ing stompboxes. Figure out exactly what you want... then walk out and find a used one for 1/3 the price.

I'd believe it. People who shop at guitar center aren't too bright. They believe if you have that nice little GC polo shirt and the lanyard with your nametag on it, you know what you're talking about.

Everything in there... Jesus Christ... SO overpriced. (thats rhymes)

I avoid guitar center... but not if they're having a big sale. Thats the only thing that will get me in there.

WoundedFoot wrote: but not if they're having a big sale. Thats the only thing that will get me in there.

Are you talking about the bi-weekly 90% off sale on Mexican stats? That sale is killer! Throw in a gig bag and I am so there.

guitar center is the "wal mart" of music stores.

I usually feel pretty bad for the kids working there. The one closest to me has a complete shit-head for a manager. whenever i stop by for the '3 sets of strings for $10' sale the guy is always being difficult to a customer or berating a 17 year old for not up-sale-ing someone on a cable or extended warranty. to top it off he's like 5'3", so it's hard to see him coming. I stop for a second to look at a used tele and "pow" there he is, asking me if i'd like to try it out through the new Line 6 modeling amps he just got in. "I mean, there's just no point in lugging around all those heavy old tube amps, cause this thing really does sound 'just' like all of them."
-chris

Pure L wrote:I also hate the fact that they ask for your name/address when you buy something. Fuck that. II refused last time I was there and they brought out the manager. He was astounded that I didn't want to give them my info. What a bunch of dumbasses.

Yeah, well you successfully avoided getting mailed their tree-killing full color catalog twice a month. Wish I had been as persistent.

A while back when I was checking out the MOTU 896HD (that I bought elsewhere) I asked one of the "professionals" they had hired in the recording/pro audio section for a demo. The misinformation and the lack of any experience using ANY pro audio gear was mindblowing. Not only that but this kid was handling a $900+ ribbon mic like an SM57 all the while sending it some phantom power from the MOTU. Nice.

"Uh, yeah, I'm not sure what's wrong with this mic.. It worked last time I took it out the case.." as he claps and blows air into it.. "testing, TESTING!"

I don't have so much trouble with Guitar Center. First of all, you can work them down on the prices a lot of the time, so it's not as overpriced as people seem to think. Considering the volume of sales they do, they probably have the ability to sell stuff for as low a price as any other music store. And if they don't go low enough on the price, then say "okay, I'll get it somewhere else" and see if they can't go lower.

I know what everybody's talking about with the misinformation and stuff, but at the same time, do your research on the net, if you wanna know about specs and performance ratings and features and stuff.

I've bought tons of stuff at guitar center, as far back as new pickups for my first bass around 1990, to a couple speaker cables this week. I bought my '78 Ibanez Musician, used, at the one in Arlington Heights. I bought my ride cymbal from them, used. I bought a Seymour Duncan 84-40 amp, used, years ago and it was fine until I replaced it with a '65 Twin reissue, which I also bought there.

Almost everything I buy nowadays is on eBay, cause G.C. doesn't have much in the way of old Traynors.

I always thought it would be a total nightmare to work there, if only because of having to listen to hoardes of doucebags playing the same Yngwie or Korn or whatever kids play these days... I only have one friend who works at G.C., and he's a great guy, and knows a shitload about gear. We've talked about amp designs, and gear setups and stuff, and his rig is quite a bit more complex than mine is! He also plays in a great band. So, y'know, these generalizations folks are making don't always hold true. When do they ever, though, right?

This is the best Guitar Center related thing I've heard in a while; my 17 year old cousin who has never played a guitar, bass, drums, set up a p.a., recorded a band, changed a guitar string, turned on a guitar amp, seen a condenser mic, tuned a guitar, or plugged in an effect pedal in her entire life has an interview to start working there.

I hate to say this, because it is my cousin, but I'd like to think that when the store manager meets with her and then finds out that she has no practical musical experience that she won't be hired. However, seeing the road that the chain has gone down since the early 90's when I first started going there, I don't think this will be the case.

I recall once about ten years ago I was at a local guitar shop with a reputation in the area for being a top flight shop for custom work and repairs. It was a Saturday afternoon and about a half dozen guys are hanging out and they were all older than I was at the time; in their late thirties and they were all really good musicians that played on sessions and in cover bands and that sort of thing. One guy had a bass that he wanted moded out in some fashion that would require a new pickguard. The local shop guy didn't have one in stock and apparently this guy wanted his bass back in a hurry, so he calls the Guitar Center down the street to see if they have a p-bass pickguard in stock that he can go and pick up.

He gets on the line with the accessories desk and asks for someone that he knew that worked there. They told him he wasn't in but asked if they could help. He says sure and asks if they have a pickguard in stock for a Fender Precision bass. Guitar Center guy says hold on I'll check. A few minutes pass and he gets back on the phone and says, "Sorry to keep you waiting, can you hold for one more minute please." This guy I'm with at the local shop asks what the problem is and is told, "well I'm having a hard time finding that in our computer." He then asks the Guitar Center guy if he checked on the wall behind the accessories desk and he says no, to which he responds, "well just turn around and look, it should be right behind you, on the wall, all the way to the right hand side of the accessories counter next to all the strap locks and volume knobs." The Guitar Center guy then tells him, "well, I really don't know what this thing looks like, so I'll have to ask one of the other people here or look it up in the computer."

This is a pickguard for a Fender Precision bass people. I would think anybody that was been around a guitar store, a band or watched MTV for a few years would be able to make an educated guess as to what this thing looked like.

I have always thought that it was incredible that something like that could happen when this was supposed to be a HUGE music store. A few years past and I learned more about capitalism and how businesses work and then it made more sense to me. Now I only go there when I absolutely have to and I have one or two people that I'll deal with. I also never buy anything for the price that they're asking for it. I always negotiate with them.

That same Arlington Heights store gave me a TERRIBLE (but free!) practice amp when I was learning guitar in high school. That was kinda nice.

I didn't realize the extent to which you could haggle with dudes at that store. I'm-a-make sure to head over there over my break...play some Rage Against the Machine riffs...

Scott: Does the guy in the great band work at the Arl. Hts. store?