Guitar Center

I am really surprised anyone goes to GC for anything more than picks and strings now.
I go in all the time, but not to buy guitars. I travel a lot for work, and chances are there's a GC in a strip mall in most towns - I go in to "try out" the guitars - i.e., I get to practice for 30-40 minutes. :) Maybe I'll leave with a used pedal or a set of strings or some other random small item that I probably didn't need.
 
I am really surprised anyone goes to GC for anything more than picks and strings now.
And really, why would you ever buy strings and picks at a brick and mortar store, when you can get them free shipping and no tax online... unless you have a nice mom/pop store near you that you want to support, which I’m all about, but unfortunately don’t have.
 
I went to three GC's in a week looking for a case for my PRS. Two out of three stores completely ignored me, the third pissed me off because they wouldn't honor a military/veterans discount. Amazon and ebay are my store of choice now.
 
I am really surprised anyone goes to GC for anything more than picks and strings now.
My nearest GC is in a tax free state. The have decent stock, not great. But I’ve ordered a number of guitars and amps during their frequent 15% off sales, have them shipped there, and I don’t have to pay tax. And I’ve bought a few used instruments from GC’s big stock of used instruments, have them shipped there, avoid tax on those, and get to check them out real well before deciding whether to keep them because of their 45 day return period. The only thing I’ve ever had to eat was shipping on a used instrument shipped to that store if I had to return the instrument. Small price to pay given how much I’ve saved overall and the convenience of their return period. I’ve gotten to know one of the techs there pretty well and he does a good job on basic stuff. Their sales, return policies, and tax-free location make it easy for me to order through there, so I do...

-Ray
 
There are videos on you tube of a guy who regularly finds instruments etc in the skip outside his local GC.

One memorable vid showed a G Goldtop that had the headstock snapped off it and the body had been hammered to prevent anyone finding and re-selling (I assume). It just seemed such a shame that this was happening. Even if it had been given to a charity or a local youth group to fix up!

I guess it’s the society we live in! It costs too much to send it back to the factory for repair. Or if it’s a glued-in neck, then maybe the angle was incorrect!

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that as a musician and consumer, I want to feel that where I am spending my money cares about giving me good customer service and presenting the instruments in the best way possible.

It’s apparent from the comments here that some Forum members are happy with the customer service they’ve received.

I have a local shop, that I refuse to patronise because of the arrogant, poor attitude of most of the staff. I appreciate they don’t have an easy job, but no sales means eventually no wages.
 
I'm about a mile from the closest one. I often stop in to check the Used wall. Often, their used prices are stupid low.
 
The Tukwila GC usually has a handful of S2 or SE Customs. Clear on the top row, where you need an associate to climb a ladder. They often have a used core instrument, but they just started locking down anything priced north of $500, making it a pain in the butt to actually play an instrument. You have to wait around for an associate to be free enough to unlock it, and then they hover. If I can’t even freely try a few guitars without engaging an associate in full helicopter mode, what point is there in going to GC anymore? I wish Seattle Guitar Store wasn’t so out of the way from my end of town.
 
My younger son is in management at GC, until he can get a job with a company that cares about their employees. He recently got into a disagreement with the store manager who told an employee to put out a new Martin D28 with a crack clear down the center seam. It was marked for full price. After the manager left, he had it boxed and shipped right out to Martin for repair. This is typical. They are told not to fix simple things on instruments, and the strings are often dirty. Their 6 PRSi are up high in a poorly lit area, where many people don't see them. Fully 1/3 of their guitar are G's. I expect they cut a deal price wise so G wouldn't be sitting on a lot of excess inventory. Between that and the F guitars, you have over half their inventory. The amp selection is incredible, especially used. Guitars? Pathetic.
 
My guitar center had a few. I got my S2 Standard 24 Satin from them. President's Day sale 15% off! They had them up out of reach, so I had to ask for help to play it.

Unfortunately for GC, I think this is how alot of us have perceived them and why they arent doing very well financially.

I still go for cables and to see if they have any used gear that might be on sale. Sometimes you can get some good pedals from them that people don't want anymore (then again...ebay).
 
Forgot to add the most important fact - got my PRS Hollowbody Spruce there! I wanted to be able to play it first, etc. Only one photo posted on-line. Had it shipped to my local store, fell in love with it, took it home. No need for the return policy!
 
I still haven't tried the Chicago downtown GC, but the one in Highland Park is just sad. Small and no selection. Did have a nice experience with a few SEs and S2s at one in a strip mall in Nashville tho.

I did get my first PRS there tho - an SECU24 during 4th of July sales in 2014. Had to get them to price match, and they tried to act like it came with no gig bag. It was shipped to store, then I had to wait weeks while the gig bag was sent - altho I ended up with a core bag.
 
Forgot to add the most important fact - got my PRS Hollowbody Spruce there! I wanted to be able to play it first, etc. Only one photo posted on-line. Had it shipped to my local store, fell in love with it, took it home. No need for the return policy!
Right, but didn’t having the return policy make it easier to buy something without having seen it or playing it first? I never intend to use the return policy but I’ve used it and it’s a big part of why I’m oftwn apt to order from GC than places with lesser return policies and where I’d have to ship something back rather than drop it off at a nearby store...
 
I was told that it depends on the location and is at discretion of the manager. I have two GC's within 30 miles. One typically has 1 or 2 S2s, 4 or so SEs and the used 'high end' room usually has maybe 1 CE. The other GC typically has a few CEs and several S2s.

However, on a recent visit to my folks place in FL, their local GC had approx 12 Core PRS instruments hanging in their high end room. They had 594s, 408s, McCartys, etc. I was shocked enough that I asked about it. The manager told me that they have a strong local market for PRS guitars and they sell well there so he keeps them coming in.

So I guess it depends on the local market AND the store manager.
 
However, on a recent visit to my folks place in FL, their local GC had approx 12 Core PRS instruments hanging in their high end room. They had 594s, 408s, McCartys, etc. I was shocked enough that I asked about it. The manager told me that they have a strong local market for PRS guitars and they sell well there so he keeps them coming in.

It's not the local market so much as it is those locations being tourist hubs. That is why locations like Orlando and Hollywood FL sell so much high end stuff. The Orlando location is a stones throw from Disney. I've actually talked to dudes who couldn't take the park anymore and left the wife and kids to go buy a guitar. The locals in FL are still very much Fender/Gibson still. If you go to GCs in non-hub places like Sarasota, Ft Myers, & Jacksonville, its still very much the blue chip stuff on the walls.
 
It's not the local market so much as it is those locations being tourist hubs. That is why locations like Orlando and Hollywood FL sell so much high end stuff. The Orlando location is a stones throw from Disney. I've actually talked to dudes who couldn't take the park anymore and left the wife and kids to go buy a guitar. The locals in FL are still very much Fender/Gibson still. If you go to GCs in non-hub places like Sarasota, Ft Myers, & Jacksonville, its still very much the blue chip stuff on the walls.

That could very well be true but one of the coolest PRS instruments I ever saw was in a city of 30k, far from Orlando or any major airport. I think with internet sales the way they are, physical location doesnt matter as much as it used to and it will matter less and less going forward.
 
They do have a great return policy. You can get some great deals on used pedals and amps, too, and they always have the 1046BT NYXL set I like in stock. They have the best local price on my daughter’s clarinet reeds, too. But locking down mid
-grade and nicer floor guitars seems kinda ridiculous when they already have the entrance checkpoint, and it screams, “We don’t trust our customers here.” Hope they come to their senses before they lose too much business to stay open, every other guitar store hereabouts is clear across town from me.
 
I once called GC about an acoustic GS mini koa that was listed as having a crack near the neck. The price was stupid low. Anyways, I get on the phone with a gentleman at the store and he told me that the guitar had a pretty large break in the body and it was likely that the body wouldn't support the neck much longer. He told me that he didn't think the guitar should be listed for sale but the manager wanted it up. He told me not to buy it.
 
I don’t know how genuine this is, but it enrages me to see instruments damaged like this!

 
I need to go browse the local GC in Charleston, SC... I haven't been in the store in probably 4 years...
 
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