It is, but you can still find great deals on there. And like he said in the video, there really is no risk. So yeah I'd buy a $1000 guitar with one crappy photo that would normally go for $1500.
I bought a 5150 peavey 1995 from GC. Tested in store and it was fine. Got home and it sounded terrible. GC refunded me the money and let me keep the amp… 60 bucks at an amp tech and the things flawless.
a GC near me has a 2005 warwick pro corvette standard or something, made in germany, bubinga. $1200. wonder if that's worth it.....i like shopping their used stuff, because in 2006 I got an '87 USA G&L L2000 for only $500 which was a steal lol
I took an Amp back that was sold to me online as used like new condition. I received it and the tolex was bubbling off in multiple spots. I took it back and they reposted it the same way the next day
They surely will. I bought a Randall 667 from them 5 years ago and when I was about to pickup the amp and take it home; I tried the amp on the store. Usually I never do, but for some reason I did it that day. The amp did turn on , but no sound came of thar amp. I tried different cables and cabinets but with no luck. I did return the amp on the spot. Thankfully, the gave me back all my money. Funny thing: the amp was listed a week later. It was sold again that week and then A week later , the amp was listed again . 😅
I love GC used because I've gotten some great stuff from them and the return policy is great. However, them re-listing stuff after they've been made aware of an issue is a problem. I bought a guitar from them listed in great condition where the listing had a single bad picture and nothing in the description. When I got it, I found the neck was sanded to the wood and both pickups had been replaced. I returned it and pointed out the mods and then a few days later, it was up on the GC website with one picture and nothing in the description although they had reduced the condition to good.
Holy crap.. the E2 logo isn't even in the right position.. probably the worst fake i've seen in my life. Wrong finish Wrong font in the logotype Wrong placement of the logotype Wrong headstock size Wrong pickup selector Wrong knobs Wrong hardware and color Wrong binding Like how is this even passable by the dumbest of employee at GC.
Guitar Center no longer has any kind of actual knowledgeable musicians or salemens for that matter. It's become the walmart of music stores they don't know shit anymore.
There was a manager at my local GC, a very good bass player, that knew almost everything about everything in the store. And when he didn't know he'd say so (gasp} and find out. Of course they forced him out.
Not true for vintage gear, Guitar Center has only 3 day return for vintage with no definition of how old vintage is. But, it’s at least 30 years so means everything from 1996 or older…
It’s always a fine line between helping people pick out counterfeit guitars and helping the counterfeiters make a better fake by pointing out their mistakes.
Counterfeiters don't need help. It's a bad copy because they're lazy and can get away with it. If they wanted to spend more time and money to do a better job, they would.
Can absolutely confirm, my life has done a 180 since I left GC after 7 years. I was in the most rotten period of my life there. The amount of self loathing and disgust I had within myself freaks me out now thinking back to it. Anyone who gets out of GC before they sink their teeth in, I applaud.
I know right. I dont have any premium model guitars worth faking so I know Im in the clear. I just got a used Ibanez S521 recently and I really doubt anyone in faking a $400 guitar.
@@sole__doubtThink again. Squire and Epiphone are the most faked guitars, because of the exact mentality you just displayed. Pennies to rip off, hundreds collected from you.
@@sole__doubt I just bought an S621QM which is basically the same thing you have with a different finish. Those guitars are amazing. The light weight and thin body is now my new favorite style as someone with back problems. 😂
Good on you for recognizing the understaffing/overworking and terrible employee vetting they have these days. When I walk into a GC that’s my first impression too. There’s an awesome shop just down the street from my local GC and the owner there is absolutely enthusiastic about everything in his shop.
Brooo. Funny enough I thought I saw an obvious fake Les Paul with them the other day. I was 90% sure it was a fake. But there was that 10% of me that was like “nahhh, no way would guitar center fall for fake guitars.. you’re wrong they’re right, they are the professionals” after seeing this I am now 100% confident I’ve found a chibson on there website.
It's usually incredibly easy to spot a fake Gibson. But even without all the telltale signs, the truss rod is always a dead giveaway (with the Chibsons not high end boutique builder counterfeits). I know that the employees are taught how to spot a fake Gibson, it's one of the few things they are taught, because they're so common. I would bet that it's not fake, there's always a chance that some how one got through but it would be extremely rare, it's much more likely for them to get fooled by fakes of other brands, like this one.
I don’t blame you for not calling. I don’t do business with them OR musicians friend (sister company). I had a nice guitar I bought brand new from musicians friend and when I got it, it had a chip in the headstock. Let me clarify: a new $3000 guitar with a chip in the headstock. Turns out they sourced it from a guitar center and it had been sitting on the rack forever. I called that guitar center personally to talk to the sales manager, and when I started telling them the issue, before I got to it, the manager goes “ohhhh, you got the one with the chip in it”. They knew it was busted and shipped it anyway. They then tell me I need to return it at all local store. I did this and for a month, they screwed up and never returned my money. So I got to a point that boiled over and the local manager FINALLY tells me this is a process they’re not supposed to do, they took care of me, and I vowed to never do business with those fuckers ever again. EDIT: the pickups on that guitar are also the wrong ones. That guitar came with 57/66, and those look like a knockoff 81/85 set.
Damn, that's absolutely shitty of them. Zero fucks were given. I usually go to MF for accessories and whatnot just because of the rewards points, but have never bought an actual instrument from them or GC online. Gut feeling always tells me I'll probably regret it and there isn't a GC close to me to make a return if needed. Heard too many bad experiences like yours. They need to get their shit together.
ex gc employee. It was a average job, that paid bad. I worked in the pro audio department and I had plenty of time to chat with a new church to build their whole entire live sound setup, demo their stuff when they came in, talk with other customers and still do the daily chores with plenty of time standing in the corral being bored. I spent plenty of time learning gear while I was there, which actually lead to me getting a touring tech job. GC employees not caring or being knowledgeable is them being lazy. period.
This review makes me feel good about my $300 Chibson 1959 Sunburst LesPaul.🤭 It has great pickups and the craftmanship is really shocking good.🔥 So Thanks and Cheers!👌
I have mixed experiences with GC, but my local GC has mostly been positive. Bought a used Traynor amp at a great price that ended up having a broken tube. Dude said if I could get it out, he’d give me a new set. Walked out with a dusty but otherwise excellent 40-watt tube amp with a matched pair of new Tung-Sols for $350.
I’ve worked for 3 different guitar centers. That job SUCKS. You can’t make any money unless a buyer is in store, everything else is a major hassle. And if you get a phone buyer, esp if it’s something used you have to split your commissions with whomever bought the guitar into the store. Don’t recommend buying from guitar center unless you can do everything yourself online.
Giant store chains which are totally based the payment of their employees on commissions, while hiring on people who can't make enough with the job they actually want to do and settle for now with a shitty job they hate? I am surprised that they are still in business.
He talks about when it’s recorded,he never said it doesn’t matter when you play it and he never said it doesn’t make a difference in the room.damn,nobody pays much attention to videos and hear what they want
@@tommilitello198I was gonna say exactly that except I don’t watch glen at all haha. Impossible to pick out active or passive pickups when the guitars are recorded. It’s one of those things you “feel” when you’re the one playing and nobody else notices
Guitar center near me had a fake Neumann mic I told them about it even pointed out the reasons it was fake because I own some real ones. They took it out of the display case when I was there. I was back in a couple months later and it was back in the display case. They don’t care. I remember the days guitar center was the place
As a former GC employee of 10 years, your corporate complaints are 100000% spot on. Everything is accurate. I quit in 2022 for the SAME reasons, and my customers loved me and I loved them!
I mean, retail is dead. The people making money from retail killed it. They're still gonna make they're checks with skeleton crews making peanuts. Why? Jeff bozos and Walmart. I take drugs to remember 80s and 90s malls. One of the few privileges of being older.
Lol, that's not what he says at all. When playing with gain, the differences in tone are masked. The ultimate factor that determines tone is your speakers. If you're playing clean, sure, there is gonna be a difference in tone. However, his whole channel is about metal music and the best way of getting different tones for every instrument and saving money. His channel isn't about pushing bs for you to spend thousands of dollars for little to nothing to change.
He was talking about tone. He said under high gain the actual tone difference is negligible to nonexistent between brands. Then he said that clarity and overall sound quality like note separation etc (not tone) are obviously crappy in crappily constructed pickups compared to a well made one. And that output varies, also obviously.
That dude will tell you anything to make a quick buck. When confronted with his own past opinions he will tell you that he now learnt sth new)) after 20 yrs in sound engineering he only now started learning that is
As a GC employee you're 100% right, we love to help people and talk about every detail of any questions anybody may have, but sorry I have to unclog a toilet(not ironically)
The first comment opener ha! I know someone that makes knock off gibsons, and I swear you can’t tell the difference. And it even stays in tune longer. Wait… maybe that’s how you can tell if it’s real or not. Sweetwater rocks. I bought used from guitar center, it showed up in a box that you could hear the amp shaking around. I didn’t even open it. It’s still in my garage. We should bet on what condition it’s gonna be in 😂
Last time I went to Guitar Center was to rent a bass for a small show at a convention center. They wanted $125 for a day for a Fender Jazz to RENT. I just bought an Ibanez for like $129 and returned it the day after lol. Screw guitar center.
I’m super willing to buy things from Guitar Center used. They have a great return policy on used items and I’ve even brought items I received back in and pointed out some flaws that weren’t in the pictures and they credited me back like 40% of the purchase price. The Guitar Center in Spartanburg SC is great at least.
I only bought one used Modulus VJ bass guitar from GC used which was in FL and I live in NJ. I saw the one picture they had posted so I called the store, guy answers, I tell him I'm interested but can he please send me close up pics of (head stock, behind the head stock, pups, control knobs, neck front & back etc.). Within 15 mins he sent me all the pics so I pulled the trigger on a $1499 used Modulus. Easy peasey & no hassles. So either this guy here is right in saying GC used items system is trash along with their personnel or I just got super lucky when I bought my bass.
If I was shady and worked at Guitar Center and so did some other, young shady dudes. What would stop me/us from ordering those decent looking Ebay fakes and ugh.....You know.....Selling them to GC through one of said shady buddies? I can assure you this happens. A lot.
I have a Guitar Center right around corner from me and I only buy picks and strings from them . They have the dumbest and most arrogant people that work there . Thank god for Sweetwater . Sorry Kyle
Sweetwater is arguably better but I hate their sales model. They constantly try to send me "offers" that are just rip offs. I won't use Sweetwater either if I can avoid it.
You dont have to buy the offers. Sweetwater has competitive market prices and far better Customer service and overall integrity than most places. @tj1486
@@tj1486 Those offers are way better than what guitar center gives. Seen a lot of 10 percent off offers and other things. What guitar center brings is a joke. Sweetwater gives me proper customer service and sends me pictures of the specific model that I bought while guitar center has the crappiest pictures. Sweetwater is the best in the business, believe me
I LOVE the Guitar Center 5 minutes from me!!!!......I absolutely Refuse to shop anywhere else, unless it's on Marketplace maybe.....But I just got a $1000 Music Man for $400 on clearance last week, because it was missing a volume knob, Lol.....I've got So much equipment on clearance there, it's starting to pile up in my room, I just cannot pass up clearance stuff(which they don't put on their websites by the way, in store only).......I've also known the manager for 10 years now, and Never had a single issue with the employees, always the Coolest guys.
I’ve always wondered what is in the back employee area of Guitar Center. I picture it as a time warp where the employees are on side quest fighting aliens If I go in to grab a pack of strings or a pedal, I know before hand, I have to set aside a hour before I will be rung out. Customer service seems to be terrible as a whole. I was looking at a used 60s Mustang it was around $2500.. it had one picture. The single picture was far away and at an angle and I swear to God, it had a G.I. Joe figure for a pickup cover.
Furthermore, EMG pickups usually have flathead screws and not Phillips head screws. Not sure if you mentioned that in the video but the fakes had Phillips head screws mounting them to the pickup rings. Good information in the video. Keep up the great content Kyle.
Twice I have ordered sets of Fender Telecaster pickups from Amazon and received junk pickups. Instead of receiving factory sealed boxes I got previously returned product where it was obvious to me that the original buyer had installed the real Fender pickups and sent back their junk pickups for a refund. Specifications were all wrong, boxes were beat up, mounting screws, rubber and springs were missing, connector wire ends clipped or messy and one neck pickup even had a ceramic bar magnet stuck on the bottom! I'm experienced enough to spot fakes but some beginner might have been taken. Amazon is not doing their due diligence by inspecting returned product and just reselling without even stating it's returned product. And to make things worse, both times after waiting over three weeks since shipping them back I had to phone Amazon to finally get my money back.
I’m really sorry that happened to you Kyle. I got that exact guitar a month ago, the real one, used on Reverb. I paid $1600. It’s a beast. Those pickups are not original either. It comes with the 57/66. It could have happened to anyone. I hope you find a real one soon, because it’s amazing!
At my local Guitar Center, you can walk out of the store with anything that you can carry. No exaggeration. I've never done it but I can absolutely positively do it If I were inclined. If you need to ask a question, if you want to buy something, if you have to pay for a guitar you've had work done to, you will wait there until the store closes. You can be standing in front of a counter with merch in your hand and there can be four people behind that counter, you will be absolutely invisible to them unless you are a young blonde woman. I'm not exaggerating in any way whatsoever. EVERY TIME I 've been there in the last twenty years has been the exact scenario. I have to corner someone and .MAKE them take my money. I even make a little joke about walking out without paying, EVERY SINGLE TIME and they NEVER get what I'm talking about. I was there once and Mick Mars walked in. Not one employee recognized him in any way even after watching other customers approach him. Again, this is the absolute truth with ZERO exaggeration.
Yep.. that one really smiles at ya! I have an E-II Eclipse in blue / natural fade. That guitar appears more of a tri-color than an actual fade finish. Just putting it out there.. I am looking to sell my E-II. I will be at Sweetwater Guitarfest this weekend and would be happy to bring it along if you wanna take a look at it 👍
I ran a studio guitar rental company using Guitar Center Hollywoods vintage room. Id buy the guitar....rent it and return it. The return policy worked against them.
I scored a 50w 5153 el34 for $899 on clearance at GC. Thing was brand new. Cheaper than anything I could find on reverb and it was just on the floor at my local GC. Great deal. They also mislabeled the brand new matching 2x12 as used for $450 and honored the price. I was so stoked, got my first real tube amp and cab for $1400
I took a used guitar back last week that had several completely dead frets under the 12th, and fuzzing gain knobs. They relisted it for sale again within the day. They're just gonna pass the problem onto the next guy. Amazing.
One thing I noticed, and I don’t know any thing about ESP single cut/LP style guitars, is that the shape of the body by the toggle switch is obviously different compared to the real thing. It’s way more rounded like a LP rather than the misshapen look of the real Eclipse.
I ordered a LTD Truckster on Used Guitar Center. It was a really good price so I called the store had them go over it and the salesman said other than needing a new set of strings which he would change the guitar was in good shape. I got it in and there is literal green mold on the bridge The guitar appeared to have been dropped where the input jack is The wood was bulged out on each side and it was completely disgusting. I felt I needed a tetanus shot after playing it. Returned it to Guitar Center locally and they didn't want to give me my shipping back. I said I would never have paid to ship this guitar to me if they were honest about the condition. They caved in and gave me the shipping back.
My guitar center has a Fender American strat with a lot and I mean a lot of bad body damage. Almost like somebody dropped it and then stepped on it. Only 100$ off 😂😂😂😂
You absolutely nailed my experience with guitar center. And I do the same thing you do with the used section. Even tho I go in knowing it will be painful, you can find some pretty good deals if you can stomach the mess that guitar center is.
Also the body is a Les Paul body Shape, not an Eclipse one, both are pretty similar, but if you look at the side with the pickup selector, The body on Eclipses is not completely round on the upper part, it ends at sort of an upwards angle, oblique to the Neck, while Les Pauls end perpendicular to the Neck.
I remember I ordered a drum set (back when layaways were a thing there at GC) and I didn’t want the drum set because the photos were different than in person. It came from a different state. They made me pay shipping for it and then would not let me order any used gear after that. I’ll never forget what the Manager told me after I asked why. He said ,” because I don’t wanna”.
One more thing different to an ESP: The rounding of the body, where the 3-way-switch is located, it's different to ESP. ESP has the ESP-shape, this guitar does not have this. It's a little different to the rounding of a Gibson. The cut-away-horn looks more like ESP to my eyes.
I'm convinced everyone at Guitar Center hates used gear. It's quite apparent from listening to their sales tactics, upper management memos, and general PR. To them it's a wart on their business that they can't fully get rid of so they are forced to deal with it even though it carries them much more than they let on. It's because they can't sell their bogus bread and butter warranties with it. If I even mention buying used gear in their stores the sales reps usually flee from me or push for the new thing with, drum roll please, a warranty. Some of the warranties last just past the manufacturers warranty and you will have to get the manufacturer to honor or deny the warranty before guitar center will step in. They will only buy gear from you at exceptionally low ball prices, but they refuse to cut any real deals on anything stating throw away lines like, "this is what it sells for". Then they will sit on that gear for months as the prices drop more and more. Trying to buy used gear on their site is frankly pathetic and bewildering. It's usually posted with a max of two pictures, sometimes it's just the same picture posted twice or some have no pictures. What's up with that? If they even have a description it's something like, "this is an amp" to put it simply. Sometimes it's just false or a lie. One store couldn't even guarantee an amp cover even though it stated it had one for a listing on the website. The greatest offender is the status they give the gear. The system makes no sense and clearly doesn't follow any guidelines. The only bit of advice I can offer is never buy anything labelled as "good" as it usually has some giant flaw with it. Sometimes they will even intentionally take bad or dark photos to hide serious cosmetic flaws with the gear. I saw this with a mosrite they had listed a while back. There is no way when they snapped that photo it wasn't intentional cause even in the dark you could tell they guitar was just beat to death. The atmosphere has completely changed in the 10+ years I've been going to the stores. Guess that's why I don't shop there much anymore.
NGL when I interviewed at GC they wanted me to know about gibsons. They did make a point to name tiny details about gibsons and the occasional fender that was made 30 to 50 years before my birth date and what I would do if we had to replace a screw on one of those ancient relics that show up. Maybe they don't know foreign guitars.
6:20 dude is totally a Karen!!! I can’t believe he is complaining about how terrible guitar centers customer service?! And their terrible used listings pictures! And their bad attitude is a sign of how superior than you they are. Nevermind that Guitar center selling cheap knockoffs, I mean do you know how lucky we are for this?! There’s nothing wrong with any of this, which is why they’re so popular, because those are all signs of how GC is the highest premium vender. No one has ever had any issue with all those premium treatments.
Awesome video and informative for those who may not know what to look for! I’ve actually experienced both sides of the spectrum myself buying used from Guitar Center. I once bought a used EVH 212 cab from GC online only to discover once I opened it up that the previous owner had swapped out the Celestions for Crate Speakers from 1999. Probably didn’t even tell GC when they sold it to them. On the other hand, I recently picked up a used PRS CE 24 for a pretty decent price ($1,600) which is about right for a standard run-of-the-mill CE 24 - but this one was far from standard. I did some research before purchasing and found out it was a limited run, nitro finish full mahogany body with no maple cap, where only five of that particular color were made. The limited edition run was made for a dealer out of upstate NY and was exclusive to them. Is it super duper rare? Not really. But it was definitely worth more than GC knew it was…
And that is why I don't go to guitar center anymore. And haven't in 15 years. Their "employees" keep glazing past the most glarring things, and getting their attention? Forget it, Walmart has more attentive workers.
Guitar center recently sold me a synyster gates custom s gold burst (used) in the listing it showed some damages but nothing major, I buy it and it arrives with a completely damaged sustaniac board, more scratches and dents, AND it turns out that it was dropped where it’s input jack is and that whole piece broke off, thanks guitar center.
So a HUGE problem is youve got pro audio (for example) people whove literally never played guitar in their life buying in used guitars. The person who does the buy in gets commission when it sells. Lets say youre the kind of person who would buy a changychangchingchong counterfeit guitar, youre also the kind of person who would wanna sell for a bunch of money. Take it to someone who doesn't know anything about guitars. Mission accomplished.
Another difference with the EMGs is the corners. The fakes always have squared off corners whereas real EMGs have more rounded off corners. Also, the fakes aren't potted, that's why you are getting the horrible, tinny feedback. I've actually taken some apart and found the backing is just a cheap epoxy you pop off with a flat head screwdriver. Funny thing though is I actually took Epiphone Les Paul standard pickups, took out the coils and wired them into the fake EMG's preamp board. I then potted them and resealed the backs and after that they actually sounded pretty good lol.
Our local guitar center doesn't check anything that is sold to them. You could easily sell them a completely gutted amp - they have no idea. During Covid, it was unbelievably horrible with regard to what they'd buy. Maybe things are getting slightly better because the used market is a million times oversaturated.
I have always gotten the same feeling buying from guitar center as I do buying a used car from a dealership. I walk away feeling ripped off. I applied to work at guitar center years ago thinking I would be a great candidate, I had 15 years experience playing guitar. lots of styles. I could really help someone, especially newer players, pick out the right instrument for them with what they want to achieve. I was turned down from the position, because they only wanted someone to upsell Gibson. no regrets not getting that job.
Scary man... Anyway, how is your Epiphone Adam Jones doing? I was really excited about the unboxing video, but I'm wondering if the guitar is still feeling good?
Guitar Center changed so much. GC launched here in Reno in 2005/06 and I worked there in the beginning, the phones were culture there. You could one minute be chatting with a customer helping them find gear, and the other you could answer the phone to Sammy Hagar needing pro audio. It was a rad job, with lots of benefits for the employees. The company went and sold abruptly, bought out everyone’s stock shares, and announced our new wal mart style policies, and took away commissions, pretty much making it the fuck show it is today. They are cashiers who have to deal with a lot of SHIT. It killed my drive as a guitar player, and I left GC by 08. I’ll go into GC for picks or strings or something but I’m done ever purchasing shit from them. It’s basically wal mart for gear.
Even without getting into detail about the pickup texture and logo, they were trying to fake the 81/85. But that E-II model doesn’t come with 81/85. It comes with black chrome humcap 57/66 lol. That was the second thing I noticed immediately (first thing was the headstock logo). Also if you’re going to compare the fake pickup to a real EMG, don’t use the old style EMG logo. EMG changed the logo design in 2009 (15 years ago) and that fake pickup logo is in the style of their new/current logo. It’s totally fake, but your comparison was apples to oranges.
I worked at GC store 553 for almost 3 years in the mid 2010's. We literally had videos on spotting knock off Steve Vai Gems because of how common they were at the time. Also low end warwick basses from rockbass and low end spector basses were also brought in by customers, trying to be passed off as their OG german counter parts.
I worked at guitar center. The only thing you said that's true is that if you don't sell enough you can be fired. It's the employees not the corporation for guitar center.
LOL the first fracking thing I noticed within 1 min of the video was that the E-II logo on the headstock was off center and the logo on the truss rod cover was slanted lol, plus the 3-way switch has this black plate on it which I have never seen ESP/LTD do. So glad I never endeavored more time or effort into ESP other than my 2011 ESP Horizon NT-2 lol, I use to have plenty of LTD's and looking back, they were good-ish, but knowing what I know now, only playing Ibanez Prestige models from 1998 to 2010, I would never ever buy an LTD or even an ESP cause they are so fracking expensive now, I snagged my ESP Horizon NT-2 for only 900$ CAD back in the mid-2010's. Cheapest Prestige I ever found was my 2006 RGA121-NTL for only 450$ CAD, most expensive Prestige I bought was my 2010 RGA420Z for 1300$ CAD in 2018 from Quebec Long&McWade.
Bummer you ended up with a fake, and I appreciate you going through some of the obvious differences. Lesson learned for me: get several pics from the seller, and compare them to pics of the ACTUAL guitar model.
that headstock logo being THAT off center is an immediate giveaway lol
first thing I noticed as well
Agreed. That was the first thing I noticed. 😂😂
Much like Chinese entertainment centers' screws and holes not lining up. The logos are off-centered too.
The headstock also looks MASSIVE!
Saw comment, rewind, WOAH 😳
GCs online used guitar section is like dark web shit from 10 years ago. 2 pictures for a $1000 guitar? get bent.
Yeah its awful.
It is, but you can still find great deals on there. And like he said in the video, there really is no risk. So yeah I'd buy a $1000 guitar with one crappy photo that would normally go for $1500.
True but if you call the store it's listed at you can get them to send photos
I bought a 5150 peavey 1995 from GC. Tested in store and it was fine. Got home and it sounded terrible. GC refunded me the money and let me keep the amp… 60 bucks at an amp tech and the things flawless.
a GC near me has a 2005 warwick pro corvette standard or something, made in germany, bubinga. $1200. wonder if that's worth it.....i like shopping their used stuff, because in 2006 I got an '87 USA G&L L2000 for only $500 which was a steal lol
Ali baba- search ESP guitar and the very first listing is this very guitar lol
hahaha, that sucks
I found it too.. 😬
Come with a Gibson USA case lol
Hahaha 😂
Yup I found it. $263.81 from aliexpress
They sold my friend a fake Fender Telecaster. The guitar dude at the pawn shop had to break the news to him.
Lol. If he couldnt tell and was pawning it anyway, hes an idiot. Your friend is an idiot
why would your friend buy a guitar then take it to a pawn shop?
Prob because is sucked and GC didn’t want it back.
Can’t wait to see this one get re-listed on the GC site 🤣🤣💩
I took an Amp back that was sold to me online as used like new condition. I received it and the tolex was bubbling off in multiple spots. I took it back and they reposted it the same way the next day
They will.
😂that sounds like peavey valve king. Mine bubbled and the Tolex peeled a bit. @tj1486
They surely will. I bought a Randall 667 from them 5 years ago and when I was about to pickup the amp and take it home; I tried the amp on the store. Usually I never do, but for some reason I did it that day. The amp did turn on , but no sound came of thar amp. I tried different cables and cabinets but with no luck. I did return the amp on the spot. Thankfully, the gave me back all my money. Funny thing: the amp was listed a week later. It was sold again that week and then A week later , the amp was listed again . 😅
I love GC used because I've gotten some great stuff from them and the return policy is great. However, them re-listing stuff after they've been made aware of an issue is a problem. I bought a guitar from them listed in great condition where the listing had a single bad picture and nothing in the description. When I got it, I found the neck was sanded to the wood and both pickups had been replaced. I returned it and pointed out the mods and then a few days later, it was up on the GC website with one picture and nothing in the description although they had reduced the condition to good.
Holy crap.. the E2 logo isn't even in the right position.. probably the worst fake i've seen in my life.
Wrong finish
Wrong font in the logotype
Wrong placement of the logotype
Wrong headstock size
Wrong pickup selector
Wrong knobs
Wrong hardware and color
Wrong binding
Like how is this even passable by the dumbest of employee at GC.
hahahahaha..... exactly
Guitar Center no longer has any kind of actual knowledgeable musicians or salemens for that matter. It's become the walmart of music stores they don't know shit anymore.
Been that way for as long as I can remember. Just total dweebs.
@FearTheDarkWolf agreed read my comment above
There was a manager at my local GC, a very good bass player, that knew almost everything about everything in the store. And when he didn't know he'd say so (gasp} and find out. Of course they forced him out.
Been that way from the start
@@Bubs0271 Same, that's all I've ever experienced.
Guitar center has a 45 day return policy in used items. This is justified to use
Not true for vintage gear, Guitar Center has only 3 day return for vintage with no definition of how old vintage is. But, it’s at least 30 years so means everything from 1996 or older…
@@internetselling fair enough. It's good that thing isn't vintage then 😂
@@leonvalentine3748 Yeah this guitar has only been produced for a few years, I don't see how the "vintage" info is relevant at all...
@@internetsellingI was born in 1996. I guess my mom forgot to return me 🙃
@@14fluffies “forgot”? Haha!
It’s always a fine line between helping people pick out counterfeit guitars and helping the counterfeiters make a better fake by pointing out their mistakes.
Counterfeiters don't need help. It's a bad copy because they're lazy and can get away with it. If they wanted to spend more time and money to do a better job, they would.
@@rmaxtpmx They have been fine tuning their forgeries on Les Pauls for decades.
I use guitar center to window shop and see if there is something that I didn’t know I like. Then I go elsewhere to buy one. 😂
The guitar centers I’ve gone to within the last few years have been dreadful. All employees, even the managers seemed suicidal and defeated.
Their eyes screams broken soul
Oh they all are. They’re all willing to watch the company burn
Can absolutely confirm, my life has done a 180 since I left GC after 7 years. I was in the most rotten period of my life there. The amount of self loathing and disgust I had within myself freaks me out now thinking back to it. Anyone who gets out of GC before they sink their teeth in, I applaud.
“Hey, I’d like to plug into one of your used amps and check it for functionality” Guitar center employee: 😒
@@putontheseglasses8809 yes. This is their face regarding anything: 😒
This is one of the videos where I wish youtube would allow us to comment memes
Yes 😂 please 😂
We should always be able to
giving the side eye to all my guitars in my music room while watching this.
I know right. I dont have any premium model guitars worth faking so I know Im in the clear. I just got a used Ibanez S521 recently and I really doubt anyone in faking a $400 guitar.
@@sole__doubtThink again. Squire and Epiphone are the most faked guitars, because of the exact mentality you just displayed. Pennies to rip off, hundreds collected from you.
@@sole__doubt I just bought an S621QM which is basically the same thing you have with a different finish. Those guitars are amazing. The light weight and thin body is now my new favorite style as someone with back problems. 😂
@@Nick-i9h Nice choice. The S series are just incredible guitars. I cant believe they arent more popular.
Good on you for recognizing the understaffing/overworking and terrible employee vetting they have these days. When I walk into a GC that’s my first impression too. There’s an awesome shop just down the street from my local GC and the owner there is absolutely enthusiastic about everything in his shop.
GC employee 1 “hey dude does this guitar look odd to you?”, GC employee 2 “naahhhh bro this is fine, stick it in the box”
Brooo. Funny enough I thought I saw an obvious fake Les Paul with them the other day. I was 90% sure it was a fake. But there was that 10% of me that was like “nahhh, no way would guitar center fall for fake guitars.. you’re wrong they’re right, they are the professionals” after seeing this I am now 100% confident I’ve found a chibson on there website.
It's usually incredibly easy to spot a fake Gibson. But even without all the telltale signs, the truss rod is always a dead giveaway (with the Chibsons not high end boutique builder counterfeits). I know that the employees are taught how to spot a fake Gibson, it's one of the few things they are taught, because they're so common. I would bet that it's not fake, there's always a chance that some how one got through but it would be extremely rare, it's much more likely for them to get fooled by fakes of other brands, like this one.
Your knowledge on Chinese nuts is impressive. LOL
Apparently they are easy to spot. They are taller and shinier than other nuts. 😆
Confucious says,: " Man with hands in his pants, is feeling cocky!".
Ouch.
That’s what she said
Tastes like chicken!
I don’t blame you for not calling.
I don’t do business with them OR musicians friend (sister company). I had a nice guitar I bought brand new from musicians friend and when I got it, it had a chip in the headstock. Let me clarify: a new $3000 guitar with a chip in the headstock. Turns out they sourced it from a guitar center and it had been sitting on the rack forever. I called that guitar center personally to talk to the sales manager, and when I started telling them the issue, before I got to it, the manager goes “ohhhh, you got the one with the chip in it”. They knew it was busted and shipped it anyway.
They then tell me I need to return it at all local store. I did this and for a month, they screwed up and never returned my money. So I got to a point that boiled over and the local manager FINALLY tells me this is a process they’re not supposed to do, they took care of me, and I vowed to never do business with those fuckers ever again.
EDIT: the pickups on that guitar are also the wrong ones. That guitar came with 57/66, and those look like a knockoff 81/85 set.
Damn, that's absolutely shitty of them. Zero fucks were given. I usually go to MF for accessories and whatnot just because of the rewards points, but have never bought an actual instrument from them or GC online. Gut feeling always tells me I'll probably regret it and there isn't a GC close to me to make a return if needed. Heard too many bad experiences like yours. They need to get their shit together.
Really? Damn I was hoping they'd be better than GC. Sweetwater? Maybe they're better idk
ex gc employee. It was a average job, that paid bad. I worked in the pro audio department and I had plenty of time to chat with a new church to build their whole entire live sound setup, demo their stuff when they came in, talk with other customers and still do the daily chores with plenty of time standing in the corral being bored. I spent plenty of time learning gear while I was there, which actually lead to me getting a touring tech job. GC employees not caring or being knowledgeable is them being lazy. period.
This review makes me feel good about my $300 Chibson 1959 Sunburst LesPaul.🤭 It has great pickups and the craftmanship is really shocking good.🔥 So Thanks and Cheers!👌
I absolutely love ESP guitars but I wouldn’t buy another unless it was directly from an ESP dealer.
I have mixed experiences with GC, but my local GC has mostly been positive. Bought a used Traynor amp at a great price that ended up having a broken tube. Dude said if I could get it out, he’d give me a new set. Walked out with a dusty but otherwise excellent 40-watt tube amp with a matched pair of new Tung-Sols for $350.
I’ve worked for 3 different guitar centers. That job SUCKS. You can’t make any money unless a buyer is in store, everything else is a major hassle. And if you get a phone buyer, esp if it’s something used you have to split your commissions with whomever bought the guitar into the store. Don’t recommend buying from guitar center unless you can do everything yourself online.
Giant store chains which are totally based the payment of their employees on commissions, while hiring on people who can't make enough with the job they actually want to do and settle for now with a shitty job they hate?
I am surprised that they are still in business.
Send this to Glen so he can prove how active pickups dont matter for the tone in metal :P
No Glen sucks
He talks about when it’s recorded,he never said it doesn’t matter when you play it and he never said it doesn’t make a difference in the room.damn,nobody pays much attention to videos and hear what they want
@@tommilitello198I was gonna say exactly that except I don’t watch glen at all haha. Impossible to pick out active or passive pickups when the guitars are recorded. It’s one of those things you “feel” when you’re the one playing and nobody else notices
Guitar center near me had a fake Neumann mic I told them about it even pointed out the reasons it was fake because I own some real ones. They took it out of the display case when I was there. I was back in a couple months later and it was back in the display case. They don’t care. I remember the days guitar center was the place
As a former GC employee of 10 years, your corporate complaints are 100000% spot on. Everything is accurate. I quit in 2022 for the SAME reasons, and my customers loved me and I loved them!
Guitar Center ‘experts’ are actually just the most knowledgeable folks they can get to work there for a dime above minimum wage.
They don’t know their ass from a whole in the ground !
150 dollar items priced at 450 is not knowledgeable staff ! 💩💩
I mean, retail is dead. The people making money from retail killed it. They're still gonna make they're checks with skeleton crews making peanuts. Why? Jeff bozos and Walmart. I take drugs to remember 80s and 90s malls. One of the few privileges of being older.
Classic: ""I take drugs to remember 80s and 90s malls"
According to Glen "Golden Ears" Fricker all pickups sound the same.
Yeah but he literally only listens to one kind of music and can barely play guitar.
Lol, that's not what he says at all. When playing with gain, the differences in tone are masked. The ultimate factor that determines tone is your speakers. If you're playing clean, sure, there is gonna be a difference in tone. However, his whole channel is about metal music and the best way of getting different tones for every instrument and saving money. His channel isn't about pushing bs for you to spend thousands of dollars for little to nothing to change.
He was talking about tone. He said under high gain the actual tone difference is negligible to nonexistent between brands.
Then he said that clarity and overall sound quality like note separation etc (not tone) are obviously crappy in crappily constructed pickups compared to a well made one. And that output varies, also obviously.
That dude will tell you anything to make a quick buck. When confronted with his own past opinions he will tell you that he now learnt sth new)) after 20 yrs in sound engineering he only now started learning that is
As a GC employee you're 100% right, we love to help people and talk about every detail of any questions anybody may have, but sorry I have to unclog a toilet(not ironically)
The first comment opener ha! I know someone that makes knock off gibsons, and I swear you can’t tell the difference. And it even stays in tune longer. Wait… maybe that’s how you can tell if it’s real or not. Sweetwater rocks. I bought used from guitar center, it showed up in a box that you could hear the amp shaking around. I didn’t even open it. It’s still in my garage. We should bet on what condition it’s gonna be in 😂
Last time I went to Guitar Center was to rent a bass for a small show at a convention center. They wanted $125 for a day for a Fender Jazz to RENT.
I just bought an Ibanez for like $129 and returned it the day after lol. Screw guitar center.
As soon as I saw that guitar I thought "that headstock looks HUGE". I guess my ESP Spider sense went off too.
You’ve also described what it’s like working for a retail pharmacy
That headstock logo is so hilariously off center. How the hell did no red flag go off with GC?
I’m super willing to buy things from Guitar Center used. They have a great return policy on used items and I’ve even brought items I received back in and pointed out some flaws that weren’t in the pictures and they credited me back like 40% of the purchase price. The Guitar Center in Spartanburg SC is great at least.
Cary NC is great too. I always order used items to ship to store so it can be inspected in person, and returned or discounted easily if needed
I only bought one used Modulus VJ bass guitar from GC used which was in FL and I live in NJ. I saw the one picture they had posted so I called the store, guy answers, I tell him I'm interested but can he please send me close up pics of (head stock, behind the head stock, pups, control knobs, neck front & back etc.). Within 15 mins he sent me all the pics so I pulled the trigger on a $1499 used Modulus. Easy peasey & no hassles. So either this guy here is right in saying GC used items system is trash along with their personnel or I just got super lucky when I bought my bass.
There’s a fake natural Gibson explorer posted on guitar center right now… I was surprised to see it cause it’s pretty obvious
the head stock on the fake looks like a scaled-up version of the truss rod cover on the real one and a bit vice versa😅
I do the same thing man I buy used gear all the time the new prices just ridiculous and sometimes the listings are really really great condition
I love shopping used gear at Guitar Center too because of the return policy and you can return it in person to any store.
If I was shady and worked at Guitar Center and so did some other, young shady dudes.
What would stop me/us from ordering those decent looking Ebay fakes and ugh.....You know.....Selling them to GC through one of said shady buddies?
I can assure you this happens. A lot.
I have a Guitar Center right around corner from me and I only buy picks and strings from them . They have the dumbest and most arrogant people that work there . Thank god for Sweetwater . Sorry Kyle
Sweetwater is arguably better but I hate their sales model. They constantly try to send me "offers" that are just rip offs. I won't use Sweetwater either if I can avoid it.
You dont have to buy the offers.
Sweetwater has competitive market prices and far better Customer service and overall integrity than most places.
@tj1486
@@tj1486 Those offers are way better than what guitar center gives. Seen a lot of 10 percent off offers and other things. What guitar center brings is a joke. Sweetwater gives me proper customer service and sends me pictures of the specific model that I bought while guitar center has the crappiest pictures. Sweetwater is the best in the business, believe me
I LOVE the Guitar Center 5 minutes from me!!!!......I absolutely Refuse to shop anywhere else, unless it's on Marketplace maybe.....But I just got a $1000 Music Man for $400 on clearance last week, because it was missing a volume knob, Lol.....I've got So much equipment on clearance there, it's starting to pile up in my room, I just cannot pass up clearance stuff(which they don't put on their websites by the way, in store only).......I've also known the manager for 10 years now, and Never had a single issue with the employees, always the Coolest guys.
Guitar center is great if you want to hold the instrument in your hands.
Also I got a good chord chart there which was eye-opening.
I’ve always wondered what is in the back employee area of Guitar Center. I picture it as a time warp where the employees are on side quest fighting aliens
If I go in to grab a pack of strings or a pedal, I know before hand, I have to set aside a hour before I will be rung out. Customer service seems to be terrible as a whole. I was looking at a used 60s Mustang it was around $2500.. it had one picture. The single picture was far away and at an angle and I swear to God, it had a G.I. Joe figure for a pickup cover.
One of the musical instrument companies that really needs to go out of business
Furthermore, EMG pickups usually have flathead screws and not Phillips head screws. Not sure if you mentioned that in the video but the fakes had Phillips head screws mounting them to the pickup rings. Good information in the video. Keep up the great content Kyle.
Twice I have ordered sets of Fender Telecaster pickups from Amazon and received junk pickups. Instead of receiving factory sealed boxes I got previously returned product where it was obvious to me that the original buyer had installed the real Fender pickups and sent back their junk pickups for a refund. Specifications were all wrong, boxes were beat up, mounting screws, rubber and springs were missing, connector wire ends clipped or messy and one neck pickup even had a ceramic bar magnet stuck on the bottom! I'm experienced enough to spot fakes but some beginner might have been taken. Amazon is not doing their due diligence by inspecting returned product and just reselling without even stating it's returned product. And to make things worse, both times after waiting over three weeks since shipping them back I had to phone Amazon to finally get my money back.
I’m really sorry that happened to you Kyle. I got that exact guitar a month ago, the real one, used on Reverb. I paid $1600. It’s a beast. Those pickups are not original either. It comes with the 57/66. It could have happened to anyone. I hope you find a real one soon, because it’s amazing!
Dude that guitar sounds a cat fighting a billygoat. Freaking horrible!
What waz themselves fightingTingting Yabout? huh pilgram ?
Considering I had guitar center do something similar to me, I liked the video as soon as I clicked on it lol
At my local Guitar Center, you can walk out of the store with anything that you can carry. No exaggeration. I've never done it but I can absolutely positively do it If I were inclined. If you need to ask a question, if you want to buy something, if you have to pay for a guitar you've had work done to, you will wait there until the store closes. You can be standing in front of a counter with merch in your hand and there can be four people behind that counter, you will be absolutely invisible to them unless you are a young blonde woman. I'm not exaggerating in any way whatsoever. EVERY TIME I 've been there in the last twenty years has been the exact scenario. I have to corner someone and .MAKE them take my money. I even make a little joke about walking out without paying, EVERY SINGLE TIME and they NEVER get what I'm talking about. I was there once and Mick Mars walked in. Not one employee recognized him in any way even after watching other customers approach him. Again, this is the absolute truth with ZERO exaggeration.
Yeah, as an ex guitar center employee calling into the stores does no good… You have to go in for yourself!
Their used photos are like from the first digital camera ever lol. Is that an amp? Is that a mic? A guitar? *clicks buy*
Yep.. that one really smiles at ya! I have an E-II Eclipse in blue / natural fade. That guitar appears more of a tri-color than an actual fade finish. Just putting it out there.. I am looking to sell my E-II. I will be at Sweetwater Guitarfest this weekend and would be happy to bring it along if you wanna take a look at it 👍
Sounds like you've called Guitar Center in Pittsburgh and Monroeville a few times lol
I ran a studio guitar rental company using Guitar Center Hollywoods vintage room. Id buy the guitar....rent it and return it. The return policy worked against them.
I scored a 50w 5153 el34 for $899 on clearance at GC. Thing was brand new. Cheaper than anything I could find on reverb and it was just on the floor at my local GC. Great deal. They also mislabeled the brand new matching 2x12 as used for $450 and honored the price. I was so stoked, got my first real tube amp and cab for $1400
I took a used guitar back last week that had several completely dead frets under the 12th, and fuzzing gain knobs.
They relisted it for sale again within the day. They're just gonna pass the problem onto the next guy. Amazing.
I too have been getting into the LTD/ESP guitars myself. Awesome video and wealth of knowledge!
One thing I noticed, and I don’t know any thing about ESP single cut/LP style guitars, is that the shape of the body by the toggle switch is obviously different compared to the real thing.
It’s way more rounded like a LP rather than the misshapen look of the real Eclipse.
I ordered a LTD Truckster on Used Guitar Center. It was a really good price so I called the store had them go over it and the salesman said other than needing a new set of strings which he would change the guitar was in good shape. I got it in and there is literal green mold on the bridge The guitar appeared to have been dropped where the input jack is The wood was bulged out on each side and it was completely disgusting. I felt I needed a tetanus shot after playing it. Returned it to Guitar Center locally and they didn't want to give me my shipping back. I said I would never have paid to ship this guitar to me if they were honest about the condition. They caved in and gave me the shipping back.
My guitar center has a Fender American strat with a lot and I mean a lot of bad body damage. Almost like somebody dropped it and then stepped on it. Only 100$ off 😂😂😂😂
Hey, the GC system works perfectly.
If someone had bought this guitar who didn't know as much as Kyle, they wouldn't have noticed anything.
You absolutely nailed my experience with guitar center. And I do the same thing you do with the used section. Even tho I go in knowing it will be painful, you can find some pretty good deals if you can stomach the mess that guitar center is.
Also the body is a Les Paul body Shape, not an Eclipse one, both are pretty similar, but if you look at the side with the pickup selector, The body on Eclipses is not completely round on the upper part, it ends at sort of an upwards angle, oblique to the Neck, while Les Pauls end perpendicular to the Neck.
Wow, just wow! Guitard Center! If you even have a general knowledge of looking for fakes, most guitar nerds would spot that fake.
Crazy. I'm curious to know if they'll list it again after you return it.
I remember I ordered a drum set (back when layaways were a thing there at GC) and I didn’t want the drum set because the photos were different than in person. It came from a different state. They made me pay shipping for it and then would not let me order any used gear after that. I’ll never forget what the Manager told me after I asked why. He said ,” because I don’t wanna”.
One more thing different to an ESP:
The rounding of the body, where the 3-way-switch is located, it's different to ESP.
ESP has the ESP-shape, this guitar does not have this. It's a little different to the rounding of a Gibson. The cut-away-horn looks more like ESP to my eyes.
I'm convinced everyone at Guitar Center hates used gear. It's quite apparent from listening to their sales tactics, upper management memos, and general PR. To them it's a wart on their business that they can't fully get rid of so they are forced to deal with it even though it carries them much more than they let on. It's because they can't sell their bogus bread and butter warranties with it. If I even mention buying used gear in their stores the sales reps usually flee from me or push for the new thing with, drum roll please, a warranty. Some of the warranties last just past the manufacturers warranty and you will have to get the manufacturer to honor or deny the warranty before guitar center will step in. They will only buy gear from you at exceptionally low ball prices, but they refuse to cut any real deals on anything stating throw away lines like, "this is what it sells for". Then they will sit on that gear for months as the prices drop more and more.
Trying to buy used gear on their site is frankly pathetic and bewildering. It's usually posted with a max of two pictures, sometimes it's just the same picture posted twice or some have no pictures. What's up with that? If they even have a description it's something like, "this is an amp" to put it simply. Sometimes it's just false or a lie. One store couldn't even guarantee an amp cover even though it stated it had one for a listing on the website.
The greatest offender is the status they give the gear. The system makes no sense and clearly doesn't follow any guidelines. The only bit of advice I can offer is never buy anything labelled as "good" as it usually has some giant flaw with it. Sometimes they will even intentionally take bad or dark photos to hide serious cosmetic flaws with the gear. I saw this with a mosrite they had listed a while back. There is no way when they snapped that photo it wasn't intentional cause even in the dark you could tell they guitar was just beat to death. The atmosphere has completely changed in the 10+ years I've been going to the stores. Guess that's why I don't shop there much anymore.
NGL when I interviewed at GC they wanted me to know about gibsons. They did make a point to name tiny details about gibsons and the occasional fender that was made 30 to 50 years before my birth date and what I would do if we had to replace a screw on one of those ancient relics that show up. Maybe they don't know foreign guitars.
6:20 dude is totally a Karen!!! I can’t believe he is complaining about how terrible guitar centers customer service?! And their terrible used listings pictures! And their bad attitude is a sign of how superior than you they are. Nevermind that Guitar center selling cheap knockoffs, I mean do you know how lucky we are for this?! There’s nothing wrong with any of this, which is why they’re so popular, because those are all signs of how GC is the highest premium vender. No one has ever had any issue with all those premium treatments.
Awesome video and informative for those who may not know what to look for! I’ve actually experienced both sides of the spectrum myself buying used from Guitar Center. I once bought a used EVH 212 cab from GC online only to discover once I opened it up that the previous owner had swapped out the Celestions for Crate Speakers from 1999. Probably didn’t even tell GC when they sold it to them. On the other hand, I recently picked up a used PRS CE 24 for a pretty decent price ($1,600) which is about right for a standard run-of-the-mill CE 24 - but this one was far from standard. I did some research before purchasing and found out it was a limited run, nitro finish full mahogany body with no maple cap, where only five of that particular color were made. The limited edition run was made for a dealer out of upstate NY and was exclusive to them. Is it super duper rare? Not really. But it was definitely worth more than GC knew it was…
The immediate giveaway is the offset E-II logo.
I've sold guitars to Guitar Center and they always hassle me. I wonder what this guy got for this?
You’re extra funny today 😂 you brought jokes!
And that is why I don't go to guitar center anymore. And haven't in 15 years. Their "employees" keep glazing past the most glarring things, and getting their attention? Forget it, Walmart has more attentive workers.
I'm not even mad, that's impressive! Congrats to whoever fleeced gc. I hope your hunt for an e2 is smooth from here on.
They could use this video to make a better fake lol
Guitar center recently sold me a synyster gates custom s gold burst (used) in the listing it showed some damages but nothing major, I buy it and it arrives with a completely damaged sustaniac board, more scratches and dents, AND it turns out that it was dropped where it’s input jack is and that whole piece broke off, thanks guitar center.
So a HUGE problem is youve got pro audio (for example) people whove literally never played guitar in their life buying in used guitars. The person who does the buy in gets commission when it sells. Lets say youre the kind of person who would buy a changychangchingchong counterfeit guitar, youre also the kind of person who would wanna sell for a bunch of money. Take it to someone who doesn't know anything about guitars. Mission accomplished.
Another difference with the EMGs is the corners. The fakes always have squared off corners whereas real EMGs have more rounded off corners. Also, the fakes aren't potted, that's why you are getting the horrible, tinny feedback. I've actually taken some apart and found the backing is just a cheap epoxy you pop off with a flat head screwdriver. Funny thing though is I actually took Epiphone Les Paul standard pickups, took out the coils and wired them into the fake EMG's preamp board. I then potted them and resealed the backs and after that they actually sounded pretty good lol.
Our local guitar center doesn't check anything that is sold to them. You could easily sell them a completely gutted amp - they have no idea. During Covid, it was unbelievably horrible with regard to what they'd buy. Maybe things are getting slightly better because the used market is a million times oversaturated.
Every time I've stepped into a guitar center and purchased anything, it was a nightmare.
Selling fake items is illegal, right? 😂
I have always gotten the same feeling buying from guitar center as I do buying a used car from a dealership. I walk away feeling ripped off. I applied to work at guitar center years ago thinking I would be a great candidate, I had 15 years experience playing guitar. lots of styles. I could really help someone, especially newer players, pick out the right instrument for them with what they want to achieve. I was turned down from the position, because they only wanted someone to upsell Gibson. no regrets not getting that job.
Scary man... Anyway, how is your Epiphone Adam Jones doing? I was really excited about the unboxing video, but I'm wondering if the guitar is still feeling good?
Guitar Center changed so much. GC launched here in Reno in 2005/06 and I worked there in the beginning, the phones were culture there. You could one minute be chatting with a customer helping them find gear, and the other you could answer the phone to Sammy Hagar needing pro audio. It was a rad job, with lots of benefits for the employees. The company went and sold abruptly, bought out everyone’s stock shares, and announced our new wal mart style policies, and took away commissions, pretty much making it the fuck show it is today. They are cashiers who have to deal with a lot of SHIT. It killed my drive as a guitar player, and I left GC by 08. I’ll go into GC for picks or strings or something but I’m done ever purchasing shit from them. It’s basically wal mart for gear.
Even without getting into detail about the pickup texture and logo, they were trying to fake the 81/85. But that E-II model doesn’t come with 81/85. It comes with black chrome humcap 57/66 lol. That was the second thing I noticed immediately (first thing was the headstock logo).
Also if you’re going to compare the fake pickup to a real EMG, don’t use the old style EMG logo. EMG changed the logo design in 2009 (15 years ago) and that fake pickup logo is in the style of their new/current logo. It’s totally fake, but your comparison was apples to oranges.
I get GC employees have a shit job. But at the end of the day, they agreed to the work and pay. That does not give them a free pass in my book
That's what you get for buying a guitar from guitar center.
man, you've been worki'n out baby boy... I love it.
I hope that guitar center location is gonna be arrested for selling fakes
I worked at GC store 553 for almost 3 years in the mid 2010's. We literally had videos on spotting knock off Steve Vai Gems because of how common they were at the time. Also low end warwick basses from rockbass and low end spector basses were also brought in by customers, trying to be passed off as their OG german counter parts.
Great video🙌🏻 heard about fakes out there but honestly didn't know what to look for so thanks man🤘🏻
I worked at guitar center. The only thing you said that's true is that if you don't sell enough you can be fired. It's the employees not the corporation for guitar center.
LOL the first fracking thing I noticed within 1 min of the video was that the E-II logo on the headstock was off center and the logo on the truss rod cover was slanted lol, plus the 3-way switch has this black plate on it which I have never seen ESP/LTD do. So glad I never endeavored more time or effort into ESP other than my 2011 ESP Horizon NT-2 lol, I use to have plenty of LTD's and looking back, they were good-ish, but knowing what I know now, only playing Ibanez Prestige models from 1998 to 2010, I would never ever buy an LTD or even an ESP cause they are so fracking expensive now, I snagged my ESP Horizon NT-2 for only 900$ CAD back in the mid-2010's. Cheapest Prestige I ever found was my 2006 RGA121-NTL for only 450$ CAD, most expensive Prestige I bought was my 2010 RGA420Z for 1300$ CAD in 2018 from Quebec Long&McWade.
Bummer you ended up with a fake, and I appreciate you going through some of the obvious differences. Lesson learned for me: get several pics from the seller, and compare them to pics of the ACTUAL guitar model.
Great use of mild self-deprecation.
Hope the studio continues to go well.
Great stuff
Was the pots soldered or quick connect?