So.....what would you like to see with this new partnership? Let me know below! My new Guitar Center Affiliate Code, which works on EVERYTHING including USED GEAR! - guitar-center.pxf.io/c/2923549/1125892/14264
@@edwardgrassel872 sorry man, it's an affiliate link. there's no discount attached to it, I just get a percentage of whatever you buy. I realize that's not much incentive to buy other than just knowing that you're helping me out
Without knowing how the corporation is structured I would think that all used equipment should go to one Central hub where everything is checked out by experts working together, full description of the product and also yes beautiful pictures taken with a quality camera that you can zoom in on and see some detail, we want to see the country of origin, we want to see tags and labels, we want to see and know as much as possible, Perhaps a checklist !😉
I got a USA Dean ML Custom Shop (probably around $2000+ EASILY, likely more) for $350 because it was a one off and the staff had no idea it was worth anything. I had to make sure it wasn’t a fake but serial number checked out
I told them I wanted 2 cymbal stands that came in one box and they brought me the box they receive them in when they get a shipment. They never opened it, when I got to opening to my surprise there was 4 in there and they only charged me for 2 😂
I bought a rack case from guitar center. Asked the guy behind the counter if the screws were inside the case. He said you don't need any, it's already assembled 🙄
I used to go to Guitar Center all the time. The store here in Greenville, South Carolina has gone downhill more than any retail establishment I’ve ever seen. It used to be very nice. Staffed well with knowledgeable employees and a huge selection of items. Now you cannot get help at all. I’ve gone in to spend over $1000 on a guitar and felt like an inconvenience to the employees there. They act like taking used gear is a hassle, and have even said they don’t do it unless it’s certain days and times. They don’t even keep strings in stock. I live 10 minutes from that Greenville location and will drive 40 minutes to Spartanburg to buy from their location. The Spartanburg store is a shining example of a Guitar Center. The difference between the two is night and day, and it’s sad because Greenville is a large market and deserves better. If anybody who works for Guitar Center sees this, please do something about your Greenville location.
I don’t know if things have changed at that location. I was playing at a club in the South Carolina 10-12 years ago. It was in the Greenville area, Handlebar I believe. The opening act had a member that worked at the store. The entire band was outfitted with gear from the store. They’d bring it back and sell it as new after gigging with it. That’s why most of the gear they sell is beat to hell. I’d imagine it’s not the only location that does this.
Went in there today and got picks and just about every guitar in there is in deplorable condition had $1499 bass on the wall with broken tuner like someone had dropped I pointed it out and they just said when it gets bought they’ll fix it.
GC sucks now days. Tried to bring a new Jackson in to the Katy Tx location to have it setup and was told "Sorry we don't setup guitars with Floyd Rose's" What kind of BS its that?
I got to North Charlotte and Pineville and have similar experiences. Honestly I just tell them I’m browsing and don’t need any help until I’m ready to make a purchase (IF I make a purchase) to minimize the interactions I may have. Besides, I’m pretty sure most people that watch channels like Kyle or Fluff or Agufish already know what they’re going for. I won’t set foot in a GC without looking at their store website to see if they have the item in stock anyways lol
Unfortunately for guitar center, Sweetwater came along and improved the buying experience 10 x Guitar center just could not match Sweetwater for quality, customer satisfaction, price, guarantees, or selection
@metalfreak9386 never had a problem. Have returned items after playing for several weeks. Their return policy and process is the best IMO. No contest between Sweetwater and anyone else.
My last experience before switching to sweetwater was ordering a brand new Marshall dsl40 combo, I received a floor model with gunk all over the faceplate and sans foot switch. I talked to they're operations manager in Georgia who couldn't have cared less, I reported them to the bbb and they immediately tried to bribe me with fake gift cards and store credit that didn't work.
@metalfreak9386 they have a 30 day return policy. I also think that they don't need customers who think they need 45 days of try something to decide if it's right for them. 🤣
@@mawhit1176well why did you accept it in the first place. At Guitar Center when im buying a new guitar il ask for one not on display and with the box. If they dont have any others in the back and only have the display model. I will ask for a percentage off the guitar. Usually they give me the discount..
I remember when The Guitologist used to do dumpster dives on GC stores because they would simply throw away gear which just needed some minor fixing to get working. Then they caught up to it and made it harder for that to be done. There was also that story when they screwed Greg Howe over. He had a signature guitar with Laguna, then GC just decided to discontinue the brand altogether, which left anyone who purchased those guitars, and Greg Howe, in the dust with nothing.
I stopped going to GC in Greenville because of the amount of noise from kids playing crap and not being able to find a seat to test any equipment. I now buy from Sweetwater for their selection and service.
@@Chris-yq7xv I posted my last horror story with GC above, but a time before the I went in and stood in line for over 10 mins with no one behind me, 4 people in the store, watching the guy struggle to price the gear trading in from the person in front of me. While the whole time 3 other employees were standing 10 feet away, chatting with each other, and I said out loud "Yo, why cant they help me?" He said they can't "Cause they work in different departments." I said "Are you F'kn kidding me?", and one of the guys come to me and said If I can't keep my tone down, I'll be asked to leave. I said don't worry, I'm leaving anyways, This is F'kn pathetic, and I will be talking to your corporate office. Which I did, and they actually let the person who approached me go. Ha. Lol. I really miss the days when the customer is always first in corporate America.
@Chris-yq7xv Funny you should say that, I noticed this becoming a problem at the GC I've been buying guitars and gear from since like 1995, so almost 30yrs. Recently I decided to learn bass, just to add to my own musical ability, and gain a better rhythm technique. Any way 3 different times I'd go in to test some various guitars I researched and talked to bass players about. So it seems every time in comes a group of 4-5 young dudes 15-17 who learned one or 2 riffs off UA-cam and they sit there taking up space making just a bunch of noise. None of them can afford the stuff they come in and grab and start screwing with. It's become bad enuf to GC has all the mid and upper tier guitars, guitars I wanna demo, have a lock on the hook so the guitar can't be taken down, no doubt in response to this traffic of wanna be dufus kids. By the way whenever possible don't buy off the floor. It never fails, there is always one or two of these idiots in the store doin that garbage.
Dude, back in 99-2005 era, I use to go to guitar center and check out gear all the time ! The Sacramento store even use to have local bands play shows in the parking lot ! It was a hub for the music scene out here. I miss those days. Now the store feels sterile and boring…. Oh, One thing I really wish they would bring back are the isolation rooms ! It was awesome to be able to crank an amp a little bit without feeling like you’re putting on a show for the entire store ! 🤘😆
I used to go to that Guitar Center on Alta Arden near Cal Expo all the time as a kid, but then again I grew up in the time period you talked about, so it was nicer when I was a kid. Feels like a small world when I saw Sacramento in the comments. I need to check out some local stores as I moved to Shasta Lake and there isn’t a Guitar Center in Redding. Not that I would go to them after watching this video😅
@@TheNate371 Yea man! The music scene in Sacramento at that time was awesome ! We had a lot of great bands around the city. The one that sticks out the most though is Papa Roach ! Of course we had Deftones but it was cool to be at ground zero when a band blows up !! It was like one day they were playing local bars then boom they were on MTV’s TRL !! Way off the guitar center subject but yea, those were good times 🤘😎
@@elus1ve0ne64 My aunt went to high school with some of the guys from Tesla, another local band, a few are family friends. My great uncle also played fiddle for Willie Nelson, but that is a longer story to tell. That city will always be home to me. I want to listen to 96.9 up here, but apparently The Eagle does not fly this far north😂 If no one gets that pun, I feel bad for you as a Sacramento native.
@@TheNate371 Thats Great !! lol Yes ! 96.9 The Eagle ! Tesla is another great Sacramento Area band !! I believe my mom knew one of the guys in Tesla from high school as well ? I think 🤔
I purchased a used "mesa" 112 cabinet from a small local guitar shop for a good price. Got home and sat staring at it and decided to remove the back and check the innards. Was a complete fake. Particle board, cheap crimp connectors. Called them, and they said bring it back for full refund. Was really good looking fake. Buyers beware!
Mine has mediocre service but is typically very dirty with a lot of empty rack spaces where they're out of inventory. Not just once, like on three occasions over more than a year. Nothing is ever in stock.
I went recently to get a speaker cable. Online showed a 6.99 cable. They only had $16 and up. Had to order the cable in so I just bought the Ernie ball one. They didn't even have a variety of ghs strings
@@ericskinner7355 and Kyle thinks it's a good idea to align himself with the sinking ship what a moron. And he obviously thinks everybody in here is a moron because he expects you to use his link so he can get some money. I take that back he's not a moron he's a total douche canoe.
I worked at guitar center for almost 5 years. Beginning of 2022 they more or less doubled their commission structure to pay their employees less. I got most of my money from commission. it amounted to a 7k pay cut selling nearly the same amount from the previous year. Needless to say I am no longer there. It really was a slap in the face. They don’t value their employees and it trickles down to the diminishing quality of their brand.
It is cool Kyle got an affiliate link. But the average employee there probably struggles to make 1% commission now. By comparison he could sell 2 Les Paul’s and get more than most of their employees do in commission per month. Just further drives home the point. Nothing against Kyle though. Like good for you dude.
I recently had to return a used amp from guitar center. as soon as it delivered I checked it out and first play it was making terrible noises (pops and screeches and farting noises) and it was described as in "Great" condition. Ended up just buying a new amp through sweetwater
How is that ? I applied with a 745 credit rating and got denied.. my first Guitar Center purchase was 1990 in Farmers Branch Texas off 635 & Spring Valley road and have bought lots of uswd gear from them in the good old days.. that pissed me off about being denied credit though.@@war2thegrave
The Guitar Center by me did the revamp. Which suprised be as I would have thought others here would have been first on the list. It’s a much nicer experience now the layout changed easier to plug into an amp, way more guitars, the locks on all of them are now gone, more expensive models have been moved down from the top into the easier to reach places, many of the cheap guitars are now up top, acoustics too, and the staff has been quick to help. Love going in now. So nice to now be able to go in and test out higher end gear that normally was a pain because an employee needed to get out the stairs and unlock it then you had to give it back. Was quite nice to be able to easily test out some higher end Gibson and LTDs.
The "corporate" way of guitar center goes back much further than you mentioned. I worked (briefly) at the Sunset Blvd location way back in 2000. I was excited when I got hired because I had some experience with gear, etc. From the moment I hit the sales floor, I was hammered with SELL, SELL, SELL - even if that meant pushing (junk) product on customers that I didn't believe in - even a little. And I was threatened with, if you don't pull your weight in sales, you'll be fired. It was aless than fun learning experience in poor treatment of employees - so I very quickly quit. They wouldn't even send me my paycheck, unless I went in to the store to have a meeting with the store manager, where he tried to bully me for quitting. It was complete horse shit. I've never trusted GC since.
I have personally used that 45 day return period. It’s really awesome that they have it. It actually encourages people if they are not a fan of their purchase for one reason or another time to upgrade.
For used gear, guitar center has always been my go to, for all the reasons you listed. Can't get burned with a no questions asked return policy. I'll use your link
Man! I can honestly say I love this content! So honest I have had so many ups and downs with GC you have solid info I have worked with musicians for years as guitar tech an absolutely love this channel look forward to seeing you try out some high end guitars and amps❤
Being underpaid is the biggest issue. I work in a department that makes no commission so I have 0 incentive. But I WANT to do good work. I asked for a raise after a year of working and was met with laughter. In one year of shipping used items, I've had ONE be damaged. So instead of giving someone that does good work a raise, they'd rather fire me or wait for me to quit and hire someone else for 11 bucks an hour. I shipped you two different amps and I feel very confident saying they arrived safely. They pray on cheap labor, not people that know what they're doing. I'm quitting at the end of the year. (I'm doing the holiday because Im too nice to leave right before)
Also, imagine being in a position where your employees WANT to spend their money at your company. Wouldn't paying them more allow them to buy more of the things they want? I almost bet if they paid employees a living wage, they'd see a PROFIT.
Almost word for word how O'Reilly Auto Parts operates xD. Hire dum dums for cheap and cycle through them. Buy out competition and constantly open more stores without being able to properly support said expansion. Left that dumpster fire not long ago.
Employee: "They don't pay me enough to do a good job, so I won't." Employer: "That employee does a crappy job, so no raise for them until the job performance improves." This is a shitty ying-yang isn't it. Pick your side, but don't dismiss the other. When you go to work for someone, it's a contract, you agree to do the work, they pay you the agreed wage/salary. Want higher wage? Show them you're worth it. This attitude of "they don't pay, so I'm going to do a crappy job" is one I don't understand. Kyle is right, doesn't require loyalty to the job, it's loyalty to yourself. Make them regret not paying you to keep you. Granted, the regret is short lived, but still, you leave there knowing you did your best.
@@okayestguitar66 100%. I go above and beyond for myself mostly. That and the customer. I know the reputation of GC shipping. That's MY job and my reputation. If anyone gets something packed and shipped by me, you're probably going to be annoyed at how well I packed it. It just can get so discouraging. "You do great work, you get like 8 hours worth done in 4" OH COOL, THANKS FOR THE 44 BUCKS BEFORE TAX. 😍
GC Davenport Iowa. Made 2 phone calls so everything would be on order on a deal I set up with an employee. I have to drive an hour to get there so MADE SURE OF EVERYTHING! When I got there the guy who I talked to was on a phone and his two buddies acted like they had no idea what I was talking about. Guy on the phone just looks over and mouths that it was a miscommunication. I was then gestured at and made fun of as I left in front of other customers. I will never spend one more dime at any GC. I will add that I am 60 years old and know about using manners and I was polite thru the whole thing. It also means at this point in my life I have a ton of cash for gear and they will get no more of it. Good luck GC.
I recently traded about 7 or 8 items in on a cabinet. The process took about 3-4 hours for no good reason. First, they had 0 clue how to test any rack gear. Second, the guy helping me casually went on lunch in the middle of it all and didn’t say anything until he came back a half hour later. The whole process was clunky and unprofessional. I heard one employee tell a customer “they don’t pay us enough to care” and I also heard another employee who th ought they knew everything spew total BS to pretty much every customer he “helped”. I felt bad for all the customers who were helped by that guy, he was completely full of shit. This was at the Fort Collins, CO location. Horrible experience every single time
@@frontline205 Although I have little faith of improvement, I appreciate you showing them. The guy who was spewing nonsense to customers was the slightly bigger guy with glasses. If you say he's a bit of a know-it-all they should know who I'm talking about. While I was there a customer was picking up a guitar that got set up and was pointing out that the strings were buzzing a lot (they were), but this employee just played it lightly, said he thought it felt fine, and then said it's only buzzing because "acoustic guitars aren't meant to be played that hard." This was a BS move to not have to deal with the problem. Pissed me off. I could tell that the customer was more experienced than the employee and I could feel that he had just made a mental note to never go there again.
That happened to me too. The manager disappeared without handing it over to another employee. After an hour of waiting, thinking the manager was working on it, an employee asked me if I was being helped. I said no and he was able to make an offer in about 10 minutes. It was a BS offer lol but still…
So glad you did this! I go on GC's used gear website every day, and i buy used amps all the time. I just used your link right now to buy some used Kali monitors. I'm always looking at GC and also your used amp list. More purchases to come! Keep up the great work, Kyle!!
Dude I worked in retail for 20 year, 12 in management, and the lack of employees is universal. The people who run the company don't give a shit about the customer service. They see employees as an expense and is usually the first to be cut. GC is on the way out and corp will be there wondering why.
I live in NJ and frequent the Paramus store. I have been shopping at GC since 2001, was briefly a Digidesign merch rep for that same GC. I have definitely become recognizable by the few select employees who are exceptional at that location, and I agree with your statement. Make friends with the good employees. I have also seen a MARKED change in the store layout and what is available. Some great guitars ON THE FLOOR (not the locked wall hangers) ready to be played on the amps on the floor. It’s a tremendously upgraded experience. While there are definite improvements to be made online and in store for them, the in store experience has definitely gotten a make over and I greatly appreciate that. Hopefully that trend improves. I also hope maybe someone from GC gets to see how well I think the Paramus location is doing. Oh and I will usually stop in to ONLY check out the used stuff. Always looking for a gem. Great video Kyle!
I’m so hesitant on buying any used guitars from them because anytime I find one I’m interested in, there’s usually really crappy pics and little to no description. The few times I’ve emailed them about an item, zero response. Frustrating because they used to be decent and I have one right down the road from me so it’s convenient.
On rare occasion the lack of attention-to-detail pays off. I just bought a used '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI that was a 1 of 100 Fender limited edition originally, then it was fully hand-wired and customized by George Alessandro. It's possible it's now 1 of 1. From my view, GC sold it for 20-30% of its value (was less than a used tone master version). I'll continue to look for that $4k Dumble they don't realize they have...
I've been coming here for years, bro, and I know, or at least I feel it to my bones, that you've always given your honest opinion. Thank you for that, bro. Love ya for that. 🤘
Just got an amp shipped last week and I wish I could show you the photo. So bad I thought it was a joke. 50lb tube head, no bubble wrap around it, just in a box loose with some brown paper.
They shipped me an amp last year, it was well packed mind you, but it was listed as "like new" and unblemished... The tolex was bubbling off of it and peeling off in spots.
My Jcm 900 was just put in a huge box not even with paper in it, the good thing is it wasn't damaged and I'm still playing it today (got it about 4 yrs ago)
Oh yeah I've ordered a couple of combos from them. None of them survived the trip unscathed. Meanwhile I've shipped dozens of huge amps myself and have NEVER had a problem.
Dude !! I am totally with ya and your brain !! I bought 2 amps from them. One was a Friedman JJ-100 head. Opened the (sold as new) box, hooked it up and nothing. Went thru everything and saw there were no power tubes. No tubes in a ( New) Friedman JJ-100. Happened to a PRS Archon 100, this one someone changed the tubes on a ( New) head and sold it as new. I was pissed and did complain. They were not really sorry for it. I had three great, amazing sales associates. Took care of me really well. Spent a good amount of money. Always came back to them for business. They left and now GC is a shell of what they used to be. Don't do much business with them.
I can tell you stories.. One time the guy behind the counter told me to buy a certain guitar string.. I buy strings by the case... I told him no I fine.. He's slightly went off and set out loud that I don't know what I'm doing and I should just take his guitar strings because he knows strings..??. I ignored him and ask for what I wanted which they did not have and left.. He wasn't offering advice. He told me I didn't know what I was doing.. It was a horrible experience
In Vegas, I was looking for a simple electric 7string set and got handed an Acoustic 58 string as the only option they had in that giant ass store full of crap
I love that you're so open about us and the integrity of your channel. I value your opinion and insight. Never change! I've bought a few used things from Cigar Center ( yes, i lovingly call Guitar Center that) and have no bad experience with those items! I am friends with my local GC manager because she's also a local musician herself, and I trust her and her staff. Hope you all have good day! Cheers, Peace. 🤘❤️🤘
I currently work at GC, I agree with everything you've said. Cool to see them finally give out affiliate links given that Sweetwater has been doing it for a while now. New CEO agrees with a lot of this (supposedly). I'm lucky to be at a store with lots of knowledgeable salespeople but as someone who's also a customer, there are SO many apathetic employees. It'd be cool if I didn't have to focus so much on being an insurance (pro coverage) salesman in addition to a guitar salesman, but c'est la vie de retail I guess. It'd be cool if our commission structure wasn't changed in a way that pays us so much less.
I hear that a lot from current employees about the virtually unattainable commission structure. AND the lower starting hourly wage! I considered applying there part time for the heck of it because I love gear but those guys don't even have time to mess around with any of it. And yea...constantly getting harped on about pushing the coverage. Bummer.
Agree. Absolutely love how the commission structure was cut and corporate used December of 2022 as an example for sales numbers and price inflation, literally just before the guitar boom died out and prices started to come back down to normal. Also love how the commission structure is exactly the same for big market stores with huge big ticket pro audio items and platinum rooms as it is for my third tier store that sells $6k-$9k total per day. As a seasoned musician who helps actually sell items it would be nice to get paid more than the street hires who are basically just cashiers.
That pro coverage is a big plus for GC, no doubt… BUT… it’s also saved me thousands of dollars. For one example, a $3000 Les Paul got damaged in transit. Luckily I had pro coverage, and got a brand new Les Paul that was on sale, so had enough left over to get a couple of boss pedals. Definitely worth the extra money, if it’s in your budget.
@@PookieWookieBear-on2ln I’ve worked there as well. If memory serves me correctly, you have to be somewhere around 35-40% PCA. That’s honestly not hard to do, if you have the right pitch. I consistently stayed around 45% or higher. And I worked in the Spartanburg SC location….Not exactly prime real estate for big budgets. With commission, I averaged making about $25-$35 per hour. Not too shabby for a part timer that only worked 2 week days per week. Just gotta dig in and work on your pitches. Hitting 40% is definitely realistic. (But it also helped that I had personal experience using the pro coverage..so throwing something like my example in your pitch could help)
I used to work for Guitar Center and store employees are under trained unless they're already passionate about a specific gear type. I can also relate to how corporate focused that they are and how frustrating it is especially being a former employee. Props to them for making you an affiliate though and maybe the company will learn from their mistakes!
I bought a really nice used Michael Kelly from G.C. in February. I've worked for them in '03, and have been buying from them since just before Daddys Junky Music closed for good. The staff today doesn't care at all and seem like you're bothering them by being there. It's a bad look.
The only thing I'll buy from GC is strings and it's strictly out of convenience. Anything else is Sweetwater all day everyday. Sweetwater needs to get into the used market.
Sweetwater has a Reverb presence and the store is listed as "Gearnuts" I believe. If you watch their listings regularly you can sometimes find them selling new overstock as used for a discount and used gear.
Dude you’re the man, as a ops associate at guitar center who’s packing used gear every day, I agree with everything that you’re saying. I try my hardest to pack everything , as hard as it is sometimes, as if it’s going to my favorite musician.
I have dealt with Guitar Center 2 times. Have never been a big fan. I have dealt with Sweetwater for over 10 years. They are amazing. They have the most knowledgeable salespeople and their Customer Service and Repair Personnel are second to none. I have on my Bucket List to visit their campus. It's like a city. A Facebook friend of mine works there. That would be my dream job (only I'd be afraid of spending my entire pay check on gear).
Sweetwater for life. Love that company. They take good care of me, and are always available. I would never order from another company again. I bought a used Wampler phenom distortion from GC about a year ago. 10$ off because it was a store demo model. Well, it was broken. I would have rather have spent the 10$ and had one that works. I am suspicious that they knew it was crap and sold it to me to get it out of there rather than just throwing it out.
I just did some business with them at the Eugene Oregon store and it was a nightmare. Took me 2 weeks to trade in some gear to pick up a Katana Artist. Gentleman I was dealing with had no clue about guitars, pedals, amps. He didn't even know what a Tonex pedal was as it was one of the items I traded in along with a Blackstar head, Bugera cab and a Dean ML. He was always busy with other customers as well throughout this process. Hopefully it is the last time I ever deal with Guitar Center.
It's valuable to have someone who is willing to speak up and communicate with corporate. As customers, our concerns can often go unnoticed. I strongly believe that when raising issues, it's important to also propose a reasonable solution.
I’ll say this I’ve been to a guitar center to get a quote or trading in a guitar and I could easily see how the employees could get distracted or rushed through the process of correctly identifying a guitar. Here’s what happened when I went in I was at the counter, waiting to have my guitar looked at, there was one kid helping and the other employees were taking care of other customers and the counter was so busy and quickly escalated to seven or eight people waiting in line and not enough staff to help people out and customers were getting frustrated and it was somewhat of a nightmare just getting thetrade-in price for a guitar and sitting there and observing all of the other action happening.
Great video, you definitely hit it out of the park. Exactly how I've been feeling about shopping there the past couple of years. You know the saying " The squeaky wheel gets the Grease " Back in the early 2000's I literally was there every weekend and everyone at both of my local guitar centers knew me very well, it just hasn't been the same since. I've been lucky with my used online purchases lately 🤞 I've been searching for a couple of things and will definitely use your link if find them in their used selection. 👍
I bought my first guitar from Guitar Center back in 1996 - an Ibanez Iceman. That was THE place to go in the 90s. They had "rehearsal rooms" which were completely soundproof, and you could go in there and jam complete with 50W amps and a pretty extensive pedal board. There was an entire room wall to wall with guitars from $300 Yamaha's to $6000 Martins, and you could play anyone one you wanted to. I went into one a couple of weeks ago and I got a little sad. The old spirit is gone.
I recently moved to Canada and have visited Guitar Center’s Canadian counterpart Long & McQuade. I’ve only visited the one local to me but it is night and day difference from most Guitar Centers. The staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, I bought a guitar and the sales guy was almost as pumped with my guitar choice as me 😆. Their store is well stocked, clean and organized. I was expecting the same experience as most Guitar Centers in the US but I was pleasantly surprised.
My local Guitar Center in NE Portland has always been great when I shop there. Sounds like most aren't as good as mine, but I do want to give some props to a deserving store. No pushy sales, no dimwit employees, returns are a breeze when needed, etc. No, I'm not affiliated with them in any way- just a customer that has spent a pretty penny over the years there
I met you at guitar fest and was so shook that you were there my mind went blank couldn't even remember your name I felt so stoopid! Haha I literally watch your vids all the time it's a huge past time of mine lol. Your always so blunt and I love it! I'm super excited about this because I love gc as a kid and teenager and past years I've been so disappointed literally avoiding gc like the black plague! I hope this works out and I look forward to it!
I bought a C-1 FRS SLS elite new and a factory refurbished 1st gen Headrush pedalboard from Sweetwater. Nothing but good things to say about them. Their online sales tec's made my purchases smooth like butter. The Headrush looked and functioned like new, had a 3 year warranty and at $550 was crazy deal. For Canadian players Long & McQuade is tough to beat. Their staff are helpful and honest. They have alot of used and demo products available on their website, sometimes at crazy low prices. Even if gear is at another location, you can have it shipped to the location close to you for free. 30 day return policy. If you don't know how to setup a guitar L&M will do a setup on guitars shipped from other stores. On used/demo's they put on fresh strings of your choice.
The "Message Us" button that is on every used ad; I have never gotten an email response about a product and I often try hoping things will change at Guitar Center. I have had pretty good luck but I've also bought vintage amps that only showed a photo of the front, or not very good photos of the back, and didn't show that someone had drilled holes in the back or that the serial number does not match the year the amp is supposed to be. That said if any of you are looking for US made stratocasters for under $1,000 they have a bunch of Highway One models right now (15 all under $1,000, as low as $650). 2006 and newer should have the big '70s style headstock and nitro laquer paint. The earlier ones had the regular headstock and I believe poly paint. Both have the vintage 6 screw style trem system.
I once went in guitar center.. And the guy who serviced My guitar.. Was one of the best guitar techs I've ever seen..... He was only working there for a couple months while he was on tour with his band... This old guitar center style was awesome. Those guys knew what they talked about..
Truly, thank you for the constant fight to try to improve the corporate hellhole, that is the company we once loved and called home. From a nearly-recent past employee who has shipped to you, (I hope you enjoyed the note in the Les Paul JR from North Olmsted
I sympathize with GC, I was always surprised how well they weeded out the irresponsible party animal vibe considering it's a music store, but I've had so many bad experiences with feeling unwelcome there I just dread going now. I got my first guitar there when I was a little kid.
GC employee here. My coworkers all care a lot, we love gear and love our jobs, but you have to keep in mind that customers will try to sell us literal piles of junk every single day - boxes of crusty old cables, toy Casio keyboards with 30 years of dust on them, their kid’s First Act guitar with 3 strings missing, sketchy Amazon drop ship brands, and yes, Chibsons and other counterfeits. 99% of it gets turned away, but on the right day at the right time you get a situation where the employee buying in guitar gear is actually a drummer or keyboard player and just doesn’t have the expertise in that area. If we did full teardown inspections of every piece of used gear that came in, no one would sell us anything because the process would take twice as long as it already does. As Kyle mentioned our 45 day return policy is ridiculously lenient for exactly that reason - it’s not like Reverb where you have to message the seller who immediately denies that anything is wrong with the item and refuses to refund you until you escalate.
Its nothing against you but ive never walked into a guitar center in the past 12 or so years where an employee has been even more than slightly more knowledgeable than the surface level about stuff theyre selling. Ive walked into a GC once asking if theyre an ibanez dealer and they didnt even know what i was asking. Its a joke. The only time GC is ever worth using is if theres a crazy used deal (there rarely is the used price are insanely high usually) or if i want to order a guitar to the store before i purchase it. My friend and i are restoring his old 89 rg550 and had one of the techs at GC work on the electronics and do a setup. The setup was bad and he messed a ton of stuff up, and sent the old parts to another customer on accident and refused to replace them. Weve since never shopped there again outside of ordering a mesa cab. Used gear has terrible photos if any, truly a lack of care, the customer service is essentially nonexistent at times. Sweetwater and Reverb are our go tos now. I really dont see GC being around in 10 years unless they really fix their act
This is a great comment. I worked in pawnshops for many many years, and at one of these particular stores we mostly dealt with instruments and jewelry. A gentleman came in with these one of a kind electric guitars by a brand we hadn’t heard of, but they were very nice and seemed to be well built. They had a website, a few reviews, and NO sold eBay listings. At first we didn’t want to take them in because of the risk, however our boss really didn’t like us turning items away, unless we knew for sure they were garbage. I think we ended up taking 10 of these guitars. This dude was building these guitars, didn’t have a good run with them, and sold them off like they were collectors guitars that he had purchased. We managed to sell them all. But man. That was tough.
Nah dude, just like homie said in the first few mins, when your main job is selling guitars, you need to be knowledgeable enough to spot a fake guitar lol, I don't even go to the guitar center in my area because the people working there are just people who have a background in cashiering not music lol
Honestly, big props to you for this. The GC used site has been a goldmine for used gear at a reasonable price. Especially cabinets. The $29 freight shipping is lifesaver. Hopefully your recommendations will result in some changes!
Thank you for making this video I always suspected something was going on with the used sections but I am not knowledgeable enough etc.. Omg thank you for exposing them. Definitely work with them they and your fans need a honest guy in there…
We love you Kyle! As since we know that GC is watching, Audrey, Brandon and Frank from the North olmstead location are some of the best they could hope for!
I’m with you, I’ve got a long purchase history with GC, and with their used section, it’s actually one of my secret places to buy gear, because yea the GC employees do a bad job of photographing and documenting the used gear they’re selling, but if you have a good eye, and stick with electronics and pedals, you can get bargains on there for sure, but like you’re saying, buyer beware for sure with them, it shouldn’t be risky for newbs to shop there (which is unfortunate, but it’s never too late to turn that around. Cheers to your partnership, I’ll always have a soft spot for them, as rough as the retail biz is for them
I like what you are saying. I hope that Guitar Center returns to what they once were. It would be a better world. Unfortunately, until they have someone running it with a passion for music, they probably won’t get better
I buy a lot from their used section for the same reason you mention-the hassle-free returns are a big plus. It’s great to know you have an affiliate link; I’ll be sure to use it next time!
i would like to work at guitar center because i want to help inspire others to start learning music, music in my opinion is food for the soul and i think i could inspire so many now i dont know a lot about guitars or other musical instruments but i am currently learning to play guitar myself. and at this point in my life my passion for the rest of my life is going to be music learning to play, learning about gear( guitars, drums, bass, piano, acoustic, sound equipment, etc) all learning will never end but the more i am around it the more im sure i can learn and i found my elder have so much knowledge so i do listen to them as well.
Great to know that! I really want guitar center to go back to its roots. I still buy from them, but have had many trouble with used items, too. Congrats on the channel, on the video and on the partnership! Best guitar related channel on UA-cam!
6:55 I'm very glad that you want them to take notice. The thing I want is just more than one crappy picture and possibly a half-decent description of used items. Take a quick look and describe condition and verify what's included. Not too hard :)
Lowly GC associate here! Like another commenter said, I too work in a store that I feel has a great group of employees who actually know their stuff- and it surprises me that that isn't the norm... why work in a music store if you don't know, or care, about the gear?? Same goes for the Ops team with packing: why work here if you aren't going to pack things right. I know there are times when they get absolutely swamped with work but still. Fault should also be put on the shipping companies as well and not just GC... but ooooweeee some of the packing jobs I've seen were dreadful! The stories I've heard about how GC used to be sound like a dream. The commission tier took a big change last year and is great for big sellers, but sucks for those who don't work the "good days" or have a busy store. You're attitude isn't going to be nice when you know you're only making base pay when commissions rolls around and there's an easy fix for that. There's so much to say about GC (good and bad) and I totally get why people use Sweetwater over GC. Hopefully things change for GC because they really need to up their game in order to stay around.
I’ve had the same stance that’s similar in the sense that, whenever I’m being critical about ANYTHING, it’s because I DO STILL CARE and want to see them either GET BACK or MOVE FORWARD successfully because the open market needs healthy and good competition for the consumer to get the best out of a product for the companies that want to draw you in. At the end of the day, if I REALLY don’t care, I’m not gonna waste my energy, let alone make a UA-cam video about it. So awesome to hear!
So I actually had forgotten about used at guitar center and you talking about it made start using it again, so there smart to partner with you, will try the link next time around :)
I get my used gear at Guitar Center also. I've only had one problem and that was the truss rod stripped and they couldn't fix it so they refunded it to me. I always go to my guitar tech and have the guitar checked out in case there's a problem with it and then I address this at the Guitar Center. I do what makes me happy and not listen to people with negative comments. Life is too short and you'll always be criticized so do what you love. Keep up the good work😉
A few years ago I bought a used BC Rich online. Lots of pointy parts. It arrived literally sticking out of the box and badly damaged. I realize this can happen, but they should also realize it. It was very poorly packaged and was just asking to be destroyed. They accepted it back without any fuss, but it was a Warlock that perfectly matched a Mockingbird that I already had. Never found that matching finish again. They suggested I have items delivered to the store, it might be safer. So, I ordered a Orange 112 cab in excellent condition. The picture was decent. I went to pick it up and they'd dropped it on the corner and crushed one of the corner protectors. No longer excellent. I refused to buy it. He said, "fine with me. I'll sell it to someone else in no time." I wasn't impressed with the TLC or attitude regarding used purchases. It might go fine if I tried again, but burn me twice...
I remember going into Guitar Center a few times, and knowing more about the amps, and pedals I was looking at, more than the employees working there!!!
Yep, and what sucks is that guitar center has driven so many guitar stores out of business and made it really hard for anyone else to start their own shop. My friends and I used to go this little shop called Russell’s Music in fort Pierce FL. We didn’t have much money but would buy strings and picks etc. The owner, Wallace, would never give us any grief and the sales guys Mark and Dan were never above spending time talking to a bunch of teenagers. I miss that place
You hit the nail on the head. Emploree's from Guitar Center need to be trained by someone in the field actually that is gigging or really need's actual help with repair's and such. I was sold wrong gear before with no trial of the product. I'm not saying I was the perfect shopper, but I'm not claiming I was right conveying what I needed, but I think you were right in saying thing's need to change.❤
Its a raw deal when a pawn shop mis identifies an X series martin like what happened 15 years ago to me . The pawn shop owed me 175 but because they misidentify it they paid me 1400.
I worked at GC in the early 2000's for 5 years. Things have gone down hill since then. I have noticed lately, they have tried a lot harder to try to bring back the golden age. I am glad to hear of the changes and I am glad to see the changes.
Guitar Center here in St Louis (Watson Rd) sold me a used Jackson Dinky with Grover Jackson's signature on the head stock. Well, the whammy bar they gave me didn't even work with the trem. Wouldn't thread in at all. After removing the string plate, I noticed the serial number had been scalloped out. Worthless. Paid $1K for it. They refused to take it back because it was purchased used. Never EVER trust the people at GC. They KNEW it was worthless and still sold it to me.
Glad to see you partner with guitar center. Hopefully this means they'll start better business practices and ship better products to people instead of brokem, damaged or something completely different than what was advertised on the site.
I go to my local GC for strings,picks, and basice supplies. What i have noticed last couple months is that the employees seem to be more helpful. But the main thing i noticed is all the high end Gibsons,strats and such are now on the lowest wall racks were anybody can grab a $3k les paul and play without asking and all the low end budget guitars are at the top out of reach. Mid level guitars are now just above the low racks. It has never been like that in the 12 yrs they been here local. Plus it has been much better stocked and organized.
Hanlon's Razor applies to retail in general. That being said, I bought a used EVH Wolfgang Standard for less than half of retail at a local GC a few months ago. It was used, missing the Tremolo bar and a tone knob, and was set up terribly. The salesman gave me new knobs, a trem bar from the back, and after I set it up properly (including switching the direction of the pickup selector switch like Eddie liked it) it's a fantastic axe. I have seen some real junk there, though, especially the amps.
Yes, they need a Guitar Center Cafe and Lounge for real that will be so rad for us musicians hanging out chilling eating food like a home away from home. Not too much overboard though. There are so many of us online around this beautiful place we all call home that yet they as well as all the others are now being more small business family oriented focussed! That is what is needed to turn survival into Triving in Excellence!!!
I'm glad to hear they've made you an affiliate and i hope the deal works out in your favor. It's a good step in the right direction for them to reward constructive criticism. I'd rather not play guitar than do business with Guitar Center. Their customer service has been garbage and I'd rather support either a mom and pop shop or a corp that actually gives a shit like Sweetwater.
the last time i bought an instrument through GC used, they handed me a box. i said "do you want to open this up so we can check it out?" they said "nah, if there's a problem just bring it back". didn't care for that. bought an amp head last year. asked to test it out, and they were happy to oblige. better. there was also the time i bought a microphone that never shipped. i was refunded. then it was listed again. so i bought it again. and i was refunded again. maybe the mic didn't actually exist. nothing lost there, just a week of being really frustrated. it's inspiring to see you helping them find their way again. so much of the music community needs what i've been calling "common sense advisors". lots of gear manufacturers just aren't paying attention to what we want. the buying experience feels like a gamble most of the time. they need to be listening to more of us. and you are a great representative for that.
I worked GC as a warehouse manager many years ago, and there were issues when it comes to shipping even then. Packing materials weren’t provided. When I shipped something, I had to reuse boxes and packing mats from items we received. Finding a box that actually fit well was a pain at times, especially when items had to go out that day. I believe there was technically a way to order boxes/etc but that was out of my hands and took money from the stores profits, so that wasn’t really in a cards. Still, I only had one item damaged in shipping (an out of box and very heavy Williams digital piano that was impossible to ship with random sized boxes and no firm styrofoam packing). I can’t speak for how things are now, but sales were the only thing that mattered. It’s was all about the numbers and everything on the operations/warehouse side doesn’t directly generate money. Commission sales and pressure to hit/beat the numbers is not a good mix, and how the company treated operations then was bad. From what I’ve heard, it’s gotten much worse since I left over a decade ago. I hope they turn things around, but I don’t have a lot of hope. The shopping experience and sales team may improve, but I not sure they are going to do anything to improve things behind the scenes with operations. That side will continue to be short staffed, underpaid, overworked, and get the blame for a lot of things beyond their control. They can train staff all they want, but it’s not going to make a lick of difference if qualified and knowledgeable people don’t want to work there. Can’t imagine turnover has decreased over the years.
It seems like they’re on their way similar to how Circuit City closed. At one point people went to CC for the knowledgeable staff and quality selection, once they pulled their appliances (quality products on the floor) and took away commissions people stopped going as the staff didn’t know or care about their issues. It feels the same when I walk into GC now. Might sound odd, but I get kinda stoked when I see our pedals in the used section, like I feel a part of the history that GC was. Though I have to shout out Corpus Christi’s GC as they are hands down the best store I’ve ever been in, everyone is knowledgeable and steps up fast to help out.
When i first started shopping at Guitar Center in Bakersfield California a little over 20 years ago it was amazing! Almost all of the employees there were people i would see on stage every week playing gigs in bands. Some of the employees were even older local legends. I really miss those days! For a while in recent years Mike from the band Adema was a manager there and it was a good store again for a while, but last i heard they're about the standard Guitar Center you hear mostly negative about. I remember one time in the rough years when i brought in a nearly new $400+ ride cymbal to sell or trade and they offered me $50 cash or $75 store credit 😂
I worked for Guitar Center early 2000s. We were well-trained and had weekly visits from product managers and had to be certified on product lines and specific products. It made us deadly as sales people because we knew the ins and outs of everything. For five years, I was running two departments managing 15 people. It was a blast. Then we lost Gibson, Mesa and they cut costs and employees and I was working 12 hour days / 5 days a week. There are some great people who work there from the old regime that really care. however the new people couldn’t give a shit less
Greetings, everything you say is true, it happened to me twice in the now deceased Samash store. Two guitars, one fake Steinberger Spirit and another with a fake Epiphone Les Paul as well. But when I brought an authentic Bc Rich NJ series they told me they had doubts about the authenticity. The employees are poorly paid and frustrated with being musicians and having to work selling and not playing music and they are poorly trained but they make you believe that they know a lot. That is why empires fall due to arrogance and mediocrity. Keep us informed and thank you for that.
This is actually a great video. I loved guitar center when I was a kid. Feel the same way with what’s going on right now. I hope they figure it out because I used to love going in and finding something that caught my eye.
So.....what would you like to see with this new partnership? Let me know below!
My new Guitar Center Affiliate Code, which works on EVERYTHING including USED GEAR! - guitar-center.pxf.io/c/2923549/1125892/14264
Kyle - no discount on used gear showing up - any ideas?
@@edwardgrassel872 sorry man, it's an affiliate link. there's no discount attached to it, I just get a percentage of whatever you buy. I realize that's not much incentive to buy other than just knowing that you're helping me out
@@belligerentamateurdo you still get a piece on used gear?
@@texashatemachine420 i do! 10%
Without knowing how the corporation is structured I would think that all used equipment should go to one Central hub where everything is checked out by experts working together,
full description of the product and also yes beautiful pictures taken with a quality camera that you can zoom in on and see some detail,
we want to see the country of origin,
we want to see tags and labels,
we want to see and know as much as possible,
Perhaps a checklist !😉
The untrained people are also sometimes a value: undervalued, incorrectly labeled used equipment is a great goldmine.
i dont disagree there. haha
also for selling gear 😈
I got a USA Dean ML Custom Shop (probably around $2000+ EASILY, likely more) for $350 because it was a one off and the staff had no idea it was worth anything. I had to make sure it wasn’t a fake but serial number checked out
May have got a used hammer
standard for under $300 like that.
I told them I wanted 2 cymbal stands that came in one box and they brought me the box they receive them in when they get a shipment. They never opened it, when I got to opening to my surprise there was 4 in there and they only charged me for 2 😂
I bought a rack case from guitar center. Asked the guy behind the counter if the screws were inside the case. He said you don't need any, it's already assembled 🙄
That sounds about right.
😂😂😂😂😂
I was looking for electric guitar strings with gauges larger than 52 and got handed a single 58 ACOUSTIC String as the biggest they had in the store 😂
@@infinidominion Should’ve said “Perfect I will take 6 of them”
I used to go to Guitar Center all the time. The store here in Greenville, South Carolina has gone downhill more than any retail establishment I’ve ever seen. It used to be very nice. Staffed well with knowledgeable employees and a huge selection of items. Now you cannot get help at all. I’ve gone in to spend over $1000 on a guitar and felt like an inconvenience to the employees there. They act like taking used gear is a hassle, and have even said they don’t do it unless it’s certain days and times. They don’t even keep strings in stock. I live 10 minutes from that Greenville location and will drive 40 minutes to Spartanburg to buy from their location. The Spartanburg store is a shining example of a Guitar Center. The difference between the two is night and day, and it’s sad because Greenville is a large market and deserves better. If anybody who works for Guitar Center sees this, please do something about your Greenville location.
I don’t know if things have changed at that location. I was playing at a club in the South Carolina 10-12 years ago. It was in the Greenville area, Handlebar I believe. The opening act had a member that worked at the store. The entire band was outfitted with gear from the store. They’d bring it back and sell it as new after gigging with it. That’s why most of the gear they sell is beat to hell. I’d imagine it’s not the only location that does this.
Went in there today and got picks and just about every guitar in there is in deplorable condition had $1499 bass on the wall with broken tuner like someone had dropped I pointed it out and they just said when it gets bought they’ll fix it.
GC sucks now days. Tried to bring a new Jackson in to the Katy Tx location to have it setup and was told "Sorry we don't setup guitars with Floyd Rose's" What kind of BS its that?
I got to North Charlotte and Pineville and have similar experiences. Honestly I just tell them I’m browsing and don’t need any help until I’m ready to make a purchase (IF I make a purchase) to minimize the interactions I may have. Besides, I’m pretty sure most people that watch channels like Kyle or Fluff or Agufish already know what they’re going for. I won’t set foot in a GC without looking at their store website to see if they have the item in stock anyways lol
Go to the Spartanburg store… 1000 times better
They have a Fake Ibanez JEM on the site as of writing this.
Ruh ro 😬 mistakes happen I guess
imagine having to make your money by faking an ibanez
Unfortunately for guitar center, Sweetwater came along and improved the buying experience 10 x
Guitar center just could not match Sweetwater for quality, customer satisfaction, price, guarantees, or selection
Yeah, but you can’t play guitar for 45 days and then return it at Sweetwater the return policy kind of sucks really
@metalfreak9386 never had a problem. Have returned items after playing for several weeks. Their return policy and process is the best IMO.
No contest between Sweetwater and anyone else.
My last experience before switching to sweetwater was ordering a brand new Marshall dsl40 combo, I received a floor model with gunk all over the faceplate and sans foot switch. I talked to they're operations manager in Georgia who couldn't have cared less, I reported them to the bbb and they immediately tried to bribe me with fake gift cards and store credit that didn't work.
@metalfreak9386 they have a 30 day return policy. I also think that they don't need customers who think they need 45 days of try something to decide if it's right for them. 🤣
@@mawhit1176well why did you accept it in the first place. At Guitar Center when im buying a new guitar il ask for one not on display and with the box. If they dont have any others in the back and only have the display model. I will ask for a percentage off the guitar. Usually they give me the discount..
I remember when The Guitologist used to do dumpster dives on GC stores because they would simply throw away gear which just needed some minor fixing to get working. Then they caught up to it and made it harder for that to be done. There was also that story when they screwed Greg Howe over. He had a signature guitar with Laguna, then GC just decided to discontinue the brand altogether, which left anyone who purchased those guitars, and Greg Howe, in the dust with nothing.
U gotta be dog styling me, they screwed Greg like that!!! What a fiasco.
I stopped going to GC in Greenville because of the amount of noise from kids playing crap and not being able to find a seat to test any equipment. I now buy from Sweetwater for their selection and service.
@@Chris-yq7xv I posted my last horror story with GC above, but a time before the I went in and stood in line for over 10 mins with no one behind me, 4 people in the store, watching the guy struggle to price the gear trading in from the person in front of me. While the whole time 3 other employees were standing 10 feet away, chatting with each other, and I said out loud "Yo, why cant they help me?" He said they can't "Cause they work in different departments." I said "Are you F'kn kidding me?", and one of the guys come to me and said If I can't keep my tone down, I'll be asked to leave. I said don't worry, I'm leaving anyways, This is F'kn pathetic, and I will be talking to your corporate office. Which I did, and they actually let the person who approached me go. Ha. Lol. I really miss the days when the customer is always first in corporate America.
@Chris-yq7xv Funny you should say that, I noticed this becoming a problem at the GC I've been buying guitars and gear from since like 1995, so almost 30yrs. Recently I decided to learn bass, just to add to my own musical ability, and gain a better rhythm technique. Any way 3 different times I'd go in to test some various guitars I researched and talked to bass players about. So it seems every time in comes a group of 4-5 young dudes 15-17 who learned one or 2 riffs off UA-cam and they sit there taking up space making just a bunch of noise. None of them can afford the stuff they come in and grab and start screwing with. It's become bad enuf to GC has all the mid and upper tier guitars, guitars I wanna demo, have a lock on the hook so the guitar can't be taken down, no doubt in response to this traffic of wanna be dufus kids. By the way whenever possible don't buy off the floor. It never fails, there is always one or two of these idiots in the store doin that garbage.
Tldr
Dude, back in 99-2005 era, I use to go to guitar center and check out gear all the time ! The Sacramento store even use to have local bands play shows in the parking lot ! It was a hub for the music scene out here. I miss those days.
Now the store feels sterile and boring….
Oh, One thing I really wish they would bring back are the isolation rooms ! It was awesome to be able to crank an amp a little bit without feeling like you’re putting on a show for the entire store ! 🤘😆
Elusive Furs!!
I used to go to that Guitar Center on Alta Arden near Cal Expo all the time as a kid, but then again I grew up in the time period you talked about, so it was nicer when I was a kid. Feels like a small world when I saw Sacramento in the comments. I need to check out some local stores as I moved to Shasta Lake and there isn’t a Guitar Center in Redding. Not that I would go to them after watching this video😅
@@TheNate371
Yea man! The music scene in Sacramento at that time was awesome ! We had a lot of great bands around the city. The one that sticks out the most though is Papa Roach ! Of course we had Deftones but it was cool to be at ground zero when a band blows up !!
It was like one day they were playing local bars then boom they were on MTV’s TRL !!
Way off the guitar center subject but yea, those were good times 🤘😎
@@elus1ve0ne64 My aunt went to high school with some of the guys from Tesla, another local band, a few are family friends. My great uncle also played fiddle for Willie Nelson, but that is a longer story to tell. That city will always be home to me. I want to listen to 96.9 up here, but apparently The Eagle does not fly this far north😂 If no one gets that pun, I feel bad for you as a Sacramento native.
@@TheNate371 Thats Great !! lol
Yes ! 96.9 The Eagle !
Tesla is another great Sacramento Area band !!
I believe my mom knew one of the guys in Tesla from high school as well ?
I think
🤔
I purchased a used "mesa" 112 cabinet from a small local guitar shop for a good price. Got home and sat staring at it and decided to remove the back and check the innards. Was a complete fake. Particle board, cheap crimp connectors. Called them, and they said bring it back for full refund. Was really good looking fake. Buyers beware!
Should’ve taken it to guitar center and flip it
Worst customer service at the store.
I won't even buy strings there anymore. No reason to go back.
My local store has excellent customer service.
Mine has mediocre service but is typically very dirty with a lot of empty rack spaces where they're out of inventory. Not just once, like on three occasions over more than a year. Nothing is ever in stock.
I went recently to get a speaker cable. Online showed a 6.99 cable. They only had $16 and up. Had to order the cable in so I just bought the Ernie ball one. They didn't even have a variety of ghs strings
wah
@@ericskinner7355 and Kyle thinks it's a good idea to align himself with the sinking ship what a moron. And he obviously thinks everybody in here is a moron because he expects you to use his link so he can get some money. I take that back he's not a moron he's a total douche canoe.
I worked at guitar center for almost 5 years. Beginning of 2022 they more or less doubled their commission structure to pay their employees less. I got most of my money from commission. it amounted to a 7k pay cut selling nearly the same amount from the previous year. Needless to say I am no longer there. It really was a slap in the face. They don’t value their employees and it trickles down to the diminishing quality of their brand.
It is cool Kyle got an affiliate link. But the average employee there probably struggles to make 1% commission now. By comparison he could sell 2 Les Paul’s and get more than most of their employees do in commission per month. Just further drives home the point. Nothing against Kyle though. Like good for you dude.
I go to GC for expertise from staff like I do the staff at Walmart on televisions. Just know there’s zero expertise from box stores.
Very funny comment, but so true 😂
I recently had to return a used amp from guitar center. as soon as it delivered I checked it out and first play it was making terrible noises (pops and screeches and farting noises) and it was described as in "Great" condition. Ended up just buying a new amp through sweetwater
There's a fake Ironbird going around on their site, it's been bought and returned and resold several times.
Tell them to reinstate layaway. It’s insane they took it away.
THIS!!
That isn't going to happen. Credit is way too easy to get, and the bank gives them a cut of the interest.
How is that ? I applied with a 745 credit rating and got denied.. my first Guitar Center purchase was 1990 in Farmers Branch Texas off 635 & Spring Valley road and have bought lots of uswd gear from them in the good old days.. that pissed me off about being denied credit though.@@war2thegrave
The Guitar Center by me did the revamp. Which suprised be as I would have thought others here would have been first on the list. It’s a much nicer experience now the layout changed easier to plug into an amp, way more guitars, the locks on all of them are now gone, more expensive models have been moved down from the top into the easier to reach places, many of the cheap guitars are now up top, acoustics too, and the staff has been quick to help. Love going in now. So nice to now be able to go in and test out higher end gear that normally was a pain because an employee needed to get out the stairs and unlock it then you had to give it back. Was quite nice to be able to easily test out some higher end Gibson and LTDs.
The "corporate" way of guitar center goes back much further than you mentioned. I worked (briefly) at the Sunset Blvd location way back in 2000. I was excited when I got hired because I had some experience with gear, etc. From the moment I hit the sales floor, I was hammered with SELL, SELL, SELL - even if that meant pushing (junk) product on customers that I didn't believe in - even a little. And I was threatened with, if you don't pull your weight in sales, you'll be fired. It was aless than fun learning experience in poor treatment of employees - so I very quickly quit. They wouldn't even send me my paycheck, unless I went in to the store to have a meeting with the store manager, where he tried to bully me for quitting. It was complete horse shit. I've never trusted GC since.
I have personally used that 45 day return period. It’s really awesome that they have it. It actually encourages people if they are not a fan of their purchase for one reason or another time to upgrade.
For used gear, guitar center has always been my go to, for all the reasons you listed. Can't get burned with a no questions asked return policy. I'll use your link
Man! I can honestly say I love this content! So honest I have had so many ups and downs with GC you have solid info I have worked with musicians for years as guitar tech an absolutely love this channel look forward to seeing you try out some high end guitars and amps❤
Being underpaid is the biggest issue. I work in a department that makes no commission so I have 0 incentive. But I WANT to do good work. I asked for a raise after a year of working and was met with laughter. In one year of shipping used items, I've had ONE be damaged. So instead of giving someone that does good work a raise, they'd rather fire me or wait for me to quit and hire someone else for 11 bucks an hour. I shipped you two different amps and I feel very confident saying they arrived safely. They pray on cheap labor, not people that know what they're doing. I'm quitting at the end of the year. (I'm doing the holiday because Im too nice to leave right before)
Also, imagine being in a position where your employees WANT to spend their money at your company. Wouldn't paying them more allow them to buy more of the things they want? I almost bet if they paid employees a living wage, they'd see a PROFIT.
That’s almost certainly a trickle down from the attitude at the top of the company. Really sad and disgusting.
Almost word for word how O'Reilly Auto Parts operates xD. Hire dum dums for cheap and cycle through them. Buy out competition and constantly open more stores without being able to properly support said expansion. Left that dumpster fire not long ago.
Employee: "They don't pay me enough to do a good job, so I won't."
Employer: "That employee does a crappy job, so no raise for them until the job performance improves."
This is a shitty ying-yang isn't it. Pick your side, but don't dismiss the other. When you go to work for someone, it's a contract, you agree to do the work, they pay you the agreed wage/salary. Want higher wage? Show them you're worth it. This attitude of "they don't pay, so I'm going to do a crappy job" is one I don't understand. Kyle is right, doesn't require loyalty to the job, it's loyalty to yourself. Make them regret not paying you to keep you. Granted, the regret is short lived, but still, you leave there knowing you did your best.
@@okayestguitar66 100%. I go above and beyond for myself mostly. That and the customer. I know the reputation of GC shipping. That's MY job and my reputation. If anyone gets something packed and shipped by me, you're probably going to be annoyed at how well I packed it. It just can get so discouraging.
"You do great work, you get like 8 hours worth done in 4"
OH COOL, THANKS FOR THE 44 BUCKS BEFORE TAX. 😍
GC Davenport Iowa. Made 2 phone calls so everything would be on order on a deal I set up with an employee. I have to drive an hour to get there so MADE SURE OF EVERYTHING! When I got there the guy who I talked to was on a phone and his two buddies acted like they had no idea what I was talking about. Guy on the phone just looks over and mouths that it was a miscommunication. I was then gestured at and made fun of as I left in front of other customers. I will never spend one more dime at any GC. I will add that I am 60 years old and know about using manners and I was polite thru the whole thing. It also means at this point in my life I have a ton of cash for gear and they will get no more of it. Good luck GC.
Hello Sweetwater!
Congrats on your deal with Guitar Centre !! It’s great that they’re listening to you and it’s a win for the customers too.
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
I recently traded about 7 or 8 items in on a cabinet. The process took about 3-4 hours for no good reason. First, they had 0 clue how to test any rack gear. Second, the guy helping me casually went on lunch in the middle of it all and didn’t say anything until he came back a half hour later. The whole process was clunky and unprofessional. I heard one employee tell a customer “they don’t pay us enough to care” and I also heard another employee who th ought they knew everything spew total BS to pretty much every customer he “helped”. I felt bad for all the customers who were helped by that guy, he was completely full of shit. This was at the Fort Collins, CO location. Horrible experience every single time
...at where? lol
@@CS-ru4xdit’s in northern Colorado
I go to that guitar center all the time and know a few of those guys there personally. I’ll show the bosses your message. To put em on blast.
@@frontline205 Although I have little faith of improvement, I appreciate you showing them. The guy who was spewing nonsense to customers was the slightly bigger guy with glasses. If you say he's a bit of a know-it-all they should know who I'm talking about. While I was there a customer was picking up a guitar that got set up and was pointing out that the strings were buzzing a lot (they were), but this employee just played it lightly, said he thought it felt fine, and then said it's only buzzing because "acoustic guitars aren't meant to be played that hard." This was a BS move to not have to deal with the problem. Pissed me off. I could tell that the customer was more experienced than the employee and I could feel that he had just made a mental note to never go there again.
That happened to me too. The manager disappeared without handing it over to another employee. After an hour of waiting, thinking the manager was working on it, an employee asked me if I was being helped. I said no and he was able to make an offer in about 10 minutes. It was a BS offer lol but still…
Here is how they become successful “model yourself after Sweetwater” enough said
Honestly, yes
So glad you did this! I go on GC's used gear website every day, and i buy used amps all the time. I just used your link right now to buy some used Kali monitors. I'm always looking at GC and also your used amp list. More purchases to come! Keep up the great work, Kyle!!
Great video! It’s nice to see someone care about the things we all love!! I used to really look forward to going to G.C.!!!
Dude I worked in retail for 20 year, 12 in management, and the lack of employees is universal. The people who run the company don't give a shit about the customer service. They see employees as an expense and is usually the first to be cut. GC is on the way out and corp will be there wondering why.
I get better service from my local gas station.
Me too… mine are self service 😂
@@bigkidband911 OMFG 😆😆😆
I live in NJ and frequent the Paramus store. I have been shopping at GC since 2001, was briefly a Digidesign merch rep for that same GC. I have definitely become recognizable by the few select employees who are exceptional at that location, and I agree with your statement. Make friends with the good employees. I have also seen a MARKED change in the store layout and what is available. Some great guitars ON THE FLOOR (not the locked wall hangers) ready to be played on the amps on the floor. It’s a tremendously upgraded experience. While there are definite improvements to be made online and in store for them, the in store experience has definitely gotten a make over and I greatly appreciate that. Hopefully that trend improves. I also hope maybe someone from GC gets to see how well I think the Paramus location is doing. Oh and I will usually stop in to ONLY check out the used stuff. Always looking for a gem. Great video Kyle!
I’m so hesitant on buying any used guitars from them because anytime I find one I’m interested in, there’s usually really crappy pics and little to no description. The few times I’ve emailed them about an item, zero response. Frustrating because they used to be decent and I have one right down the road from me so it’s convenient.
On rare occasion the lack of attention-to-detail pays off. I just bought a used '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI that was a 1 of 100 Fender limited edition originally, then it was fully hand-wired and customized by George Alessandro. It's possible it's now 1 of 1. From my view, GC sold it for 20-30% of its value (was less than a used tone master version). I'll continue to look for that $4k Dumble they don't realize they have...
I'm surprised ANYONE would still shop at GC, much less advertise them.
I've been coming here for years, bro, and I know, or at least I feel it to my bones, that you've always given your honest opinion. Thank you for that, bro. Love ya for that. 🤘
Just got an amp shipped last week and I wish I could show you the photo. So bad I thought it was a joke. 50lb tube head, no bubble wrap around it, just in a box loose with some brown paper.
I have some crazy pictures too
same experience about 10yrs ago on a carvin head i will never do that again
They shipped me an amp last year, it was well packed mind you, but it was listed as "like new" and unblemished... The tolex was bubbling off of it and peeling off in spots.
My Jcm 900 was just put in a huge box not even with paper in it, the good thing is it wasn't damaged and I'm still playing it today (got it about 4 yrs ago)
Oh yeah I've ordered a couple of combos from them. None of them survived the trip unscathed. Meanwhile I've shipped dozens of huge amps myself and have NEVER had a problem.
Dude !! I am totally with ya and your brain !! I bought 2 amps from them. One was a Friedman JJ-100 head. Opened the (sold as new) box, hooked it up and nothing. Went thru everything and saw there were no power tubes. No tubes in a ( New) Friedman JJ-100. Happened to a PRS Archon 100, this one someone changed the tubes on a ( New) head and sold it as new. I was pissed and did complain. They were not really sorry for it.
I had three great, amazing sales associates. Took care of me really well. Spent a good amount of money. Always came back to them for business. They left and now GC is a shell of what they used to be. Don't do much business with them.
Good job, man!!!🙌
I love that you're actually making a difference.
Dude, I'd love to see gear in the store that's a bit more modern.
I can tell you stories..
One time the guy behind the counter told me to buy a certain guitar string..
I buy strings by the case...
I told him no I fine..
He's slightly went off and set out loud that I don't know what I'm doing and I should just take his guitar strings because he knows strings..??. I ignored him and ask for what I wanted which they did not have and left..
He wasn't offering advice.
He told me I didn't know what I was doing..
It was a horrible experience
In Vegas, I was looking for a simple electric 7string set and got handed an Acoustic 58 string as the only option they had in that giant ass store full of crap
Definitely down to do more digging into GC used, thanks for advocating for us.
I love that you're so open about us and the integrity of your channel. I value your opinion and insight. Never change! I've bought a few used things from Cigar Center ( yes, i lovingly call Guitar Center that) and have no bad experience with those items! I am friends with my local GC manager because she's also a local musician herself, and I trust her and her staff. Hope you all have good day! Cheers, Peace. 🤘❤️🤘
I currently work at GC, I agree with everything you've said. Cool to see them finally give out affiliate links given that Sweetwater has been doing it for a while now. New CEO agrees with a lot of this (supposedly). I'm lucky to be at a store with lots of knowledgeable salespeople but as someone who's also a customer, there are SO many apathetic employees. It'd be cool if I didn't have to focus so much on being an insurance (pro coverage) salesman in addition to a guitar salesman, but c'est la vie de retail I guess. It'd be cool if our commission structure wasn't changed in a way that pays us so much less.
I hear that a lot from current employees about the virtually unattainable commission structure. AND the lower starting hourly wage! I considered applying there part time for the heck of it because I love gear but those guys don't even have time to mess around with any of it. And yea...constantly getting harped on about pushing the coverage. Bummer.
Agree. Absolutely love how the commission structure was cut and corporate used December of 2022 as an example for sales numbers and price inflation, literally just before the guitar boom died out and prices started to come back down to normal. Also love how the commission structure is exactly the same for big market stores with huge big ticket pro audio items and platinum rooms as it is for my third tier store that sells $6k-$9k total per day. As a seasoned musician who helps actually sell items it would be nice to get paid more than the street hires who are basically just cashiers.
That pro coverage is a big plus for GC, no doubt… BUT… it’s also saved me thousands of dollars. For one example, a $3000 Les Paul got damaged in transit. Luckily I had pro coverage, and got a brand new Les Paul that was on sale, so had enough left over to get a couple of boss pedals.
Definitely worth the extra money, if it’s in your budget.
@@ImFreezerBurnCompared2Coolyeah it’s pretty cool but we get f*cked if we don’t hit the right pc numbers
@@PookieWookieBear-on2ln I’ve worked there as well. If memory serves me correctly, you have to be somewhere around 35-40% PCA.
That’s honestly not hard to do, if you have the right pitch. I consistently stayed around 45% or higher.
And I worked in the Spartanburg SC location….Not exactly prime real estate for big budgets.
With commission, I averaged making about $25-$35 per hour. Not too shabby for a part timer that only worked 2 week days per week.
Just gotta dig in and work on your pitches. Hitting 40% is definitely realistic. (But it also helped that I had personal experience using the pro coverage..so throwing something like my example in your pitch could help)
I used to work for Guitar Center and store employees are under trained unless they're already passionate about a specific gear type. I can also relate to how corporate focused that they are and how frustrating it is especially being a former employee. Props to them for making you an affiliate though and maybe the company will learn from their mistakes!
I bought a really nice used Michael Kelly from G.C. in February. I've worked for them in '03, and have been buying from them since just before Daddys Junky Music closed for good. The staff today doesn't care at all and seem like you're bothering them by being there. It's a bad look.
Bought my first guitar at Daddy's Junkie music. 91 or 92. It was a white Ibanez.
Manchester NH.
Kind of a bummer they are gone for sure..
The only thing I'll buy from GC is strings and it's strictly out of convenience. Anything else is Sweetwater all day everyday. Sweetwater needs to get into the used market.
Sweetwater has a Reverb presence and the store is listed as "Gearnuts" I believe. If you watch their listings regularly you can sometimes find them selling new overstock as used for a discount and used gear.
Sweetwater rocks. They REALLY go above and beyond.
They already have a used storefront. They’ve had it for a while now. It’s called gear exchange on the website.
Shows how much you know.
@@beefnacos6258you could've just informed him they have a used section instead of just being a snob about it.
Dude you’re the man, as a ops associate at guitar center who’s packing used gear every day, I agree with everything that you’re saying. I try my hardest to pack everything , as hard as it is sometimes, as if it’s going to my favorite musician.
I have dealt with Guitar Center 2 times. Have never been a big fan. I have dealt with Sweetwater for over 10 years. They are amazing. They have the most knowledgeable salespeople and their Customer Service and Repair Personnel are second to none. I have on my Bucket List to visit their campus. It's like a city. A Facebook friend of mine works there. That would be my dream job (only I'd be afraid of spending my entire pay check on gear).
Sweetwater for life. Love that company. They take good care of me, and are always available.
I would never order from another company again.
I bought a used Wampler phenom distortion from GC about a year ago.
10$ off because it was a store demo model.
Well, it was broken.
I would have rather have spent the 10$ and had one that works. I am suspicious that they knew it was crap and sold it to me to get it out of there rather than just throwing it out.
I just did some business with them at the Eugene Oregon store and it was a nightmare. Took me 2 weeks to trade in some gear to pick up a Katana Artist. Gentleman I was dealing with had no clue about guitars, pedals, amps. He didn't even know what a Tonex pedal was as it was one of the items I traded in along with a Blackstar head, Bugera cab and a Dean ML. He was always busy with other customers as well throughout this process. Hopefully it is the last time I ever deal with Guitar Center.
It's valuable to have someone who is willing to speak up and communicate with corporate. As customers, our concerns can often go unnoticed. I strongly believe that when raising issues, it's important to also propose a reasonable solution.
I’ll say this I’ve been to a guitar center to get a quote or trading in a guitar and I could easily see how the employees could get distracted or rushed through the process of correctly identifying a guitar. Here’s what happened when I went in I was at the counter, waiting to have my guitar looked at, there was one kid helping and the other employees were taking care of other customers and the counter was so busy and quickly escalated to seven or eight people waiting in line and not enough staff to help people out and customers were getting frustrated and it was somewhat of a nightmare just getting thetrade-in price for a guitar and sitting there and observing all of the other action happening.
Im glad to hear this man. Hopefully they improve their business practices. It helps when you call these things out. Keep it up.🤘
I appreciate your honesty and transparency a lot!! Keep on!
Great video, you definitely hit it out of the park. Exactly how I've been feeling about shopping there the past couple of years. You know the saying " The squeaky wheel gets the Grease " Back in the early 2000's I literally was there every weekend and everyone at both of my local guitar centers knew me very well, it just hasn't been the same since. I've been lucky with my used online purchases lately 🤞 I've been searching for a couple of things and will definitely use your link if find them in their used selection. 👍
I bought my first guitar from Guitar Center back in 1996 - an Ibanez Iceman. That was THE place to go in the 90s. They had "rehearsal rooms" which were completely soundproof, and you could go in there and jam complete with 50W amps and a pretty extensive pedal board. There was an entire room wall to wall with guitars from $300 Yamaha's to $6000 Martins, and you could play anyone one you wanted to. I went into one a couple of weeks ago and I got a little sad. The old spirit is gone.
I recently moved to Canada and have visited Guitar Center’s Canadian counterpart Long & McQuade. I’ve only visited the one local to me but it is night and day difference from most Guitar Centers. The staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, I bought a guitar and the sales guy was almost as pumped with my guitar choice as me 😆. Their store is well stocked, clean and organized. I was expecting the same experience as most Guitar Centers in the US but I was pleasantly surprised.
My local Guitar Center in NE Portland has always been great when I shop there. Sounds like most aren't as good as mine, but I do want to give some props to a deserving store. No pushy sales, no dimwit employees, returns are a breeze when needed, etc. No, I'm not affiliated with them in any way- just a customer that has spent a pretty penny over the years there
Bring guitar center back on our radar
I met you at guitar fest and was so shook that you were there my mind went blank couldn't even remember your name I felt so stoopid! Haha I literally watch your vids all the time it's a huge past time of mine lol. Your always so blunt and I love it! I'm super excited about this because I love gc as a kid and teenager and past years I've been so disappointed literally avoiding gc like the black plague! I hope this works out and I look forward to it!
I bought a C-1 FRS SLS elite new and a factory refurbished 1st gen Headrush pedalboard from Sweetwater. Nothing but good things to say about them. Their online sales tec's made my purchases smooth like butter. The Headrush looked and functioned like new, had a 3 year warranty and at $550 was crazy deal.
For Canadian players Long & McQuade is tough to beat. Their staff are helpful and honest. They have alot of used and demo products available on their website, sometimes at crazy low prices. Even if gear is at another location, you can have it shipped to the location close to you for free. 30 day return policy. If you don't know how to setup a guitar L&M will do a setup on guitars shipped from other stores. On used/demo's they put on fresh strings of your choice.
The "Message Us" button that is on every used ad; I have never gotten an email response about a product and I often try hoping things will change at Guitar Center. I have had pretty good luck but I've also bought vintage amps that only showed a photo of the front, or not very good photos of the back, and didn't show that someone had drilled holes in the back or that the serial number does not match the year the amp is supposed to be.
That said if any of you are looking for US made stratocasters for under $1,000 they have a bunch of Highway One models right now (15 all under $1,000, as low as $650). 2006 and newer should have the big '70s style headstock and nitro laquer paint. The earlier ones had the regular headstock and I believe poly paint. Both have the vintage 6 screw style trem system.
I once went in guitar center..
And the guy who serviced My guitar..
Was one of the best guitar techs I've ever seen..... He was only working there for a couple months while he was on tour with his band...
This old guitar center style was awesome.
Those guys knew what they talked about..
Truly, thank you for the constant fight to try to improve the corporate hellhole, that is the company we once loved and called home. From a nearly-recent past employee who has shipped to you, (I hope you enjoyed the note in the Les Paul JR from North Olmsted
I sympathize with GC, I was always surprised how well they weeded out the irresponsible party animal vibe considering it's a music store, but I've had so many bad experiences with feeling unwelcome there I just dread going now. I got my first guitar there when I was a little kid.
GC employee here. My coworkers all care a lot, we love gear and love our jobs, but you have to keep in mind that customers will try to sell us literal piles of junk every single day - boxes of crusty old cables, toy Casio keyboards with 30 years of dust on them, their kid’s First Act guitar with 3 strings missing, sketchy Amazon drop ship brands, and yes, Chibsons and other counterfeits. 99% of it gets turned away, but on the right day at the right time you get a situation where the employee buying in guitar gear is actually a drummer or keyboard player and just doesn’t have the expertise in that area. If we did full teardown inspections of every piece of used gear that came in, no one would sell us anything because the process would take twice as long as it already does. As Kyle mentioned our 45 day return policy is ridiculously lenient for exactly that reason - it’s not like Reverb where you have to message the seller who immediately denies that anything is wrong with the item and refuses to refund you until you escalate.
Their used guitar prices are ridiculous and a joke new guitar prices for used equipment
Its nothing against you but ive never walked into a guitar center in the past 12 or so years where an employee has been even more than slightly more knowledgeable than the surface level about stuff theyre selling. Ive walked into a GC once asking if theyre an ibanez dealer and they didnt even know what i was asking. Its a joke. The only time GC is ever worth using is if theres a crazy used deal (there rarely is the used price are insanely high usually) or if i want to order a guitar to the store before i purchase it. My friend and i are restoring his old 89 rg550 and had one of the techs at GC work on the electronics and do a setup. The setup was bad and he messed a ton of stuff up, and sent the old parts to another customer on accident and refused to replace them. Weve since never shopped there again outside of ordering a mesa cab. Used gear has terrible photos if any, truly a lack of care, the customer service is essentially nonexistent at times. Sweetwater and Reverb are our go tos now. I really dont see GC being around in 10 years unless they really fix their act
This is a great comment. I worked in pawnshops for many many years, and at one of these particular stores we mostly dealt with instruments and jewelry. A gentleman came in with these one of a kind electric guitars by a brand we hadn’t heard of, but they were very nice and seemed to be well built. They had a website, a few reviews, and NO sold eBay listings. At first we didn’t want to take them in because of the risk, however our boss really didn’t like us turning items away, unless we knew for sure they were garbage. I think we ended up taking 10 of these guitars.
This dude was building these guitars, didn’t have a good run with them, and sold them off like they were collectors guitars that he had purchased.
We managed to sell them all. But man. That was tough.
Tldr
Nah dude, just like homie said in the first few mins, when your main job is selling guitars, you need to be knowledgeable enough to spot a fake guitar lol, I don't even go to the guitar center in my area because the people working there are just people who have a background in cashiering not music lol
Honestly, big props to you for this. The GC used site has been a goldmine for used gear at a reasonable price. Especially cabinets. The $29 freight shipping is lifesaver. Hopefully your recommendations will result in some changes!
Thank you for making this video
I always suspected something was going on with the used sections but I am not knowledgeable enough etc..
Omg thank you for exposing them.
Definitely work with them they and your fans need a honest guy in there…
Kyle you rock and seeing your channel grow is great! Rock on brother!
We love you Kyle! As since we know that GC is watching, Audrey, Brandon and Frank from the North olmstead location are some of the best they could hope for!
I’m with you, I’ve got a long purchase history with GC, and with their used section, it’s actually one of my secret places to buy gear, because yea the GC employees do a bad job of photographing and documenting the used gear they’re selling, but if you have a good eye, and stick with electronics and pedals, you can get bargains on there for sure, but like you’re saying, buyer beware for sure with them, it shouldn’t be risky for newbs to shop there (which is unfortunate, but it’s never too late to turn that around.
Cheers to your partnership, I’ll always have a soft spot for them, as rough as the retail biz is for them
I like what you are saying. I hope that Guitar Center returns to what they once were. It would be a better world. Unfortunately, until they have someone running it with a passion for music, they probably won’t get better
I buy a lot from their used section for the same reason you mention-the hassle-free returns are a big plus. It’s great to know you have an affiliate link; I’ll be sure to use it next time!
i would like to work at guitar center because i want to help inspire others to start learning music, music in my opinion is food for the soul and i think i could inspire so many now i dont know a lot about guitars or other musical instruments but i am currently learning to play guitar myself. and at this point in my life my passion for the rest of my life is going to be music learning to play, learning about gear( guitars, drums, bass, piano, acoustic, sound equipment, etc) all learning will never end but the more i am around it the more im sure i can learn and i found my elder have so much knowledge so i do listen to them as well.
Keep that enthusiasm!
Great attitude!
Great to know that! I really want guitar center to go back to its roots. I still buy from them, but have had many trouble with used items, too. Congrats on the channel, on the video and on the partnership! Best guitar related channel on UA-cam!
6:55 I'm very glad that you want them to take notice. The thing I want is just more than one crappy picture and possibly a half-decent description of used items. Take a quick look and describe condition and verify what's included. Not too hard :)
one thing i hope they focus on ,is getting competent guitar techs for repairs and setups .
Lowly GC associate here! Like another commenter said, I too work in a store that I feel has a great group of employees who actually know their stuff- and it surprises me that that isn't the norm... why work in a music store if you don't know, or care, about the gear?? Same goes for the Ops team with packing: why work here if you aren't going to pack things right. I know there are times when they get absolutely swamped with work but still. Fault should also be put on the shipping companies as well and not just GC... but ooooweeee some of the packing jobs I've seen were dreadful!
The stories I've heard about how GC used to be sound like a dream. The commission tier took a big change last year and is great for big sellers, but sucks for those who don't work the "good days" or have a busy store. You're attitude isn't going to be nice when you know you're only making base pay when commissions rolls around and there's an easy fix for that.
There's so much to say about GC (good and bad) and I totally get why people use Sweetwater over GC. Hopefully things change for GC because they really need to up their game in order to stay around.
I’ve had the same stance that’s similar in the sense that, whenever I’m being critical about ANYTHING, it’s because I DO STILL CARE and want to see them either GET BACK or MOVE FORWARD successfully because the open market needs healthy and good competition for the consumer to get the best out of a product for the companies that want to draw you in. At the end of the day, if I REALLY don’t care, I’m not gonna waste my energy, let alone make a UA-cam video about it. So awesome to hear!
Using that affiliate link in the next couple of days. Great timing.
So I actually had forgotten about used at guitar center and you talking about it made start using it again, so there smart to partner with you, will try the link next time around :)
I get my used gear at Guitar Center also. I've only had one problem and that was the truss rod stripped and they couldn't fix it so they refunded it to me. I always go to my guitar tech and have the guitar checked out in case there's a problem with it and then I address this at the Guitar Center. I do what makes me happy and not listen to people with negative comments. Life is too short and you'll always be criticized so do what you love. Keep up the good work😉
A few years ago I bought a used BC Rich online. Lots of pointy parts. It arrived literally sticking out of the box and badly damaged. I realize this can happen, but they should also realize it. It was very poorly packaged and was just asking to be destroyed. They accepted it back without any fuss, but it was a Warlock that perfectly matched a Mockingbird that I already had. Never found that matching finish again. They suggested I have items delivered to the store, it might be safer. So, I ordered a Orange 112 cab in excellent condition. The picture was decent. I went to pick it up and they'd dropped it on the corner and crushed one of the corner protectors. No longer excellent. I refused to buy it. He said, "fine with me. I'll sell it to someone else in no time." I wasn't impressed with the TLC or attitude regarding used purchases. It might go fine if I tried again, but burn me twice...
Good for you bro 👍. Love the channel and what you do ☮️❤️🎸.
I remember going into Guitar Center a few times, and knowing more about the amps, and pedals I was looking at, more than the employees working there!!!
Yep, and what sucks is that guitar center has driven so many guitar stores out of business and made it really hard for anyone else to start their own shop. My friends and I used to go this little shop called Russell’s Music in fort Pierce FL. We didn’t have much money but would buy strings and picks etc. The owner, Wallace, would never give us any grief and the sales guys Mark and Dan were never above spending time talking to a bunch of teenagers. I miss that place
You hit the nail on the head. Emploree's from Guitar Center need to be trained by someone in the field actually that is gigging or really need's actual help with repair's and such. I was sold wrong gear before with no trial of the product. I'm not saying I was the perfect shopper, but I'm not claiming I was right conveying what I needed, but I think you were right in saying thing's need to change.❤
Kyle! You couldn't be more on point! Kudos!
Its a raw deal when a pawn shop mis identifies an X series martin like what happened 15 years ago to me . The pawn shop owed me 175 but because they misidentify it they paid me 1400.
I worked at GC in the early 2000's for 5 years. Things have gone down hill since then. I have noticed lately, they have tried a lot harder to try to bring back the golden age. I am glad to hear of the changes and I am glad to see the changes.
Guitar Center here in St Louis (Watson Rd) sold me a used Jackson Dinky with Grover Jackson's signature on the head stock. Well, the whammy bar they gave me didn't even work with the trem. Wouldn't thread in at all. After removing the string plate, I noticed the serial number had been scalloped out. Worthless. Paid $1K for it. They refused to take it back because it was purchased used. Never EVER trust the people at GC. They KNEW it was worthless and still sold it to me.
Glad to see you partner with guitar center. Hopefully this means they'll start better business practices and ship better products to people instead of brokem, damaged or something completely different than what was advertised on the site.
I go to my local GC for strings,picks, and basice supplies. What i have noticed last couple months is that the employees seem to be more helpful. But the main thing i noticed is all the high end Gibsons,strats and such are now on the lowest wall racks were anybody can grab a $3k les paul and play without asking and all the low end budget guitars are at the top out of reach. Mid level guitars are now just above the low racks.
It has never been like that in the 12 yrs they been here local.
Plus it has been much better stocked and organized.
Hanlon's Razor applies to retail in general. That being said, I bought a used EVH Wolfgang Standard for less than half of retail at a local GC a few months ago. It was used, missing the Tremolo bar and a tone knob, and was set up terribly. The salesman gave me new knobs, a trem bar from the back, and after I set it up properly (including switching the direction of the pickup selector switch like Eddie liked it) it's a fantastic axe. I have seen some real junk there, though, especially the amps.
Not like it matters. Guitar Center won't ship anything from their used shop to us here in Hawaii (or Alaska) or any of the APOs.
Yes, they need a Guitar Center Cafe and Lounge for real that will be so rad for us musicians hanging out chilling eating food like a home away from home. Not too much overboard though. There are so many of us online around this beautiful place we all call home that yet they as well as all the others are now being more small business family oriented focussed! That is what is needed to turn survival into Triving in Excellence!!!
I'm glad to hear they've made you an affiliate and i hope the deal works out in your favor. It's a good step in the right direction for them to reward constructive criticism.
I'd rather not play guitar than do business with Guitar Center. Their customer service has been garbage and I'd rather support either a mom and pop shop or a corp that actually gives a shit like Sweetwater.
the last time i bought an instrument through GC used, they handed me a box. i said "do you want to open this up so we can check it out?" they said "nah, if there's a problem just bring it back". didn't care for that. bought an amp head last year. asked to test it out, and they were happy to oblige. better. there was also the time i bought a microphone that never shipped. i was refunded. then it was listed again. so i bought it again. and i was refunded again. maybe the mic didn't actually exist. nothing lost there, just a week of being really frustrated.
it's inspiring to see you helping them find their way again. so much of the music community needs what i've been calling "common sense advisors". lots of gear manufacturers just aren't paying attention to what we want. the buying experience feels like a gamble most of the time. they need to be listening to more of us. and you are a great representative for that.
@Kyle Bull
Sweetwater vs Guitar Center
Which better?
I worked GC as a warehouse manager many years ago, and there were issues when it comes to shipping even then. Packing materials weren’t provided. When I shipped something, I had to reuse boxes and packing mats from items we received. Finding a box that actually fit well was a pain at times, especially when items had to go out that day. I believe there was technically a way to order boxes/etc but that was out of my hands and took money from the stores profits, so that wasn’t really in a cards.
Still, I only had one item damaged in shipping (an out of box and very heavy Williams digital piano that was impossible to ship with random sized boxes and no firm styrofoam packing).
I can’t speak for how things are now, but sales were the only thing that mattered. It’s was all about the numbers and everything on the operations/warehouse side doesn’t directly generate money. Commission sales and pressure to hit/beat the numbers is not a good mix, and how the company treated operations then was bad. From what I’ve heard, it’s gotten much worse since I left over a decade ago.
I hope they turn things around, but I don’t have a lot of hope. The shopping experience and sales team may improve, but I not sure they are going to do anything to improve things behind the scenes with operations. That side will continue to be short staffed, underpaid, overworked, and get the blame for a lot of things beyond their control.
They can train staff all they want, but it’s not going to make a lick of difference if qualified and knowledgeable people don’t want to work there. Can’t imagine turnover has decreased over the years.
It seems like they’re on their way similar to how Circuit City closed. At one point people went to CC for the knowledgeable staff and quality selection, once they pulled their appliances (quality products on the floor) and took away commissions people stopped going as the staff didn’t know or care about their issues. It feels the same when I walk into GC now.
Might sound odd, but I get kinda stoked when I see our pedals in the used section, like I feel a part of the history that GC was. Though I have to shout out Corpus Christi’s GC as they are hands down the best store I’ve ever been in, everyone is knowledgeable and steps up fast to help out.
When i first started shopping at Guitar Center in Bakersfield California a little over 20 years ago it was amazing! Almost all of the employees there were people i would see on stage every week playing gigs in bands. Some of the employees were even older local legends. I really miss those days!
For a while in recent years Mike from the band Adema was a manager there and it was a good store again for a while, but last i heard they're about the standard Guitar Center you hear mostly negative about.
I remember one time in the rough years when i brought in a nearly new $400+ ride cymbal to sell or trade and they offered me $50 cash or $75 store credit 😂
I worked for Guitar Center early 2000s. We were well-trained and had weekly visits from product managers and had to be certified on product lines and specific products. It made us deadly as sales people because we knew the ins and outs of everything. For five years, I was running two departments managing 15 people. It was a blast. Then we lost Gibson, Mesa and they cut costs and employees and I was working 12 hour days / 5 days a week.
There are some great people who work there from the old regime that really care. however the new people couldn’t give a shit less
Greetings, everything you say is true, it happened to me twice in the now deceased Samash store. Two guitars, one fake Steinberger Spirit and another with a fake Epiphone Les Paul as well. But when I brought an authentic Bc Rich NJ series they told me they had doubts about the authenticity. The employees are poorly paid and frustrated with being musicians and having to work selling and not playing music and they are poorly trained but they make you believe that they know a lot. That is why empires fall due to arrogance and mediocrity. Keep us informed and thank you for that.
This is actually a great video. I loved guitar center when I was a kid. Feel the same way with what’s going on right now. I hope they figure it out because I used to love going in and finding something that caught my eye.