The Decline of Guitar Center...What Happened?
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- Опубліковано 14 тра 2024
- The last few decades have been wild ones for Guitar Center. This video outlines the rise of the largest retailer of musical instruments, then details the four-punch combo that ultimately lead to its bankruptcy filing in 2020.
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Quiznos: • The Decline of Quiznos...
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Pier 1 Imports: • The Decline of Pier 1 ...
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what a lot of people don’t know about guitar center is that they are basically an insurance company. their bread and butter is selling “PC’s” or pro coverage, which is their proprietary extended warranty. that’s one of the big reasons why they’re still in business despite having the worst customer service and never having anything nice in stock anymore. I worked there for a couple years and they would actually have disciplinary meetings with you if you didn’t meet a percentage quota of warranty sales. place is awful.
Yup! If employees are not maintaining a 33% rate of PCs for long enough, no matter how good their sales are, they are fired. Its the same with our "Gear Card" - they've been pushing store leads to get one application per DAY - which is absolutely outrageous.
sounds just like fry's.
@@ECCOstation I worked there 2013-2015 and it was the same then, but they wouldn’t outright fire people for low PC sales, just give you shit pretty much. that’s bad.
@@cmdraftbrn let’s see if GC ends up going the way of fry’s lol
@@deerislandmedium oh it's real bad now lol. Everyone is extremely demoralized at my store. We have a new motto: "minimum pay, minimum effort"
They went the corporate route. The store has very little of a "musician first" feel. The employees talk like an automated telephone prompt.
The scripting is worse now than when I worked there almost 20 years ago but the scripting was there. Though honestly the worst part of the job was that they made us cold-call old customers to try and get them to trade in their old stuff for new stuff, which was just awkward. They REALLY liked buying used gear, seeing as they paid 50% or less than the value, the profits were huge on used stuff.
That’s why I’ve always preferred Sam Ash, I went to one so frequently I actually made friends with a few of the workers there.
Go in there and play Stairway to Heaven over and over again.
Finally its here. YES
ua-cam.com/video/J55WNzIRIUM/v-deo.html..
As someone who teaches at a Guitar Center; they have to talk that way or they’ll be fired, corporate is so fucking strict.
Every time I walked into a Guitar Center the staff acted like I was invisible. The store emitted a feeling of sad desertion. I actually felt guilty asking them if I could try an instrument. This was always, even before the pandemic.
Would you rather have a store full of 10 yr olds banging on everything? Sounds like perfect timing to me.
@@ChrisPBacon3000 Children aren't allowed to touch the guitars at my local GC, but yes, I would rather have kids bang on everything, thats how we learned we loved guitars and loud heavy music growing up, if any kid has a fun time learning to play guitar, I'm all for that. Better than being stuck in an smartphone.
what pandemic?
@@neoasura I don't know of any musician that learned to love music from being a child destroying products at a guitar center.
a wannabe Pete Townshend?
I feel fortunate to have a Guitar Center here in Medford Oregon, but the service is marginal at best. My wife is a classical player and damaged her guitar. We went into the Medford store and asked for some help in the room with classical guitars, and I was assured someone was on their way. No one showed up and I left the room to ask again, but no one came to help us. I noticed the floor staff appeared more interested in talking among themselves than helping us. I was prepared to spend $1,500-$2,000 for a new birthday-present guitar for my wife, but we left. When I wrote a critique, I got the same boiler-plate response that every complaint seems to receive from management. I prefer now to shop Tom's Guitar here in Medford, a family-run business.
To be fair, the sales team probably has no knowledge of classical guitars. Plus, $1500-2000 is not a lot for an instrument.
If she is an actual "classical player", then what help did she need? What exactly is a minimum wage kid going to tell her?
Staff standing around doing nothing is everywhere. Ever notice how employees clog aisles talking and expect customers to walk around them? Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot. All of them are like that now.
@@kjisnot what more does one expect from min wage workers? Seasoned 30 year pro audio specialist?
Customers don’t matter at guitarted center. The one here in Visalia ca is okay, but they still shine you on.. Guitars everywhere, Not one decent 7 string. Those guys will hang out and bullshit each other before they help customer. The guitar center here is best to plug in and blast without saying anything.
I'd like to see a video about Sweetwater and why they're so successful.
The customer service reps at Sweetwater will periodically call you if you’ve ever bought anything from them.
Id like to see how much their candy budget is per year
yes!
@@aaronclift Yeah that's the most annoying part. Recently I just bought a set of bass strings and they called/emailed me for days.
They have the best customer service of any company I've ever dealt with. The free candy is cool, too.
As a musician who frequents, usually they’ll carry industry standards and a small assortment of higher end stuff. It’s the go to for someone who has a gig that day and needs a spare cable.
...or someone that has a space booked and realizes they need a 1/4" plug and all you got is RCA (maybe I'm dating myself...lol)
Seems a lot like Radio Shack.
I think the last time I went there was my wedding day for a microphone. We were doing karaoke for the reception and were short a mic.
I've bought a snare head or sticks in a pinch there more times than I can count.
Guitarget
“Unfortunately they aren’t doing well”
It’s their own fault. They are notorious for placing gigantic orders with companies then canceling the order, then offering to buy their original order for a fraction of the cost. They have been the direct cost of running a lot of manufacturers out of business. Fuck them.
Walmart pulled games like that after Sam died
Cry about it
They overprice their items so much! I bought an item for $4 online rather than $20 in that store
@@prayingpatrick9628the corporation isn't going to fuck you, bro
One thing that is totally overlooked is the trends in pop culture. There was a big DJ boom in the last couple of decades in which a couple of generations of kids were more interested in turntables and doing dance music than becoming musicians and joining bands. When a few million kids start buying turntables instead of instruments and the clubs are hiring DJ instead of bands, there is going to be a big drop in instrument sales.
EXACTLY_____my era live bands was IT and DJ sucked, DJs were NOT millionares--lol
Guitar center sells all of those things though. I worked there in 2012 and the pro audio department was where you worked if you wanted the big bucks.
My biggest issue with Guitar Center is lack of inventory. I could walk in the store 20 years ago and see countless American made instruments from the highest quality companies. Now the store is just filled with entry level stuff with the highest quality gear coming from the used section…
Probably because American made instruments are vastly overpriced for what they actually offer. What sort of margin can be tacked on to a Gibson while still moving product? They're better off moving many more instruments with smaller profits per unit but similar margins.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 - While I fully understand the "limited inventory space, so we need to maximize turn-over/profit", I have to respectfully disagree, as there CAN be a middle ground.
Instead of dedicating 90% of your guitar space to less-quality Fender Squires, Gretsch's and Epiphones, why not dedicate 25-30% of that space to those who CAN afford American craftmanship? These are the same older buyers who have more disposable income and will return for other, high-margin accessories. As a man in his 60s, I have all but given up on GC exactly because of what Chris states above. I prefer Gibson's, American Fenders and am willing to pay, so it ends up taking me to other sources. To me they are also investments; more likely to retain their value over time. Just because a younger generation cannot afford them, doesn't mean there's not a huge target market. (NOTE: I did spend $1,300 on a pristine, used U.S.-made Special Edition Mint Green Telecaster w/ Rosewood Neck & Headstock, shipped from a GC in New Hampshire, but that was an outlier.)
@@Marc-js8rx
Why dedicate a quarter of your space to 2% of your customers who are also aging out of the hobby?
How many guitar players under 55 have both the funds for and the desire for a Gibson?
The biases older folks hold towards foreign made guitars aren't shared by younger people because most of those places now have well-established guitar industries.
Japanese guitars have been on par with American ones since before I was born; Korean ones have largely caught up and even ones made in China and Indonesia play great.
It makes sense to stock what sells and I'm not sure American guitars that cost used car money move regularly enough to justify filling a quarter to a third of the store with them.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 - Just because you throw out unsubstantiated statistics -- numbers like "2% of your customers" or "Japanese guitars being on par with American" or "used car money" doesn't make it true. In fact, it only shows desperation to try and win an argument with sketchy numbers made out of whole cloth. By contrast, I am not trying to "win", as I am merely seeking a middle ground to make room for American Gibsons, Fenders or Suhr. I just gave you an example of a $1,300 pristine signature U.S.-made Telecaster. Show me a quality used car for $1,300.
Apparently, I give more credit to the
@@Marc-js8rx
It's unlikely to be a 'winnable' argument, no matter the angle because factors like location, local customer base, etc won't always be consistent and obviously would play a big role.
Well established doesn't refer to customer base, it refers to issues like having skilled luthiers, stable supply chains, the ability to control tolerances in parts received from suppliers, so on, so forth. Those are issues that impacted a lot of early instruments built overseas.
I've got no personal interest in guitars as investments but a lot of your mindset reminds me of boomers and Japanese cars. The same people who insisted they'd never be classics can now watch old Corollas (AE86s) sell for $40k and they don't have to get it.
Why are all of your 'new guitarists' mostly middle-aged people who play primarily for older audiences? How many of those acts are popular among teenagers who's tastes are being established?
Some of what I'm criticizing is inherent to high-end guitars, it's just a matter of diminishing returns. Further, some of the Japanese brands are in a position to do what I'm calling out American brands for. (Ibanez, especially on the Prestige models)
I replaced a low-end Gibson SG (dots, matte finish, this would have been around '08) with an Ibanez ORM (relatively low end, made in China) and the difference in terms of attention/QC was obvious. The Chinese one was made by people who cared, the Gibson was their Ford Pinto or Chevy Vega equivalent (loss leader) and the attention to detail reflected that.
I don't care for the band the guitar is associated with, it just was the only shortscale with a neck profile I liked.
I don't care if the Gibson ends up worth more down the road, I've modified the ORM and didn't need to worry about how my investment might be impacted.
I actually 100% agree with you on the 'arsenal of mediocrity' comment. I wouldn't build a collection of cheap guitars. I've got two that are adequate for my needs. It seems like for the cost of something from a top end of a high-end brand one could get something custom made that's exactly what they want.
They're tools, doing the task asked of them is all that matters. As far as the quality of the tool, that's largely a matter of quality control and attention to detail. Good hardware isn't made worse by being installed in South Korea or Indonesia or Mexico. Americans aren't uniquely gifted at working with wood or soldiering wires.
Corksniffers are just another cult that's willing to ignore reality because their feelings are more important. That includes many of your so-called reputable experts because they're judged as experts by their peers for all repeating the same opinions. 😂
I go to Guitar Center when I need something quickly but Sweetwater has actually been able to deliver with many things I’ve need and the customer service is top notch
Yeah the customer service at sweetwater is amazing. Those people care for real.
Love sweetwater. Try and get most of my stuff from there or reverb. I also pretty much only go to guitar center to get something quick
Sweetwater has EXCELLENT customer service.
When I buy guitars at sweetwater I can play them right out of the box. They do a good job inspecting them
Sweetwater excellent customer service. Whenever I buy anything, I get a call asking how my purchased item is working out
The advent of the 'digital distraction' started to kick in from 2007 onwards. People could go online and have access to guitars at far better prices with a lot more to choose from. From the many bad guitar reviews of 'damaged' guitars coming out of GC and this damage is not disclosed on the online sale and 'hidden' in pictures word of mouth soon spreads how to be really buyer beware
Id go to guitar center too look at a guitar then go online and buy it cheaper
Or they dont Care about learning a musical instrument..
Yup. They sell blatantly broken stuff & don't care whatsoever. Haven't set foot in one for yrs & never plan on it.
I managed a small independent music store for 9 years starting in 1995. I wanted to see if our humble narrator really understood why both Guitar Center and Sam Ash expanded the way they did in the late 90s, but apparently this is not readily available on Google. A former Office Depot president announced that a new music chain, MARS, would have 60 stores by the late 90s. No one had anything close to that by then, but Guitar Center decided to beat them to the punch. And they did. When they made the mistake of opening in NYC Sam Ash countered by expanding, eventually to about 50 stores. Guitar Center went public while the Ash family retained control of their business. MARS struggled from the outset and eventually succumbed. Guitar Center, which was always reckless with profit margin, had trouble as a publicly held corporation and nearly took the MI down with it. And then kids stopped being serious about playing real instruments. Guitar Center has always been a buyer beware kind of place, and now they're not profitable so the only redeeming factor, price, is long gone. Shop local if you have a reputable shop, otherwise shop Sweetwater.
Was an employee for 5 years 2010-2015 from lower rung salesperson to a sales manager/assistant store manager second in command and left after the ARES majority shareholding acquisition. They completely turned their back on sales talent and staffing priorities and leaned into a “Guitarget” mentality where they treated the brand with a one size fits all retail strategy. They completely turned their back on allowing salespeople and stores to create unique local music scene focused stores and cared more about warranty sales and credit card applications and phone/sales prompts and scripts.
Amen. This is 110% the biggest problem GC faces today. Its even creeping into the way they run their lessons department...its so sad to watch.
My lifetime experience has been that new retail outlets do well in customer service, but when they get bought out by other corporate buyers or capitalists, everything gets gutted to maximize profits so they can turn in a good (fake) balance sheet and sell it to the next buyer (sucker). The companies become managed by executives who are several layers of management above operations. It is not optimal, but our equities market promotes it.
This comment really resonates with me. In 2010 I joined a band that gigged quite a bit. I began upping my equipment game and spent a lot of time there. The guys at my local GC were local musicians who were knowledgeable, helpful and great to talk to. They are all gone now. They gave the store a substance and authenticity that is gone as well. The inventory was amazing back then. I don't even recognize the place any more. Now I just buy almost everything from Sweetwater.
That is one sad situation. As in my previous comment, RIP Guitar Center. You will never see my money again. Ever.
GC's business model reminds me of any other national chain that attempts to address a market that has a guild like nature to it's workforce. Auto mechanics' private shops seem to follow this too.
I'd drop my bass off to 'Ozz' at a place called Gerber Music in Fairmount NY....he'd 'disappear' into the back and work on my bass, and come back and let me know what he had done, give me rundown on why, and anything else he thought to offer at the moment. As a young player, this was part of learning and understanding my instrument as much as lessons were. Obviously this is not how most players learn, or purchase, now that you can choose exactly what you want, and have it 24hrs later....and factory setups have become better under this latest shift.
That said, I did get a good deal on a used Spector Euro 5 a few years back from GC, but a lot of the credit goes to the salesperson, who was also a friend and killer bassist who put me on to it.....a 'one off' occasion of small shop treatment in a corporate cookie cutter store that can't reasonably be expected.
I used to work for Guitar Center as back of store staff. Unloading the trucks, bringing stuff out to the floor, making sure the small room we called a warehouse was organized, the works. Just by being in proximity to the manager’s room in the back, I ended up hearing all kinds of stuff and seeing a whole bunch of red ink sales reports about the front of store staff.
Also they didn’t offer any training on how to do anything, so I had trial and error figure out where everything went in the store, warehouse, and how to properly package and receive shipments.
I ended up leaving because they kept asking me to do increasingly more and more tasks in a day without compensation (I made the same amount hourly as everyone else there, only difference is I didn’t make comission). First it was going up on ladders to fix lights regularly, then they wanted me to manage the high-up displays for things like brass instruments, put out all the books, and help completely remodel the stage room and drums. Oh, and when we were short staffed I’d sometimes have to work the front desk without training, helping customers when other people were too busy (usually too busy in managerial meetings that are up half our staff for the day and always boiled down to “this person isn’t selling enough pro coverage”), and sometimes just getting the guitars off the high up displays because the guitar guys were lazy. All of that while still receiving 90-120 packages a day and then putting them where they needed to go so we’d have space for the next shipment, and also being solely responsible for online orders.
Fuck that job, and fuck all the times they threatened to fire me for not meeting their quotas because I was too busy doing their jobs.
Good for you!!!!!!!!!
you got 120-piece trucks every day? when I worked ops, we got 200-piece trucks at our store twice a week at most.
I've been there bro. Fuck that. First thing I do whenever I join a company is start saving, so the moment they start asking for more without an increase on my salary I can immediately get the fuck out 😁
They don’t care and don’t listen to staff. The crew on the front lines making it possible for operations. In the end GuitarCenter will vanish
Hahaha. So how’d that work for you? Hope you had a job lined up before throwing a tantrum.
Sweetwater has the best business model for buying music equipment. You get your own personal sales rep who helps guide you out selecting the stuff you want. Add the amount of stuff they have online and it beats any music store. Company Man, I have always been buying from Sweetwater and will continue to. They have been doing fine way before the pandemic. Also, Sweetwater is just one store in Indiana and it is a huge store from what I’ve seen on UA-cam.
apples and oranges. you can't try out a guitar online
Agreed, Sweetwater cracked the code on selling instruments and recording equipment online.
@@drtimoshea4087 And you won't get service if you go to GC
Pick yer poison
My Sweetwater rep called me 3 months later to check if the USED equipment I bought from them was functioning properly and to tell him if any problem arises, these guys are amazing.
Been with Sweetwater since 2008 and I am still a satisfied customer.
as 1 of 4 former guitar center san bernardino employees that got let go of in june of 2022 due to the company not having enough money to afford to pay us i can tell you that they have alot of internal problems, every store had to let go of between 3 and 6 employees based on how well that store was doing. including the massive hollywood store. i don't think they have much time left. BUT it's the best job i've ever had, commission was pretty cool around the holidays and it's the only job i've ever had where i actually liked my coworkers. almost everyone at that store was basically my family in the span of a month. great people in the store. not great people in corporate.
Sorry you were let go. Hope you have a bright future. Glad you enjoyed your time there. I’ve always enjoyed my experiences at any given GC, especially the one closest to me in St. Louis.
This is EXACTLY how I feel. The growing disconnect between the corporate side and the retail side is what is driving me to quit in a few weeks. Love all my coworkers so it's gonna suck, but I can't see this company lasting another 3 years. They cut the benefits of two full time coworkers after around 4 employees left on their own accord. I'm middle management and doing the job of 3 people. Sales Lead, Operations, and Customer Service Rep. All for $15/hr. and no commission, and apparently that's "The high end" of my position as a manager. I literally took a pay cut from sales associate as I was getting commission then, because they basically lied to me that I would get a steady 40 hours, now only giving me 30 hours, the bare minimum for full time benefits, which are basically useless.
i worked at the rancho cucamonga store by you guys; around 8 of us were let go due to the same reason, only thing that was different was they kept the newer people who had better numbers for the month and let go of long time veterans. like you said, coworkers and commission was great but a lot of internal issues need to be addressed..even though we all know it’s too late for that now
Well at least you dont have to hear stairway anymore. :D
There are a million reasons that can be named individually, but together it all adds up to the main reason...their stores just feel weird and uncomfortable for musicians of all levels. It's hard to put into words, but anybody who's gone to a local music shop and a guitar center knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Add in all the online retailers who have better service, plus the fact that guitar music just isn't as popular anymore, and you end up with a failing company
Its because they aggressively encourage us to push these obnoxious coverage plans and credit card applications on consumers. I try to pass over the whole monologue we have to give every time anyone buys anything electronic within the store, just to add another 20% to your total because we instill this fear that your gear is gonna break in a year or two. Its such a bummer.
@@ECCOstation I watched a cashier stall a transaction for 5 minutes trying to push it after the customer declined pro coverage, he proceeded to try to instill fear that something bad would happen if he declined by pulling out a picture of a guitar that was literaly broken in half like someone had smashed it purposely (funny enough it was a mitchell). Made me really uncomfortable watching this customer just awkwardly saying no thanks over and over, trying to go on with his day without paying another 70 bucks on top of his already expensive purchase.
They're staffed by musicians, who generally are not able to avoid seeming awkward, judgemental, elitist, arrogant, depressed, creepy, on drugs, or some combination of the above.
@@ECCOstation recently bought a Schechter omen series guitar from them and it was honestly a horrible experience. The cashier straight up told me that I should get the warranty because the floyd rose bridge WILL break in a year or two.. when i told him i didnt want the warranty, I was told I was making a mistake.
@@haydenp2755 Yeesh, talk about pushy. That customer must have the patience of a saint. I wouldn't blame them (or anyone else watching that) if they just walked away and shopped elsewhere.
What bugs me about Guitar Center over the years is that they morphed into selling mid-level guitars that have been played by everybody, with relatively little service, for full price. It's almost like a used guitar store. 20 years ago I bought a new Larrivee acoustic from a top notch salesman and had 5 guitars to choose from. It was a glorious experience. Not any more.
It's odd to me that a store like this is apparently doing so badly because it's one of the few stores that offers what I think brick and mortar stores need to in the 21st century, in order to be successful - a place where you can go to hang out and have fun playing with the merchandise. It's a store you can go to when you want to go out and do something fun. This is why I think so many malls are dying now. It used to be back in the 90's, a lot of mall stores were places where you could just go to hang out and browse even if you didn't intend to buy anything. You'd go to the mall to get out of the house and have something fun to do. But with the rise of online shopping, the mall stores can't be like that anymore and still compete. So they've gotten boring. But a music store like Guitar Center doesn't have to do the same. People need to be able to try musical instruments in person and they're not going to stop wanting to do that anytime soon. I guess the whole "showrooming" thing, where people try stuff in person and then buy it online cheaper from another store is probably a big factor, though. I wonder if that's a huge issue for them?
I like that video game: Mortar Combat.
As a Las Vegas, I feel fortunate that there are 2 Guitar Centers here and wish there was more. They are really convenient when youre on the road and need some gear in a pinch. I hope they're able to bounceback somehow. Lots of good memories going to them with my fam growing up.
The Guitar Center of 1995 and the Guitar Center of 2015 were radically different experiences. Thank you, Company Man, for explaining why. I don't have any hard feeling towards GC, but I have found myself shopping there less and less.
When I first moved to California in 1986, I was 21 years old, was super happy I got a job in the San Francisco store on market Street. Things were way different back then, in that you could make money, provide great customer service, etc.
I moved to Illinois, and l used to buy A LOT of equipment from Guitar Center in the Chicagoland area, and I was somewhat well known as a LoopingArtist, and would often be asked from customers what I would suggest they buy. At this point, I literally would sell them a guitar or an amplifier, bring it over to one of the sales guys, and they would take care of the sale.
So their area manager, who knew I was always doing this, asked me to join their team in 2011 to help bring sales up. They had the #1 sales guy in the entire country, Brad, and he thought I could probably be the #2 sales guy. I immediately started selling high end gear, was blown away that I was doing as well as I was, but I left 30 days later because I was getting yelled at for providing amazing customer service to high-end guitar sales customers that I had.
I was told we don’t have time for that, but they definitely made time for me to take all of these dumb online classes about proper guitar string gauge, warranty sales, etc. I haven’t bought any equipment from GC in years, I get everything delivered right to my home in two days or less from Sweet Water, who has the best customer service there is.
@@davidbrucemusicvideo I used to go to the GC on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago and buy gear but when GC expanded into it's present store system it lost all appeal. Too many music stores that provide better service and when you spend money if that isn't there the customer can find elsewhere to go.
@@RaymondUpenieks I agree. As a full-time musician playing nearly 200 shows a year, I stopped using them a few years ago. Unfortunately, it took me this long to realize I have been going to the wrong place.
In 2006, I knew the end was coming when I stopped at a store to test out hihat cymbals. When I walked in, they asked if they could help with anything and I told them my intentions. Their response was to walk me over to a computer setup in the middle of the guitar strings and tell me “everything you need to find and order your cymbals can be done right here at our customer self serve kiosk”.
I now live in a location where 5 stores are near by and I can visit them all on the same day and return home having never seen a single employee.
Busted a snare head a few days before a gig. Not a single one of the 5 stores had snare heads in stock. Was actually able to find an employee who wanted to special order the head for me with the guarantee I would have it the next day. A few days later I had to use the bottom head from my floor tom as my snare head for the gig. After multiple visits to the store and phone calls, three weeks later my head came in. When I told them it was a 1 day guaranteed special order, and three weeks later I am no longer in need or interested… they told me I could not back out of “special order” and was required to complete the transaction. Spent a few more weeks arguing with corporate before they finally conceded… all over a plain old snare head.
This year, very much against every bone in my body, i ordered a special part because they were the only music company willing to get it for me. I was told maximum 6-8 weeks.
They charged my card right away. Then did so again 2 weeks later. I had to call credit card to dispute. Two weeks later they charge again. Same thing. A few weeks later I try to use my credit card to order lunch and was declined. Spent a couple of months trying to get that fixed and a replacement card because Guitar Center reported fraudulent use of my credit card because I declined their second and third repeat charges on an item I had already paid for.
Two and a half months after placing my order (13 weeks or so?) my special order part finally arrives. A few weeks after that, I finally get my credit card fixed. Around 16 weeks from order date until I had the item and all issues related to the credit card were resolved. A far cry from order, pay, and receive item in 6-8 weeks! Thanks Guitar Center. Absolutely will NEVER be a customer again!
Edit for all those people that say the math does not add up. You are correct!
I ordered the part and was charged April 11, 2022. Received the part on June 23 (11.5 weeks), credit card was charged second and third time on June 1 and 15, 2022. Tried to use card for dinner on June 21 and was declined. When I called credit card about the decline, they told me that the card had been deactivated because Guitar Center inquired about my declining their double and triple charging me. This was considered fraudulent charges and it took another 7 calls to the credit card and a trip to the bank before I was issued a new “active” card. Card came in the mail July 7, 2022. So I ordered on April 11 and was done with all the hassles on July 7. About 12.5 weeks later… not 16 or so as I first thought.
However it should have only been 1 call to order and pay and then wait 6-8 weeks… so? Not 12 weeks, multiple calls to credit card, freezing and unfreezing of card, and a trip to the bank, a reissue a new credit card just to get a replacement part.
That is what happens when corporate greed takes precedence over customer service and product availability. They simply bit off more than they could chew. Eventually the company was caught in the tangled web of capital investment deals and corporate mergers while trying climb out of debt, Chapter 11 restructuring, etc. Having been a guitarist for more than 40 years, I have a much more pleasant experience going to the local mom and pop music store. I can find what I need and take it home. My last visit to a Guitar Center was about 20 years ago, and it was like pulling teeth to find a salesperson for assistance. I feel for you bro.
Effen A ! That's a nightmare I wouldn't want for sure. My local GC is actually pretty decent, employees offer to help, leave you alone if that's what you want, and have a lot of stock in to pick from. They seem to have a glitchy checkout process, prices don't always match up from floor to web to register, maybe they'll get it straight before I give up on them. There's a good independent store nearby, I get what I can from him too, but I have found more at the GC.
yes, buying cymbals you haven't heard is never a good idea.
That really is terrible customer service. My sympathies. For a lot of us, it's our livelihoods. Regardless, it's unacceptable.
I just like how 16 weeks is also 2.5 months for you. I guess time just works different where you live.
I’ve been going to the guitar center in Wichita Kansas for probably 15 years, and while I haven’t bought many guitars there, I have bought lots of accessories, and gained a little bit of a working relationship with a couple of the people there. Those guys are top notch.
This is one of the the best channels one can find on this platform because it makes you wonder about a lot of stores you walk past every day on any streets in your own City/Town.
Their biggest issue and the reason I never bought guitars from them is that they charged full price for used display models. I assumed the first time that I shopped there that you would try out a guitar on the wall and if you liked it you'd get a new one still in the box from the back. Nope, they expected you to pay full price for guitars people had been playing, scratching, and handling with their greasy hands for months.
Same. They always got very annoyed with me when I would haggle with them on the display models.
i just go to guitar center to try out a guitar i want then buy it from sweetwater lol. i only buy guitar accessories from GC
Try shopping most places in Europe, they won’t even let you touch the guitar. I remember guys coming in from France being in shock at the sheer amount of things on the floor they could try out. The customer expectation for both extremely forgiving returns/service while also getting the perfectly new and lovely product they want is pretty much unsustainable. It’s the cost of 45 day returns and getting to try things out, it’s unfortunate
Yes, that was my experience also. When I was told they wouldn't knock off a penny for a floor model I demanded that they retrieve a new one still in the box. Guess what, they wouldn't even let me take the box but instead kept trying to sell me a hardshell case for $200. This was after being completely ignored for and hour as I tried different guitars and deciding which one I wanted. I had to track down one of the 7 employees in the Store even though there were only two other customers in the store. I will go back to try more guitars and equipment and might even buy things like strings but I will never buy a big ticket item from them again. Instead, once I know what I want I will go to a local shop OR just order from Sweetwater.
Same thing happened to me lol, guy asked if I wanted the floor model and I asked if he could knock a 100 dollars off since so many people come in and play it.
I was there at the original store. There was an entire section set to the side with racks of what they called, "Used guitars". There were the 335's, Firebirds, 50's & 60's Strats. Good times!
They call it the "vintage" guitar room now!
@@christopherr.9541
The whole collectors mindset is a problem of it's own that needlessly drives up the price of older instruments by creating false scarcity.
People who merely collect tools just make it harder for people who actually use them to acquire them. People who collect vastly more than they can use aren't much better, even if they occasionally use a few.
Being 'entitled' to engage in a behaviour doesn't address whether or not it's selfish or otherwise a problem so that's not a valid card for people to play in defence of selfishness.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 yeah, I avoid all that vintage BS, it's honestly over rated. Same for boutique pedals - yes they sound great but not $2K great.
@@gorillaump5869
Exactly. The boutique stuff is shocking, not so much as a matter of quality as a matter of 'wow, how does someone get that much for a knock-off of a Boss or Ibanez pedal from 40 years ago'?
Although I will admit to having bought an amp-in-a-box pedal that costs more than the amp it's cloning. To be fair, the amp it imitates can be picked up for less than $100 when they come up, so it's still not a very pricey pedal.
@@christopherr.9541 They're instruments not collectors pieces you clown. Go play with Pokemon cards or something if you're looking to collect
I worked for GC for 3 years with a great team, a large majority of us actually opened the store so we were able to build the culture we wanted. We had great customer service scores and performed pretty well, I honestly really enjoyed the job until the pandemic hit and they fired my store manager for not wearing a mask in the office. They hired some corporate stooge who only cared about pushing PCs and the entire staff left. I miss the team, but GC is a pretty terrible company to work for.
It’s too bad they bring in their people when you guys already had a good team! They could of let the mask thing go at a warning! But that flu messed up alot of places! And the government’s mishandling of it only amplified the problem! But same thing we’re I worked,, but it was a aerospace machine shop. A bunch of corporate heads ,,, took charge of the place,,, thinking they were going to expand the business! All they did was,,, is spend are profit on remodeling there offices and hire more management to do their jobs! Because they didn’t know what they were doing and neither did the management they hired! Then Covid hit,,, that place had survived like 70 years and I was there for 30 years! Between the idiot corporate heads and Covid,,, that place didn’t have a chance!
And there is the big answer. corporate wokism. As a customer, my son (16yr) and I were run out of GC in greensboro, nc for not wearing a mask and we were the only ones in the store. I told the woke 20 something manager I would never visit another or buy another thing from GC as long as i was alive. He said told me the GC didnt need money from assholes like me. Ok. perfect. works for me.
They treat blacks like they can't tell they leave
@@cthomas2574 huh?
@@briantucker9963 Don't blame the manager! Regardless of your feelings on masks, that manager could lose their job if they don't enforce those rules. This is akin to complaining about the customer service agent on the phone, when your insurance rejects a claim.
Sweetwater happened to Guitar Center. Better selection, crazy finance options and personalized customer service. My rep still calls me even though my last major purchase was over 4 years ago.
Same here.
My experience with Sweetwater is what GC was 30 years back.
Sweetwater is on different level of doing business.
Online presentations, tutorials, new gear introductions and reviews from true experts, gear set up options, you can tell they all are into music big time.
My guy at Sweetwater plays in bands, records VST music, simply knows his stuff and I never buy anything without consulting with him first.
And the physical store, that's a musician's heaven.
I have yet to use their financing because I always pay cash; but I know they offer 0 percent financing on lots of gear.
It's crazy how many declines usually start with the investors saying they need to open more stores or they won't continue to invest, and that in turn causes them to fail.
Every big company goes through this route, the ones he shows here (failed ones) might give this impression. Would you say that was a bad idea to expand McDonald's?
@@RonaldoTalison Nah I mean you have to take risks sometimes so I guess that's just the name of the game
@@RonaldoTalison - These companies he refers to are not as basic as McDonalds nor as universal. This is a niche store with a product that no one needs... Its a luxury item or something you want but not a basic staple. The investor base has been the undoing of many great companies. Westinghouse being a very good example. Their tenuous relationship with investors and banks eventually were their undoing. General Electric their biggest competitor was buffalo'ed into selling NBC and doing some other dumb shit that has caused it to stagger or stumble along its path. Many companies turn to shit once the bean counters are in control... The list is endless.
It's crazier how Bain Capital seems to be involved in every leveraged buyout that kills an otherwise okay, but not great, company.
That's the nature of going public. You can have a business that fills a niche and makes money but if it isn't growing the investors aren't happy.
Gone are the days of doing your business and paying a dividend. The stock value MUST increase, if it doesn't management will be fired and replaced. It kills businesses by forcing them to expand in unsustainable ways just be able to show short term growth on the quarterly reports.
Also there is a huge problem with venture capitalists being able to borrow money to buy out a corporation then being able to transfer that debt to the corporation they just bought.
Current Guitar Center employee here!
Very informative video, I'm glad to know all the buildup to where we are now. Currently, at least on the west coast, there have been some massively horrid things happening in store. Within the past few months, they have fired several people for no other reason than "we don't need you anymore" (which is nonsense but I'll digress for now), slashed our hours to the most barebone degree, and nearly took away the paternal/maternal leave of several different full time workers just before they had their kid.
We have store "leads", which is a position above the average salesperson. Unlike salespeople, these leads do not earn a commission, and their pay is significantly lower than their lower salespeople's earnings (their hourly wage is slightly higher, but not nearly high enough to make up for the lost commission). So they're working harder, being expected to earn more for the company, are expected to be the example for the other salespeople, and are paid less for it.
The worst part was that we had an employee who was robbed at gunpoint behind the store on the clock. Within a couple weeks he was fired because he was "not needed". Coincidental, but immensely shitty.
Guitar Centers across the country are likely running on exhausted, overworked skeleton crews. While it may seem like the corporate end is thriving, the retail end is suffering immensely.
I visited mine recently and was told the same. No staff, no coverage, everyone stressed out. Still helpful, but visibly stressed.
Also currently employed by GC. Same situation at my store. We cut our sales staff in half and we can barely keep up and we’re losing sales because of it.
Lol 6 years ago when I worked there in sales and there was opportunity to make commission I would just sell customers whatever made the most GP. Get one of your logistics guys to go on the green screen and look up the GP on a md200sce haha
oh, yeah. I know this all too well. I was one of the people who got laid off. It still pisses me off.
Same situation on the East coast! They laid off most of the part timers, and forced a few full timers either down to part time, or into becoming a "lead." Now they're wondering why their overworked salespeople can't sell Pro-Coverage or Credit Cards as effectively as before.
I've personally watched the lack of planning when opening new stores. In my old town a guitar center opened across the street from a great mom and pop kinda place. These older folks knew their stuff and selection wasn't as good as gc, not saying it was bad, it was exceptional given the fact in was a small family company, but prices where unbeatable. US people in the town just went there they knew us on a first name basis. They were never afraid of guitar center.
Also there was a guitar center a town over, so ya that
I was there through the Bain nightmare, we spread organization of labor throughout the company when they said "we're giving you raises!" but our compensation went down by over 30%.instead. Then they sent a DVD of Marty Albertson (or another big wig whose name I can no longer recall). All staff were forced to watch it and sign off that they did. The single DVD was closely guarded so no copy could be acquired . It basically said "If you don't like what we're doing, or EVEN COMPLAIN about it, You're gone! even if you're "Cowboy". At the time a guy whose nicname was "cowboy" was used to nail in the point, since he was the number one sales guy in the entire company!
I have a very positive view of Guitar Center as I have one excellent story from circa 2014:
I am Mexican, lived close to San Diego on the Mexican Side. I was a student at the time and as we all know, Mexican Pesos are not worth much so being a student plus being a MEXICAN student, it meant that I could not afford expensive gear. I went to the Guitar Center outlet and saw this gorgeous red LTD, it was the guitar of my dreams, the m100fm on red cherry. Everybody wants the most expensive and beautiful guitar but I always wanted THAT one. Cherry Red is my favourite colour and the Strato form factor is my favourite one. It was on sale due being the demo unit and it was missing the tremolo and a nut for the locking for the Floyd Rose. It costed 170 bucks! Super cheap but I couldn't afford it.
So I went to the Outlet to buy some strings and a Strap for another guitar I had. I can be very chatty so I just started chatting with the girl who was at the registry and said "Oh what a beautiful guitar, I wish I could buy it" And she was like "Did you know that you can offer a lower amount for ir?" And I was like Seriously? She was like "Yeah!, let's pick it up!" so we went ahead and pick it up.
Now I didn't had a lot of money in general but I had just a few bucks in Cash. I had some money on my debit card but wasn't unsure how much and converting it to USD would be even LESS money but it was worth the shot.
She reduced the price on the system and she would then pass my debit card and see if it was approved and it was not. Before me walking away she said to hold on! She reduced the price AGAIN and passed my card once more. Still not enough. She did this like 4 times in total we got all the way to 118 USD and Bingo! My debit card got approved and the guitar was mine! I had to pinch pennies to take the bus back home from the US border hahaha.
I still have this guitar and is my most beloved guitar for both how I got it and like I said, that one is MY guitar. If I could design a guitar it would be very close to that one.
I wish I could meet the girl again and invite her a coffee or something because she does not know the impact she had on 24 old year me haha.
Very nice story! Guitar Center gets a bad rap. I've gotten some really incredible deals there and have never had a bad experience with them. Who else lets you try something for 45 days and then return it if you decide you no longer want it?! Me gusta mucho el Guitar Center!
@@cliffordhauenstein7425 Claro que si! Haha.
Yeah I have never had a bad experience at Guitar Center. I remember crossing the border with my friends just to hang out there and test all the gear that we could not afford haha. Wo, it feels like a different life let me tell you. Now I don't longer live in Mexico even! Doesn't feel like the same life haha.
But I still hold this cherry red guitarr very close to my heart, even when I bought like the most expensive guitar I have ever bought in my life like 5 years ago: The LTD EC-1000 Violet Andromeda. That guitar is beautiful... but my Red one is still my go to
As a musician, Guitar Centers and Music & Arts stores feel very stale and artificial, you can’t really spend time there to play music and it feels like they’re always trying to sell you something more expensive than what you came in for. Would so much rather spend time at a locally owned music store
I think it's weird that they don't have easy to see iso room to try gear out. Especially for new players it's intimidating to go into a big store where everyone can hear you and try gear out. They should have a minimum of 4 glass isolation rooms where customers can try gear and not feel like they have to put on a performance for the whole store or block out someone else who is.
For a company that sells a lot of gear to hobby and beginner players, it's amazing to me that it's not at all set up for that. I don't think there has ever been a time where I had help setting anything up. It's mostly OK nobody is helping me, I guess I'll just hook the amp up myself. I can't imagine how intimidating that is for new players. Then when you get more experienced it's off to the independent cool shops w/ personality and where they actually will help make an informed purchase.
@@RogerThat902 Exactly, it’s the store that beginner musicians are mostly likely to recognize because it’s a large brand and yet it’s so unhelpful and intimidating. I was a band kid in high school and would volunteer to help elementary school students learn new instruments, and my music teachers had this arrangement with Music and Arts where the store would just send the instruments to us and have us let the kids try them. Before that the kids would just go to the store and it was such a mess, the kids and the parents would just get confused. So my teachers were just like “this is too confusing we’ll just do it ourselves.”
I’ve never had the feeling of them trying to upsell at GC. I just bring the guitar I want to buy to the counter, they ring me up, and that’s basically it. The most they do is look up if there’s one in the back that isn’t a floor model. I’ve shopped at dozens of GC’s and that’s my only experience.
I feel like I can never just buy something simple sometimes depending on the location. It always turns into "NAW MAN THAT'S GARB YOU SHOULD BUY THIS INSTEAD" to which it's something with a bunch of features most beginners will never use.
@@ThotdFan127 I've personally never had that. It could be what I'm buying as well. Outside of the previously mentioned floor models, they don't question me. I buy Ernie Ball strings, or get a pedal like a EHX Big Muff or Proco Rat, and and they're all like "cool, I got you". I recently bought a Shure SM57, and they just asked if I needed anything else and rang me up. So it's possible that because I'm buying "name brand" or "the classics" they don't ask further questions out of me.
I purchased a "new" Loar mandolin on line through _Musicians Freind._ I got the mandolin, but it was a used floor model that was shipped from a _Guitar Center_ store and had obvious signs of wear and use. It was not shipped in the original factory packaging, but was wrapped in some bubble wrap and placed into a box that had contained part of a drum kit. There was no factory documentation, no shipping documentation or warranty, no receipt and none of the factory shipped accessories (like the truss rod tool, use and care guide etc.) that were advertised. When I contacted them I was told that it was simply their prerogative to do this whenever they deem necessary. When I suggested a discount on a case, they told me, "Get lost. We don't do that sort of thing!" From now on I'll buy from Sweetwater or Elderly or any other store that has in the past demonstrated respect for their customers, even if it means paying a little more. Customer service has value!
I would've filed a chargeback with the credit card company/bank.
I'm surprised you didn't dispute the charge on the credit card. They sent you a used item at the new price.
I bought a used Mesa single rectifier a few years ago mail order from GC. It was advertised on their website as "comes with foot switch". It didn't, and they refused to make it right. It was way more beat up than the single blurry photo of it looked online. The whole amp was bubble wrapped and shoved in a previously used cardboard box. When it showed up the box was trashed and split open. At least they had the sense to pull the tubes and bubble wrap them inside the amp. They burned me on a used Crate G600, also a mail order, a few years earlier. I guess I should've learned the first time.
Yea use to shop at Musicians Friend.Had to many problems with orders and bad customer service.
"Used gear at new gear prices" sums up Guitar Center perfectly.
I used to go to the Santa Ana store before they were corporatized. It was on of the first. I was young but I remember it being such a cool place to go to. It was full of life. I ended up having many of the original store managers as clients later in life. When GC became corporate they either quit or hated their jobs. It wasn't the same. Such a different vibe than today.
Our store in particular suffers from a variety problem. They went from having a bunch of really cool instruments to being almost entirely mid ranged guitar and some super common ear. Hardly any folk instruments in the acoustic section. Synth section is now just a bunch of digital pianos and a couple workstations. Guitar selection is very standard with very little in the way of 7/8 string guitars, fanned frets, or really anything that isn't just a Gibson clone. They're just not keeping up with modern trends.
the closet Guitar Center to me is exactly like this. Very few seem to have a wide selection of different instruments. A Guitar Center I went to in San Diego had an AMAZING selection of synths, guitars, drum sets, basses, you name it. It seems as though the more famous the city or location, a better selection of gear can be found.
the store i work at in Central Mass is exactly the same. it's such a shame. I keep complaining (i'm just an instructor) and nobody seems to care because "things get broken or stolen" like throw a couple behringers up and call it a day.
I'll never forget going to GC in NYC and playing a Moog One. a $12,000 synthesizer just there for people to play. Too cool. I wish my store would have the balls to even do it for a $200 synth
I have the same issue with my local big box music store (not GC, but similar here in Canada). I never make any big ticket purchases there because they don't carry anything cool. My local is a smaller store so all they really have is mid range gibsons, fenders, and some basic amps. Drums and synths are similarly sparse. Some of the stores in bigger centres are better but still not exciting to visit. Really the only reason to even stop in is to check out the used section. I've only ever been to a handful of GC's and they were a little better but still suffered from a lot of the same variety problem.
My local GC is pretty much just a Fender + Gibson store. At least the acoustic section is decent...
Reminds me of the GC close to where I live. In the bass guitar section, it was all standard 4-string basses with maybe 1 5-string bass. There were no fretless models, no extended range basses, no 8-string models, etc. And it was mostly Fender and Music Man with maybe a Jackson or Spector here and there. The variety in the stores is sorely lacking.
My local GC has always treated me well, but I only go to independent local shops now. We had several independent music stores up to the day that GC decided to come to town. They were methodical in planning where to locate to break the local competition. But before that, online sales were already killing the locals who stuck to traditional high markups. A couple of those owners were able to compete on another side of town dealing in used equipment. A few years ago someone had the b*lls to open a new store in the same shopping center as the big GC -- he deals in the really cheap beginner stuff and some lines that GC does not, and he is still there.
What's the name and location of the shop? I want to copy him.
@@nonamejones2321 Hero Music, El Paso Texas - their Gateway East location
@@jdraven0890 Thanks!
yeah mom and pop shops can thrive if they stick to low end stuff , or used gear , or just offer brands that guitar center deosn't.
Sound like a shitty company but I would not hold it against them trying to get the best location to beat the competition. That is just how it is.
I experienced my 1st Guitar Center in Hollywood in '84. Loved it & still do shop at the Rockford IL location.
When buying an instrument for my kid I asked a pro musician friend where I should shop and he said specifically not Guitar Center. He didn't trust them because new equipment he had purchased from them was actually used. He suggested Sweetwater.
That happened to me about a month ago. I was very disappointed, but they did send me a new one, hassle free.
Yep 👍
RIP Wayne - he personally connected me with a private seller of a Fender Showman (62) that I still own. A piece he -could- have as easily taken into the store and got a commission. That's just one of my experiences with the old Guitar Center. Basically, they put the musicians first. Fast-forward to a few years ago, I walked into one of the expansion stores (but an older one, established early, locale redacted to avoid seeming to call out anyone) with a very simple and specific product need (i.e., I had every intention and desire to drop cash in their store, not asking for a favor or referral), and was met with basically well illuminated empty houses in lieu of knowledgeable staff.
I’m pretty sure I’ve spent somewhere between $20k-30k in my lifetime at guitar center. I will say that here in the Seattle area all of the largest Guitar center locations have closed down or moved to significantly smaller buildings. Still has the same vibe as when I was a kid tho. Being a place that encourages you to try out the instruments without a salesperson breathing down your neck is what keeps me coming back.
I got my first guitar there last September. Been taking classes and loving it since.
Used to spend days in Guitar Center. Their staff were cool and there's no limits to the amount of time you could spend practicing on their instruments.
What a good franchise
So true. They were great!
They used to be amazing and I knew so many employees at my local store, around the mid 2010s I noticed that all the people that used to work there left the store and now there’s maybe 1 guy that’s still there. Their turnover is so bad now.
I really enjoyed it back in the early 2000’s. I don’t live as close to one these days, so I’m not sure about the current experience.
Could you play stairway to heaven?
I always figured that GC's appeal was its physical size - you could/can walk in, pick up a guitar and play without feeling like the entire store was staring at you, or that the staff was hovering. Beginners didn't need to feel embarrassed, and browsers didn't feel pressured.
true, I hadnt thought of that...I hate intimate settings of small music stores where you know if you plug in it's gonna turn into a major production of having to chat and feel bad if you dont buy.
Same. The small music stores always felt awkward and like I was a nuisance or something.
Thanks for sharing!
Still using what I got from MUSICIANS FRIEND with Thanx and gratitude for the quality!!!
Not that complicated. Bain Capital is known for leveraged buyouts which results in cutting staff, salaries and benefits. Musicians no longer trust anything that Guitar Center says or does. At Sweetwater, I had the same associate for for 20 years.
When he left, my new associate called and we talked guitar for an hour.
LOL Talked for an hour? I guess business was really a bit off.
Bain Capital? That's Mitt Romney's old company who's business was to destroy companies and the livelihoods of millions of hard working Americans. When Bain closed down. a nearby mill it had about 80 employees who lost their jobs. The ripple effect on that small town was that approx 700 other residents also lost jobs. That was 30 years ago and now it remains a ghost town . I have considered buying instruments from GC but wouldn't buy a set of strings from them!!!
@@richardlovelace3560 Exactly
Bain Capitol is run/majority owned by the world famous musical philanthropist Mitt Romney. You didn't trust him for a president, don't trust him to sell you a guitar. Actually, don't trust that greasy fucker at all.
Sweetwater rocks man. My rep from Sweetwater emails and calls me wishing me well and sharing new technologies I might be interested in. That's customer service. I've been a player now at a pro level for 50 years. Los Angeles
I used to go to the Houston location in the late 80's to the mid 90's, and it was one of the best experiences you could have as an amateur musician. The selection of instruments and accessories was INSANE. The staff were usually local professional musicians with tons of musical and product knowledge and local connections. It was a great way to learn more about music and it's scene in Houston, which realistically, wasn't that great at the time. But good fun anyway.
Probably since guitar was sorta mainstream then, nowadays it's pretty niche
@@TheBfutgreg Actually they sold any type of musical equipment you can think of. I think they still do.
Was that the one on Westheimer? I started playing around ‘95 and my parents made the 40 minute drive to that location and it was magical! They got me my first pedal and I was hooked. I think I noticed lack of selection more towards the late 00’s 😢.
@@chrisfuentes4482 it was actually located off of 59. I think around Chimney Rock, but I'm not exactly sure anymore. Same here though. I drove from the Katy area to that location.
I've been playing for about five years now (I still suck). During the lockdown I met one of my milestones and my progress reward was to upgrade to a used _Cordoba._ The local GC had exactly what I wanted. I thought the price was a little high for a used guitar, but I went anyway.
I had to wait for over twenty minutes outside to be escorted in by a sales rep. I thought the place must be busy. Nope, not living soul. It seemed to me that the rep's primary objective was to get my ass out of the store. He rolled his eyes when I told what I was after. He got a little pissy when I tried it out. When I told him that I'd take it, he damned near snatched it from me and sprinted to the register. Obviously he didn't, but he was very abrupt and in an obvious hurry. When I turned down the service contract, I thought he was going to void the sale and toss me out.
I bought the rest of my guitars online, as I do my amps and sundries.
If they fail, I won't notice.
at every guitar center I've been to, no matter which state, this has been my experience, the employees don't care if you buy anything and aren't interested in helping customers.
I’ve only been getting my amplifiers and guitars from local sellers on Facebook marketplace or offerup for years now. Prices are a lot better, you meet a lot of cool people, and you come across some pretty unique gear often.
I shopped at the first Guitar Center in Southern California since they first opened. They were a great store to shop at and their staff were usually pro musicians and people that really knew their products. These days the Guitar Centers ... at least in my area, are staffed with kids who know little to nothing about the technology and products they sell ... cashiers at best. Unfortunately, Guitar Center is not the only music retailer that suffers from this problem.
I work there now. I’ve been there for 6 years, and it’s the worse I’ve ever seen it. I think we’re about to do another IPO so they cut hours like no other so that the balance sheets look better for when they do the IPO. And I love your videos man. Thank you.
Former employee here. Another IPO? Sheesh. Are you still using green screen?
@@nuggets0717 YES we are! FML!
Currently work at one in AZ. Hours are cut like no other, and I'm a lead. One location in LA had to cut 9 employees
I will be shorting it. I worked there 4 years lol
@@themeatjesus Sounds like the way to go. It's bound to sink like a stone in the retail lake.
Almost every Know Your Gear podcast by Philip McKnight has lots of people commenting on how bad the sales experience is and how incompetent the service is at Guitar Center. The owners of Guitar Center don’t care because they are making bank right now and it’s not affecting the bottom line. The availability of new and used guitars is steadily increasing every week and guitar sales have been softening (not drastically or “crash” territory) so we’ll have to see how they handle it in the near future. The “pandemic glory days” of instantly selling guitars over MSRP are coming to an end.
This week I bought a Martin HD28 from GuitarCenter in Goodlettesville Tn. Great experience, great store.
I always appreciated that they would let you play just about any guitar in there without any hassle, the store was always just too big for me it didn't have a homey feel to it like local independently-owned music stores do. And most of the guitars I would pick up a play we're not set up very well
I’ve been a musician for 33 years and guitar center hasn’t been a “cool” place to shop in all that time. It’s got a bad rep as being uncool and corporate. Not exactly what drives sales in something as image obsessed as music
yeah, my guess is that the "cool" period was for the original store when it was the one location
Okay, so what non-corporate equipment manufacturers to buy from? Have any Fender, Gibson, Peavey, Ibanez gear?
Get over yourself, major corporations produce nearly all the gear we use. And even IF you buy boutique gear, all the components it was made with were made by huge corporations. And that gear was delivered to a store, or to your house by some huge corporation...and a huge coproration supplied you with the energy to power your gear...and huge corporations built the vehicles you use to cart your gear to the gig.
@@mrsleep0000 people dont like to hear the bigger picture, it interferes with their activism...
I worked at GC for 8 years from '03-'11 and although this video is true, one big part missing leading to its demise was the age of internet retail. It became more difficult to sell gear when you couldn't verify claims of lower prices elsewhere without internet in the store. It became more about haggling over prices instead of the value of a knowledgeable staff compared to a website with no attention to your personal needs.
Great fair point Spencer, thank you for mentioning it here
Yeah, but GC itself was one of the biggest driving forces behind that. For a long, long time it was Musician's Friend (which GC bought way back in '99), not Sweetwater, that was the biggest online MI retailer, cannibalizing their own brick-and-mortar sales to a degree but still making their money either way. The rise of online retail was far more harmful to the traditional, independent music stores than it was to big box chains like GC and Sam Ash. Overexpansion, predatory venture capital companies, and an ever-increasingly soulless, corporatist mentality among upper management are the biggest factors. I mean, you're not wrong in that online retail is in the process of killing most brick-and-mortar businesses, but GC is as much an instigator as victim of that trend.
It’s interesting to watch the evolution of Guitar Center, living next to Thomann and born in a town with another great music house. In Germany there’s no way they could launch another branch/store whatever. It’s local customers, even tourists from all over Europe coming to one extraordinary store. That’s about it. You work on your online portfolio and on the appearance of the store, your brand affiliation and conclude niches. I think the German market is way more complicated to figure out than the American.
Germany‘s complicated.
Good video, couldn’t watch it all the way through bc I had to make a decision between commenting and watching.
I love going to guitar center just to go play the instruments. Also bought my first midi controller there, a Novation launchpad Mk2. I remember going there once and there were 3 musicians playing live just for fun, it was a great atmosphere.
I recall hearing many years ago how Musician's Friend cannibalized Guitar Center's sales, because people would try instruments at Guitar Center and then actually buy the instrument through Musician's Friend for much cheaper.
I forced them to price match MF one time on a JP Strat and the sales guy wouldn’t budge and the manager explained to them that GS owned MF. Both of us looked at the guy like we just saw Jesus. Lol. They did match the prices and trade though. Got a 88 HM Strat for 399$ this was before people got nostalgic or looted them from cheep Kahler and custom shop pickups. That was still a great deal.
I bought a used Korg M3 online at GC, then a day later saw a much better deal on a better condition one at MF. I called up and asked if I could cancel and the GC operator said no worries, cuz they own MF! I'd heard that from someone but until then was not sure.
That story was a lie. Same prices. Always has been.
Their main headwind currently is getting inventory. In the years preceding the bankruptcy they were opening lines of credit with vendors and not making payments on schedule. In the bankruptcy, all that unsecured debt got wiped out and the vendors lost hundreds of millions of dollars. Now the vendors are getting revenge, using the pandemic as an excuse to say they’re out of stock, while still selling to Sweetwater and others. Guitar Center not paying vendors also directly caused Gibson guitars’ bankruptcy the year prior.
This is really good insight!
Having grown up in a small city with only a few small music stores in the 80s & 90s, I can only say that young musicians have it much easier today. Guitar Center might not be perfect, but man, you can walk in there and spend hours browsing and trying out gear without any "musician snobbery". I do try to support smaller shops, but for discovering and testing gear, Guitar Center is still a lot of fun.
Same here and I mad a similar comment. Back when Mom and Pop shops were your only option, they weren't "all that" in many cases. And because it was pre internet, you really didn't have easy access to information and had to rely on them and hope the price was fair- or else drive all around to every shop in the area to do your work. Like you said, young musicans (or really buyers of any kind) have no idea how much more work it was back then
I liked when Sam Ash was on 48th street in the Times Square area in NYC. It was almost a whole block filled with the muci store on both sides of the street, they a whole store for guitars/basses, another one for keyboards and recording, another one for drums etc.
I only go to guitar center if I need some equipment right away. Sweetwater is just more convenient and the customer service is awesome 👍
They send candy too
facts!
I went there all the time in the 90s. It was always packed and everyone was playing something all over the store. We would hang out and talk shop for hours. I actually walked in to the same store right before the Pandemic. Around October or November of 2019. The store was dead. It wasn’t like it was the middle of the week and 10am in the morning. I was there Saturday mid afternoon. But this place was scary dead. You actually could feel the lack of energy in the place. The employees were just like zombies walking around somber and lifeless. It was so Surreal. The last time I was there it was over 20 years before and at that time like I said it was full of life. Now you wouldn’t believe it. I could actually hear two people talking that were in another department on the other side of the store. I walked up to the accessory department and I’m not joking the same guy I used to deal with was still behind the counter. By that time I thought for a second I must of died on the way here and I’m in some sort of purgatory. Because I was in disbelief. I talked to the guy for a bit. Trying to catch up, but to be honest I couldn’t remember much about the guy. So I’m sure it came out vary stale. But when I first said hi to him, he acted like he couldn’t believe some one was actually in the store besides the Peale that work there. I mean he was really excited. Other employees came around just to talk about nothing. It was like out of a horror movie. I just remember walking out to my car and being shocked about it all. But what really got me was that it saddened me. That store was a big part of my child hood. I met long lasting friends there. Because of are love of music we all bonded good or bad. But now it was gone. It left me with a hollow feeling. Like when you walk threw your old high school after the day is done and there isn’t anyone around. You start remembering the times you had and the people you shared your life with. But now all you see and feel are ghosts and shadows. That day at GC stuck with me for a bit. It’s really sad
It’s impossible to get any help at my local GC. I can’t even get anyone to check me out. They stand behind the counter tapping away like an airline checkin clerk. The employees apparently have no incentive to do anything.
I love your response. It sums up my feelings as well. I won't the old Guitar Center as well. I remember those days as well. When GC came out in Greensboro,NC it was the most anticipated thing by everyone. Some of the best musicians and audio engineers in NC worked there for sometime.
The decline is so sad. The sad thing is that new management isn't selling the experience like they used to. I don't think it's the completely the internet that has hurt them. It's the lack of care the new owners have of it.
I still need physical music stores because I like to test out what I am getting first. Just my opinion.
damn thats a whole movie
Yeah, what you said pretty much sums it up. The help was more than adequate last time I was at one, but when I saw that the guitars were all locked on the walls to avoid breakage, I was done.
Yeah the good old days. You summed up everything I felt the last couple times I was there...I don't go in there at all anymore. In the early 90s it was crazy busy and so much fun! It was like a party all the time, people everywhere. My band would all hang out there, look at gear, etc. It was the best. It was so full of life. I think part of the reason is UA-cam and online ordering. Sad. I miss those crowded store days. So full of life. If I walk in there now, on a Saturday, it's maybe a few customers....and not musicians....like moms with their young kids, etc. The energy and magic has been gone for a long time.
I have bought 4 different guitars at Guitar Center (in Concord CA) the past 3-4 years. Three of them were classical acoustics (nylon string) and one was a beginner electric guitar. Two of these guitars were for myself, and two for my teen grandson who is learning guitar. The most recent purchase was about a month ago. I have had a great experience with this store and their employees each time. I have at times spent hours there trying out different options, and getting valuable guidance from the employees when I asked for it. With buying a guitar there is no substitute for holding one, feeling it, listening to it, and comparing it with some others, in a pleasant and friendly environment, and without being rushed. That is the experience I have consistently had at Guitar Center. It is invaluable in purchasing a guitar.
Always loved Guitar 🎸 center ,hope they can continue as a company, cheers Tony 🍻
I was a kid in So. Cal. when they started out. I was impressed by the prices. They were lower than the independent stores at the time. I think it was there in 1983 when I asked a sales rep about this greenish box called a "tub screamer" or "tube scraper" or something like that. He told me: "That doesn't do much of anything. Don't bother with that." Little did we know....
Wow! A friend of mine had a tube screamer and I was introduced to it then and it was like an epiphany for me at the time. If you want a rock/metal sound that's it. I still have one. "Doesn't do much" my ass. hahaha! I mean it certainly depends on what style of music you're playing but..
If the Tube Screamer could have talked, it would have said: "It ain't much, but it's honest work"
Dude completely downplayed one of the most important overdrive pedals of all time.
I was there as well, there was 1 GC in Hollywood, CA.
I mean to be fair, it's not like a Proco RAT or DS-1 or a "distortion pedal", it's main use is for when you already have good tube distortion, so for the average 80s kid with a crappy amp with only cleans it was probably useless
I rarely go to GC unless I’m in a bind, but I will say their inventory and mobile app are both a nightmare. Almost everything I would need from them is always out of stock and their used listings always lack crucial information.
And if you're going to buy anything on backorder, don't. Just wait til it's back in stock. GC will continuously take out the funds and put them back over and over in your bank account until it's back in stock
Every used item has one single image with the worst lighting ever.
Yeah they're not about online selling of used stuff, just trying to get you in the door
Musician's Friend is easier for used stuff, but be careful, you might not always get power supplies with pedals or controllers that actually need one.
I go there to kill time, once I found a great deal on a used 50.00 goes for over 100.00 boss compressor. Every now and then you can find a deal, usually I just pop my head in if in theara to kill a bit of time.-I do like the 45 day return which I have used.
Bought my favorite Gibson Les Paul at GC, it was a custom order they did for LP Standards with locking tuners, zebra burst buckers and highly flamed tops..It looks and plays like a private stock model, I have loved that guitar since I carried it out of the store in Boise, Idaho in 2015. Thanks Guitar Center!
Guitar Center on Milwaukee Av. in Niles, IL was the big Chicago Guitar Center superstore. It was at it's peak in the later 70's and early 80's. There were at least 300 guitars in that store. The wall of guitars was about 25 feet high and 100 feet long. I think the location was a former Jewel Foods store, so it was HUGE. I used to love going there.
I was surprised to see how little it cost Guitar Center to buy out Musicians Friend
Me playing Roland V Drums kits I couldn’t afford in the late 1990’s early 2000’s. Made possible thanks to Guitar Center.
@@taylorlimbeck6854 Same here Taylor. Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Sam Ash, and Muscians Friend created lots of childhood memories for me
The interesting part is that there was a guitar sales boom during the pandemic. Sweetwater and Reverb did very well during that time. GC had been falling by the wayside for a while before, but it seems like buyers simply went to more consumer-friendly vendors (Sweetwater’s service and personal touch is renowned among musicians).
I'll admit getting that Sweetwater check up call for some small item can be annoying, but If I have an issue the person is right there on the phone so i'll take it. They stand behind what they sell.
Zzounds. Your welcome
@@alfloxxddy You gotta watch zZsounds though. I've purchased at least 6,000$ worth of equipment from them so I'm not just bashing them but they straight up pulled money out of my account to pay for my roommates gear that had nothing to do with me. Just because he was tied to my address. Super shady
The “boom” was all those “stimulus” payments
The reason people buy from Sweetwater, at least in my state of Missouri is no sales tax. I purchased a 4,000 amp from them tax free. Why would I even considered buying from Guitar Center and paying sales tax on 4 grand?
Guitar center will always have a good spot in my heart because of all the experiences I’ve had there: buying my first guitar would be at the top of the list!
I bought my acoustic first guitar that came with an instructional dvd on how to play for beginners. I was playing & singing John Meyer songs out loud by the end of the month.. 🎶 your body's a wonderland..!🎶
A few years ago they remodeled 1/3 of the store and started offering lessons. To this day I have never even once seen a music lesson taking place at a guitar center.
with youtube there's no reason to take real guitar lessons.
I noticed my local GC started pressing the lessons as well. Thats usually a sign their focus has shifted from seasoned, serious and pro musicians to the beginner market. A sign they've realized they cannot grow market share and they are losing money on the high end gear that brings people into the store. I've never seen a lesson happening at my store.
I will say lots of the lessons happen over video chat and such. I have a friend who does lessons for them and that's how he does it most of the time.
i worked there for bit this last december and there are a decent amount of lessons but it just depends on the location and how good the teachers actually are.
I work as an instructor at Guitar Center, so here is my two cents: Guitar Center has totally changed their profit structure -- they give lessons now, and that is their #1 source of income. It guarantees frequent purchases of high-markup items like cables and guitar strings because potential customers are coming in EVERY WEEK for a lesson and might need an accessory.
As a musician, Guitar Center is a mixed bag -- it's not like McDonalds where you know exactly what you're gonna get each time. Each store is different, and different managers supply different stock, some are more timid than others. However, now that I work there, I get really good deals on music equipment. I basically give them back half of my paycheck lol.
Former instructor here, spot on
Not to mention that with lessons there is no expense, they just let us keep a ridiculously small percent of the profit we make
@@xsistencemitchelli6379 I mean I'm getting paid pretty decently. Minimum wage plus a 9 bucks more per half hour lesson, I could be making almost $30 an hour some days
@@TheSunshineGroup I'm not saying otherwise, honestly, although I'm exhausted with corporate. My point is more lessons are no cost for the company other than promotional like open houses and the buy 3 get 4 they had for 3 months, so the corporate focus is on what generates the most profit with the least expense.
As for the job, we get to do what we love at not bad pay, but I feel like the company knows that.
@@xsistencemitchelli6379 While that's frustrating, it's also the norm with gym trainers and even Twitch streamers.
Whoever pays the rent or hosts the livestream is going to take like half of your money.
Thanks for posting pretty interesting. I think what would help them is to offer guitar lessons base lessons Etc also open up part of their store on weekends for small showcases or small shows. Reward their customers with somewhere to play.
I used to go to the Hollywood store back in the early 80's. It was a great place but my favorite place was Nadine's music store in Hollywood behind the house on Cahuenga. Also loved Carvin guitars. Miss those times and places. Now I'm in Texas.
Guitar Center! My dad used to drag me there as a kid, and he was subscribed and got sent magazines in the mail. Nostalgic.
I’ve wondered what happened with them
It's a great store, but it will always suffer from showrooming. It's the only store near me where you are actually able to try out different instruments without having people breathing down your neck
Just don’t ask for a tuner. 🎸 🙉
I have nothing but great things to say about Guitar Center. I love my local Guitar Center in Lewisville TX. It's a cool place to visit, hang out try an instrument and buy something. I have bought a digital drum set, bass guitar, bass guitar amp, acoustic guitar, ukulele, harmonica, microphone and stand, music mix module, accessories, and my favorite and latest, the amazing Boss Acoustic Singer amp that does wonders. I also went to have some upgrades done for my acoustic guitar and they took great care of me. Great folks, great customer service, willing to help and educate on how instruments work and also great prices with lots of inventory. I'm very glad they survived the pandemic and they still look strong. Hope they continue to deliver impressive service.
I grew up in LA and went to Guitar Center on Sunset regularly. I seem to recall at one early point it was called Guitar Center/Drum City. In the early 80s, they had all the top-level current equipment, and you went there to see what the newest/best equipment sounded and felt like (for example the Roland D50 was there in Hollywood before you could actually buy it). We would also go there to try to get the best deal possible, often going back and forth to West LA Music to get the best price on expensive pieces. Back then, the store was filled with professional musicians looking for the best equipment. Now, if I go to any Guitar Center, they all feel very cookie cutter, and there are no longer professional keyboards etc to try and out purchase. Sweetwater has great service, but you still cannot tell how a keyboard or guitar will feel or sound or how intuitive the controls are. Thank you for making this interesting video
I was a store manager for guitar center. When everything shifted from brick and mortar and started putting focus into the e-commerce side of the business, guitar center was too slow to the race and put focus on testing out their products in brick and mortar.
When I was there, there was a lot of union busting. I was told to call the police if the union organizers showed up to the store to hand out pamphlets. I've seen some wild things at guitar center.
I remember the two day manager meeting that was basically a union busting seminar.
Mittens Romney
So what you’re telling me is to go to guitar center and start handing out pamphletsc
@@USSLIBERTYREMEMBERER Kek
Tell us a wild story
I visited Guitar Centers a often when I was learning as a kid, that was at least 2006 or earlier.
After a long hiatus from playing, I went back in earlier this year 2022 on a whim to buy a new guitar.
No idea they had suffered through all this.
Same boat, can't wait to start back!
There was a great location on the far NW side of Chicago (closed long ago) in the 80s and early 90s. They had everything you could possibly want set up and ready for you to play, including a full stage setup with live sound. We would go there all the time and play everything. You could haggle more in those days too and I got an epiphone Sheraton II for $150. It was great.
Worked there for about 3 weeks in the summer of 91. Even though the other salesmen said I was one of the best rookies they had seen, the pay was crap. It was commission against wages, which meant you didn't earn commission until that commission was more than your hourly wages.
Also you could not give a price. They had mystery shoppers come check you, and when you were asked a price for a guitar, you were supposed to ask them back how much they were willing to pay. I felt very sleazy doing that, so apparently the mystery shopper asked me a price, and I stated the retail price on it, but was willing to hear an offer. Since it wasn't exactly the script, I got dinged for it. So I told them to go screw, and haven't been back except one time, to get some strings for a gig, and they were closest. I remember the guy trying to upsell me several times, it was very annoying.
welcome to sales, the job better done by machine
Got to imagine that COVID was actually beneficial to a company on the decline series... I imagine a lot of stuck people decided they wanted to try an instrument out.
I thought that, but I bet Amazon sold a LOT giving them the whole don't leave home option of having it delivered...
During the stimulus checks we sold insane amounts of guitars like its was the Christmas season all over again, with that there would be a few waves of returns. A very recent trend is a LOT of trade ins coming in. I'm assuming because people are struggling for money
I remember going to the original GC on Sunset, back in the mid 60s. My mother took me. It was a really cool store. Furthermore, it was a "destination" spot. Being as there was, at that time only one, we had to drive all the way from South Bay to get there. I vividly remember all the Vox amps - Super Beatles, Buckinghams, etc. Today, that storefront is walking distance from the current Hollywood GC on Sunset. However, these days I rarely shop at any of the GCs. There's just no reason. They all stock the same merchandise - Fender, Gibson, etc and they no longer have that "vibe". It's easier to order from Sweetwater or Reverb.
I worked there from 1984-1989. As a musician I test drove everything, product knowledge helped me always put my clients first by keeping them away from the crap, I had faithful repeat clients who would only deal with me. I won many sales awards “spiffs” I knew all the guys at corporate it was an awesome job and a great place to work way back then.
I wish GC all the best. I have had some great try out and buying experiences there and hope they can be there for the younger musicians of the future. Nothing is better than playing a guitar before you buy it.
I live in Las Vegas and I went to one of the stores and found it to look like a company going OUT of business, rather than flourishing. The store was very unkempt, with huge "dust bunnies" behind the guitars in the low end acoustic room. Because of thefts, almost every guitar was locked down, making it not only an unfriendly atmosphere, but making one feel one better watch their wallet before it was also stolen and whether where I parked is safe or not. Bins were very messy with multiple guitar straps on the floor, not picked up and a general sense of a not very caring attitude by the employees. I wanted to try a selection of Boss pedals. Unfortunately most of them would not even work and looked to have been roughly handled by customers. They said they were having lots of trouble keeping picks in stock, which I was able to purchase easily on line from Sweetwater. At the other Guitar Center in Las Vegas, I was told by one employee that one customer picked up a guitar and said "See you", as he somehow knew the policy of Guitar Center that any employee even challenging a customer about to steal something for fear of a lawsuit, requires a "hands off" policy by ALL employees or the employee is FIRED???!!! Ridiculous! I am not saying this here to encourage thieves to steal from Guitar Center, nearly all the guitars are in lock down. But could they not come up with a better plan that forcing customers to wait while the employee gets the key? Because if one is going to pay upwards of a few hundreds of dollars or more for a guitar, you do have to check it out before you buy. Well the crocks are the real creeps here who should be sent on a Mission to Mars with limited water and food, but Guitar Center should have or should be working on a way of making things more user friendly or they will continue to be a store for musical instruments which is just not that fun to visit anymore. That negative in store atmosphere could spell the end of their dominance. Sweetwater, for the items I have not needed to "try first", has offered way better customer service. and pricing. I even got a call to be sure I received the 24 picks I had ordered from them!! Guitar Center needs some aggressive, towards criminals, and most importantly great customer service towards customers as we all know the scenario of the table lamp falling....wait to long into it's fall and one cannot catch it before it crashes to the ground into a million pieces.....
This exactly. The Town Square location is a museum at this point. You just walk around seeing all the guitars and you can't even demo them cuz they are locked up. The Manager that has to open the locks is usually no where to be found and there aren't even enough associates to help customers or check them out. I saw a John Petrucci Majesty that had been on the wall in the Platinum room for a while now and they put a Sale sign on it. $3499 original price $3499! Guitar Center is a joke. The employees aren't passionate about their instrument and it's utter cringe watching them help a new player out with demoing a guitar. Showing off when the guitar is badly out of tune. It's almost like watching a sitcom, I keep waiting for the live studio audience to start laughing or groaning.
Nice. Just did a 11 hour road trip from CA to AZ on the 4th. It gave me time to catch up on all the episodes I’ve missed lmao
dude u went 11 straight?
@@johnnyt8286 yup. Only stopped like 3 times to fuel up. Noon to 11pm haha
That's dedication. Talk about fast tracking.
@@stedebonnet2110 dude how do u do it. After like 6 hrs for me the straight lines on the side of the road start to daze me and I almost start zoning out for some reason. have to constantly like snap back into it.
@@johnnyt8286 tbh, lots of weed, and like 3 canned gfuels. Normally I do the powder, but I flew down so I couldn’t bring it😪
Speaking mostly for the Tacoma Store--GC has continued to lessen their premium, professional, “Boutique” instruments, amps, and all else. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Serious” musicians do not even visit, call, consult, or even think about wasting a minute with that Store. Hence it declines into a musical Walmart that attracts only “non-serious,” amateur, beginners, etc. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, but seems like a contributing factor.
My experience, along with that of my bandmates who worked in music stores, is that serious musicians rarely buy "premium, professional, “Boutique” instruments, amps". That stuff is, usually, the domain of hobbyists who spend their days as dentists, doctors and business people. :-)
I only go for strings, and the occasional “used pedal” hunt. Half their amps are busted due to misuse by staff or customers, so I wouldn’t buy off the floor. I’ve seen their staff do horrific things like try to run amps out of the FX loop, use guitar cables for speaker cables, etc.
Well put and exactly why I never go there.
I only went there for drumsticks lol. I bought all my major drum components from the company itself.
"Musical Walmart" is absolutely perfect. Exactly how I think of GC, but never summed it up that way.
I was once an employee too at the Guitar Center in Hollywood and there was a huge excitement at first all throughout the 90's but as time went on into the 2000's many things had changed and I could feel it as I would go there from time to time. I feel like they could have done more in the community and reached out to musicians better while developing a more positive shopping experience with customers and sales associates.
I remember going to the very first Guitar Center in Hollywood (across the street from where it is now). Those were the days! They didn't have the selection they have now, although nobody did back then but the vibe and the service you got was like dealing with friends. Plus you never knew who was gonna walk in at any moment. It was THE place to go for musical gear even for really famous musicians. Too bad the corporate suits screwed it all up.
At one time it was up the street on the corner it was called the vox guitar center this was mid to late 60's it was cool then not like now
I sold DJ / pro audio at GC in the late 90's... it was such a cool store. Literally, everyone on our staff was an independent musician. Thanks for the great story about this. Very informative.
I worked for a couple competitors back in the day (loved working at Manny’s Music). Everyone loves to dump on GC, but there are good stores and there are dreadful ones. It seemed to me that they’ve been around forever, but I was shocked to learn there were just a few stores in the early 80s.
Good analysis. GCs flurry to open new stores is likely because they get a lot of write offs doing that and showing a metric for growth. When you really look at how the inventory levels of the stores are treated it tells an interesting story. The “top 10” stores in the GC portfolio are very memorable but more and more of their stores are empty shadows of their top 10 stores. While they were a serious threat to mom and pop stores that dynamic is changing and a mom and pop store with a vibrant lesson program and compelling inventory can stand on their own against GC.
A trend I’m seeing in the comments and a point I think that lead to their decline severely is their staff. At 15 with my first band we’d take a train and bus to go hang at GC and were always welcomed. A decade later and the staff there treat you as if you’re a bother to them, or that your patronage isn’t welcomed. This is a sentiment many other musician friends of mine feel as well.
My last straw was last year when I ordered a used amp at a great price. When I get there the manager was trying to not give the item that **I** paid for because he texted his friend of the same amp. The manager determined he would give me the item I purchased because I purchased it minutes before his friend texted that he was interested in that same amp. Absolute garbage customer service and from spending thousands to dollars they’re not getting a penny from me anymore. There’s countless cases but it’s things like this that I know many musicians will agree why they’re viewed as the Walmart of music stores
Dude - I bought a $1000 snare drum from them - when I got it outside near my car in further examination ? I noticed the shell was cracked on the “Inside” of the drum. Horrified I took it back in and showed them. They basically accused me of doing it !!! Gave me a hard time. I was like … what!? Is this a joke ? How would I “internally” break a drum shell ?? That’s impossible LOL it’s a manufacturing flaw. That’s after spending almost 30 fu$& years in there store spending a fortune ! I honestly hope they go out of business ! Honestly ? To treat LONG time customers like they treat us ? Good riddance to them !!!
Yeah I've had bad experiences with them too, Sam Ash is much better
Customer service,Customer service, Customer service means everything to me if you want me to be a returning customer and the punks at GC have never impressed me
they act like there doing you a favor if the talk to you what a joke.
Sweetwaters customer service has impressed me from the first time I bought something from them and still does.
@@bobfreimund9132 Sweetwater is absolutely amazing. The way chic fil a is the epitome of constantly good customer service in the fast food industry, that’s how I feel about Sweetwater in the music sales business. They called me at 16-17 cuz I bought some guitar picks, and then the guy followed up asking if I wanted to buy a guitar. He wasn’t pushy, and very friendly despite when I told him I was a high school student.
The fact they’ve still held together as a business fathoms me. The only future I see for them is for them to be sold to another company with focus on the customers