The lie that is "GUITAR CENTER"

[DrumBob]

It's meant to apply to 2011 models, as stated, but it's very confusing. People will go into GC and try to get the discount on the brand new ones. I wonder what genius wrote this, and whether he/she meant to cause confusion? If they did it accidentally, it doesn't surprise me. It is GC, after all.

Here's another example of GC idiocy I witnessed this past week. I went into the Paramus, NJ, Rt. 17 store and they had several of those Melody Maker reissues (which have turned out to be bombs, BTW): a blue LP shape, and two black SG shaped ones. The blue LP MM was marked at $849! These sell for under $500 and even less everywhere. One black SG shaped one was marked at $539, and the other identical one was marked at $398! These guitars all carry the same list price, so why was this GC selling them priced all over the map? Simple anwer: They're idiots. The particular salesman I spoke with is a total moron. When I questioned him, all he could do was chuckle and say, "I don't know. I guess the blue one is more expensive because it's a Les Paul shape. Why do you care? You're not interested in it." I said, "No, I'm not, but other people might be, and you're misleading them with incorrect prices. Do the right thing."

I walked out, and later called the manager, who acted like an arrogant douchebag when I told him. I'm done with this store. Jerkoffs.

[Teledelphia]

I'm not a big fan of GC and/or Sam Ash or big box music stores in general....but I must say, at the GC's (Cherry Hill, NJ / Oxford Valley, PA) and Ashes (Cherry Hill, NJ / NE ) I have dealt with, while the staff are not always real knowledgable, they have always been polite, respectful, and try to be helpful.

The manager of the Cherry Hill GC actually knows his stuff (he's a vintage geek) and he has actually pulled some really nice pieces from the vintage wall unsolicited and handed them to customers (usually older guys like myself) and said "plug it in" and have some fun.

The guitar manager at Ash in Cherry Hill is also cool...he always seems to go out of his way not to be a jerk when dealing with trades.
He'll generally warn customers in advance if he thinks he's gonna have to "lowball" them (generally on "budget" or mid level imports) and I've actually witnessed him go on ebay (with the customer looking on) to see how much an item is selling for and quote a decent trade-in price based on that (for a chain store anyway) on some higher end items.

Just my perspective and believe me, I've had muy share of goofball arrogant sales people at GC and Ash in the past, just not in the past couple years.

[Twinkie]

Let me start off by saying this thread makes me feel like an old guy.

In my young teens me and my friends went to a place called "Guitar Center" located on 8th and Virginia in Seattle Washington. Man was that ever the coolest place to go. I still remember seeing a blue Rickenbacker 4001 bass hanging on the wall. I bought my first Marshall head from that store in 1981 for $700 bucks.

It use to be that the staff that work at that old GC store knew the gear and knew how play music. What the previous threader had to say about that staff of today's GC being "Jerkoffs" is, unfortunately true. The Guitar Center of today is a Kmart run business that pays their staff not much better than minimum wage. Sometimes the staff to whom I speak can be most helpful, other times they can be so stressed out they need to run to back room and take a bong hit just to deal with the situation. Regardless GC has a high rate of turnover.

Today's Guitar Center obviously has a marketing approach bombarding us with their emails. They will do anything to get you in the door. I think I am down to only 2 to 3 visits a year to Guitar Center; and usually with a specific purchase in mind.

With this in mind, typically just delete the DAILY emails I receive from the modern Kmart style Guitar Center. However, there is one aspect to how the business of GC currently running that I can appreciate. Believe or not, GC is a great place to shop for vintage gear. This is where your friendly dysfunctional service staff's lack of knowledge can come in handy. Not too long ago I bought a 1960 Telecaster for 5 grand where everywhere else I looked were talking about 25 to 35 thousand smackers.

Yes they are Jearkoffs, but Guitar Center is still good for something.

[blackstrat]

I think Andy T hit the nail on the head...I just feel they could have worded this better so an idiot like me that isn't familiar with retail jargon would know that the discounts applied to 2011's...

Andy yes..Elliot from GC in Cherry Hill knows his stuff!

[6stringelectric]

I got that letter, and it was clear to me that the $50 discount was on the old (outgoing) guitars.

That's quite a common thing for stores to do, wheteher the store is selling cars, kitchen appliances, TV's, lawn mowers, or whatever - the new models come in so they discount the old models to make room for the new.

I don't see it as confusing at all...

[fezz parka]

[jb12string]

It would have been more clear, as someone else mentioned, for them to say outgoing 2011 models, but I understood what they meant. I don't go to guitar center that much, its not local to me, but if my local music store doesn't have something (like a line 6 power supply) I'll run over there. Last time I was there I was inquiring about a power supply for a Kurzweil keyboard, they guy in the keyboard section told me he didn't have any and that frankly my best bet was just to order from amazon. I thought that was decent of him, instead of giving me some runaround...

[Teiscoman]

A couple of observations:

1. I think that Invader Zim was the best cartoon ever. It's just heartbreakingly sad to me that Fezz Parka has put me on his own personal "ignore" list, so he'll never know that I agreed with him on this point.

2. I will rewrite the message from Guitar Center to make it clearer:

DEFINITIONS:

1. YOU and [YOUR] mean only the immediate recipient of this message and things, real or unreal, appertaining to the recipient of this message.

2. OUTGOING means only Fender-brand guitars in stock at THIS STORE as of the date of this email message.

3. GUITAR CENTER means only GUITAR CENTER.

OBJECTIONS AND LIMITATIONS

1. GUITAR CENTER hereby denies all knowledge of the quality of any Fender-brand guitar.

2. GUITAR CENTER hereby disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

3. GUITAR CENTER hereby disclaims all liability for having to hear metal-heads noodle at ear-splitting volumes.

4. GUITAR CENTER hereby disclaims all knowledge of YOUR preference in guitars, amplifiers, cords, picks, straps, effects, or anything else.

5. GUITAR CENTER objects to the playing of "Stairway to Heaven."

LIMITATIONS:

1. GUITAR CENTER hereby denies all knowledge of the quality of any Fender-brand guitar.

2. GUITAR CENTER has no idea, clue, or inkling of any sort whether any Fender-brand guitar is sealed, coated, painted, stained, or covered in any manner with lacquer, nitrocellulose, enamel, varnish, spit, or Cheez-Wiz.

3. GUITAR CENTER states further that it has no idea, clue, or inkling of any sort as to YOUR tastes in guitar sounds, appearances, or playability.

4. GUITAR CENTER further denies any interest in trying to figure out what YOU might think that YOU want, especially given the fact that YOU will probably change what passes for YOUR mind within 24 to 48 hours of YOUR purchase.

5. If YOU want to buy a guitar from GUITAR CENTER, then GUITAR CENTER invites YOU to conduct a modicum or scintilla of research to determine whether YOU actually want to purchase the guitar that you think that you want to purchase and whether YOU want to pay what GUITAR CENTER is asking for said guitar.

6. GUITAR CENTER thought that the OUTGOING Fender-brand guitars were marketable, especially given the fact that Fender sold them to us and large numbers of guitarists bought Fender-brand guitars from us. But heaven forbid that YOU think that YOU are getting even a fraction of a cent less in value than YOU paid.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOREGOING:

1. YOU are hereby notified that YOU may purchase an OUTGOING Fender-brand guitar from GUITAR CENTER at a price that has been determined by GUITAR CENTER.

2. No other offer, express or implied, is available to YOU.

There. I hope that's better.

[DrumBob]

Let me be clear that I have also met some good salespeople at GC who are knowledgable and nice guys to deal with. The kid who sold me the 56' Goldtop Epi Les Paul recently was great, and I like a couple of the salesguys at the Totowa and other Paramus location. They're not all mental midgets.

[Teiscoman]

And I have met some worthless air breathers at independent music stores. In fact, when I lived in Eugene, Oregon, I had far better service from a Musicians' Friend (which had a brick-and-mortar store there at the time) than I had from two independent music stores. One of the independent owners treated me very badly in regard to a mandolin that I consigned to him.

In short: the situation is complex.

[sax4blues]

Originally Posted by blackstrat

I get to GC to buy a Strat...

My apologies if I missed it, which model did you want to buy, and did you buy it?

[TexGoneNW]

GC bashing - I'll offer a standard response:

Caveat emptor.

No matter what you buy, or what store you enter, be responsible for your actions as a buyer. You have control over the act of parting with money for merchandise. Choose wisely.

[minmei]

yeah outgoing is usually last year's models . . .

the problem with GC is they have good stuff but people watch the shelves like hawks and when the good guitars roll in, they're gone.

except for the guitars hanging out of reach or in the 3K+ plus room that always has a middle age guy banging out <insert fav 50's-90's rock band> those guitars are good.


But I notice they are attentive when and if you can get someone to help.

They let me play the prs 24 custom and it was just . . . lets just say the employees and people there know what my O-face is.

granted they hovered like a harrier but . . . I know what to save up for :)


GC used to be pretty bad but people at the local one do care and my experience is improving with them.

GC is great for accessories and online stuff.

But check what stuff you get. Alot of GC online to store pickup is busy, and i've had orders mixed up.

or the 'substitution / stupid user won't know' like my taylor grand auditorium, so I got a case for the dims of my taylor. But they thought it was nice to give me a grand auditorium case for epiphone.

great. but they forget epiphone acoustics are flat backed and taylors are rounded and I couldn't close the case.

anycase

[blackstrat]

Originally Posted by sax4blues

My apologies if I missed it, which model did you want to buy, and did you buy it?

Yep got a 2012 (Jade Pearl Metalic) ... It was a 2012 color so I had no choice because I like the color so much.

[blackstrat]

OK...so anyway...I really had no issues with the sales people. I'd say 98% of the guys I have met at GC great! I will say jumping the bridge and getting my guitar in Oxford Valley, PA the guys there are really on the ball. After the guitar is pulled out of the case. The case is placed back in the box, so when it comes time to purchase the guitar everything that comes with the guitar (manuals, wrenches and any other case candy is there). GC Cherry Hill, NJ (closer to my home) I can't say that about unfortunately. I cannot tell you how many purchases I have done where they lost the trem bar, an amp cover, the manuals, etc., etc. I even bought a brand new Strat deluxe 2-years ago and the case was all scratched up. yes, I may be anal but I want to put the scratches in myself! LOL!

I just feel bad because I guess I didn't understand sale Jargon very well. I believe the letter could have been written spelling out the discounts only apply to 2011 so guys that have no clue (like me) that outgoing only applies to older models.

I never meant this to be a Guitar center Bash!!!

[inanevoyage]

Well in any case, Happy NGD!

Throw a maple neck on that and I'd have a terrible time deciding between that and my sought-after olympic white.

Decisions, decisions. Good thing I promised the lady friend no more guitars this year! (After the 335...)

[blackstrat]

Originally Posted by inanevoyage

Well in any case, Happy NGD!

Throw a maple neck on that and I'd have a terrible time deciding between that and my sought-after olympic white.

Decisions, decisions. Good thing I promised the lady friend no more guitars this year! (After the 335...)

Yea the wife and I have an agreement...I have to sell something to buy something...so my maple neck olympic white just went on Craig's list.

[Jakedog]

FWIW, I was not confused by the email. With a little creative thinking, I guess I could see how somebody could be confused, but it seemed pretty obvious to me.

BTW, congrats on your new strat, that color seems really cool. I like it a lot.

[Manolete]

The thread title reminds me of the poor citizen journalism you get on conspiracy websites. "PROOF OF CHEMTRAILS!!!" where the proof is a html link to some dire tinfoil-hat website or some crummy interview with Alex Jones.

The only problem here is that OP skim-reads their spam emails.

[Telesavalis]

Looks like GC is using similar zip code/email promo tactics as local car dealers.
$50 bucks is nothing as far as a discount goes, and it's always figured into the sale price anyway so their not actually giving up any $ on the deal.