guitar center jacksons?

[fullmetalguitar]

Hey JacksonFreak, I have a question. And please don't take this defensively because I really want to know. Do GC and MF share inventory? In other words, is there one central warehouse for both places together (there may be several for all I know)? I mean, it would make economic sense to have all the stuff in one warehouse instead of two. And looking at my PC1 example above, is that one single guitar in inventory or are there 2 seperate exact guitars waiting to be sold? I'm thinking it's just one, but I could be wrong.

[pro-fusion]

There is something seriously wrong when you can't find a single PC1 at any L.A. area Guitar Center. But there are plenty of $199 Fenders and Ibanez pieces of crap.

Hate to say it, but GC will make a lot more money selling guitar-shaped firewood with "Fender" and "Ibanez" logos than they will PC1s, or good Fender and Ibanez guitars, for that matter.

My GC routine is one of two things:

1. Go to accessories counter and buy whatever strings/parts I need if they actually have them, while doing a quick scan of the store to see if any interesting used guitars showed up.

or

2. Doing a one-minute walkthru to see if any interesting used guitars showed up.

Of course, now I'm mostly seeing a bunch of ugly new Lagunas cluttering up the place, causing me to spend even less time there.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Fullmetal. No MF and GC do not share a warehouse. Or anythign else for that matter. MF was an established dealer for years before GC bought them. They were just simply brought under the umbrella of GC. We both operate differantly. The PC1 pic you speak of may have been taken as a represnetation of said guitar. And just that. A pic to represent the PC1. It's not the same guitar. Our computer systems arent even linkied together. Gc has a completely seperate Intranet from MF's system.
Gil

[Axewielder]

Fullmetal. No MF and GC do not share a warehouse. Or anythign else for that matter. MF was an established dealer for years before GC bought them. They were just simply brought under the umbrella of GC. We both operate differantly. The PC1 pic you speak of may have been taken as a represnetation of said guitar. And just that. A pic to represent the PC1. It's not the same guitar. Our computer systems arent even linkied together. Gc has a completely seperate Intranet from MF's system.
Gil

Ummm....yeah.....right. Musician's Friend and Guitar Center are indeed separate, sure, except for a few small exceptions...like MF CEO Robert Eastman serving on the GC Board of Directors, or how's about MF employees currently answering all inquiries and shipping products for musiciansfriend.com as well as guitarcenter.com.

[fullmetalguitar]

And the plot thickens...

[AtomicPunk]

That's my same M.O. at GC pro-fusion! Check for used gtrs or amps that have gone into what I call the GC Bermuda Triangle. Sometimes things are mislabeled or marked down where it really is a deal for some reason. Those are the things I buy.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Thats odd. cus when ever you want to by something off of GC.com and you call the number listed. It's a GC no MF employee who answers the phone. Yes GC owns MF. We have our own seperate mgnt teams etc. GC and MF are two differant structures under one umbrella. Just cus we sell some of the same stuff doesnt mean we are the same company. There are differances. I don;t know how else to say it.so just drop it. I;m repeating myslef and in pain so im not in th ebest mood to begin with. Just drop it. 2 differant companies under one parent company. OK? enough

[guitarzan2]

I gotta admit that the GC employees at my local GC are actually pretty decent and knowledgeable. I go in there every few weeks mainly to just do a walkthru and look for any interesting used gear. I had to sit here and think about it and just realized that in the 100 times I've walked thru GC and picked up 100's of guitars, I've never bought one. LOL. The most money I've ever spent there was buying one of those new little $99 Line 6 Spider III's(amazing little amps that get a killer metal tone for the bucks).

My GC actually has quite a few Jacksons. They have a pretty good selection of the lower line JS's, Japanese DK's, MG's, RR5's etc. They have I think 3 black USA neck-thru Jacksons that have been there since the store opened, all 3 dinged up and all 3 priced at $1959, not a chance in hell of ever selling in the condition they are in.

They do have a gazillion low end Ibanez guitars without any of the better Japanese models. PRS's everywhere, Schecters and of course their new low-line crap Chinese Laguna models.

I keep thinking one of these days I'm going to find a vintage USA Jackson, Charvel, or Dean there for a decent price. Hasn't happenend and the last time I saw a used USA Jackson there it was an older DK-1 with a twisted neck listed as an SL2 for $1300.

[Hamner1]

I do not have a GC near me. I live on the west side of MN, but I travel to Minneapolis frequently & when I am there I check out the GCs & various other smaller shops. I will say I have had a mix of luck w/ employees @ the GCs I go into. But I take it for what it is. It is a Walmart/Best buy/Circuit City type store. They are generally open longer hours & 7 days a week. I have yet to see a Ma&PA store open on Sundays & not past 7pm most week days. Because of this it means they have to hire more employees to cover more time, & usually their stores are bigger which means you need more employees to adaquately cover the store.
My GC routine is to check out the used gear for any deals on used J/C guitars & used amps/cabs. Then I check out the used rack & effects equipment. After that I check out the new J/C stuff. If something is there that I am interested in & have not tried I will plug in & run through some riffs. Then it is up to the counter to get some accessories (picks/strings/etc) or out the door.

In general people are frugal & are looking to get a decent price on relatively decent product. How many times have we seen on this forum where someone talks highly of a Jackson import, except for the electronics & FLoyd copy. We rationalize getting the lower end product for $400-$800, knowing that we will replace the pickups & Floyd. Then we pat ourselves on the back for such a great guitar & less than a USA model. These stores keep track of what sells & sells well. The stuff that doesn't sell well, regardless of quality or price, becomes less & less stocked.
The smaller Ma&Pa stores are no different. Guess what, it is xmas time & the local stores have an increased stock of the Squier, Dean, Washburn, etc starter pacs. Reason because they are going to sell. And they will sell well this time of year & sell better than the higher priced stuff. Aside from that most of the stuff I see on the walls of the Ma&Pa shops is the imports of the various brands.

[Rich#6]

I have surfed the sight several times and have found guitars I was interested in but every time I sent an email inquiry no response and the guitars were still listed after so I do not understand why GC has the sight in the first place.

I ran into the same issue. I sent emails on 3 guitars. they will not email you back. They MAY try to call you though. 2 out of the 3 called me. One took them 3 or 4 weeks to call.
The one that did call be back quickly got the sale. They called at least 3 times before i called them back (I was at work). Don't email them, call the number listed if you are serious.



GC employees: Everyone has to start somewhere. So these guys don't know as much as you do. Most of us have been playing longer then these guys have been alive.
I personally don't like the cocky arrogant salesmen. But hey they're guitar musicians it comes with the territory.
If you find a good salesperson at a GC stick with them.
Last time I bought anything more then strings I have a great sales guy. I was buying a small practice amp and 3 of them didn't work. The guy was pissed and embrassed. He gave me a 2 year extended warranty for free to seal the deal.


GC and MF: same owners don't mean shit. Give Gil a break.
Phillip morris owns Miller beer and used to own Kraft foods- Ever bought beer in smokes in one package??


Two separate prices on pickups

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Musicians-Gear-Duncan-Performer-Detonator-Pickup-101967933-i1127416.gc

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Musicians-Gear-Duncan-Performer-Detonator-Pickup?sku=300134

[Inazone]

Not sure about in other markets, but at least two Best Buy stores have added "real" musical instrument sections. Not just the starter packs like you can find at Wal-Mart and Target either. They are going up against Guitar Center. Hell, one of the Best Buy stores I'm talking about is across the parking lot from a GC.

[fullmetalguitar]

I've also seen that in a Best Buy, but what I saw wasn't anything substantial. Maybe they're going to expand it more and more. That would be cool.

[SweetPete]

I was in GC just yesterday. When I walked in, I heard the most God-f'n'-awful wanking I've heard in a LONG time. Didn't help that the guitar was out of tune. The teen "playing" the guitar (Epi SG) was obviously just a beginner who was trying way toohard. The kid's parents were there too - the dad looked a bit old to have a teen son. As I was walking around the store, I eventually circled back to where the kid and his parents were sitting. The dad's eyes caught my eyes - we were both thinking the same thing: I cracked a smile, he rolled his eyes as if to say "I'm SO sorry you have to listen to this crap!". I like that aspect of humanity - where 2 people who have never met can come to an understanding without a word being spoken

[kidcasey13]

I bought my first guitar at GC, it was a Jackson Dinky (DK2M -- although I'm not 100% sure that they make other non-"dinky DK2M", but I digress).

I got it for $229 about a month ago, and even though it was my first guitar, I thought it was a pretty good deal.

Sorry about the whole DK2M/Dinky question -- as you can tell, I'm a noobie

[CharvelRocker]

My issue with GC/MF is the the shady stuff they pull. Like the deal with the DK2MS with mis-cut neck pockets. Also both them and Ibanez going "Oops sorry" when the wood on the trem post/stud busted out on my RG after being maybe 3 days over their return period did it. While I understand GC is not legally obligated to return it, a stand up business would of. Besides that deal though the people there are nice, and they know their stuff. I just don't think I would deal with them again.