Another GC moment

[pro-fusion]

Re: Another GC moment

Jeff, I had the same problem you did trying to find that type of guitar stand at GC!!!

I KNOW they used to carry them, but they don't do so any longer. I went further out of my way to another store in our area that had them--I got a Hercules guitar stand that automatically locks the guitar in place when you place it on the stand--I highly recommend it.

Am I the only one who has noticed that GC has greatly reduced the variety of their inventory in the last year? Particularly in the accessories and behind-counter type stuff--pickups, stands, pedals, etc. It used to be that I could usually get exactly what I needed there once I had spent enough time explaining it to the staff. Now, it seems like I have to go online to get the item most times.

[KidPredator]

Re: Another GC moment

Originally posted by RacerX:
Do tell! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Heh, grab a brew bro! [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

Most recently, I brought my Star to GC to see if the morons had a cheap case that I could fit my axe in.

So I walk in there and the check-in clerk goes "What the f**k is that?". I told him it's a "Charvel-f**king-Star".

After which I walked over to their used gear (always my first stop) and plugged into a used Marshall JCM2000 DSL 50 and hook up some cheap 4x12 that was in there.

I started off with the first five bars of "War Ensemble" (3-1 0000000 3-1 00000000 dah dah, [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] you get the point). After I do Kerry's solo, the overhead PA comes on.

"Turn it down, NOW"

I guess I was playing a little loud...Whoops! [img]graemlins/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] (like I didn't know the walls were shaking)

So I walk over to one of those ugly Coffin cases and try to fit this big wacky axe inside, it wasn't happening.

At this point, the manager walks up to me and says, "Wow, I haven't heard anything that heavy and precise for a while, is that the new Ibenhad Icebox??"

(Turn and display my Star)

"What the f**k is that?!?!?!?!"
(The manager just sh!t his pants [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] )

(once again) "It's a Charvel-f**king-Star!!!"


I didn't want a special ordered one and practically had to hold the manager's hand and tell him what an "Explorer Style case" was.

He told me $129 plus a 5 day wait, I walked out the door with stares.

Needless to say this story ends without a "case" [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[ May 30, 2004, 05:08 AM: Message edited by: KidPredator ]

[VitaminG]

Re: Another GC moment

[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I gots to get me one o' dem Ibenhad Iceboxes

[chopper45hd]

Re: Another GC moment

my only fun at a GC was when i took my 10 yr old son with me to the one here,and got the sales idiot to hand me a PRS...which i handed to my 10 yr old and told him to "give'er a whack or two and see if ya like it." the sales man turned 3 shades of green trying to get the guitar back then about 4 shades of red when my 10 yr old layed out a sabbath iron man riff and a robin trower bridge of sighs lick then handed the PRS back to me and said "P O S dad, i want a charvel like yours" [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
kids are so cool when ya spend time with them [img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[Manyaxes]

Re: Another GC moment

I went to GC to get a trussrod wrench for my older Jacksons. I went to the guitar counter and had to explain what a trussrod even was and to top it off the guy hands me and EVH D-Tuna and says, "Is this it?" Needless to say I left with nothing....

I must say that they have great prices on used gear but every guitar in the store, new or used has the worst action ever and there are no USA Jacksons! [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] .... Just don't ask ANYBODY ANYTHING........

[KidPredator]

Re: Another GC moment

Well said ManyAxes!!!

But I have been using my EVH "T-Tuna" on my trussrod for many years now...

Something is fishy [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Inearthed]

Re: Another GC moment

A friend of mine bought a DKMG from Guitar Center as his first guitar and ended up trying to tune his guitar down a full step only to find out that he needed to make some adjustments for everything to play right. He went to Guitar Center and asked them what he needed to do to get the Bridge level again and the told him to adjust his Truss Rod (but they handed him the socket wrench and said "Just take off that cover thing and use this, turn it a bunch"). Luckily, he DIDN'T do that.

[hippietim]

Re: Another GC moment

Guys, just take GC for what it is. A freakin' store! They make money selling stuff. Stuff that the majority of the people want. Just like Walmart. Just like Best Buy. Some people are cool and helpful while others are just taking space doing a job. If you go in there with an attitude or are likely to get annoyed that not everyone knows what a truss rod is then you are setting yourself up for your own aggravation.

Try going to Circuit City and ask someone about CD players that they don't stock. Then ask them why they don't carry the unpopular (but better) ones you like (but have no intention of buying from them even if they did carry it). Then ask them if they have the accessories for the old models of the CD players that they don't stock. Then ask them about the lasers and the various mechanisms employed to eject CDs. I'm sure that not to long into this conversation the salesperson will give his buddy the signal to do the store broadcast to provide salvation from you as in "Bob you have a call holding on line 1".

KidPredator, going into this misadventure of yours what did you think the odds were going to be of you walking out of there with a cheap case that would fit a Charvel Star? Unless you are an extreme optimist you couldn't possibly be surprised by the outcome. Also, I'm guessing that a significant portion of the GC employee population was maybe in diapers the last time a Charvel Star hung on the walls on a regular basis. It is very likely that a 20 year old guitar player today has never seen a Charvel Star in person.

[charvelguy]

Re: Another GC moment

Well, the Marshall I wanted did not go on sale.. so I wait. However, I did pick up a nice deal on the Korg PXR4, their mini digital 4 track with the PX4 Pandora amp/drum models.
80.00 for the demo model with a 16mb card in used, but very good shape.

A 4 track + Pandora for the price of a Rockman = [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

Now I'll be able to do .wav files!

[ May 31, 2004, 01:43 PM: Message edited by: charvelguy ]

[fuel0707]

Re: Another GC moment

Originally posted by Black Mariah:
The average mom and pop store carries how many brands? 2-3 guitar brands, maybe 2 amp brands. It's easy to know all about the stuff you have in a small store. Now how much shit does GC carry? The one in Arlington has eight or nine brands of guitars in-store, and about 5-6 amp brands. Not to mention all the pedals, straps, picks, and whatnot. That's a lot of shit to remember.

Everyone makes the assumption that everyone should know everything about everything they're into. It doesn't work like that. I have a good sized knowledge of Jackson/Charvel gear, but I know fuckall about Ibanez or Fender. Chances are, the guy that works at the store is the same way.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just my two cents, but my best friend has been the manager of a store outside of Seattle since about 1991. Besides being an outstanding guitarist, he's also very professional about his treatment of customers and his product knowledge. He has a wealth of knowledge of not only his store's lines (Grosh, PRS, Taylor, Fender, Heritage, Ibanez, Santa Cruz, Breedlove, Soldano, THD, Rivera, Traynor, Speedster and lots of effects pedals and rack gear) but he's got a good working knowledge of other brands he doesn't carry. He can also do an excellent job recognizing authentic and fake vintage gear, too. I know my friend is an exception in the music sales field but that doesn't excuse people who don't take the time to properly train and continue to learn about their field.

I'm not busting your chops, but I do have a different opinion. Most of the part-timers at GC don't get much product training and it shows. I can remember one part-timer at GC telling a customer that installing a B-bender in a Tele was "super easy to do" and "really cheap" and another one of those GC'ers telling someone looking at buying a Taylor that he DIDN'T need a case for that guitar because "Taylors are really well built". Draw your own conclusions... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Black Mariah]

Re: Another GC moment

Okay, I'll draw my conclusions. Your friend is an exception. He is one of a very, EXTREMELY tiny number of people that work at a music store and actually know WTF they're talking about.

Hppietim was right. It's just a job to most people. Most of these guys are there for the discounts anyway. When I go into GC, I don't expect the salesman to know a damn thing. I do my own homework on the gear I'm looking at. When someone asks if I need help "No, I'm just looking right now".

How can you expect the people at GC to give a fuck about what you're buying when it's probably obvious you're NOT going to buy a damn thing no matter what they do, and most likely are just there to have a story about how stupid they are to tell people in the internet?

Right now, somewhere, there's a post on an ESP board talking about how that moron at the GC down the street knows everything about Jackson but doesn't know a fucking thing about a GOOD guitar, like an ESP. And I'm sure the same goes for every board, complaining about how knowledgeable the GC employees are on their particular favorite guitars. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Inearthed]

Re: Another GC moment

Originally posted by John D.:
Just my two cents, but my best friend has been the manager of a store outside of Seattle since about 1991. Besides being an outstanding guitarist, he's also very professional about his treatment of customers and his product knowledge. He has a wealth of knowledge of not only his store's lines (Grosh, PRS, Taylor, Fender, Heritage, Ibanez, Santa Cruz, Breedlove, Soldano, THD, Rivera, Traynor, Speedster and lots of effects pedals and rack gear) but he's got a good working knowledge of other brands he doesn't carry. He can also do an excellent job recognizing authentic and fake vintage gear, too. I know my friend is an exception in the music sales field but that doesn't excuse people who don't take the time to properly train and continue to learn about their field.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Out of curiousity, what store? If you don't want to post it here PM it to me.

Typically the managers of the GC's are decent folk, its just some of the employees that ruin the experience for other people.

[fuel0707]

Re: Another GC moment

Originally posted by Black Mariah:

Right now, somewhere, there's a post on an ESP board talking about how that moron at the GC down the street knows everything about Jackson but doesn't know a fucking thing about a GOOD guitar, like an ESP. And I'm sure the same goes for every board, complaining about how knowledgeable the GC employees are on their particular favorite guitars. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Couldn't agree more! [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img] And I can understand that GC finds it too expensive and time-consuming to train up their part-time employees to do much more than run cash registers. Still, I do think that there should be a decent, basic understanding of what one is attempting to sell to the public. Having just purchased a vehicle over the weekend, I can appreciate knowledgeable sales people. I wanted to talk with a sales person that knew more than "well, it's got 4 tires". [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[fuel0707]

Re: Another GC moment

Originally posted by Inearthed:
Out of curiousity, what store? If you don't want to post it here PM it to me.

Typically the managers of the GC's are decent folk, its just some of the employees that ruin the experience for other people.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">PM sent. By the way, that's the first PM I've ever sent here at the JCF. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[AlexL]

Re: Another GC moment

I live in Minneapolis Minnesota, and we have two GCs here. I haven't ever bought anything from the Roseville store, but I go in to the one in Edina once in a while. I have one guy I like to work with at the store (Adam), as he is not pushy and cuts me decent prices on guitar-related gear. He took 100.00 off a Schecter bass for me, and never once tried to pressure me to purchase it (well, besides knocking 100.00 off the price [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ). Other employees at the same store can be a bit on the pushy side, but not too bad. Usually when they find out you know something about guitars, they ease up a bit and let you play.

Interestingly enough, on one of my recent visits to the store, I bumped into the Fender/Jackson rep and had a nice conversation with him. I told him that I thought Jackson guitars had really crappy representation in the Twin Cities, and GC wasn't doing much to push the brand's high-end products, as you are lucky if they stock any USA models, and if they do, it is typically only a Soloist. Not slaggin' on Soloists, but my point was you never see a USA Rhoads, Warrior, or Kelly in stock. I hope he appreciated the input. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]


- E.