You get one wish from Guitar Center.........

[ptg]

First of all, thanks Marty and BP for allowing us to talk to you directly.

I know inventory is expensive, but ordering a MM bass can be daunting simply because you don't know which one to buy. Piezo? HH? HS? H? More pup configs would be great!!

I know this has been discussed, but having a dedicated person to make sure all the instruments on the floor are playable would, IMHO, increase sales. It could be a roving guy, or the responsibility of the repairman already in the store, to check at a certain time each day or every other day or whatever.

Also, great idea tommyindelaware! Having a musical "jiffy lube" station would be mint! Instead of not maintaining the instrument properly, one could drop it off to get it tweaked (since I know it won't take long) and try out a bass or at least pick up a new cord or some other sundry.

Thanks, again, for listening!

 

[Larry]

1) Climate Control
2) In tune, Polished, Well setup inventory.
3) More balls in stock

 

[NorM]

well...i know one offs are not gonna happen.......so...

as a service to gc customers.... how bout a guitar and bass tweek station at the storefront. a place where anyone could get a quick tweek / evaluation of there current guitar. an ernie ball gas station.....kinda like a jiffy lube for guitars and basses. limit to quik string change & truss rod tweek. 10-15 mins ? customer just buys strings......& gets qualified for new instrument if appropriate.
tommy in guitar centerless delaware.

The GC in Tucson has just such a "workbench" right in the Guitar station. When I went to the GC yesterday I got the polish, cloth (EBMM wonder wipes were not in stock yet) and a 3mm allen wrench from there. I spent about an hour cleaning and checking out (and tweaked 2) 5 EBMM Basses. I like putting EBMM basses in other players hands at the GC. "Excuse me sir, would you try this one and tell me if you think it's set up OK?" Everyone loves the EBMM basses. I even went next door to the hardware store to buy a battery for a Bongo. (the manager reimbursed me) The guys at my GC are great and they know me. They were all very thankful that I came in just to clean up the EBMM's. I had a great time. Next time I have free time I will try to get to the other 5 basses there. They don't have any EBMM guitars there but I understand. They get what they can sell, GC is huge, EBMM does what they can.

Marty!
The guys in Tucson are fantastic! If you get a chance to tell them I bet it will make them feel good. I recommend they get an "Attaboy" if you have any in your desk drawer.

I think it would be great for GC's to have a Public computer in store that is on-line and available for customers to log onto manufacture's websites. This can be set up in a kiosk type of setitng and could be considered the GC Info center and hub, they could even have it linked to dealer inventory. With the many products and instruments that GC carries its tough to for the salesman to know every spec on every instrument(available colors, woods, configuarations...etc...etc) So it would be a great tool to have an in-store reference center that allows you access to manufactures websites.

That would be really cool. I think it's in the works. The old system that required a salesman to know, hunt for, or find cryptic codes to try and find a model or anything in the GC system was/is tough to use. They did finally get the WWW in the store. It works great for defining prices and product availability. Along with showing the GC staff the cool things happening at EB.

 

[GWDavis28]

Marty, yes thank you of the opportunity to post some opinions.

BP, thanx for the input about the inventory.

Glenn |B)

 

[paranoid70]

Another vote for more inventory of EBMM guitars. Most GCs in my area carry zero EBMM guitars in stock. I personally have never seen a Silhouette, Silhouette Special, Steve Morse, or Albert Lee at a GC. (Or at least not in the last two or three years that I have been more actively looking at EBMM stuff).

One thing I will say that I do like about GC is that you can sit down and play a guitar and/or amp for quite some time without getting "bugged" by the Sales Staff. They usually come by and say "How are you doing" or something like that... but are typically not pushy at all. I definitely appreciate that.

 

[Kristopher]

I haven't read all of the replies yet (I just have a few minutes left on my lunch break), but here's my suggestion:

Hire one guy who's sole responsibility is to keep all the instruments in the store in tune, set up properly, working properly, and looking good. Maybe it's a part time job, maybe it's a guy who roams from store to store (this would be good for the Phoenix metro area, where there's four Guitar Centers).

 

[beej]

Marty- pleasure meeting you in Dallas (I asked all about your history in the Great White North).

Since I'm north of the border and don't have GC near me, I only get to go on frequent trips to the states. But the problem is I never know what inventory a local GC has, and sometimes have to pick between two.

How about an online store inventory so you can see what equipment is available at a given store? At least for particular makes (<ahem> EBMM <ahem>).

 

[dhuffguitars]

One wish is a tough decision between-
Better sales staff, I can't stand the trendy staff who looks down at you for not being as hip as them.
Or turn down the piped in music, it's always so F-ing loud in there I can't think.

Crap, I am old.....

 

[cdb]

My wish that all basses should be set up properly, and even better, in tune. Or have a tuner nailed down so you can tune the damn things...

I have seen basses in there where the strings are so loose they are touching the frets, and I have seen others that have a banana bend in the neck so severe that there is 3/4 " of clearance at the 12th fret. Note: none of those basses were EB products, but still...

 

[GWDavis28]

Marty- pleasure meeting you in Dallas (I asked all about your history in the Great White North).

Since I'm north of the border and don't have GC near me, I only get to go on frequent trips to the states. But the problem is I never know what inventory a local GC has, and sometimes have to pick between two.

How about an online store inventory so you can see what equipment is available at a given store? At least for particular makes (<ahem> EBMM <ahem>).

Beej, but GC has their inventory listed thru the Music Man Inventory search tool. But EBMM will attest that most dealers don't keep it up to date. I know that sometimes GC's inventory isn't always up to date.

http://www.ernieball.com/mmonline/dealers/ Then punch in a zip code, try using this one 01776.

Glenn |B)

 

[wolfbone07]

Guitar Center should stock one of each model guitar, an Albert Lee, a Morse, a Silhouette Special, an Axis, and Axis Super Sport, a Silhouette, a Petrucci, etc. and have them on the wall where they keep the good stuff. You have to be able to play the darned things before you know how good they are!

 

[Adwex]

- knowledgable staff.

- EBMM Morse and Y2D guitars in stock (only one of each necessary). I probably would've bought one by now if I could try the darn thing.

 

[1Echo]

Being an almost completely bass-centric type, I really appreciate what one of the Dallas GCs has done.

Loads of guitars and basses are out of the floor, as usual, but there is an actual bass room that can be (relatively) closed off from the floor. Inside, the nicer basses and a couple of decent rigs are available for demo. This was not strictly an Ernie Ball playground, either. There was a Rickenbacker, a Warwick and so on.

I appreciate the cost that went into the room and I know it takes labor to maintain it, but it makes all the difference in the world to someone like me. In fact, Marty, don't tell BP, but I've bought a couple of, um, you know, THINGS there.

It might be tough to do it in all the locations, but in a multi-GC city like Dallas and the surrounding area, that's the one I go to, even if it's further away than some others.

Jack

I know the GC you speak of Jack and I agree --- it makes a difference. That is my first stop anytime I want to try out a new bass or amp. It doesn't hurt that the room is loaded with Markbass and EBMM gear!

Still, knowledgeable sales staff would be high on my list. I had an experience buying patchbays for my studio where the rep brought out 3 different products from the back room before finally presenting me with a patchbay (headphone mixers and other items came first). Sad part is I had even given him the exact brand and model number of what I wanted. A willingness to do a little research or refer to someone more knowledgeable would be a big plus ---- perhaps something that can be discussed during initial training/orientation?

 

[Adwex]

...

How about an online store inventory so you can see what equipment is available at a given store? At least for particular makes (<ahem> EBMM <ahem>).

beej,

There seems to already be a system in place on the EBMM site, but it wasn't kept current, not sure who's fault. I found (online) an EBMM Morse guitar at a small music store very close to my home (not GC). I went there only to be disappointed, no Morse.

Adam

 

[NorM]

Hire one guy who's sole responsibility is to keep all the instruments in the store in tune, set up properly, working properly, and looking good. Maybe it's a part time job, maybe it's a guy who roams from store to store (this would be good for the Phoenix metro area, where there's four Guitar Centers).

My wish that all basses should be set up properly, and even better, in tune. Or have a tuner nailed down so you can tune the damn things...

From what Marty said in another thread
I think the Knuckleheads are assuming that responsibility for the EBMM stock @ GC
here it is

Let me stick my neck out here.....
A suggestion.....since this forum represents the highest of pride for EBMM products
how about we mobilize the "forumite's army" and I authorize all of you to have the ability to go into any of our stores and if you see any EBMM product that needs some tender loving care...you provide it.....meaning ask the store to let you adjust the neck, replace strings or polish....not that I am looking for free labor....but what better way to show your respect for the instruments as well as demonstrate what you expect from GC.

We can use all the help we can get.....and so can EBMM.

Good idea ? Bad idea ?

 

[bubbao]

Markbass update

Regarding the wish for more Markbass stores, we are currently up to 52 locations and growing. Some of the new gear arriving later this summer are the F1 head (BP has a signed prototype already) the Jeff Berlin combo and the Mini Mark combo.
Later, Ed O

 

[kneeoh]

I would wish for a few dedicated testing rooms, each equipped with some amps that are in the store inventory. This way if you're testing either amps or guitars, you don't have to get into a volume battle with others who are doing the same out on the floor.

 

[beej]

Glenn, Adam-

Yeah, sorry I should have clarified. The search tool would be the coolest thing if dealers actually used it, but I too find that it's rarely current. In particular, I've used it when I'm in the US to find stuff locally with no real luck.

I figure GC is big enough, though, that they may well be able to open up their own inventory system to the web.

 

[Ken Baker]

I have to say that, over the years that I've staggered around GC, the overall experience has improved. Much of that improvement has occurred in the past 2-3 years. For that, I say thanks!

What I'd like to see is an improvement in the consistency of the quality of help from store to store. For example, my Guitar Center "Circle of GAS" is Brea, Fountain Valley, and Cerritos (not necessarily in that order). The quality of help that I've seen just in these three stores runs, for the overall store, from clueless to exemplary. Now either there's a helluva lot of difference in the prospective employee pool (which I doubt), or the difference is specific to each store.

Perhaps regional staff could be more involved in HR.

Thanks for listening!

Ken...

 

[Mu5icM@n]

My wish list:

By far, I'd like to see their basses set up properly with fresh strings. I mean, give me a break--every single time I check out a bass at GC, it has a horrible setup. I have never once sat down with a MusicMan bass at GC that didn't need it's neck adjusted--thankfully that's very easy to do--but this sort of thing is so elementary it annoys me to even have to mention it. And when the strings on a bass go dead, they should be changed, period. Nothing worse than picking up a kickass Stingray to find out its strings are toast. Nobody's going to sell basses this way.

The second thing I'd like to see is at least one Silhouette Bass Guitar in stock. I've been dying to play one of those things for ages. You'd probably sell a lot of them in Nashville.

td