Nearly bought a Sub 1

[hawkeye86]

Well,

Went to GC tonight with money burning a hole in my pocket. You guys steered me toward buying the Sub 1.

Unfortunately, the GC staff steered me away.

First, I spied one of the OLP Petrucci's (relax and read on...) in the box against the back wall. I wanted to play with it for a bit, just to get a feel. I don't think I could have been persuaded to buy it at that point, my sights were firmly fixed on the Sub 1. I asked one of the GC people if they had a display model. He said "we don't take those out of the box, we'd lose the strap and case." I asked how people were supposed to try them out. He said "people buy them mail-order all the time without trying them out." Strike One!!!!!!!


Second, there were two Sub 1's for $399...a black with trem, and a blue without...I was torn. Both were in pretty decent shape Monday night when I checked them out...

Tonight, the blue one had a broken E string and someone had hocked a loogie on the back of the neck. Punk should be strangled. Nothing worse than picking up a guitar to find dried mucous on the neck.

The black one looked like someone was eating fried chicken while playing. I've never seen a neck so greasy. I wiped it down with with a (clean) Kleenex. I started playing and the GC sales guy came over and told me..."nice guitar...it's made of alder just like a strat. That's just like an American Strat for a whole lot less money".

Maybe I was just in a crummy mood from work, maybe I reached my tolerance for idiots, I don't know. I put the guitar back on the stand and walked out the door, vowing never to return to Guitar Center again.

I'm very bummed right now. I was excited about getting a new guitar. I was fairly confident, thanks to you guys, that I couldn't go wrong with the Sub 1.... It sucked to come home empty handed.

Hopefully you guys don't think I'm some kind of punk. I'd like to think quite the opposite. I'm 37, been playing on and off for almost 25 years. I have everything from a Jackson Soloist to a Jem to an LTD Lynch sunburst tiger to a Yamaha RGX TT, Aria LP copy, Dillion Birds in Flight PRS copy, and a Strat I built from Warmoth parts. Each one has its own character, and I enjoy each one. I was really looking forward to adding to the collection.

Thanks to all of you for your advice and for letting me vent. My quest for an EB isn't over, it just hit a bit of a speed bump. I look forward to being an "official" member of the club in the very near future.

 

[Raz]

Well,

Went to GC tonight with money burning a hole in my pocket. You guys steered me toward buying the Sub 1.

Unfortunately, the GC staff steered me away.

First, I spied one of the OLP Petrucci's (relax and read on...) in the box against the back wall. I wanted to play with it for a bit, just to get a feel. I don't think I could have been persuaded to buy it at that point, my sights were firmly fixed on the Sub 1. I asked one of the GC people if they had a display model. He said "we don't take those out of the box, we'd lose the strap and case." I asked how people were supposed to try them out. He said "people buy them mail-order all the time without trying them out." Strike One!!!!!!!


Second, there were two Sub 1's for $399...a black with trem, and a blue without...I was torn. Both were in pretty decent shape Monday night when I checked them out...

Tonight, the blue one had a broken E string and someone had hocked a loogie on the back of the neck. Punk should be strangled. Nothing worse than picking up a guitar to find dried mucous on the neck.

The black one looked like someone was eating fried chicken while playing. I've never seen a neck so greasy. I wiped it down with with a (clean) Kleenex. I started playing and the GC sales guy came over and told me..."nice guitar...it's made of alder just like a strat. That's just like an American Strat for a whole lot less money".

Maybe I was just in a crummy mood from work, maybe I reached my tolerance for idiots, I don't know. I put the guitar back on the stand and walked out the door, vowing never to return to Guitar Center again.

I'm very bummed right now. I was excited about getting a new guitar. I was fairly confident, thanks to you guys, that I couldn't go wrong with the Sub 1.... It sucked to come home empty handed.

Hopefully you guys don't think I'm some kind of punk. I'd like to think quite the opposite. I'm 37, been playing on and off for almost 25 years. I have everything from a Jackson Soloist to a Jem to an LTD Lynch sunburst tiger to a Yamaha RGX TT, Aria LP copy, Dillion Birds in Flight PRS copy, and a Strat I built from Warmoth parts. Each one has its own character, and I enjoy each one. I was really looking forward to adding to the collection.

Thanks to all of you for your advice and for letting me vent. My quest for an EB isn't over, it just hit a bit of a speed bump. I look forward to being an "official" member of the club in the very near future.

Go back and get the black one...I have 2 Sub1's and I love them. My story is similar to yours...playing since my teen years, now 39...however I took a 15 year break, and when I came back, the SUB 1 was my first guitar (I also have a USA Washburn 7, a Custom Wayne 7, 2 Silos and a Wolfie).
To me the Sub1 represented everything I wanted in a guitar, and everything I was searching for. I will repeat what I am about to say, for like the 100th time...for the money nothing comes close to the Sub 1's quality, sound and playability. Get the black one, change the strings (to 10's ) clean it up and you're all set...play anything from Metal to Jazz..later!

 

[kbaim]

Interesting story.

I've bought a lot of gear from GC, but the 2 guys I bought it from no longer work there. They were great.

I'd see if they have an "E" string and then put it on the sub.

The GC near me (Lake Forest CA) has a tobacco burst OLP double neck on display missing one of the 12 strings. Looks cool, but not for me.

 

[Warg Master]

I understand the low tolerance from idiots...

I feel it would be worth it though... Go back, and talk to a manager. Based on the condition of those guitars, you should be able to get a discount and they should clean and set up the guitar for you. That's the story I had with guitar center... they had an amazing Axis I'd been oogling for the better part of a year.... One day I had money available and decided to head into guitar center to play my coveted guitar once again. They saw me playing and came over to feed me bull****. I asked to speak to one of guys that always take care of me when I go in. The poor thing was in terrible condition by that time, extreemly dirty fretboard, an extreeme stress crack and a small ding on the back from misuse by other people. I got them to take $100 off the price, throw in a couple of extra sets of strings and a strap, and clean and restring the guitar. They did all that and I walked out the door with it, minimal idiocy.

Maybe go on a day off where work hasn't destroyed your ability to put up with morons..... It's worth it for a Sub at that price.

 

[sgmarshall3]

I think Sam Ash is even worse. I swear they offered me $150 for an all tube Laney half stack that was almost new! I didn't go back in there for at least 3 years! Most guitar stores are run like used car dealers anymore!

 

[ripley]

sam ash is like a crackhouse for dead guitars.

"black eye peas" are what killed GC for me. here's the story:

I finally got my mind right about getting the EVH MusicMan in the "don't even look at these" case in the back of the store. first off, they basically woulden't let me even play the thing without cash in hand. so I went to the bank and brought in (for effect) the $2495 they were asking for it in banded 5 dollar bills - in an aluminium briefcase no less. the sales pig was a complete wanker about the whole thing and when I got it in my hands my heart sank. the unwound strings were bloody rusted!!! the action was UNGODLY high and the input jack had a short so you had to wank the cord about for 5 min. just to get it to work. the back looked like someone took a belt sander to it and the trem had been set to float. grrrr.... as I was quickly talking myself out of throwing my 499 five dollar bills right down the toilet, the sales pig got pushy and all but said, "you have laid hands upon one of the 3 actually good guitars we have in stock and you must buy it right now!" I literally coulden't hear the guitar for the "black eye peas" blasting in the torn speaker directly over my head. "black eye peas?," I ask myself. you MUST be kidding. why am I sitting in the bloody guitar center, trying out a MM EVH that I have CASH IN HAND for, and I am going deaf from the bloody black eye peas!? I asked him if there was someplace in the store I could go that didn't have their stupid, eardrum splitting piped in top 40 rock music blaring over the loudest possible volume I could play an amp at to get a feel for the guitar, and the little ponce sort of cocks his head to one side and says, "Uh... Like NO WAY! that's the VIBE, man." It was at this moment that I realized how much this jerk looked like Vanilla Ice - even down to a sort of blonde pompodour (spelling..?) haircut. "VIBE??" I rather figured that the only "vibe" going on in a warehouse sized guitar store would be the glorious "vibe" of commerce as they exchange goods and services for money... but clearly I'm wrong. So I handed him the guitar back, called him a very ugly word involving a sex act with a sheep, and left vowing to never even think about setting foot in their "store" again. they clearly don't really want customers, so why fight them.

even their "good" guitars are in TERRIBLE bloody shape, and half of the salespeople seem to know extremly little about their inventory... and you have to walk through the other half smoking cigerettes in front of the door on your way in. the only problem is that it's right hard to argue with $399 for an american made guitar...

hey... maybe you could just get a new one through the mail. yeah. that's the solution.

OR, you could go in wearing a class 4 biohazzard containment suit and loudly proclaim that you are ready to brave the mucus in order to try out the guitar....

 

[kbaim]

and you have to walk through the other half smoking cigerettes in front of the door on your way in.

Damn, this is so true!

 

[phatduckk]

Damn, this is so true!

he he ... being a smoker myself ive hung out front smoking with a bunch of gc employees. shooting the breeze with a few of the dudes has yeilded me pretty sweet deals on a couple occasions.

ive never had a "really bad" experience in the sf or san jose GCs ... ive never had an awesome experience like i do at my fav local store but its generally been just as good as a trip to the grocery store

 

[Hookpunch]

Yeesh, makes you wonder how many sales are lost to careless guitar stores like that. Still though, 399 for a Sub and perhaps you can talk them down even more due to the poor maintenance, I would reconsider.

 

[hawkeye86]

I actually went back and bought it. See the thread "I did it" for a pic.

The funny thing was, I tried to get a package deal. They had a Yamaha Pacifica 921 on the wall. It's in pretty rough shape cosmetically and it's pink. They had it listed at $299. I can get one in a lot better shape for that price on eBay if I keep my eyes open. I offered $600 for the pair. The sales guy went over, banged furiously on the keyboard of his computer and came back with "sorry, I can't go lower on either one." So, the Sub came home alone.

 

[Raz]

I actually went back and bought it. See the thread "I did it" for a pic.

The funny thing was, I tried to get a package deal. They had a Yamaha Pacifica 921 on the wall. It's in pretty rough shape cosmetically and it's pink. They had it listed at $299. I can get one in a lot better shape for that price on eBay if I keep my eyes open. I offered $600 for the pair. The sales guy went over, banged furiously on the keyboard of his computer and came back with "sorry, I can't go lower on either one." So, the Sub came home alone.

Wow, 399.99 for an American made masterpiece, and 299.99 for a Korean turd...go figure!

 

[hawkeye86]

Well, I wouln't call the Pacifica a Korean turd. This is one of the late 80's/early 90's Japanese guitars. Warmoth neck, DiMarzio pickups, Floyd Rose...great shredder guitar. It's a very nice axe. I wouldn't have minded adding it to the collection if the price was right.

 

[Raz]

Well, I wouln't call the Pacifica a Korean turd. This is one of the late 80's/early 90's Japanese guitars. Warmoth neck, DiMarzio pickups, Floyd Rose...great shredder guitar. It's a very nice axe. I wouldn't have minded adding it to the collection if the price was right.

Oh sorry, my bad...there I go shooting my mouth off...I actually played a nice Pacifica years ago, and It was sweet...I must have forgotten, I often spout forth nonsense without thinking first...

 

[francric]

As far as I'm concerned GC and SA SUCK A$$!!!!!!!! I walk in to those places just to browse and nothing else. Everything they sell is off the wall. I've seen people drop guitars and crack the bodies. They just put them back and no one says anything. The equipment there is just abused. I'll deal with a smaller store any day, even if that store happens to be in Connecticut , before I give those idiots my money.