Stupid strings at a stupid store...

[peter71]

I was at a Guitar Center in Seattle, and I was trying out an amp that looked kind of cool. I grabbed a used Sil that they had that was very similar to my own Sil and began to play it with the amp. (It was an old Mesa, cool looking but a little too roughed up for my tastes.)

When I grabbed the guitar, the first thing I noticed was that the strings were super tight, super old and stale, and way out of tune. I tried to tune it, but it was hard because the strings had been there a long time. It made the guitar kind of frustrating to play.

Anyway the point of this thread is that I just get so sick and tired of guitar shops not taking care fo the guitars they are selling. You don't go to a car dealership and find dirty cars. They clean them all the time.

I guess I just don't understand why guitar shops, especially a chain like Guitar Center, don't take care of their strings. I am much more likely to have a good impression of a guitar when I play it if it has good strings than if it has horrible ones. I know that this might get costly, but it seems like you might sell more guitars to cover the cost.

I just had to vent. I mean the guitar was not on consignment or anything, it was GC's to sell.

Sorry if I sound like a baby, it just really bothered me yesterday for some reason...

 

[koogie2k]

I agree. I have noodled around with some very high end guitars at other places and the strings are garbage, pick marks, scratches, etc. I asked one guy why a $8,000 model looked like some new kid beat the hell out of it. His response, we have to let the customers try them out. I can agree on some models, but not on those kind. All the EBMM's at the GC here are beat down so I order mine. I feel your pain...

 

[OrangeChannel]

Whats worse is that they'll never adjust the price based on that either. Hence mail order or the shops I know that have a hands off policy.

 

[peter71]

One other thing that bothered me about this situation is that Guitar Centers tend to have those high celiengs, and the one in Eugene OR tended to put their nicer guitars at the top and leave their Squired and OLP's on the bottom. That way the stuff that was most readily available was their lower end stuff.

This place had them arranged by type, so you would have new Les Pauls and PRS's next to $200 Mexican Made Squires. Then they had all their MM guitars on the floor. This is cool for getting people to play them, but these were beat to poop!

Oh well, I guess that is the way it goes.

I will say that I love to go to shops and play their stuff, but I also try to be really careful. I guess that is just the nature of the beast and I should quit my crying. It just made me sad...

 

[OrangeChannel]

The GC's by me on Long Island put their MM's by the Line 6 gear. So all the n00bs that come in test the Line 6 and Crate amps with $1000+ guitars, and drop them, and beat them, and bang on them. Annoying say I.

 

[ex3.8]

Funny enough why at Steve's in Montreal, the higher end models are just that "higher up". Also they have what i call the.....
"Wall Of Fame" on witch you find all the major stuff. this area is a bit recessed and there always seems to be a few amp cabs and cases blocking the access.
In the 22 Years i have been going there and aaaaaaaal the pay checks i left behind i have "NEVER" tried a guitar from that wall.

Call it lack of Balls.... I call it "respect"
If you don't plan on buying it soon.... "leave it"

 

[peter71]

You know something funny, I was going to mention the Line 6 Amps in my previous post, because that is where the EBMM's were, but I wasn't sure if what I felt about the Line 6 amps, and who uses them was true, or just my own bias. I think Line 6 makes great amps if you are into them, but they also make fun noises and I think that is attractive to your average person at a music store. I used to do the same thing a while ago with a Roland effects processor and a Godin Classical that had a midi output.

Anyway, one good thing about having the EBMM's by the Line 6's is that they will get played, and maybe someone will like it enough to buy it and make a great decision for themselves. I just think it also leads to lots of wear and tear on the guitars as well.

 

[SGMan88]

I agree. Guitar stores should care for all of there guitars regularly.

 

[Bassplyr]

In response to "Why don't music stores take care of their strings/guitars".. I own a small music store so I can tell you why: I'm usually helping someone in another part of the store when 3 juvenile "rockers" walk in and see the new Bongo on the wall. They walk over to it and even though there are signs posted to ask for assistance, they obviously don't care, can't read..whatever, and pull it down and start cranking out slap riffs thinking they are the next Flea or Tony Kanal. By the time I get there, they've passed it around to their other destitute friends who've put their nappy prints all over it. Or someone stops in on the way home from their Jiffy Lube job and want to touch my SR5! The nerve of them bastards! Bottom line is : People have no damn respect!

 

[koogie2k]

Bassplyr....you are absolutely right. When I go to a music store, I take off my belt, empty my pockets and what not. I just have the sense of treating the instrument like it was mine. I see the "rockers" all the time. Putting their paws on guitars they have no intention of buying and playing out the worse rendition of Smoke On The Water! I must admit, I will do a wickedly fast run somewhere along the lines of Paul Gilbert, Vai, or Morse next to them so they will stop and listen to what I am doing and put down the guitar. Usually intimidates them. Most of the time, I get a student out of it....keeps my favorite store out here happy when I do that!

 

[Bassplyr]

Bassplyr....you are absolutely right. When I go to a music store, I take off my belt, empty my pockets and what not. I just have the sense of treating the instrument like it was mine.

Koogie, feel free to hang around my store anytime to ward off the disrespectful slobs. And what's bad is, it's not always the kids. Adults are just as bad!

 

[ex3.8]

Even after 22 years and countless paychecks i am still shy of taking a guitar down by myself but when i do and then put it back is use what i call the
"leave your hand under it for 5 seconds just in case" Method

LOL

 

[peter71]

If that is all it takes, I will be a free bouncer at your store. I am rather large and scary looking. You won't even have to pay me, I will just charge a guitar or amp a year to work on the weekends or after school. I will have to work something out with my wife as to why I quit my job, but I am sure she will understand when I explain to her the good service that I am performing...

 

[Baddog]

Places like Guitar Center also has a 30 day money back policy, if you are not happy bring it back. If you need a nice guitar put it on your credit card and play the crap out of it for 29 days and bring it back. They will just put it back on the rack and still sell it as new!
Nice for the serious guitarist but the idiots take advantage of this and abuse it.

 

[koogie2k]

Thanks Bassplyr....but I am a skinny runt. Now, Peter71 sounds like your ideal candidate! He can toss them, I can "WOW" them and you can make a million. It will only cost you one Petrucci in carbon blue....lol

The 5 second rule....I use that one too. My buddy makes customs and these bad boys run up to 10 grand, so you gotta be careful around these things.

30 day return policy? Both good and bad. Good you can return it. Bad if they restock it and sell it as new. Especially to a new customer. Sounds kinda shady to me. I would be extemely bent if I bought a "new" guitar and found out it was beat down by someone. Not cool.

 

[Bassplyr]

Insider TIP: What do you think Musicians Fiend does with all the "30 Day Guarantee Returns"? They blow them out at ridiculously low prices. You never know what you'll get because it always looks perfect in the catalog.

 

[Bassplyr]

If that is all it takes, I will be a free bouncer at your store. I am rather large and scary looking. You won't even have to pay me, I will just charge a guitar or amp a year to work on the weekends or after school. I will have to work something out with my wife as to why I quit my job, but I am sure she will understand when I explain to her the good service that I am performing...

You will have performed a great service to all of MusicMan-dom!
Just make sure you let the girls in. maybe we can turn it into a dance club after we close the store!

 

[skabassist13]

i agree. places like guitar center should hire someone specifically to take care of the instruments. hey... im looking for a job.

 

[Baddog]

The Guitar Center in my area is a zoo! Small asles where you can hardly walk and someone on every active amp playing sometimes for hours. Too many people for one person to watch!