Why not GC?

[bovinehost]

What I am gettin at is that large retailers importance is not the consumer any longer...it's the bottom line, and the stock holders.

I would suggest that any retailer who truly loses sight of the fact that the customer is the only reason he has a bottom line and stockholders will soon be wondering where his Ferrari went.

 

[shamus63]

You guys may well be right about the 800 dollar mark, but it seems to me it would be much lower. Have you seen how many of those 150-200 dollar Fender Strats are available? And Affinity Ps?

This is one of those things we can ask.

As far as the bass side of SF GC goes, there are certainly quite a few marked between (roughly) $199 - 400, as well as a respectable inventory of $1600+ basses ('relic' Fenders, Warwicks, etc.).

To be quite honest, there's something for *most* everybody (again, I'm referring to bassists) at most of the California GC stores I've been to (from Concord all the way down to San Diego).

 

[BigBallz]

I would suggest that any retailer who truly loses sight of the fact that the customer is the only reason he has a bottom line and stockholders will soon be wondering where his Ferrari went.

Ahhhh...but when you are the cheepest or only game in town......you don't have to worry about that.....you can lead a horse to water AND make him drink...if he is thirsty enough....

 

[Mobay45]

Here's the way I see it. GC is ok and a good place to look around, but I think the internet is where it's at. I have the whole world at my fingertips. I remember having to drive all over the place trying to either find an item I wanted or find the best price. You had to bargain face to face. Now I can find almost anything I want, new or used, right here at home. I have to be patient and wait for it to come to me, overnight if I'm willing to pay, but it's right here in my home and my office.

The other thing I really like about internet shopping in general is this. If there's a particular product that I really like, I can get it online. They have the size, color, length, variety, etc. of anything I want. I don't have to go store to store to find it. If I want several of one item, let's say a white dress shirt, I can get them all in my size from one place because I am essentially ordering it from the warehouse for the entire country. Most internet driven companies make it easy to return things that you don't want and give you plenty of time to make that decision.

YMMV

 

[Randracula]

You have a Sam Ash down there?

Yup, in Ontario....

 

[Rayan]

When Yer Brain Starts To Hurt

... Wow. Lots of different "opinions" here. I like it ... What I am gettin at is that large retailers importance is not the consumer any longer...it's the bottom line, and the stock holders ... It's disheartining the "advances" that big retail has made in alot of aspects. But I enjoy discussing it very much. Thanks to all for your input ... How corporate sounding.....

~

We can always blame strummer ...

... So at the CES I went to the G*bso* tent (fun ) and met a guy from the local GC and asked him about a strap ...

~
/R

 

[shamus63]

Yup, in Ontario....

Hey! One of my old residences...but then again, where haven't I lived in SoCal?

 

[SteveB]

~
Hey SteveB,
You make a real interesting point (as usual), and I certainly don't mean to pick on you personally
- but it seems, in general terms that most of the time, be it on cars or guitars, we focus on the $ as the main deciding factor on what is a 'good deal'
- and eventually we start missing the bigger picture of how to 'make music' ?
- and then we've put our own price tag on the "fabric of an enduring society" !
~
/R

Rayan,

I hear ya, bro. And I don't feel picked on, this is a cool discussion. But in the case of EBMM guitars, the price difference between GC and my local was STAGGERING. I'm talking hundreds (with an 's') of dollars difference for the same exact instrument. Any one of us would feel foolish paying that much of a premium if we didn't have to.

Local also gives me a decent return period (which, as I said, I never utilize anyway so it's not a huge selling point to me).

I'm all for the local guy anyway, but I'm not dead-set against buying from GC. They just have to make a comparable deal, without me having to spend countless hours hanging around in their stores trying to get chummy with the ever-revolving staff.

I did mention that I was glad that the GC chain carries EBMM guitars in stock, which my locals do not (with the occasional exception). But in my town, GC doesn't even do that.. two EBMM guitars in a brand-new store? Not even a JP model among them, which is the hottest seller? They've got LOTS of OLP JP models, and LOTS of OLP Axis models. How will these players follow the 'upgrade' path to real EBMM's when there aren't any around? Plus, they've always got a whole wall of PRS guitars...

Anyway, back to your point... what else am I getting from GC or my local other than a price and a return policy? I'm in Dargin's capable hands after 30 days!
This is an honest question, not belligerent rhetoric, by the way!

 

[bovinehost]

Here's the way I see it. GC is ok and a good place to look around, but I think the internet is where it's at.

Well....Musician's Friend kind of picks up that end of the business for GC, I would think. But GC itself? The 'gcrep' auctions on eBay are the ugliest things and I simply can't imagine GC does as much business as it certainly could by....

....you know what? I'm going to shut up. I'm not their competition, not by a long shot, but I'm still just going to shut up.

And have a martini and....hey, did you see that giant chicken over there?

 

[tkarter]

Yo, hey, watch out now, this is the bass forum! Please rephrase it like, "Steve, I wouldn't mind if you recorded some quiet, tasteful guitar phrases over my killer bass line."

Thank you.

He can bring all he wants the SR5 will cut through and stand out.

I on the other hand need to know what key he is playing cuz some of those guitar players sorta tune stuff funny.


tk

 

[SteveB]

Steve, brother, I would love a chance to lay a bassline down under your guitar.

tk

I knew what you meant, tk!

Maybe one of these days when I get back to recording, I'll send you something to embellish! Man, it gets difficult to find recording time with two young 'uns running around.. but someday I'll teach 'em how to run the console and they can be my engineers!

edit: I always tune standard 'E' to 'E'. I'm not that fancy.

 

[Father Gino]

besides I hate pickles,

Jack

Jack, if I ever buy a bass from you, I'm going to have to stipulate that a pickle comes with it. And none of them ****ty sweet pickles either. It's gotta be a good, crunchy Kosher Dill.

 

[tkarter]

Sounds good Steve.

Maybe some day I will venture to K.C. and try out one of the GC stores.

Sure hope I remember this thread when I do.


tk

 

[Rayan]

Everybody Clap Yer Hands Now

... I'm all for the local guy anyway, but I'm not dead-set against buying from GC ...

They just have to make a comparable deal, without me having to spend countless hours hanging around in their stores trying to get chummy with the ever-revolving staff ...

... what else am I getting from GC or my local other than a price and a return policy? I'm in Dargin's capable hands after 30 days! ...

~
If I were the GCBigCheese I'd reckon I had enough info from this thread to help me "FineTune" my "Business Growing" ...

It's about *People*, and why, like in 'love', we'll say one thing and mean another, and we're not being totally fickle ...

Treat me right, and I'll drive 600 miles in a snowstorm to 'make a deal';
treat me like a number, and I won't walk across the room to save a dime ...
~

I'm sure no CEO likes to think he/she hasn't done the very best to recruit, train, develop and care for "quality staff", which is really the basis of any quality 'customer service' organization; and without quality 'customer service' staff,
$ale$ is just a pi$$ing conte$t ...
~
(sniff) i think i'm gettin' emotional (sniff)

/R

 

[SteveB]

Well said, Rayan!

Far be it from me to tell GC how to run their business. Obviously, they somehow manage without my advice!

But if they want to know how to get more of my business...

 

[tkarter]

If I recall right. Isn't GC the place some folks go and get a bass of their choice take it home play a gig or two with it and take it back since it is within the return policy?



tk

 

[Father Gino]

If I recall right. Isn't GC the place some folks go and get a bass of their choice take it home play a gig or two with it and take it back since it is within the return policy?

What ya do is, buy a geetar, then lick it and take it back.

 

[tkarter]

No what I do is buy what I want and keep it. I don't want it then it stays at the store.


tk

 

[SteveB]

If I recall right. Isn't GC the place some folks go and get a bass of their choice take it home play a gig or two with it and take it back since it is within the return policy?

Yeah, and I think that's just sooo unethical (on the part of the GC customer, that is).

It's bad enough that many people (myself included) go there to try a guitar and then buy it elsewhere. I hate to do that to GC, or anyone for that matter. But in my own defense I did it with the intention of buying it there if the price was right. Some folks go in and play their stuff with no intention of buying there under any circumstance, and that bothers me too.

I was walking out of a local GC one day, and a guy who was in there trying all sorts of guitars was walking next to me in the parking lot. He said it was 'like Disneyland' in there.. he said he loved to go in regularly and play guitars that he could never afford to buy. That really irritated me.

But for the life of me I don't have a good solution...

 

[tkarter]

The solution is easy in some ways. GC doesn't lose enough over the return policy that they have to overprice things.
GC hires kids that may have never worked for anyone or anywhere before they work for GC. That is good. Even that kid knows when the bass comes back and is exchanged for the same brand but a different color what happened.

The simple solution is to let GC managment make the decisions on how to run GC and we the consumer make the descision on what we are going to buy from GC.

There is a back side to GC. I love my local mom and pop store and have spent a lot of money there. They have always treated me right too.

I have never played a bongo, because that mom and pop store can't afford to stock one on the chance that I will buy it. They know what they sell. They know what the payroll runs. They too know how to keep the doors open.

If this forum had real pull with BP. He wouldn't produce anything but green or white basses. And all the pick gaurds would be changed and so forth.

We are many but we are just a few in the real world.

Business is business and buying is buying.

tk