Look at the old thread

Guitar Center is the evil Wal-Mart wannabe of the music industry, they are putting hard working, independant music store owners out of buisness, the people there tend to be much more rude, not to mention grossly less knowledgable. going to guitar center is evil... you might as well just go piss on some church steps and spreaypaint on the stained glass.... its just as bad and you will go to hell either way... and you know who runs hell......

Rule No. 1 Never ask SATAN about Guitar Center

gc blows. theyre all assholes and they dont know anything about what theyre selling.

I got my guitar from Guitar Center but I am a beginner so I guess I do not think they are bad because I would not know the difference. I just figured they were good because they have so much stuff.

Guitar Center is 99.9% of the time(with maybe 3 exceptions nationwide which have yet to be discovered) a store employing unknowledgabe human beings who just like to play some games to get commission money. They have bought up atleast one other small shop in my area, which i particularly liked more than guitar center. Guitar center always gets teh same stuff in, and never spices up the inventory with anything new. The salesman are usually not very helpful, giving me unrealistic arrival dates on merchandise(saying in 3 days, when it takes 1 month.) They also like to push monster cable alot(which is something that annoys me, but that is because i personally hate it.) The salesman has gotten a little better over the years, but still has a long ways to go. Unfortunately for me, in my area the only guitar shops are Guitar centers.

We have one in town here. (Maybe more than one, but I don't go looking.) Most of the sales guys don't have a clue and their stock is the same as Musician's Friend, being the same company and all. Most big chain music stores are like this, in that they don't attract knowledable people. This isn't always the case. The Guitar Center in Ft. Collins, CO has a number of band members who have recorded at my studio working there. So it can be a haven for gigging musicians as it provides some day cash to suppliment the night cash. Plus, they can buy from inventory at cost, so they get a great deal on the stuff they want, but can't afford because they're gigging musicians!

For the general public, yeah, they're like WalMart. For the knowledgable player, it's like going to McDonalds and realizing they don't server filet mignon and never will.

I treat CG like Radio Shack. You go there knowing what you want. Never expect to get knowledgeable answers to your questions. Anyway, with the internet, I *always* do my research in advance. I visit manufactures websites, I read the instruction manuals, I read lots and lots of reviews, if available. So when I get ready to do my shopping, armed with the knowledge, it's just finding a retailer who has the inventory and has my price. So, I have no beef with GC, or MF. If GC meets my needs, I'll shop there.

And buying guitars, I don't have a problem buying online either. My favorite electric and favorite acoustic were both bought online.

cunning is the evil guy putting hard working americans out of work. shame on you cunning. shame on you.... of course... i steal souls..... so i cant really talk....

when the defense industry crashed you diddnt lose a buisness you had put your heart and soul into for 30 years either. everyone knows where i stand and it hits me personally pretty hard with these chains. i cant own a store due to these assholes. im done now.

True that. I use GC or AMS for my stuff. The small shops around here suck IMHO, I'm not going into that rant again, suffice to say they won't take care of regulars very well, unless your tight with the owner or friends with one of the sales people.


But on the other hand after doing research online about a piece i'm looking for, when i do go into any shops i find most of the sales people are lacking in knowledge when i ask a question or are completly clueless when it comes to said piece. this goes for all the shops i've been too.

I think the worst part about guitar center is hearing five different cranked versions of stairway to heaven, eruption, and crazy train from every direction. I've never hated the guitar more than being on the main floor of GC. I'll still go there though, right before I go accross the street to Sam Ash to get what I need, because GC (Hollywood) is good for the free parking. Best quality GC is in Chicago from my experience.

Some funny things guitar center employees have said to me:

1) upon exchanging a case of strings given to me:

GC: "these are used"
ME: "Have you EVER seen what a used guitar string looks like?"
GC: "Yeah"
ME: "Go fuck yourself, and then find me your manager"

2) searching for a gig bag for my archtop

ME: "Have any gig bags for archtop guitars?"
GC: "there's no such thing as an archtop"

3) Bringing my guitar in and out to test amps

GC: "You have a reciept for that?"
ME: "it's my guitar"
GC: "Can you prove it's your guitar and not ours"
ME: "It's in tune"
GC: "Your a funny guy, but seriously"
ME: "It's a handmade Borys"
GC: "Whats a Borys?"
ME: "Exactly"
GC: "ok"


-sallan