No Wonder Guitar Center is going down the tubes????

[JoshS]

Yep. This is definitely the reason they are going down the tubes.

 

[macmanlou]

And that's just the beginning! Now Sweetwater will stay in touch weekly for the rest of your life.

Ask your rep not to call you (I don't want their phone calls when my wife is present ;-).

Opt out of their advertising emails in your Sweetwater account's email preferences.

They'll leave you in peace.

 

[johnbee]

I agree with previous posters who say:

1. Support your local music store first. You'll be sad if it goes away.
2. If you must buy online, try Sweetwater. They have great customer service and are not a predatory force (ahem, amazon).

 

[Juicyanalog]

Indeed,
other than bass guitar accessories/mic-xlr type stuff, I would NEVER purchase guitars or amplifiers from GC (or SA)
you want to get that Vintage $$$$$ Fender? or Vintage $$$$$ Gibson? go right ahead...
but I wouldn’t advise buying them at GC/SA.. & would you take those same guitars to GC/SA for “repair”??
I actually worked at GC for a short period of time.. too much to get into right here, but between the mark-up on inferior items, clueless dishonest management, and their Commission-driven Jive they force the salesman on the floor to pitch,.. I would advise everyone here to patronize (and get friendly with) the smaller shops/builders/luthiers/techs who will give you a superior instrument/amplifier, & superior quality control, who will stand by their product no matter what, and overall better working relationship...
...IMHO, The Days of buying NEW Fenders and Gibsons ended a long time ago... you want ‘new’ versions of those guitars? Have them built by these same smaller luthiers & builders with the same/better quality and for a fraction of the price..

 

[And I]

Guitar Center is part of musicians friend. They are owned by the company Bains.

After thoroughly ruining the company, Bain Capital sold a controlling interest to Ares Management in 2014.

 

[And I]

And there it is.

No, they are not owned by "Bains". Nor are they owned by Bain, nor have they been owned by Bain for 7 years. Please get your facts straight before you post. I'm in no way defending Bain's business practices or GC, but I'm sick of the same misinformation being thrown around every time GC comes up.

Bain still holds seats on their board, but they sold a controlling interest to Ares Management in 2014. They still do partially own the company.

 

[Killing Floor]

If you already have your Pan flute but you just need to update the electronics there's nothing wrong with doing that online. The Pan Flute Patrol can't track you online.

 

[wild4oldcars]

Florida is not that situation, Amigo......

Which part? They’re all operating on reduced hours, is what google tells me...

 

[AndyPanda]

And that's just the beginning! Now Sweetwater will stay in touch weekly for the rest of your life.

I read this type of post frequently here on TB.
I've bought about a dozen items from Sweetwater over as many years. When I started getting emails and phone calls (12 years ago) I politely asked them to not call or email me and that I would contact them when/if I had questions or needs. That was all I had to do and they've never pestered me since.

 

[steelbed45]

And that's just the beginning! Now Sweetwater will stay in touch weekly for the rest of your life.

Actually, as someone who is highly introverted, the idea of having a friend for 3 minutes a week appeals to me.

 

[MustangWally]

1. Support your local music store first. You'll be sad if it goes away.

Maybe not so much. I bought a bunch of stuff from my local music store (Fullers Guitar Home here in Houston) a couple years back on the recommendation of my guitarist buddy (and yeah, he got me some discount) but the interaction with the owner and staff was kinda weird, they were sort of dismissive generally, I felt like I should apologize for taking up their time. I know that Billy Gibbons shops there, perhaps I just wasn't famous enough for them to pretend to be interested in what I wanted.

OTOH I do find most music stores intimidating so perhaps it was just me, although there is a GC real close by and they are always friendly and easy to deal with.

 

[HotelX]

Very cool that Sweetwater shows detailed pics of the instruments they have in stock and include the weights. And they show all the items so you can choose between 3 of the same model with the weight, finish/figuring you prefer.

One of the reasons I love bass shopping at Sweetwater.

 

[dcr]

I keep hearing about the possible upcoming demise of Guitar Center. Sad. But I can share a reason why.

Been trying to deal on a used 2019 Rickenbacker 4003 with a store in Winter Park Fl. They finally gave me a sort of decent price, not the best, but decent.

I bought it on Monday morning June 15th with my Mastercard. Paid for taxes, shipping, and etc. I have the sales receipt.

So far no shipping date, no tracking number, no nothing.

June 15th, huh? Count yourself lucky. Ive been waiting for an order since April 25th! When i bought it, was out of stock, but dude told me they were expecting a shipment in within the next couple weeks. Well....Ive been put off and the ship date has rolled out AT LEAST 4 times. Current date is gonna be June 25th. Waiting a few days and then Ill jerk their chain again. I found another dealer that has the stuff in-stock and would meet GC's price only no free shipping but no sales tax. If I really needed it, I'd tell GC to choke on it, but now I wanna make.the deal cost them as much as possible.

dcr

 

[Charlzm]

I keep hearing about the possible upcoming demise of Guitar Center. Sad. But I can share a reason why.

Been trying to deal on a used 2019 Rickenbacker 4003 with a store in Winter Park Fl. They finally gave me a sort of decent price, not the best, but decent.

I bought it on Monday morning June 15th with my Mastercard. Paid for taxes, shipping, and etc. I have the sales receipt.

So far no shipping date, no tracking number, no nothing. Call there, and get some kids on the phone, after the phone is on hold for over 20 minutes. And that the phone rang for over 10 minutes before it was answered.

They have no idea of shipping, and don't seem to care. You can't talk to a person that knows or even cares. And this is during regular business hours.

Guess my over $1700 purchase is not important to the kids that work there. Guess they'd rather sell $30 strings and talk on their cell phones to their friends.

In the midst of this COVID crisis, I kinda doubt there is a land-office business going on in Winter Park, Fl. And after they get your money, maybe no one cares.

I am sad that Guitar Center has allowed such careless business practices to take place in it's franchises.

And sad to say, Musician's Friend is the online partner with GC.....

Kind of makes one wonder.

I used to work in the warehouse at the Hollywood and Sherman Oaks Guitar Centers about a decade ago. We jumped on every order right away and made sure they were packed well and shipped either the same day or first thing in the morning the next day.

I suspect things were never that smooth in other locations and I also suspect that, with over ten years gone and a pandemic, things aren't like the clockwork they were when I was helping to run things.

Funny, I remember hearing the "I wonder if we're going out of business," talk back in 2009. Nothing lasts forever, but I suspect that GC's demise will come not from mismanagement or poor customer service but from an industry trend of fewer people buying gear overall as live music and playing an instrument continue to recede from the interests of newer generations.

 

[LBS-bass]

And that sucks, especially when purchasing a $1700 plus instrument. It doesn't matter so much buying a set of strings or a damn guitar strap. But a Rickenbacker 4003 bass ought to be looked at in a different light. Just saying. You dump a lump of cash, you ought to be payed attention too. That has been the way business has been conducted for centuries. It ain't a new idea folks.

But youngster millennials don't care. They only want to text on their cell phones, or jam with their buds. Pitiful. I'd fire all of them, if I was the owner.

I agree, it ought to. But at the money they're being paid, they're not being paid to care. Moving a box is just moving a box and nobody cares what's in it. That's a shame but it is what it is.

 

[4stringfarley]

And that sucks, especially when purchasing a $1700 plus instrument. It doesn't matter so much buying a set of strings or a damn guitar strap. But a Rickenbacker 4003 bass ought to be looked at in a different light. Just saying. You dump a lump of cash, you ought to be payed attention too. That has been the way business has been conducted for centuries. It ain't a new idea folks.

But youngster millennials don't care. They only want to text on their cell phones, or jam with their buds. Pitiful. I'd fire all of them, if I was the owner.

I agree, if someone obviously has more money than someone else they should be put first and foremost. Last thing we want is to be be put behind the poors in queue.

My local GC is still operating on limited staff, with limited people allowed in the store at any given time. The rest of the state is opened up, but GC corporate has different regulations.

 

[Ric5]

I keep hearing about the possible upcoming demise of Guitar Center. Sad. But I can share a reason why.

Been trying to deal on a used 2019 Rickenbacker 4003 with a store in Winter Park Fl. They finally gave me a sort of decent price, not the best, but decent.

I bought it on Monday morning June 15th with my Mastercard. Paid for taxes, shipping, and etc. I have the sales receipt.

So far no shipping date, no tracking number, no nothing. Call there, and get some kids on the phone, after the phone is on hold for over 20 minutes. And that the phone rang for over 10 minutes before it was answered.

They have no idea of shipping, and don't seem to care. You can't talk to a person that knows or even cares. And this is during regular business hours.

Guess my over $1700 purchase is not important to the kids that work there. Guess they'd rather sell $30 strings and talk on their cell phones to their friends.

In the midst of this COVID crisis, I kinda doubt there is a land-office business going on in Winter Park, Fl. And after they get your money, maybe no one cares.

I am sad that Guitar Center has allowed such careless business practices to take place in it's franchises.

And sad to say, Musician's Friend is the online partner with GC.....

Kind of makes one wonder.

Guitar center going out of business rumors have been going around at least 20 years ...

When I think of Guitar Center I remember the kids working there who smelled bad and had on black fingernail polish, and they seem to lack product knowledge.

 

[arbiterusa]

All I can say is where the hell, my my $1790 Rickenbacker 4003 Maple Glo bass? Or do they really even care any longer.

My advice to you is to call the Guitar Center corporate number and cancel your order. This really seems to be stressing you out. Not worth it IMO. Plenty of Rickenbacker basses out there.

 

[skycruiser]

I read this type of post frequently here on TB.
I've bought about a dozen items from Sweetwater over as many years. When I started getting emails and phone calls (12 years ago) I politely asked them to not call or email me and that I would contact them when/if I had questions or needs. That was all I had to do and they've never pestered me since.

Same here. They never call me and I've been ordering from them regularly over the past 2 years. And they do have my cell number because I called to ask a question about a microphone and the person filling in for my rep that day pulled up my account using the number. This practice may vary from one rep to another. But asking not to receive calls should be respected by all of them, and based on my experience, I'm surprised some folks have trouble being taken off the call list.

 

[Kukulkan61]

They must be doing something right it's been going out of business for many years already but they're still in business...