A New Guitar Center Experience...

[8len8]

After playing guitar for 30 years and shopping at Guitar Center for almost as long I thought I'd seen it all. By now I've gotten used to having to listen to 5 different folks demoing gear too loud and with out of tune guitars while I'm trying to really determine if I like the tone of an amp good enough to buy it.

This last visit I experienced something entirely new. A guy was trying out various guitars on an amp (I think a Line6 FWIW). He sounded like a decent player (was at least in tune), but was pretty loud, and he brought a CD player with him and was jamming to prerecorded backing tracks the whole time I was there (about 1 hour).

It's hard enough to demo an amp with 5 others playing in the background, but having a whole band playing in the background brought it to a new level. I understand how what he was doing probably helped him with his purchase, but to do it so loud, so long, and at peak hours seemed really rude.

 

[sixty2strat]

WELCOME TO GC BRO.
Went into to the acoustic room and 2 old guys were jamming on acoustics plugged into the acoustic amps so they could solo loud. Long story short they were treating it as if it was THEIR rehearsal room and I was an interloper. Seems every time I go into the acoustic room on a Saturday it's the same deal.

 

[Peanut73]

Speaking of the acoustic room. A couple years ago I went to my local GC as they had a couple vintage Gibsons I was interested in. Some man and young kid had set-up to do their guitar lesson smack dab in the middle of the room.

 

[senojnad]

Stay away from Guitar Center(s) on weekends!

 

[Guitar Josh]

After playing guitar for 30 years and shopping at Guitar Center for almost as long I thought I'd seen it all. By now I've gotten used to having to listen to 5 different folks demoing gear too loud and with out of tune guitars while I'm trying to really determine if I like the tone of an amp good enough to buy it.

This last visit I experienced something entirely new. A guy was trying out various guitars on an amp (I think a Line6 FWIW). He sounded like a decent player (was at least in tune), but was pretty loud, and he brought a CD player with him and was jamming to prerecorded backing tracks the whole time I was there (about 1 hour).

It's hard enough to demo an amp with 5 others playing in the background, but having a whole band playing in the background brought it to a new level. I understand how what he was doing probably helped him with his purchase, but to do it so loud, so long, and at peak hours seemed really rude.

"It was so so rude that I stayed an hour and listened to it the whole time!"

 

[8len8]

Stay away from Guitar Center(s) on weekends!

My experience happened on a weekday. I guess the only good time to go to GC is a weekday at 11am during the Fall when the kids are in school .

 

[Guitar Josh]

Speaking of the acoustic room. A couple years ago I went to my local GC as they had a couple vintage Gibsons I was interested in. Some man and young kid had set-up to do their guitar lesson smack dab in the middle of the room.

I would have absolutely reported this to the manager. Well, to be perfectly honest i would have probably sat in there demo'ing every single guitar in the room. But that's just me.

 

[8len8]

"It was so so rude that I stayed an hour and listened to it the whole time!"

The amp I was interested in was only at that one GC. I drove 45 minutes out of my way to demo it. I wasn't going to turn around and go home and chalk it up as a waste of time because of that guy.

 

[Ogre]

You have only yourself to blame for going there.

 

[Noise Under The Floor]

Its not just GC, I know its cool here to bitch about GC, but it happens pretty much everywhere, if the stores allow it happen, and a lot of them do for some reason. If they told everyone not to play/touch anything or turn down we'd have a bunch of threads bitching about that then too. I actually feel bad for the employees that have to listen to that BS all day. Bunch of loud noodling and screwing around, possibly breaking/damaging gear, then not even buy anything. When I was a kid I used to think stores that wouldn't let you touch anything without asking were pricks...now I understand where they were coming from.

What actually irritates me even more are what I call "space invaders" Those weirdos who can't respect personal space and will come up and stand next to/behind you really close while you're trying to check out gear. Not saying a word, just standing there like a creep watching/listening. I would tell my wife about people doing that crap and she kinda didn't believe me. Then she went to a store with me and while I was checking out an amp, sure enough, some guy wandered up and stood right beside us, so close to my left he actually bumped the headstock of the guitar I was using a few times. Just stood there, looking like f'ing Boo Radley staring at the amp. Wife was like "WTF?" "See...what did I tell you?" Now she jokes that my playing is like the Pied Piper for the socially maladjusted lol.

 

[Guitar Josh]

The amp I was interested in was only at that one GC. I drove 45 minutes out of my way to demo it. I wasn't going to turn around and go home and chalk it up as a waste of time because of that guy.

And are you that passive you couldn't have asked the guy to turn down or get a sales associate to do the same thing? You sat there silently stewing and did nothing about it? Then you truly only have yourself to blame.

 

[8len8]

And are you that passive you couldn't have asked the guy to turn down or get a sales associate to do the same thing? You sat there silently stewing and did nothing about it? Then you truly only have yourself to blame.

Point taken.

 

[DV52]

The guy was not demoing the Line 6.
He brought his backing track to jam with while trying to recruit students for lessons.

There is guy here that does that at Sam Ash and Guitar Center. They finally asked to stop.

 

[Gridlock]

Got many good deals at my local GC. I do miss the isolated Amp Room since they remodeled the store last year and got rid of the room.

Weeknights are definitely better times to visit the store rather than on the weekend.

 

[DR5Guy]

The amp I was interested in was only at that one GC. I drove 45 minutes out of my way to demo it.

Now I am curious if it was the Arlington Height store.

 

[Mike R.]

WELCOME TO GC BRO.
Went into to the acoustic room and 2 old guys were jamming on acoustics plugged into the acoustic amps so they could solo loud. Long story short they were treating it as if it was THEIR rehearsal room and I was an interloper. Seems every time I go into the acoustic room on a Saturday it's the same deal.

This happened to me as well.

Went into the acoustic room and the latest teen talent show duo was practicing some song. They looked at me as if I was intruding on their rented studio time.

I ignored them. They stopped playing and just sat there staring at me until I was finished. As the door closed behind me I heard them start up again.

 

[PBGas]

That would be exceptionally annoying! I feel your pain! Most people though don't have the common sense that there are others in the building who perhaps would like to buy something, let alone buy it.

It never fails that when I want to go to the local store to try something out, there is someone there with the same idea but they decide to sit there for 3 hours because it's an absolute life changing decision to examine every aspect of the product and then they finally decide that they don't want to buy it because it doesn't meet their cork sniffing needs.



Thankfully it doesn't happen that often as my good friend manages my local retailer. He will usually just put what I want aside for me and then I go in for 15 minutes...try it out and buy as needed. Either it works or it doesn't.

 

[sixty2strat]

This happened to me as well.

Went into the acoustic room and the latest teen talent show duo was practicing some song. They looked at me as if I was intruding on their rented studio time.

I ignored them. They stopped playing and just sat there staring at me until I was finished. As the door closed behind me I heard them start up again.

I almost feel ok with teens, this might be their only chance to play decent gear or to jam and teens are by nature not real aware of things like respect and manners. My guys were old geezers, peers of your traditional TGP hero. Old enough to have a home man cave and money. A place to jam with their buddy, it was not like this was the only place or time to jam. 60 y/o acting like teens

 

[old goat]

Those weirdos who can't respect personal space and will come up and stand next to/behind you really close while you're trying to check out gear. Not saying a word, just standing there like a creep watching/listening. I would tell my wife about people doing that crap and she kinda didn't believe me.

On the other hand you don't have to deal with people talking to your chest like she does.

 

[Jimmy MAck]

Well, in the old days - whenever that was, oh yeah - it was the time when people had respect, common sense, manners, and salespeople regulated the sales floor. "Yes, you may try this out, no, you may not, please turn down, and Excuse me but your 15 minutes are up, let someone else have a chance. If you are still interested, please come back when they are finished"

Manners and respect seem to have disappeared.