Re: you guys need to read this article - Thad - 09:43 05-12-05
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John Shaughnessy wrote:
> It's got nothing to do with big box/mom and pop or "hard sell" techniques
> (I've seen all size stores do some seriously goofy attempts at selling):
>
> What it boils down to is this:
>
> 1) Guitar Center has decided to cater to beginning/intermediate teenage
> metal players ONLY. the fact that I as a pro musician can find something
> worthwhile to purchase in there is PURELY incidental. They only carry the 2
> most popular bock string sets, a handful of rock guitars and basses, budget
> line or import Amps, and toms of electronic gizmos to make you THINK you and
> play.
Your town must have one of the "Guitar Center Jr.s", I guess. The one in
New Orleans is (was?) huge and had a really wide selection of new and
used stuff.
I thought they were all the same until I went to the one in Mobile. The
basic sales pitch was, "Y'all lookin' for a gee-tar? Which one you want,
the yaller one or the red one?"
--
Thad
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Thad - 09:48 05-12-05
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Jeff wrote:
> Bottom line is that you can get ANYTHING
> you want at a place like GC, they hire people who know what they are talking
> about (for the most part),
This is generally true, but varies widely according to the store.
> thier pricing is not only competitive but beats
> everyone else hands down (Like Wally World, they price match),
Get hooked up with either a department manager or a senior salesperson
who can go straight to the bottom line and then do *all* of your
business with that person. My guy gave me his home number as said he
would meet me (he lives close) if needed.
> they also
> have a very liberal return policy
Definitely. It makes a big difference if you can try a piece for 29 days
and then bring it back if you don't still love it.
--
Thad
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Guncho - 11:42 05-12-05
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southforkk wrote:
> "Rookie" <rookie@hates.spam> wrote in message
> news:Xns9722A2BA92E873jfk6@localhost...
> > "~R" <mo@fo.com> wrote in news:0mAkf.9110$N45.3998
> > @newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net:
> >
> >> I surfed in to this guy's site and just got hooked on reading his
> >> logic. I was a regular customer at guitar center, but he
> >> convinced me to order my latest purchase, a $1300 strat, from a
> >> local music store instead of G.C. You should give this a read:
> >>
> >> http://www.edromanguitars.com/rant/chains.htm
> >>
>
> My local store(s) -there are two in town- Never have anything! I can't buy
> some flats without driving over an hour. I just end up buying over the
> internet.
> I know it doesn't support the local economy but if these guys want my
> business they have to carry something that I want.. I gave the local guy a
> chance to procure a bass I was interested in and three months later, he
> still doesnt have it- I told him to forget it and I'd look on the internet.
> At last count he has three four strings hanging on the wall. You kind of
> have to go elsewhere..
Yeah the local store in my hometown has crap guitar gear. I would
never consider buying a guitar there.
Although my ex did buy a cheap Yamaha acoustic there to learn on.
Chris
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Fred Marx - 12:20 05-12-05
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Thad wrote:
> John Shaughnessy wrote:
>
>> It's got nothing to do with big box/mom and pop or "hard sell" techniques
>> (I've seen all size stores do some seriously goofy attempts at selling):
>>
>> What it boils down to is this:
>>
>> 1) Guitar Center has decided to cater to beginning/intermediate teenage
>> metal players ONLY. the fact that I as a pro musician can find something
>> worthwhile to purchase in there is PURELY incidental. They only carry
>> the 2
>> most popular bock string sets, a handful of rock guitars and basses,
>> budget
>> line or import Amps, and toms of electronic gizmos to make you THINK
>> you and
>> play.
>
>
> Your town must have one of the "Guitar Center Jr.s", I guess. The one in
> New Orleans is (was?) huge and had a really wide selection of new and
> used stuff.
> I thought they were all the same until I went to the one in Mobile. The
> basic sales pitch was, "Y'all lookin' for a gee-tar? Which one you want,
> the yaller one or the red one?"
>
> --
> Thad
one of ours in SLC is like that, it used to be a Musicains Fiend outlet,
pre takeover......
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Jack Wagner - 12:28 05-12-05
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Interestingly enough, much of his rant is simply him making stuff up.
He's not quoting facts, he's making stuff up. Sure on the surface what
he's saying all seems to logically fit together but in reality it's
just a bunch of conjecture and hypothesis. Typical Straw Man argument.
The world is not a static place. Things change. Markets change.
Business models change. If you own a mom -n- pop music store and you
want to be in business for any length of time then you will change too.
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Re: you guys need to read this article - John Shaughnessy - 12:36 05-12-05
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No, it's been a conscious scale back in quantity and quality of merch. over
the years. Hell, I can't even find ONE set of 6 string bass strings there
anymore, let alone the Ken Smiths or DRs I used to buy from them.
Sam Ash is also inundated with their crappy "house brands", but at least
they have a staff with a clue.
--
Lessons, music and more at www.jmsjazz.com
Conservatives are not necessarily stupid,
but most stupid people are conservatives."
- John Stuart Mill
"Thad" <spyder@barques.com> wrote in message
news:8mYkf.13298$eM7.8937@fe05.lga...
> John Shaughnessy wrote:
> > It's got nothing to do with big box/mom and pop or "hard sell"
techniques
> > (I've seen all size stores do some seriously goofy attempts at selling):
> >
> > What it boils down to is this:
> >
> > 1) Guitar Center has decided to cater to beginning/intermediate teenage
> > metal players ONLY. the fact that I as a pro musician can find
something
> > worthwhile to purchase in there is PURELY incidental. They only carry
the 2
> > most popular bock string sets, a handful of rock guitars and basses,
budget
> > line or import Amps, and toms of electronic gizmos to make you THINK you
and
> > play.
>
> Your town must have one of the "Guitar Center Jr.s", I guess. The one in
> New Orleans is (was?) huge and had a really wide selection of new and
> used stuff.
> I thought they were all the same until I went to the one in Mobile. The
> basic sales pitch was, "Y'all lookin' for a gee-tar? Which one you want,
> the yaller one or the red one?"
>
> --
> Thad
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Todd H. - 12:58 05-12-05
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"John Shaughnessy" <johngoogleplexNOSPAM@carolina.rr.com> writes:
> No, it's been a conscious scale back in quantity and quality of
> merch. over the years. Hell, I can't even find ONE set of 6 string
> bass strings there anymore, let alone the Ken Smiths or DRs I used
> to buy from them.
>
> Sam Ash is also inundated with their crappy "house brands", but at
> least they have a staff with a clue.
Actually, around here, Sam Ash is even more clue impaired. So,
locally, ones preferences might come down to whether they have decent
employees you like dealing with.
For example, our local Sam Ash... something they did about a year ago
alienated their veteran guitar guru (who happened to play with the
Geogria Satellites in the 90's, and is one of the nicest, most
reasonable folks I've ever met in music) and he ended up going to the
nearby Guitar Center.
Without Jeremy there, I don't shop at that Sam Ash anymore. Despite
not liking Guitar Center, I do shop there now...and I hunt down Jeremy
cus I know he knows his s*it.
Best Regards,
--
/"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign | Todd H
\ / | http://www.toddh.net/
X Promoting good netiquette | http://triplethreatband.com/
/ \ http://www.toddh.net/netiquette/ | "4 lines suffice."
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Re: you guys need to read this article - thomas@yourhomestudio.com - 14:03 05-12-05
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Most music stores I go to now offer to match Guitar Center or MF(their
online personna) prices. In fact, they'll keep a current catalog and if
you ask them a price, they'll look it up in the MF catalog. The service
is what sets one retailer apart from another.
Thomas
www.yourhomestudio.com
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Thad - 15:46 05-12-05
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Guncho wrote:
>
>
> Yeah the local store in my hometown has crap guitar gear. I would
> never consider buying a guitar there.
That sucks.
>
> Although my ex did buy a cheap Yamaha acoustic there to learn on.
Is he any good?
--
Thad
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Re: you guys need to read this article - Thad - 15:49 05-12-05
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Fred Marx wrote:
> Thad wrote:
>
>>
>> Your town must have one of the "Guitar Center Jr.s", I guess. The one
>> in New Orleans is (was?) huge and had a really wide selection of new
>> and used stuff.
>> I thought they were all the same until I went to the one in Mobile.
>> The basic sales pitch was, "Y'all lookin' for a gee-tar? Which one you
>> want, the yaller one or the red one?"
>>
>> --
>> Thad
>
> one of ours in SLC is like that, it used to be a Musicains Fiend outlet,
> pre takeover......
The NOLA one was an MF store, too.
--
Thad
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