I used to work at a guitar shop and there I've learned how HUGE part of guitar community is personal contact! We were proud to hear guys caling us "my shop" and us being "my guys". Most of the time we were a hangout where people would just come to chat. Can't count how many bands got formed there, at the store, friendships even a marriage or two came out from a friendly place everyone was led to through our love for music and instruments. Sales? We were great exactly because of all the vibe... The vibe is going to die if everything goes online!
These guys in the video are idiots. It isn't going to be all online. When GC goes away it will allow space for local music stores AGAIN, just like before GC. There is no replacement for figuring out what you want by playing it and feeling it. There is no replacement for walking into a store and seeing something you didn't even know about. We all need strings and cables exactly when we need them, not 4 days later. Smart business people will make it happen, things will be fine. When the next apocalypse comes, we will have guitars!
So true dude. “My” mom and pops guitar shop in a small college town Upstate New York is still open fortunately but to stay afloat they have to provide many other services than just selling guitars and amps. They hire guitar and piano teachers to give lessons to children, they have a full time tech who takes on almost any jobs some of which are luthier level projects. All this while acknowledging that they have to move on some prices on their instruments and amps to reflect online retailers prices otherwise people won’t buy from them. They’re also really good at embracing the used market and also allowing consignment
For what it’s worth, I went to the guitar center near me last week with my 3 year old to buy a kick drum pedal. First, the guys were super nice to my 3 year old. Secondly, they gave me a great deal on the kick drum pedal. Lastly, my 3 year old likes to rummage in my pockets, and he must have knocked my AirPods case out of my pocket. I get home and realize my AirPods were lost. I call up GC, they had found them and would have them waiting for me. I picked up a pizza and brought it to those guys. I actually would never buy guitar equipment from them, but they went above and beyond that day. Hopefully, the end of GC doesn’t just spell out the end of brick and mortar music sales.
I love Guitar Center, great selection of used gear, ive gotten alot of mint used guitars at almost half the price. Say what you will about Guitar Center but it would be bad news if they went away
Agree. If you're looking for used gear, they probably have it. I'd rather get it from them than doing the Reverb hassle. I see major changes coming to them, too.
But what does Sweetwater sell if the major brands all go direct? Remember Sweetwater is now a "corporate entity" now as well. They can drain out the cash and send it to its grave as a major player if they can't get product.
@@ItsMeBarnaby they're selling direct but for retail prices right? A lot of guitar shops are selling guitars for way under the retail price. I was able to buy a band new Gibson Les Paul for almost a thousand bucks under the retail price from an authorize dealer. So these guitar shops are getting them for way under retail prices. If I would have had to pay the retail price then I wouldn't have bought it.
@@jakemf1 no it's not. But the Wal Mart experience of guitar definately is. I have never bought a guitar from a shop.i have zero around me.and guitar center is 2 hours away.six months ago I went and I did buy a guitar.they said they had a new one in the box.and I waited.and they forgot about me. Than 20 minutes later they say they don't have a new one. The one on the wall had a gouge in the back of the headstock.i asked for a discount,I waited. I stood there with a wad of cash in hand, and it's like nobody wanted to make a transaction. I left and bought a guitar online
@@shawnstarks1743 where are there a shit ton of mom and pop stores in Dallas? there are a shit ton of Guitar Center's but I must definitely be missing the shit ton of mom and pops in DFW.
@@shawnstarks1743 Yea I do. That is about 5 stores in city of nearly 9 million people. Hardly a shit ton. There are more Guitar center's here than mom and pops
I’ll actually miss GC. They’re the only store near me where you can go in and try an expensive guitar before you buy it, and take it home with a 4 year no interest payment plan.
Yes there are advantages. I bought an awesome snare drum and I loved the convenience of picking it up. They also sell great microphones too and I’d rather pick it up at the store than have it shipped
If all we have left is ordering straight from the manufacturer or off the internet, then how do you go put hands on and decide which neck shape you like or anything like that.
The more that we go into the buy online vibe, the less quality itself is the focus. Company will blame the lax procedures on the product having to now inevitably travel under suspect and unseen conditions, which can take a perfect setup out of specs unfortunately much more easy than people realize. A slam here, a sharp change of heat or cold, and it can alter the setup drastically, or sprout frets like fender is very bad about.
Ya just gotta appreciate Baxter’s love for the “COOL GUITAR SHOP FORMAT” yea l have moments of thinking that l would like to be 35 again but l more often seem to be reminiscing over a time that life was just more fun and FREE. General admission cheap concerts watching legendary shows, every town having half a dozen decent guitar shops. A world where everyone wasn’t wound tight and so sensitive.
My fondest memories from childhood and now as an adult is visiting a brick & mortar store with a big collection of guitars and trying a bunch to see which guitar I bond with and bring home. There’s something special about running the racks, being physically there and also having a store to return a guitar to if needed. I never buy from Sweetwater, since with them I can’t try before buying and if a guitar arrives and isn’t to my liking I can’t just return it to my local store but have to deal with shipping it back and prob will have to pay some shipping or restocking fee to do so.
so many great memories at guitar center, played alot of amazing guitars there as a kid and it really helped me figure out what i liked as a guitar player.
As a Manufacturer Sales Rep (not 🎸 industry)...I agree with everything you're saying. Companies want growth, but want it with zero investment, and ultimately can't meet production goals when Reps grow sales. It sucks...serenity now! Retirement can't come soon enough...
As a music/guitar store owner myself you guys really hit the mail on the head. What’s going on in this industry I grew up in is shameful. The good old days are unfortunately gone. And seriously tho, those PRS codes make zero sense!!!
I have always tried to buy from all of the local stores even the places that the prices are a little higher because they services and the people they employ are such an asset to the community and if you want people to be successful in your community we need to pay a little bit more for they things we buy. Unless you don't care if they while world becomes a big shanty town. For what? So when we die or kids get $385,000 instead of $345,000 if we had paid a little more and supported our community. And that's just average people. The rich use to let people make a living now it's sick. They will run their neighbors business into the ground for 50 cents profit. Don't get me started. Lol
I've been in the hospital for nearly 3 months ,had a massive heart attack but I made it. I was trying to figure how to get to practice guitar and I watch you guys faithfully. Saw Baxter singing the praises for the gs mini so I got one. Got the mahogany and its absolutely perfect!!! Thanks for what you do, I'm inspired by your optimistic approach to life and guitars!!! BTW, I been binge watching Casino TV !!!!
Gibson ran off a bunch of shops a decade or so ago with their minimum stock requirements. Several shops in my area quit carrying Gibson and Epiphone due to Gibson's business practices. They still carry Fender and Heritage. GC disappearing is a bad thing, IMO. Guitar companies going direct is also a bad thing. There's nothing better than having a relationship with a local music store. Unless Gibson and Fender get their QC issues fixed, they're going to get tired of dealing with unsatisfied customers. As it is now, they have local shops and bigger retailers doing whatever they can to keep a customer happy. They count on it, and actually hide behind it. I bought a new SG online from a retailer that had QC issues. I called Gibson, and they tried to talk me into just sending it back to the retailer to get a different one. I held their feet to the fire, got an RMA and sent it to Gibson for repair. Just wait until everyone with an issue has to do that. They'll wish that they hadn't cut the throats of their independent shops and online retailers.
I know of a situation where a good, knowledgeable, reputable dealer ditched Gibson for various reasons including those you mentioned. Companies change with different ownership. Lots of times it’s not for the good.
Spot on! I actually prefer to buy used sight unseen instead of direct because in my experience its a better bet that the previous owner (usually) set up and maintained their instrument to a better condition than many manufacturers ship theirs new!
I bought a custom painted Jim root tele from Guitar Center a couple months ago. It was the worst experience I had buying a guitar. Long story short is I didn’t trust purchasing online. So I called the guitar center and spoke with a rep asking if they could ship it with a case from Florida to Texas so it wouldn’t get damaged. Then as I was buying it, it somehow disappeared from the website and the rep couldn’t even check it out. I went back and forth for almost 2 weeks until they finally sent it to my closest location. And they sent it in a box packed poorly and no case. So it came with a couple dents. Luckily they made this tele like a tank. And it did nothing to affect the playing. But the experience was horrible. I will never buy anything from guitar center ever again.
I had a similar experience. The shipping can be terrible and my microphone preamp arrived damaged. The good news is that they were able to quickly cancel the sale
yes, they cannot be trusted to do simple business transactions at this point, straight up boycott. It’s very sad as there are alot of cool employees that work at GC and I don’t want them losing their jobs but, man, everyone with half a brain knows GC jumped the shark many moons ago. I recall going there in the 90’s when they were good. Everything dies eventually, hell rock n roll is on life support too. Taylor Swift rules the world and my kid wants to go see her, only $800 per seat fuck me in the goat ass the whole damn world jumped the shark along time ago. Old man yelling at clouds I know.
Marketing changes in real time! I'm a big fan of music stores, but the overhead doesn't stop. I don't really want to buy guitars on line. . Thanks guys
There's a lot of examples in other industries where they've looked at going direct, and then come back with their tails between their legs. The issue is that a lot of guitar and amp factories only see the revenue bump but don't forget in service costs and inventory issues. Good luck clearing stock when you can't push at all your slow-selling low end stock onto local guitar stores.
I guess they'll have to do the same thing other no-name Asian (China) manufacturers do - they'll have to lower the prices and list them on "alternate" online retail sites. which will mean more better deals for those paying attention and willing to deal with QC issues and instrument setup on their own. I don't think its a problem. its certainly not MY problem!
Oh man! I will have to stop never going there. Made my last trip to one in Davenport Iowa many years ago and the manager could not answer my most basic questions about a common Gibson Les Paul.
It’s most likely because places like Iowa and most parts of America have a lower population density so of course you’re not going to get proper quality staff. On the positive side, the internet helps. Back in the old days before the internet buying a guitar was really hard since information was hard to find especially as a teenager. Even Eddie Van Halen didn’t know a lot of things in the 1970s and he had to experiment to find the answers
I lost Guitar Center around 15 years ago. The store is still here, but it is useless. Poorly trained sales force that doesn’t care. Reduction of stock in the store. Stock that is in the store is beginner grade only. Unless I positively need it right now, I do not go in to browse. I will drive an hour and 15 minutes longer one way to go to Sweetwater instead of my local Guitar Center.
@@StudioDTK5 how amazing it would be to be an hour away from the Sweetwater campus! I grew up in that area but moved before Sweetwater hung out a shingle. I could make a weekend just hanging out there.
Rarely do I buy a guitar that I have not tried out. I have ordered guitars and it's an uncomfortable experience that hopefully it arrives in one piece and it FEELS & PLAYS the way I hope it would.
Right, wrong or indifferent, GC is the best place to go to have a significant inventory of instruments. You can take your time and play a half a dozen instruments before deciding to buy one or not. But I can see Big Box stores like this sliding by the wayside. They need a ton of volume to make it work, and I must say that the last few times I have been in my local GC, the inventory has been dwindling. The most important thing is that musicians have access to the tools they need (ie guitars) to make music that satisfies their own itch and pleases others at the same time. The world is a better place for it!!!
keeping a ton of inventory at each location only works when you're making a ton of sales at each location, and I think that's the basic issue. it always comes down to dollars in vs dollars out. its really not too complicted.
Love you guys and your honesty! Five years ago I retired from the costume jewelry industry which started going thru in the late 90's what the guitar industry is going thru now. Instead of buying thru distributors, retailers started going overseas themselves, cutting out middlemen and salesmen and wound up shooting themselves in the foot. There was no quality control and no recourse that retailers got so used to. It eventually started turning around but not soon enough for me! Now I'm playing guitar full time....long wait but well worth it.
There was a time I could literally take a day off and really enjoy. Enjoy, in the local guitar shops which I made many friends! Enjoy going to the Book stores and have endless time to look around! Geez, a time in which your fav mag came out w/ tab! Lol. So sad to see it dwindling and closing shops. Please support your local guitar shops if you have one. And also, go see your favorite bands! Especially local bands that you really dig!
Many family/independent music shops thrived in the 90’s. However, before the 2000’s ended GC AND the internet forced them to close or they just went under.
@@pat5882 in part, those shops were thriving due to the fact that they were making up their own prices. Things weren't a specified price, they were whatever the dealer made it and you talked it down.
@@RobertNolan recently had to do a search for a music shop I would visit back in the early 80’s. Couldn’t remember the name, it was in bryn mawr, PA.. (Phila suburb) Googled “music store” Bryn mawr, pa., found an article that they closed in ‘08. The owner stated that competition from the internet and a large music store forced them to close. Purchased drum gear from them 40 years ago, 30 miles one way from where I lived in Phila.. the people employees were great but I doubt you’ll see many like that opening again.
I worked at a small guitar shop through the 1970s, and a substantial part of guitar sales was the customer who came in for picks or strings and unexpectedly fell in love with a guitar they never expected to want or need. I’d usually sweeten the deal by offering the picks and strings for free if they’d buy the guitar. Next, the customer looks lovingly at their newly found instrument, giving an affirmative nod while reaching out for a handshake. There are no words exchanged but you know it’s time to write the sales receipt. Does this or can this happen with online sales?
@@devinsinderwitcz9134 That may be true. However, at my store, prices were typically 30% off list, which was a low as we could go and still keep the lights on. We also offered in-store financing. My personal sales philosophy was strongly aimed at NOT screwing the customer. I believed that it was far better and cheaper to keep the one’s you’ve got than to replace them through advertising. It also made my job much more satisfying when I knew I was doing the best I could for my customers.
I think marketing is missing the boat. Sure an experienced guitar player / self maintainer will be OK. But the beginners will easily be discouraged and will send a lot of guitars back. What I learned as an automobile technician (yes it applies) is that if there is a problem (perceived or real) the buyer will never accept that the car or guitar is truly fixed. It could be a simple truss rod adjustment or filing down the nut, but once they perceive the problem it cannot be fixed. I recently purchased a Gretsch 5422-12 string from GC ( my second one) and played and sounded perfect. A few days later it didn't feel right. I adjusted the truss rod and all was fine. Then about 3 weeks later it just didn't sound right. I replaced the bass G string with one that was wound and all was right again (except that it will need a new set of strings soon). If I had purchased this guitar from "the web" I would have returned it. But like experienced guitarists / maintainers I am OK. Without guitar stores, what is the beginner supposed to do? I know you guys could have easily fixed both of those problems. I didn't have to return my guitar. But what happens to a company when all the experience players have all the guitars they want or need? How will they deal with ONLY BEGINNERS? They should think about that.
I've been watching this for a whole Lotta years you guys!! It is sad to see where things are going!! I have seen many amazing stores and lifestyles change. Not just guitar stores! Places like yours where going into a place and building a friendship with people you trusted and worked with for years and corporate America moves in and it goes to hell!! I see people are trying to bring that back. We all need to work on this to bring it back!! This is the number 1 reason I started watching you guys!! I wish every day I could walk in there and talk with you guys and swap stories and laugh together and come up with ideas together! That's what built this country! Unfortunately all the corporate crap has been going on since the beginning of building this country!! I hope we can bring it back. Unfortunately for me I'm not going to be here to see it! I'm hoping my kids and your kids can see it and bring it back! Rock On Brothers!!!!
I always get my strings and find some cool used pedals at my local GC. Plus the guys there are really good guys, I really don’t want to see the place fail.
@@mikecorey8370 yes. most warranties are dealt with through the manufacturer, not the store, and most small shops don't have great return policies. my favorite shop has 24hrs for money back, 48hrs for store credit. I love the shop, but the policy sucks.
I haven't watched you guys in quite a while because I got tired of you guys always getting off topic. This was a great video. It was to the point and very informative the whole time. Loved it!
Whatever did we do before GC? We had the most beloved local and regional legendary guitar shops that are now mostly out of business thanks to GC. They were individuals, they knew their markets, they were real. They were a joy to visit. They grew the local music scenes and the local economy. None of that is true about GC. The great pizza and beer party is upon us!
did you guys have some stats from GC for the last few quarters? I sure dont see any slow down in the used dept.. they are killing it lately. Would love to see some data to back up your opinion
I miss having reps show up as well. They were a great resource for answering hard customer questions. Now I have to wait on hold forever with some manufacturers, or surf the webs for answers, sometimes coming up empty handed.
When Guitar Center folds, that will provide an opportunity for someone in Canada to create the next big box music store to fill the void. Of course it will be called Guitar Centre.
If all of these manufacturers go direct online sales only I will probably never buy another guitar. I own 21 guitars and 12 amps, of which I have never bought one that I haven’t already played and know I’m in love with. Plus, my favorite store is an independent guitar store that will probably take a major hit. That will also piss me off and make me not want to buy direct. I don’t think the manufacturers realize that there are a lot of us players who won’t spend money on BS we see on a website without holding and falling in love with it.
Big chain Guitar stores were never meant to last.. we don’t have enough people promoting how fun guitar actually is.. everywhere I look, I see deterrents and gate keepers.. the industry needs to change if they want my change.. dollars make sense.. and cents..
I am in the golf equipment business and there are many similarities in our business. Direct to consumer is the direction of many golf equipment companies
Another approach would be a direct sale with delivery through a local dealer/shop. I’m sure an arrangement could be made where the shop gets consideration for doing the first post-manufacture set up. It would address minor QC issues, potentially alleviate overhead and or inventory issues for smaller shops, and it establishes a relationship between the buyer and a shop. Just a thought.
I'll never buy direct from the manufacturers. I'll do what I can to help keep the guitar shops alive, because I enjoy the experience of dealing with them.
Guitar Center stores only place around me where I can try a guitar first. Today QC sucks on guitars. I loved Kramers in the 80s. Now I’ve tried at stores all of them have fret spurs. Even my Jackson Soloist I had to file my fret ends.
I grew up when there were only a couple GCs in Southern California. Even though the one in West Covina was kinda close, there were a lot more mom and pop shops. So I preferred going to the little shops and going to GC Hollywood and the sunset strip with the Mesa Boogie shop on Sunset was a treat. I miss those days.
The first guitar I ordered online was not to my liking I traded my PRS S2 for a lunchbox Revv G20, 1 X 12 cabinet, footswitch, & lighting cable because I'd never heard of a guitar having a smaller nut than 42mm wide. I struggled playing & it got to the point where I avoided playing it, I'd grab my Squier Starcaster instead.
@@TheLostSquadron Nope. The way all large corporations like this work is, they only go in where there is existing business. Meaning, there were already music stores and an existing population to sell to. There is no case of a town of 300 people with a Guitar Center. Literally everywhere there is a GC, there were music stores previously, or else GC would not have gone there in the first place. GC is not doing the lords work. In fact they have deliberately conducted business in a way that puts small business out of business. That was their business model for decades. Put everyone out of business, then own the market.
Guitar center serves a great purpose, consistent prices across the board, and great promotional sales and random sales throughout the year. They also provide a great selection to actually pickup and get a feel for. I guess the last part is becoming less important as people are more and more ordering online. Just if you order online don’t make a video about how you don’t like how a model feels or how you find the neck uncomfortable and you are sending it back…. You should have gone into a store and at least picked up the model first
I went into Guitar Center yesterday, no purchase, just snooping, it’s next door to my favorite liquor store… (big box, import beers) So now I keep getting push notices on Ytube and Facebook for Guitar Center. Are they gleaning data from my cell phone when I enter the building???
Decades ago I bought a guitar from GC. It's the only time that mistake was made. GC is pretty close to a mafia organization. Its employees are usually dismissive and unqualified to sell what they're selling. The managers are interested in one thing: SHORT TERM PROFITS. They don't build relationships, they build walls. The guitar world will be FAR better off without Guitar Center.
We could become very philosophical about the whole thing, and start wondering where the future of is going period. I think that, at the end of it all, people are forgetting that guitars (or any instrument for that matter) are a means to allow one to express themselves--artistically, emotionally, irrationally, fill-in-the-blankally--and creating an environment which results in purchases done through a simple click will result in any emotion being removed. Just looking at the wall of guitars behind you is reason enough to visit ANY guitar store as it will give you the opportunity to really see, and hopefully play, a multitude of instruments which previously might not have fit your fancy. Keep up with the vids, just subscribed!
GC has their stores near malls which means their rents/leases are through the roof. I like the store near me. The staff is cool. I'll miss it when it's gone. I hope someone takes over. I like having a music store you can walk into and try out a guitar. I talked to the sales rep at sweetwater and asked if they were gonna buy GC out, he said he didn't think they were. Sweetwater only has to worry about one facility. They don't want to pay rent in every city in America.
I see GC getting all the attention here, but it's Sam Ash that I really worry about. I see GC doing a lot more business than the local SA (Charlotte, NC).
I sure did try to shop small but between the 2 small music stores close by only carrying 1 or 2 brands each going to GC was necessary. I had as good of service as you can expect from a busy GC with one employee
Literally drove to Alabama for vacation and as I was driving though Atlanta. I look left and noticed a empty building. Where guitar center was……. A little sad. Once I arrived to gulf shores I went to casino guitars web site. Looking for accessories…. Any chance of you guys updating that? Would love to make you guys my online gc.
In a way that would suck not having Guitar Center locally. But, it could help Mom and Pop guitar shops. But, it could also lead to everyone overpricing their stuff more so than they already do
In the last 2 months I’ve bought 2 guitars. High end and low end. Both had chainsaw level fret sprout, got a discount because I have to do the work myself.
There's probably a ton of valuable info that dealers have that the manufacturers benefit from. They have the pulse of the people with one on one iterations with customers that can't be replaced with direct sales.
I worked at GC for a year. They didn't want to pay anyone so we were all happy to basically tell people to piss off if they were just there to smash cymbals they were never going to buy for an hour. Probably not what GC wanted but at it's core, they didn't treat the employees well at all and things go from there. "Call people at 9 am on Saturday to tell them about Les Paul's" isn't a sales strategy either. The whole thing was destined to implode. And it has
Taylor just launched a GS mini Carbon Burst - a Guitar Center exclusive. Why would they do that, if they thought Guitar Center is about to go belly up? In fact, there’s also a new 314ce Sunburst - Guitar Center exclusive.
FMIC, Gibson, and PRS should hire Amazon as the exclusive dealer. Amazon would probably cut a good deal for handling customer service and logistics for that business - and it could be worldwide. I buy most of my guitars online anyway. I don't need a shop. I buy many things on Amazon, and the service is fantastic, as is the return policy. Local stores could survive on used, repairs, and setups. I would rather bypass the dealer completely if given a chance. I worked in a small store for years, and it was great. The good ones will survive, and the bad ones won't. Personally, I have been going to Dallas and Philadelphia for the last few years with a want list. Some stores (Jimmy Wallace, in my case) will gladly ship whatever is purchased to you. I've also brought guitars back on carry-on (Southwest). I have a couple of local stores I'll sometimes buy things in, but I would rather order directly and deal with the manufacturer. Cutting out the dealer also reduces overhead (instead of the dealer shipping to a store, they would ship to me). The Carvin model seems better and better in today's business climate. Guitar Center and Gibson - going out of business since the internet was invented.
I'm glad GC is still around here in central Ky. I took a 15 year hiatus from performing, and only bought one guitar from 2013 to this year. Renewed songwriting ability and the need to see what used guitars were out there led me back to shopping. The local GC guys take care of me pretty well and I've even visited other stores toward Cincinnati and Louisville. I've been actively buying again since September and one of the big problems I'm coming to grips with is how much stuff is lacking QC that is imported. I'm not spending $800-$1000 for a guitar made overseas, nor am I willing to drop $1200 for a GS-mini with electronics. I'll go buy a used Taylor 310CE for less than that. The new vs. used market is horribly imbalanced.
I used to love going into a GC. But over time I noticed the staff was not very friendly or helpful. I have since been using a local shop, Sam Ash and Sweetwater
I’ll miss Guitar Center. Got some great deals on used stuff there over the years. I’m not buying anything direct from anyone. Music stores are heaven on earth for me.
I would buy from Places like Casino, Chicago Music, Dave’s Guitars, Humbucker Music, that’s the shops I support and want to do business with these days.
Relationships matter to guitar players. Having a shop you can visit can be a community hub. Also, when you can play before you buy it, it gives you confidence that you've made the right choice.
I was a big shopper at GC....Then one day while looking for an product they use to sell I was told "we don't deal with sweat shop made products". Now I shop online.
My comment is a little off topic (which should make it perfect for the Casino crowd), but I've been digging that Jonathan has been rocking Family Business Brewing t shirts. Huge fan of co owner Jensen Ackles, and love to see the smaller breweries get a shout out.
@@devinsinderwitcz9134 What do you mean? They only sell two brands? And used stuff, I assume? I don’t know much about them, honestly. I just watch the videos on occasion.
