I couldn't agree more about the habit of locking guitars in GC. I told the manager of the store need me that I would likely never buy another nice guitar from the store because I don't like to ask for help - I like to be spontaneous. But actually, the last time I went to GC (last week), they had almost nothing in the store that interested me anyway. I will likely go to the local small company music store (40 minutes away) next week instead. Its a great store, and IO am happy to patronize a small store, BUT, it is still a shame....
I am 100% with you on Guitar Center buzzing you in and out. I went there yesterday and walked out after seeing everything locked up over $500. I wasn't about to ask a guy to follow me around and unlock every item I wanted to try. I guess they want you to just purchase them online and return them to their store if you don't like something. It's an absolutely ridiculous policy.
Catching up on video’s for weekend, Great show Phil! Don’t always comment but always like, watch and am subscribed! I learn something new every day for the last 65 years of my life. Thanks for being a part of that!🎸🎤🎧✌️
I stopped by a Guitar Center in San Jose a few weeks ago and they wouldn't let me in because they said they were short staffed and there was too many people in there already.
Yes, power supplies AND IEC power cords go missing all of the time when you work at a music store. Also, 1/4-inch flat nuts for amp inputs, amp outputs & speaker cab inputs get screwed off and taken off of almost every amp/cab. Also, guitar pieces: Switch tips, volume/tone knobs, potentiometer nuts, screws, whammy bars, tuning machines, pickups, pickup rings, strap buttons, etc. I remember we had some Carvin pedals with a unique power supply, we kept them locked behind the counter, and only took them out when we needed to demo the pedals. About a week later, both power supplies were gone, and we could no longer demo the pedals. Rather than tell an operations manager, who had the power/authority to order replacement power supplies, we just gave up on the pedals. It wasn't worth getting scolded or reprimanded by a manager (that was already in a bad mood most of the time), telling us we are idiots and should keep a better watch on store inventory, clients and the sales floor. Meanwhile we only work 40 hours per week, 35 while the store was open (we had to be there an hour early every day for meetings, inventory counts, cash drawers, etc.), and the store was open for business 7 days a week (74 hours), so with multiple shifts, it was hard to tell who had last demo'ed the pedal and let the power supply get stolen.
The last time I was in my local Guitar Center I was trying to buy strings. It looked like the string section had been robbed. There were more strings on the floor than the rack.
I discovered that nut slot trick in the late 90’s when I was broke and couldn’t afford a nice set of nut files. A soldering iron, a multi-tool wrench, and a bottle of clear nail polish and I can get most repairs done in a hotel room at 0300 hrs.
I missed the live show but saw a comment I wanted to address: someone mentioned Emerald City Guitars buzzing people in. I grew up close to the store in Seattle and still have family there so I go back often. They started buzzing people in in the last year or two because crime in Seattle has gotten out of control. They have been robbed a million times. The owner and his employees had a gun pulled on them by a thief. I don't blame em at all. They sell really nice guitars; like bursts and no-casters and pre-war Martins. The really crazy good shit.
The GC in Erie PA is like this. The guys there are just great. Great attitudes, super helpful. Even the tech/repair guy is legit. I frequent them over the local shops because they actually do better customer service.
Had a disappointing experience at my local GC in Birmingham Alabama, I doubt I will ever go back, as far as help I prefer someone ask “ can I help you with anything” followed by “if you need anything let me know “ if a sales guy does that I’m happy
Phil, I love your work, so I hope you take this the right way. When you mentioned that you're working on a limited edition of a product that you use on 90% of your videos, the 1st thing that I thought of was the stockings you use to check the fretwork in your guitar reviews. 😆
I heard in Texas, the guitar center employees all carry shotguns. In California, they give you a GC bag and free swag for each theft under $950 and in New Jersey You just buy a random guitar at deep discounts out of the back door, loading dock. I can't even legally talk about the Florida GC policy.
@@FloridaBikeVlogger ive been to lakeland gainesville ocala orlando locations and unless youre in the used section you wont find anything you can play unless its a sub $300 been Demo'd to death. Whereas the 2 Samash stores near me for a long time youd have better luck aside from stuff maybe being out of reach im near daytona
Regarding locking/buzzing at Guitar Center: in Seattle, the GC moved a couple years ago - the new location made it very 'retail' with shelves and nearly everything open to touch or pick yourself and walk to the register and pay for it. All the good electric guitars are still on the top row or two, so you need an employee to get it with a ladder, Or any high priced guitars (Gibsons) at touch level are locked to a display frame. The nice thing in recent years is the employees mostly will at best greet you on the way in, and let you do what you want until you need them. I favor that because I *hate* the hovering/small talk that normally goes on in retail. When the store's busy, it can be a few minutes to get in the queue for help, but that's kind of obvious. I don't usually shop there anymore as the local mom & pops have the same stuff so I give them right of first refusal when buying. But the Seattle GC location has opened up since it moved and it's an improved experience by comparison.
With them being such a big corporation with stores everywhere, they’re so accessible that even though there’s local stores where I am, they’re just the store to go to. There’s some pretty low quality people in there every now and then. The guys that come in to sell their crappy gear to the store are even worse lol
I mean, the ability to do that is part of the inducement to go there. Like how Disney world has rides to get you into the park so they can get you with gift shops and food and drink. Don't look down on people for showing up to play nice guitars when 'we have a bunch of nice guitars you can play' is a deliberate component of their strategy to get you to show up and buy strings and accessories with them instead of Amazon.
Man, if you are in California and owned a guitar store (or any store) I wouldn't blame you for buzzing people in one at a time because it isn't shoplifting if it's under 950 USD, and it's illegal to try to prevent anyone from stealing from you (at least in San Fransico, but honestly the entire state). [Penal Code 459.5 PC/ Proposition 47]
Very sad but very true! I personally know a guy that works security for a strip mall here in SoCal and the police actually get annoyed with him when he calls them to report a shoplifter. Talk about being on a road to ruin...
The closest GC to me has the shittiest selection of pedals, pickups, etc. that are all locked down like the royal jewels. Luckily they haven't gone that crazy with the guitars and amps yet (aside from the real high end stuff being 20 ft in the air on a rack), but at this point it's easier for me to order online and just return the product if it doesn't work out.
This is the real strength of Guitar Center. I can order online and return in store. I do the have the same luxury with my local shops though I'll prefer them if they have what I need in stock or are willing to get it in for me to try out.
Most Guitar Center's the locals use it as a place to practice on more expensive guitars than they can afford so in effect the guitars on the floor are used. Sweetwater I can try the guitar out and then have them bring me the exact same thing from the warehouse check it out buy it and take it home
@@mikejackson6751 Don't get me wrong, I totally get why they do it - I'd never buy a floor model (even at a discount) because I've seen how people off the street treat the gear in stores
I’m with you Phil, I absolutely quit shopping at GC because of the very same. Well said, bud. Good on ya with the sig guitar thing. It does work for some, but you are true to your focus. Cheers man. Thanks for all the good info and wit.
Guitar Center had someone at the door to check receipts all the time decades ago. It is so silly that all the merchandise is locked down, very annoying.
At the local Guitar Center near me I don't think they have theft problem. I usually have to look around for awhile and play a few guitars. Sometimes there isn't anybody on the floor that's even seen me walk in. I have to find somebody to either let me try it, buy it or answer a few questions about the ones I was playing. So I can decide which one I want. Since living here for over 10 years I haven't seen an actually busy day or night at this store where there was more than just 3 or 4 customers besides me. They don't lock up anything here unless you count having display cases for pedals. They don't seem to move a lot of stock unless it's online.
Regarding the time needed to assess an instrument, man, I couldn't agree more. I need about 2 or 3 weeks to try different string sets, try some setup changes, research the instrument and see what others are doing with it, etc. I had Pbass that I hated for about a month! Then, I put a set of la bella flat wounds, and suddenly it's the best bass I own! Even if you ultimately decide you don't like an instrument, it's nice to have spent the time to learning about the instrument, trying to love it. Must try to love it.
Hey Phil. I didn’t see the Guitar Tool Kit video yet, but when you brought it up here, I checked the video and bought it through your link. It’s actually downloading right now on my phone, and can’t wait to check it out. I really like the ability to slow down and break it down into parts. Very cool. Thanks.
There is a high end guitar store in Atlanta that locks their doors. You have to call ahead and make an appointment. When you get there you ring a door bell to get in. Their low end guitars start around 2 grand. The only reason I got in was to have a guitar worked on. Even then I felt self conscious I brought in a mere studio model les paul.
I worked for GC back in the late 2000s, District Manager, told us a story about one of the GCs had to let only one person in at a time, because they had to fire the whole crew. However the store still needed to be open so the District Manager and Lost Prevention person had to let one person in at a time.
They used to steal the plastic string locks (the ones where you detune the low or high e to remove it) at a local music store when I lived in Kentucky.
I once stood in a Guitar Center in Albany, NY, quite literally holding a guitar up in the air over my head, saying in a LOUD voice "I'd like to buy this guitar. Can someone please help me?" I repeated this at least six times. I decided to leave, and as I got to the front door, a clerk looked up from his phone and asked "Can I help you?" I bought the guitar online. For fifty dollars less.
I don't notice anything out of the ordinary with my GC's in Boston (Boylston st) and Danvers Ma. Whenever I ask for a tuner they always provide. Very friendly and courteous along with their inventory displayed normally, pricey guitars up top. I always have a good experience.
Well, the Ibanez Q has all the frets slanted towards the bridge, a fan-fret has the lower frets slanted towards the nut. I don’t think they’d feel quite the same
Regarding multi scale guitars it seems the creator of the concept wasn't just concerned about tension but was also trying to marry tone characteristics - I found this interview with the inventor of the multi scale fretboard Ralph Novak in a late 80's edition of Guitar Player Magazine - " Shorter scale instruments such as Fender Mustang or Gibson SG are favored for ease of bending of treble strings ... they also have sweeter treble because of pronounced midrange harmonic sustain. However these guitars suffer poor bass string response, difficult tuning and lack of articulation. On the other hand longer scale guitars such as Fender Strat offer crisp bass string definition, more accurate intonation and good definition but the treble strings lack midrange harmonic sustain. They sound percussive and thin and more prone to string breakage My fingerboard addresses those problems by offering multi scale lengths on one guitar or bass". Novak created a multi scale length guitar at the time for bluesman Joe Louis Walker but oddly Walker seemed to mainly use it for slide playing ! A less drastic solution may be to just use an in between 25 inch scale that apparently Paul Reed Smith invented. The 25 inch scale has crisper bass than Gibson and fatter treble than Fender but of course is a compromise.
I've never been in a Guitar Center. Where I live there's a family-owned music shop that has two locations. Their pricing is decent and they have good service. Given all the horror stories I've heard about GC, why would I bother with them?
Maybe you were thinking different because Landon certainly is a different kind of funny. He certainly deserves a shout out. He is one of the few people where you can tell they are being themselves, much like Phil. Plus, if you love telecasters like I do then Landons channel is certainly for you.
Love the Guitar Center talk. I have two relevant stories. In Japan, you’re not allowed to just pick up a guitar and try it, anywhere, not even at a thrift shop. They’re typically zip tied to the rack. This is in great part of course because of earthquakes. Usually, you need to ask a staff member, who will then take it down, probably put stickers on it to protect it from you scratching the pickguard, tune it up, plug it into an amp, and then stand there while you try out the instrument. But once, I saw exactly the guitar I wanted at a shop in Shibuya, it wasn’t tied to the stand, so I picked it up, and immediately a sales staff person snatched it from me, wiped it down, put it back on the stand, and just walked off without a word. One time I was trying out a guitar, and the pretty female staff member was standing next to me watching me play. I did my Blues thing and she asked, “What’s that from?” and I answered, “My head.” and she actually blushed like I just gave her a dozen roses. Bet that never happens at a Guitar Center. I’ve actually never been to a Guitar Center. It’s not a political thing. It’s just that when I’m paying big money for an item like a television or camera, and particularly something like a musical instrument, I don’t go to somewhere like Best Buy or Target, because I assume the smaller shops have a smaller, more knowledgeable staff. It’s also because with so much in stock, a megastore’s staff can’t possibly know-again, particularly on something that is at least partially hand crafted-all about every item they have hanging on the wall. I know if I go to Norman’s Rare Guitars, I can describe what I’m looking for, and they’ll pick out a few, because they know their stuff. Wires, parts, tools, strings, sure I would go to a Guitar Center because I know they’ll have it. But it’s too big for the good stuff.
Yep. Exact thing happened to me in Japan. Two different types of customer service and I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I learned after the first time not to pick up a guitar lol. I ended up buying one but still!
Perfect state government logic. We are losing all this tax money on out of state fireworks sale. Now fireworks are legal brings in 100,000 dollars in tax, State spends an additional 20 million on wildfires this year.
Yup. On my strat and semi hollow 9-46…. On my metal 25.5 scale standard E 9-50 (dime sig set). On my 24.75 drop D, 9-54 (same 9-50 with the low e swapped). Keep my Gilmour bends on the high strings and tight chugs for rhythm. I see no need for multi-scale. If I were to go lower then D, I would consider a baritone as my preference of locking tuners are limited to string gauge a bit.
Great GC opinion, same in the UK our stores have squires locked up and everything else. Then COVID happened, and the first time I went to PMT the sales associate really emphasized that they only prefer to let customers try guitars if they feel like they’re likely to buy it
The guitar store I work at in Guilford, Connecticut has kept our "Appointment Only" policy. It makes so much sense, especially for a small store like ours. The only people that make appointments are people that are actually interested in a guitar. No more clown cars full of high school kids coming in and touching every guitar. The guitars stay mint! Also, customers get the whole store to themselves. No playing over people or waiting till someone is done with a guitar you are interested in. And the employees are there when you need them.
The guitar center in my town Bakersfield employees act upset when you come to their department. They try and avoid eye contact and run from any help other than, “we can order you one” in which case they order in from their website which anyone can do at home. I’ve gone there with thousands multiple times wanting to buy a Taylor once and a Gibson SG standard another time. Both times they didn’t have what I wanted. And those are pretty standard models.
@@stephendre2902 This is another reason why Appointment Only works. We have our inventory on our website. If we don't have what you want on the website, then it is not in the store. Therefore, you don't have to waste your time driving here for something we don't have.
My Guitar Center in Rockville, MD has no power cables for their amps. You gotta bother a salesman to get a power cable. Guitars over $200 are all locked down. No 1/4 inch cables to be found. Gotta get help for everything now.
A big tip 50W+ solder iron is good for grounding pots. That way you don't have to heat the whole pot to make your joint correctly (around 48:00 min)...
It would seem to me that the tilted frets would relax the angle of your wrist, and reduce fatigue. The torzal natural twist bass does the same thing, only with a twisted neck instead.
On fan frets - I have a multi-scale 5-string bass. My thought was the extra length would give better tension on the low B. It does, just a little bit, but the scale length on mine only goes from 35.5 to 34. I think you need something a bit more extreme to get a real tension benefit. However, the lack of "extreme" difference makes the fan frets really easy to get used to.
The GC here in Columbus, Ohio was only letting one or two people at a time in the store to shop. That lasted a while and, turned a lot of regular customers against them to.
I'm in Massachusetts and there are 3 guitar centers here and the If one in attleborough doesn't make you check bags at the door anymore. But they literally had nothing in the store. It looked like the last day of a going out of business sale where only the children L we're only the cheapest of the cheap and the most expensive lock and the most expensive locked up stuff we're left Only about 25 to 30% of the wall had actual guitars on them
No signature guitar, and i completely understand your point of view. However, a signature guitar repair tool kit would make sense, and i bet they would sell like hotcakes!
I went to a local GC in New Jersey with the intention of buying a Les Paul. Well I was being ignored and the sales people didn't seem interested in my needs so I left the store. I when to a Sam Ash and purchased a Classic LP and Fender Tube amp. Dropped almost $3k
Sounds like GC doesn't want to sell any product...they are just a guitar museum. Had a GC credit card but never used it, so it was cancelled. I figured the hit on my CR was minor compared to the hassle of shopping there.
While it's true the Ibanez QX series guitars are not multi-scale, they are slant fret not fanned fret guitars. Unlike a fanned fret guitar, the frets remain parallel to the nut the entire length of the fretboard.
LOL! Back when Nita Strauss' signature JIVA first came out, my wife took a picture of me trying one out at a Sam Ash. I tweeted the pic to Nita saying "Hey Nita, does this guitar make look old?" She responded saying "No Way!! Looks great on ya!"
I would actually rather be buzzed in or out than be assumed a shoplifter just from walking in. Honestly every guitar that I have the slightest interest in is now locked away and it will take longer to have the sales person unlock it than I’ll even look it over for. They don’t buy in much of any kind of used stuff here anymore so I don’t even waste my time looking for anything cool there, and pedals again are going to take so much work to set up and demo... I just stopped buying from them as a general practice. Sam Ash locally has barely any inventory all year and though I have friends there I find it hard to buy what I need too. I have to be preemptive as a working musician and make sure I’m never out of consumable goods so I can afford to wait for it to ship in from somewhere.
as far as retail goes I worked at a best buy and I see people are just looking and dont want to be botherd but its simple Guitar center,all you have to say is hey how are you if you have any questions about any gear let me know.
when i open my guitar shop, thats how i will greet customers. "hello, sir/ma'am:) welcome to my shop just want u to know i offer no help. Anything you need
I watched my friend walk out on a $2600 PRS purchase because GC wouldn't give him the strings he wanted with the purchase. We went to another store and got the same guitar $400 cheaper with a free pack of strings.
I have to admit, the last few times I was at Guitar center in Cherry Hill New Jersey the customer service was really good. I wanted to basically have my daughter play a few different sized acoustic guitars and they ran into the back and opened up a new Taylor for her to try. Hopefully they're able to build their stock back up after the quarantine but, I buy from them because of their return policy. I play a guitar for 2 weeks and return the ones I don't want, no questions asked. Also the customer service on their 1-800 number always gives me deals. The main problem there is no set up done for guitars. Hit or Miss, I guess.
I'd enjoy seeing you review an Ibanez headless with slanted frets. I play 4 different headless guitars, but none are multi-scale or have fanned frets. Be interesting to hear/see how you feel about them.
i go to phoenix guitar center which is next to metrocenter mall. metro center mall parking lot has more stolen cars than anywhere in the united states. they take cars and they are right on the free way to mexico. its crazy more stollen cars than anywhere in the usa in 1 year
Phillip, do you remember the Ibanez Roadstar II from the 80's & what are your thoughts? I had one that I flattened the neck about an 1/8" on & replaced the pickups & loved that thing...
Every time i go up to the counter with a guitar or drum stand guitar center in Lubbock TX,tries to put the screws to me like chrge for case ,or double the price I'm thru with Guitar Center.
I went to Guitar Center a few weeks ago mostly to window shop but I had a few items in mind that I was considering. I strolled over to the acoustic room where everything over roughly $250 was locked up. The salesperson kept asking if I wanted him to unlock anything but it's just so off putting that any desire to buy drained away. I realize that they have issues with loss but GC has gone so extreme that it makes customers not want to shop. The Lamborghini dealership in town is more inviting and they know I have no chance at all of affording the car.
Everything is locked on the wall a Guitar Center and then no one is around to help you. It always seems like there are not enough employees. When a company makes the decision to lock everything up, they need to increase the employees to help all the customers. One time when I actually able to find an employee to unlock thing and I was trying to compare two Fender Customshop Telecasters to buy one. The employee insisted that he could only unlock one at a time so I couldn’t even go back and forth with them. The whole thing was ridiculous!
It sucks that in our world today is a bunch of people with no respect and feel they are entitled to everything free. It's why I left the West Coast. Guitar Center has their problems. Sucks that thieves has made it worse for them and their customers.
I don’t agree with that thicker strings are a comparable solution. Sure, the tension problem is fixed with both. But the feel of thicker (and in my case much thicker) is so different and can be a crime to setup. So I would prefer multi scale to combat part of that problem over using (IMO) much less comfortable strings.
Phil....could you switch to Saturday's from here on out? I love it, I'm always still at work on the Friday's one and never get a chance to enjoy the live community
Hey Phil, I don’t mind having to find someone for help in a store. But when they don’t acknowledge me when I come in. That’s annoying to me. All it would take is a, Hi welcome to Guitar Center. I use Guitar center because I went into guitar center and felt invisible. Not even so much as I’ll be with you in a moment. Oh and there wasn’t but a couple of costumers in the store. Good manors don’t cost anything. Hey happy 4th
Exactly. I mentioned in another comment that on my last say 10 visits to GC, I would say 8 of those times not one employee even acknowledged me including the people near the entrance to the store. Unreal.
My dogs really freak out when it rains and there's thunder the shake and try to hid under the nearest bed and these are pit bulls acting like scared puppies...we're thinking about changing their names to jello or shakes or something like that the really don't like the thunder and rain at all...lol the cat could care less no matter what,,she just likes to run ahaed of my car when I'm pulling into the car port from the street andf i mean just ahead of the car where i can't see her unless I turn on the front bumper camera linked to back up cam system...then she's so close that you would think you're about to run her over but she stays just out of reach...lol and this is a blck cat and usualy at night thank god for the motion sensor lights I installed in the car port when we first moved in...and I'm sure to keep fresh bulbl in them too....dogs are stupid and the cat is crazy...lol
The cable theft thing could be related to the money for the copper. Phil, my Nephew lives on the other side of Phoenix from you. I get the impression you are on the side closest to Tucson. Anyway, he is in Peoria and someone stole the catalytic converter off of his van. Apparently there is some metal inside those that theives can make money off, like platinum for one. There are a couple other metals but I'm not really sure what the market is for any of the metals in them, other than they are being stolen. I just checked, platinum, palladium and rhodium are the three metals. They apparently can get a couple hundred bucks for one. I suppose if your a thief that is a pretty good return for the 10 minutes it would take to cut one of those out of a vehicle.
Phil, they lock them probably because every time I go in to a guitar center its free band practice, and the majority of people treat the guitars they're trying to play like crap.
