What Happened to Guitar Center? 

…i’m not a real anything anymore.

Local guitar stores are better than guitar center

@@WOKINTUSD I always try to support the local stores.

I guess the new ceo is clueless with comments like you are not a, serious musician unless you buy expensive premium gear for which I find offensive. And while I look premium gear I am like eddie van Halen I like what I like and guess what it makes me angry that he insulted Eddie van Halen. Because Eddie did not spend a grand to make his Frankie he spent 50 bucks on a basswood body and 80 dollars on a neck and molded it to his liking let's see yngwie malmsteen in Sweden did not spend a lot of money on his strat and Marshall plexi Amps. Let's see did Steve vai spend 3 grand to make his charvel green menie guitar before Ibanez approached him. And that's the difference between an elitist ceo and collecters who want wall pieces and a musician so for me I will build and make what I want just like Eddie and no off The shelf guitar today will do that for me when I will have modify it anyway to meet my specs now an acoustic that's a diferent story. The other issue I have is I can't find decent amps in stock either at guitar center anymore or even bass guitars. And what about rack mount processors don't see them in stock. Man I miss the old days when you could get what you need at reasonable prices ohh I can't even find my ernie ball cobalt strings In Stock anymore with the 9 to 46 Guage. Just my thoughts and for God sales bring back having all parts as a brand in stock

I thought the person made the musician, not the equipment.

How many places do you get to walk into and talk to the regional manager...and why would you need to?

Who cares

Go to GC and play the gear you want and then buy from Sweetwater and even get candy

MeToo SweetWater or Zzounds

Well then u spent a shit load of $, Sweetwater is expensive as hell!! It’s great gear, but ur definitely gonna pay for it! I’d suggest EBay or Reverb. New or Used, sometimes I really don’t care about a ding or two. But u will 100% get a better deal on one of these two sites…

It's ultimately the people's fault. They're consumerists who want to shop around online and pay less. This is what kills local/brick-mortar business, along with the government's refusal to use its authority to support the real thing and incentivize consumers buy local. The people vote for their government representatives.

I wonder how overworked GC staff is... Maybe they have 3, 4 people running a big store. They accumulate different functions that never were part of their job description when they were hired. Go to glassdoor and read employees reviews. It must be a horrible place to work. I hope corporate will be able to make GC more sustainable and a better place to work in the future.

@mudchair16 You think it's the "people's fault" because they want to shop around and get a better deal? Give your head a shake. Why should people spend more just to support a large corporation? That makes no sense whatsoever.

@@Joe-mz6dc True. Your wallet/credit comes first. Screw those big corporations.

I have shopped the Daytona Beach, FL store. Horrible customer service, inventory never in tune, much less set up. And I also have plugged into a non-functioning amp more than once. The only reason I went was to demo guitars and keyboards advertised as "in stock" at the location, only to drive there and find out the instruments were not. Ten years ago I bought a USA Telecaster in the Sarasota, FL store. The manual included with it was in Spanish. Fortunately, I am semi-literate in Spanish, but it did make me wonder whether I was purchasing a "new" guitar. When you are basically the only brick and mortar in town, you can be as crappy as you want. Some parent not knowing any better will get sucked into buying a guitar for a kid.

…the acoustic room is stocked with rusted strings.

I went to a GC like 2 years ago and had the purpose of buying a fairly high end guitar and amp and didnt crank the amp because it was just the 100watt version of my previous amp but wanted to hear a telecaster through it and some jackass came in cranked an amp and started terribly playing Metallica riffs and I was told to "turn down" when I was just strumming chords lightly and at a lowish volume to just hear how it sounds... Not sure of the employee thought i was the one playing loud or not but I told them thanks im gonna buy this rig off sweetwater and walked out 😂

Yep teenage tappers wailing away that have 50 cents to their name. Incredibly annoying

​@@apollomoon1 I find that comment completely off color. Although I'm far from a teenager, I find it somewhat elitist or agist to not allow someone of any age to play an instrument For whatever time they choose. Within reason... I have to say if I myself went in to play a given instrument, or to play several to make a decision, generally I either had cash in my pocket or was saving to make a purchase. Sometimes I would go in and play the same instrument several times before making a purchase, but always with eventually making a purchase in mind. I'll be there reminding myself of what I'm saving for or just making fully sure that particular guitar was the one I was going to drop my money on. But like I said within reason I expect to be allowed to play, at any age & not be hassled.

@@incredifunk i played them as well and agree with that part of your comment. But there is no denying that people with no intention or means to buy spend hours in those places just trying to show off. Go to a truly professional private store not a big box entity to drop your $$.

don't forget the sweets😋

Ans your Pocket book didn't have to take a huge blow out to get a crappy guitar center guitar. 😂

You clearly don't understand the difference between GC and Sweetwater. Guitars are just sitting on shelves waiting to be ordered, so of course, nobody has touched them. Yet, you're surprised the people like to go to GC and play the guitars on the wall? You just went into a store to do the exact same thing. It's easy to stock a ton of gear in a warehouse, especially if you don't have 300 stores to maintain. Sweetwater has ONE location that fulfills online orders all day. Apples and oranges, bud.

@@ShrinkRaptor You are very correct! apples to oranges is a great analogy! In my personal experience I was simply disappointed at on venue. In the other I was and am still completely satisfied! Apples to Oranges! 100% . As such I will agree with you and I do not understand the difference at all!! Thanks for your response and education!!

Yes, that’s very true. Although, I’ve had some disappointments with some guitars that supposedly went through their multi point inspection but certainly didn’t appear so when I received the guitar. I have three GC locations in my area, and if one store doesn’t have what I want, I go to the next. I just prefer to have the guitar in my hands first before purchasing.

I love the SW free 2 year warranty and great customer service and shipping isn’t insane, SW seem to love our feedback and really give a sh$& about customers.

Oh really? If you live there. Then they screw you if you can't see it.

And Sweetwater employees won’t harass your wife trying to buy something for you.

⁠@@kelalamusic9258 sw 55point inspection is a sales gimick however its still better than nothing. they simply look over the guitar to make sure it works, its not a setup. they also do the 55point inspection when the guitar arrives, so it could be months after it got sold. its to insure they dont sell u something broken and dont have to pay shipping cost returns

Any you'd recommend from ebay? Like a good budget one

@@chrisguzman7926.... As one who has made Multiple various instrument purchases (electric Bass guitar, Lap Steel's, Console Steel, Ukelele Bass, Harmonica's, Mandolin's & Melodica's)... from GC, Sweetwater, zZounds, Reverb & eBay.... they all have their strong & weak points. I have purposely bought a really "cheap" bass guitar from ebay over a year ago..... you know what (?)... other than changing to a set of LaBella Flat wounds.... it's been a really great Bass guitar, and I have some "mid - range" ($350. to $700.) Ibanez, and other "name brands"... that quite frankly, Do NOT sound any better or more "musical", than this cheap, eBay, bass from Glarry guitars... that I payed a "whopping" $129. for... Including a 20 watt (6" speaker), strap, cord and soft case. So, ok... the cord is Not a name brand... but, it works well... the "soft case" is thinly padded, nylon travel or dust bag when not in use, and the strap is.... "ok". The bass, itself is quite light and can be played for hours without any fatigue whatsoever...... AND, it Stays in Tune!!.... which is more than I can say for some of my other, much more expensive "name brand" basses. Again, the bass I purchased was from "Glarry Guitars" (yes, they also market 6 strings as well) and they have 4, 5 & 6 string basses for Under $200. Glarry has been around for many years and the quality of their guitars & basses, for the price they sell them for is absolutely amazing. There are many other "no names" as well on ebay, and a very good friend of mine who has been playing Bass for nearly 54 years now.... bought a "no name" off of ebay for $89. (with a case!).... almost Three (3) years ago for practice at home. He has a "custom built" (for him) Carvin 5 string bass, that he personally picked up at the Carvin "factory" when it was finished... which he paid $5000. for.... in 1985!! It's solid wood, and the difference in weight between it, and this "no name", is the Carvin weighs a hefty 14.5 lbs, and this "no name" from eBay, weighs just under 6 lbs. It may be light, but he's had NO neck issue's whatsoever (himself, or the bass)... the neck is perfectly straight, just as mine is as well. He plays that thing for At Least One to Two hours, every day.... and hasn't had a minutes trouble with it.... and, it also (like mine)... Stays in Tune, and it still has the Original strings that came on it... they sound great! Anybody can have "won't stay in tune" issues, with Any guitar if the tune "Down" to the intended note.... always tune "UP" to the intended note, which will put a "pre-load" on the tuner, keeping it from backing Off. I finally got him to order a set of LaBella Flat wounds for it a few days ago... from "Just Strings" dot com, up in New Hampshire... Great prices and they Are, the Largest string dealer... in the world. They have strings for instruments I've never heard of before, from all over the world. If you need strings, you might want to check out their website, first. Having said all that... you can always "update" a "cheap" guitar with pickups, tuners, strings, etc, etc... without breaking the bank if you like, if you have a mind to do so.

Exactly. The few older experienced guys/gals working there are obviously not happy.

It's said what happened to guitar center. The whole music store scene changed around the late 80s early 90s. When I was playing in bands from the time I a teenager until my late 20s guitar center was cool. There was one store in San Jose California where I live near by. Only musicians worked there, and they new there sh..t. Then it became corporate and intead of musician going in to and working the store it became a weekend warriors customer base, nothing but tech bros living out their rock and roll fantasy. The employees seemed like the same guys working at the Apple store. Not sure if this is exactly part of their demise, but when it chased away real musicians like me I can't imagine it didn't help. BTW I got my first drum set at a mom and pop shop.

Teaching there was a nightmare

Great points here. Thanks for watching.

AMEN!!

Last summer I was trying out some effects pedals and they had the drummer dude help me who didn't know anything about guitar or FX while the knowledgeable guitar players stood there chatting and not really willing to help at all...

@@Willam_J I've found their used inventory in-person to be hit and miss, but their online used experience remains terrible. You get 1-2 poor quality pictures for each guitar and a title, that's it. No specs, description, blemish/ding highlights, or additional details. Reverb or local marketplace offerings are easier to browse through, have more detailed descriptions and photos, and are usually less expensive because they are P2P sales.

The only thing you can't do online is actually play the guitar. Hear it, feel it, before you buy it. That seems to be a luxury of the past. And guitar Center didn't help - stocking nothing I'd want to play to begin with.

Yeah, the one in Rockville MD is exactly like that. The one in San Francisco was excellent however with dedicated employees to help you out. Though it's probably not there anymore since covid, went there six years ago.

@@Darrylizer1 I agree with you guys, some stores are better than others it seems. The one in Marietta Ga is great, the one here in Augusta is okay not great though. I'll tell you though they will get instruments from Fender and Gibson and some others before Sweetwater does. However if I had a choice I would go Sweetwater easily. Peace fellow guitar slingers.

Wow you must be talking about the guitar center in North Charleston South Carolina..... A once UberCool place to shop and we all look forward to going Now we don't go

I had the same experience and took my $$ to Sweetwater. My ,local store was empty and not one salesperson approached me.

yes some are very good and well stocked many get the first run of product as soon as it drops

That happened to me in Sam Ash, tried to buy a guitar there twice, got totally ignored both times! (Atlanta location)

Would of been on you like stink on shit lol Especially if I noticed you checking out Gibson

Same, I'm forunate to have not had issues at the GCs I've shopped at for 30+ years, but I've def heard horror stories.

do you recommend the one in Stafford/Sugarland ?

@@ratbazturd5562 I purchased a Martin 000-16 from the Farmers Branch location in Dallas. They matched an Reverb price on the guitar. That location failed me on a trade-in so I tried the one on North Central Expressway and made a really good deal with my trade-in to buy a McPherson Sable. The Webster location has also treated me well. Bought a Roland Street Cube Ex there. Have visited Sugarland but due to inventory at that time did not make a purchase. You just have to shop the GC's to find one that works for what you are buying.

Darn right they are. So is the German based company and peach guitars in the uk

Sweetwater sucks just as bad.....I asked them a few questions and they wouldn't give me answers on a guitar....it would have taken 5 minutes to check....then 4 different rep's proceeded to call me everyday for a week. I told them if they spent that much time answering my questions they would have sold me 3 guitars. I keep trying to buy from them but they are flat out losers!

Kinda find that hard to believe. I’ve been buying from them since 2007 and their customer service then was really good and outstanding now. Guitar center is a dinosaur that nobody wanted to walk into cause you either get jumped on, or ignored.

No they're not. Very overrated and usually higher priced. I've been to the bricks 'n motar store a few times while traveling through. It is a nice store, but it's not their primary customer base. They've screwed up 2 online orders for me and I doubt I'll try a third.

Sweetwater sucks! They're laughing at you for believing the 47 point inspection means anything.

You're very welcome. I need to stop by and check out one of those SE CE24s the kids are raving about.

This is happening at Sam Ash as well

Yeah, I returned a bad vintage guitar that could never play right unless it had a neck reset. (I work on and collect guitars and I know what I am talking about) They didn't even hesitate, they just put it back on their website

ever buy jeans or shoes at the mall? A dozen people may have tried on your shirt.

“Demo model” you mean a floor model? Do you not want to try the guitar before you buy it? Cause every guitar is gonna play different so I want to make sure it feels good before I buy it

@@PhilDietz and that’s gross too. Having worked retail (soft goods) for many years I typically request one from the back. I’m a little more lenient with outerwear.

That’s exactly what happened to mine had a great god had been 20 foot section of pedals and picks and strings on the wall behind always one or two guys working it that knew their stuff. Now like you said it’s all been replaced by what seems to be unused lesson/practice booths. And a little setup off boss pedals.

@davidlemay3561.... in 2025, there will be.... a LOT of stores, And US population.... that, "will be no more"!!

This same thing January’24 Oxnard GC Walked out with nada 💨

Try calling the store next time before driving out there instead of complaining about having to drive out there to find out they don't have what you need.

I had a similarly bad experience at GC in Oxnard, CA about 20 years ago. For a month straight I'd bought about $1000 per week worth of gear. Each time I went in they weren't very friendly and no one recognized me either. Since they'd been selling me the wrong used speakers for my bass head, I brought in the manual. One of the employees was so offended by that, he yelled at me and wanted to fight! I never went back. I get guitars from wildwoodguitars and wilcuttguitars now.

That was definitely much of my experience when I worked there in 2015. I wasn’t really interested in trying to sell the pro coverage, because most people didn’t qualify for it anyway. Also, the commission structure is so weird, that it’s more about pushing certain products, than you selling people what they want and need. I sold a lot up there, and never made any commissions. In fact, I couldn’t even afford to buy anything in the store when I worked there.

I used to work for a guitar center too and the Internet there was so slow!. Did your store have a slow Internet issue too? Lol

I know what you mean. I see a $5000 Les Paul and I wonder, "Who's buying these things? Mom and Dad?"

@@John-g6x1h More like "Grandma and Grandpa" these days. Also, think of doctors, lawyers, and other well to do professionals who are either hobbyists or collectors. They are largely out of reach for regular working musicians actually trying to make a living with their craft.

That is simply not true @WOKINTUSD. Sorry to sound insulting but you may need a lesson in using the internet, and you and everyone can great great guitars at all price points if you shop and do research.

​@JasonCaron-qv3cp a sales guy told me that if you had a guitar on layaway you can lose it cooperate greed . When they killed layaway it's only a matter before. Fender and Eastman and epiphone make all solid wood body for less 3000 or more 5000 . So Martin is getting killed because they can't compete with these companies Gibson is making affordable acoustic and electric solid les paul and sg affordable guitars I am not going to pay 7000 or 9000 for acoustic or electric

@@WOKINTUSD - no one needs a $5000 guitar. Watch some Jack Pearson videos on RU-vid. He RIPS on Squire's and jokes that he has them specially made in Indonesia. You can pick them up for less than $200 and they play and sound great. I recently picked up a Squire Tele from a store in Baltimore that was signed by some guy I'd never heard of that was in White Snake for under $150.00. It kicks butt. Shop around and try some different stuff that is not top brand, and don't feel like you have to have a brand new Gibson Les Paul Murphy Lab. Look at Fire Fly guitars on Guitar Garden and watch some compare videos. Also Sire makes sick guitars for under $1000 and you can get on Sweetwater and send back if you are not happy.

Probably because margin is how they keep their doors open. If you want to make offers on used gear, go to the private market.

You can't be that old , going way back there was no such thing as a drum kit ,it was always a drum set.

Was at the Nashville GC in Nov 2023, nothing has changed since your visit.

they don't know what they are doing

I used to shop at that store back then and always dealt with Gar. He was a great guy, experienced musician who always took good care of the customers. I purchased many PRS core guitars in that store and always got a good deal. Good times!

Good point. I forgot how horrible their used photos are. Yeah, they clearly have an amazing selection of products, but the presentation is so bad that it makes it tough to browse. Thanks for watching!

100% agree with this. A little effort would go a long way. GC has an immense used inventory. I have bought used gear online from them, and when I wanted info, I would call and ask to speak to the manager. The couple of times I did this the manager would go get the item and call back…Lucky for me the ones I spoke with were honest and the guitars I received were as nice or even nicer than they described…Point is, a simple write up on the site could have saved us the time of making phone calls…

I buy used from them if the price is good. It's easy to return it and just lose the shipping charge. I figure I rented it for $25-35, but got a chance to try something out.

Fulltone will be interesting as they are coming back on a smaller scale with Jackson audio. Thanks for watching!

Bingo. Margins can be huge on these accessories, and to find empty shelves in those places and a checkout time that rivals the DMV seems like something that should be easily fixable. Thanks for watching.

Alto Music still does layaway. I use it often.

I remember the days when they used to wheel and deal and allowed you to put money down to hold an item.

Interesting, does Sweetwater have lay away? or something similar?

​@@scottjohnson3226Alto is a good company.

@@samstewart9249 Not that I am aware of. They should, though. The one with Alto Music works well, though. At least it has with me.

I have to disagree with you there. Not everyone that walks in the store plays guitar. You got DJ's, drummers, sound guys, keyboard players, vocalists etc.....

Yeah, and if you email them with a question, like, why is this more than a new one or, this looks like a sl4x but you have it listed as an sl1x, no reply.

That requires adequate staffing which is very difficult to manage nowadays.

They really don't use B stock but I can see how people get that impression because alot of their instruments are handled so much they look used, or B stock. now I don't know about the used gear they sell, they could be B stock. I agree the times I went to GC to buy a guitar, I found I knew more about the stuff than the sales rep did, just a kid. I feel your pain thats why I went to Sweetwater and am very happy. My mom and pop store was basically put out of business by GC........so sad.

@@kimlombardy3393 I feel bad that they have to hire people that don't know much, and I understand that not everybody knows everything about the music business. But maybe they could at least learn a little about the products. It might improve their sales and reputation. Even have a tablet with them that could discuss the features of a product, anything than "Uhhhh....yeah, that's a good guitar, man." Know what I mean?

Another major plus for GC is their generous return policy, even for used gear. I have made use of it on several occasions.

I thinking that if you can play, you are a detailed person and are able to do your own set ups. Forget GC and search out local people - friends that can help you - or watch RU-vid. Please learn "how to fish" and never pay for a set up again! Nobody touches my favorite guitar (unless they teach me a song I really want to learn)!!

Great advice! Thanks for watching!

@@Reapprsr1 Great advice. I've done setups by myself before, but I think there's value in a very experienced tech (not GC techs for sure) taking a look at my instrument from time to time.

@@SapulpaGuitarAcademy A phrase for you to use: Or if you are expressing good to a student: "If you can play; you can intonate." Anyway, you are the teacher, so I'm saying that with students you should relate Playing ability and Intonation ... mechanical precise movements -with- in tune sounds all over the place.... thanks for your GC upload, it is necessary to hold corporate to mission. excellent reveal on GC _R

If you're still in Pittsburgh you have access to far better music stores with far better techs. Nstuff Music has been around for a very long time and they have an excellent reputation in most every regard. Or if you can take a drive out of the city, Micarelli's Modern Music would be my first choice.

And daddy's junky music. I order three times from the to store vintage Kramer they call me I drive an hr o the store and they can't find the guitar they diseapeared. Those guitars I always wanted would have been investments. Everyone these corporations are so fucking greedy now.. They can all kiss my ass. I'll buy a 150 dollar Amazon guitar and make it great myself. Screw em all. Don't like Duncan or dimarzio pickups either. Everything is way over priced and the same sound and quality can be found for far less

I wanted to try an acoustic baritone. Good ones (Taylor, etc) are north of $2k so looked at Alvarez and Guild, both import. Local GC had an Alvarez per online, they had to go find it and it was a mess, dings and chips, missing a string and had standard 6 string gauge missing one string. But I got to at least see it. Went online and bought one new in box for less than they would discount the beat up on from MF, 30% off from their online side. Sealed new box 2022 production. Needed a good setup but once done is great value for price.

I left with money in hand a few times because of the way I was treated and/or ignored.

Thanks, man. I put this together as I have a review video stuck in editing hell right now. I figured i would try something new to help keep the content flowing until I get that behemoth out.

@@SapulpaGuitarAcademy Smart move mate 😃👍

Great point. I've had to leave many a guitar at some ole boy's house and crossed my fingers that he didn't skip town or get robbed, etc. At least you can hold Guitar Center accountable. Thanks for watching!

Top comment. 🤣

It’s more that they are the physical embodiment of a fart.

@tyronejoihnson - you don't know the half of it! I worked for Guitar Center until 2003; my coworkers and I used to crop dust people noodling on the guitars if they sat around too long without buying anything.

SWEETWATER SUCKS. 55 POINT INSPECTION? ANYONE CAN SIGN AND PLACE AN INSPECTION CARD FOR YOU TO FIND. When the strings are flat, touching the neck people send it back. What happens next? Restocking fees or more money, which means you lose. No wonder Sweetie Water is a 1.6 billion dollar online RIPOFF. I documented my RIPOFF on a Fender Hendrix Signature Stratocaster and I am gathering participants for a class action suit. A motion to show cause and you can talk about something other than FREAKING FARTS.

Hard core.

You know what a touring musician really is? UNEMPLOYED.

I remember the ONLY Circuit City near where I live. It was built in an old Best Buy building (that moved across the street) a couple of years before they went out of business. When they went out I went up there expecting a deal or two so they could clear stuff out. Nope full retail price on EVERYTHING. They had the nerve to put going out of business CLEARANCE signs up too. I walked out shaking my head.

@@sparkeyjames You were probably right to leave. I have worked a lot in retail. I will say though that typically when stores go out-of-business like that it's usually a liquidation firm that buys and handles selling off the remaining inventory. The prices do come down eventually as the deadline to clear out of the building approaches.

Doman's in Elyria. Bought my Fender Jazz Bass there. $360 with hard case in 1974. Best bass setup ever, best customer service ever.

@@american23t Ill explore this one I live about 35 minutes from Elyria in Lorain County.