If you blink fast enough, you can actually slow it down.

Max, it's a sad end. You were diplomatic, but there's an element of laziness in buying online. Guitars and other instruments are unique. Sweetwater has a great customer service model, but you still can't TOUCH it, see it at various angles, wear it, play it, hear it thru various amps. Or REALLY hear the amps, tweak the knobs, compare. I want to do all that stuff. Enjoy the experience and excitement of carrying my new thing out of the store. Not look at a picture & click "Buy now". In High School in the SFBA, we would have endless outings to SF, Oakland, SJ, seeking out stores big & small. Most are gone 😢 Going to Sam Ash over many Decades from Orlando to Las Vegas & beyond, I think they had an Achilles Heal. Too quiet, too slow, too laid back. It was chill, but they needed more hype, things to make the store visit more interesting. Maybe it will benefit GC in the short term, but I fear you're right. GC will shrink and may not even be around in ten years. Progress ? Not to me. I miss the hands on exploration and excitement of my youth. Not because it was "The Old Way" but because it was FUN !!!!! 🎸🎶✌️

The Tele ones that they have on their website look pretty dope. Just like the real thing.

Facebook helps scammers, maybe they get benefit either from the fraud itself or the information the scammers get even if the transaction is disputed!!!

Safest use of a Saw on KZbin.

AWE I was heart broken when word went out that Sam Ash was calling it quits, My son and I used to make it an afternoon to go checkout the location in Lombard Illinois. We had some great customer relations with the staff. They all knew who we were although our visits may have been a total of 4 times a year. I'd rather walk into a brick and morter shop as opposed to shop on line . Walking into a shop gives you an idea of what you are Buying, something physical. I never walked out of a store with a guitar unless I ran it through an amp the day I wanted to buy the guitar. poop!

You can include the interviews people leave online as huge part of the impact. They may not all be real, but I think it's easy to pick out the ones that are. I was considering buying a LP from Guitar Center. After reading the reviews I wouldn't buy anything from them, especially online. I bought a Fender Strat from the local GC over 10 years ago, and that experience didn't help either. You see the words, lazy, apathetic (I'd throw ignorant in there as well) in a lot of the comments below. It was like that even back then. I'm sure it differs by area, but they dig their own hole when that type of employee is "the face" of their business.

The problem is, people aren't social anymore.....human interactivity is important and being replaced by texts, emails, etc....there is NOTHING social about social media...it is a complete disconnect from reality....any musician knows. that if you can't play an instrument before purchasing, you won't know if it's for you....the total un-education of the populace is at hand...good luck...

Actually Guitar Center needs to be discussed, as it might help them. On several occasions, since 2020, I purchased guitars and other items that they sold as new, only to discover they were used. Once, they sent me a "new" guitar case that had cat hair and a hole in it. Growing up on Guitar Center in the late 90s and early 2000s they were good and not like they are now. I go to Guitar Center to physically see what a guitar is like, then I purchase it from Sweetwater. Facts.

I'm like you I think it's mighty cheap to look so good if you like that you can always make it the way you like it on the whammy bar no prob jamming for the money later brother

It's true I hate talking to the store employees unless I'm the one initiating the discussion, but I do need a place I can go to physically see, feel, and hear the items I'm interested in. I do buy a lot of my gear online but I still like to go to the shops occasionally to see what I can find. For example, I'd never have known I'd like the Fender Blues Junior if I never got to play one at the GC. Same for an 8-string Legator, and an Epiphone SG. There's still a need for music shops, they need to adapt though. The cool thing about Guitar Center is they're merged with Musicians Friend, making it so they can order whatever you want, and you can get used gear shipped to them from any other store, and be able to return it if you need to. They've adapted to be able to function with their stores acting like storage warehouses for online sales, and to be able to have customers come in and check things out.

Sweetwater is great, as is AMS/ZZounmds, but give me my Guitar Center every day. My store in Roseville MI is great, as are the people who work there. There are changes coming to G.C. so don't write them off yet. I do business with Sweetwater and AMS, but 9 out10 purchases are from the store. I'd rather support, and do support the people at the store. They work hard and bend over backwards to help their customers.

楽器を大切にしろ　　今は亡きPRINCEの言葉だ　心に刻め

hold up. So, is there Hollywood location officially closed? I was thinking of going and checking out their sales. I don't wanna show up and they're not open. That'll be a waste of gas.

What's happening here is not that uncommon... It's happening in the auto industry... Ford has recently stopped sending electric vehicles to dealerships and has started an only can buy an electric vehicle through the Ford Website cutting the dealerships out completely

One thing I noticed that I did not like (but maybe I'm wrong) is that the Stainless Steel Fret Bars (dividers) are not "ball end", which means that one the guitar climatizes, if the neck contracts a bit, then you have to get the file out. That's not a good idea for me, since (I'm not exaggerating) I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler and I don't want to have to pay someone just to file down the ends (I can do the other stuff fine). Also, while green is nice, I already have 2 green guitars and that's enough green for me! Does it come in any other colors? Blue would be nice. Maybe even a beautiful wood finish. I've never bought one of those. Red & Black are always great! 🙂

You need to be careful when you do into the stores, as well. They sometimes hire companies that specialize in going out of business. What they do is go into the stores and mark everything up way higher than list price, and then put a sale price on it that's also very high, sometimes even still higher that list. I guess people fall for it. They did this a Circuit City when they went out.

Welcom to 2024

I’ve purchased my guitars through Zzounds online. I’m happy with their selection and customer service!

I can’t remember where I heard it…I follow a lot of guitar channels, but one of them said that a big issue with Sam Ash was that when everything started going online, the old owner decided to stick to the personal experience and didn’t think it was necessary to do business online. Basically, he didn’t think selling online was going to become a thing.

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The sam ash in houston i went in unfortunately was a bigger version of the local stores in the sense they will have 500+ brands you never heard of & 3 actual good brands (one of each) on the wall,. AKA the usual suspects prs/fender/gibson where their not accessible & to try it out you got deal with the minimum wager trying to shove his sales pitch.

One thing you will never get from Sweetwater or any other online store, is a deal. The days of making a major purchase and having the local store shave a few bucks off or throw in a keyboard stand with your new keyboard purchase are OVER. ALL prices are the same, no matter what online store you buy from, unless there is a special sale.

Always check availability of guitars at my local Guitar Centers, because both have really great customer service and a decent selection of many brands. But often they won’t have a specific guitar I want to possibly buy (they can’t have everything on the floor) so if I wanted to get it from them I have to order it blind. Whereas with Sweetwater we’ve had excellent customer service, you can see the actual guitar you are getting and compare weight, look of wood, finish etc. That means a lot to me.

I am an introvert, and would often prefer to not shop in person, but going to a brick and mortar guitar store, even if it’s just to look around is one of my favourite things to do. If I am out of town, I look for local guitar stores and visit. I do prefer to try before I buy as the feel is so important to me. Even though I like the feel of most guitars, there are ones that are that much better. And yes I can listen to online demos and reviews of an amp or a pedal, but until I try it out, I don’t know how it will work for me. I have heard pedal demos where I like the pedal a lot, but I try it in person, and it sounds cool, but doesn’t fit what I do, or would like to do. Money saved. Time spent on returning it, saved. Shop online if you have no better options, but if in person is an option, please support those stores. Let them know about issues, etc.

Guitars easy to buy, but hard to sell.

Choosing an instrument like a guitar, bass, cello etc is such a personal experience. How can you choose an instrument online and purchase it without trying it out? What if you don’t like it? Return it and have them send you another one? That’s a pain in the ass.

Sam Ash had awful customer service so does guitar center. Neither are great online except guitar center was way worse

I can't wait to see guitar centerfold just like I couldn't wait to see Sam Ash Told! Guitar center online is shit. Sam Ash salesman lied to me to sell me something that he knew I didn't want making me think I would want it because what I told him I wanted. Sweetwater is only where me and my friends go to

pawn shops or used places is hands on ,guitar center can ship from store to store

I love the Van Halen/Darth Vader t-shirt.

BASS player from Canada here, I bared almost all music stores ( 2 are left on my list ) in Montreal cause the workers are snobby and snotty. Better service from Pineville music store.

Why do all these kids brag about the great sound then crank up so much distortion and sustain they all sound like sh..

My son was given a bass guitar by his grandparents, but it was a right handed bass and he is left handed. I glued 3 pieces of plywood together to get the thickness the same and made a mirror copy, or left handed version of the body. The bass played & sounded fine. It wasn't that bad at all.

I found Sam Ash's online shopping experience difficult/unpleasant on a technical level -- at least compared to its competitors' sites, especially Sweetwater.

I bought a buncha value guitars because of the channel. Havent tried a HB but love the EART i own

Just don't get buying a guitar on-line. I gotta sit down with it and PLAY it, get the feel of it, let it talk to me. I bought 1 guitar on-line from Guitar Center, and even then, picked it up in store so I could sit down and play it. Guess I'm just old school..

Hi Max! I'm going to buy this guitar. I want to change the humbucker with filtertron style pup. Do you recommend the Gfs Nashville, or maybe a dream 180. Can You help me choose?

I like going to my local Guitar Center, but unless I want a $2k+ Gibson or buy a Strat or Tele, the selection is pretty terrible. They have a bit of variety in the used section, but they rarley have anything that I care about. I just ordered an EVH Wolfgang Special from Sweetwater. I would have loved to go over to Guitar Center and purchase it but mine doesn't carry anything like that in-store. There just isn't enough variety in-store to compete with what an online-focused music shop would carry and the way Sweetwater takes the photos and let's you choose the exact guitar you want has really put them ahead of the game, in my opinion.

I had a Les paul copy one time that had a literal block of concrete inside of it. I shit you not, I want to say it was a Maestro by Gibson, probably from the early 2000's or so. A real chunk of concrete.

That's logical: cheap whole-wood is cheaper than 5 cm plywood or MDF. My washburn back in the days was made of plywood and I hated it! But I didnt have to saw it apart: I could easily see it in the electronic compartment. I later learned, that plywood is easier to work in an industrial setup... Anyway, i hated it, and so I cut the body down :D))) Best design ever!

You nailed it. It's the creative destruction of Capitalism. Giving people what they want. I love Sweetwater.

What you mentioned about that online store rivaling the output of 300 brick and mortars is an old fact that many brick and mortars failed to realize would save their business. Towers records on Sunset was told more than once that going online would probably save or extend their existence but they balked at the idea and they went out of business. Guitar Center will probably go the same way because they are failing to realize the same thing. I've read in other places that people, whoever they may be, have suggested that GC at least downsize to a fraction of their size to remain solvent for the reasons that you mention here in this video. Completely going online would be my thinking but the article I read mentioned that guitar purists like to play, or test, the instrument before buying. It makes sense to me but GC needs to move soon I think. On the subject to online scams sites, if those afore mentioned guitar purists are fooled by those sites then I guess it's snowing in Hell because I saw one site and they were offering a 4K Gibson for 500 dollars. Great Video

Guitar Center would have more physical sales if they carried better or more stuff. All these years of walking in. They never carry guitars im looking for. And when I ask they always say we don't carry in store. They force you to order online. So if your forced to order online. Sweetwater does it better because they guarantee "questionable". A hands on quality check before shipping. And people are usually willing to pay a little more for the insurance. Sweetwater and GC are now Walmart vs Target of guitars.

AlGuitar Abuse... HAHAHA AlcGuitarism HAHAHA

You did great as always! I think that guy should have a garage sale or just donate it a charity where people that need that kind of stuff can get it. Hope you had a great time in Vegas ☺️

All those years of not allowing people to play smoke on the water inside the stores done caught up to em😩🤣🤣🤣

It was sad to hear Sammy Ash passed away last Fall ! 🥺 And now... months later, Sam Ash Music is gone too . 🤯

Thankfully I have one local shop that I enjoy going to. It's a Music Go 'Round. The guitars are set up well (unlike the ones at the local SA and GC), the staff is always friendly and helpful, and the prices are comparable to or better than used gear on Reverb. With the big box stores going under, it would be great to see MGR stock new instruments in addition to used.