Everyone HATED Sam Ash! (I was shocked at the comments)

My recent video about the reasons behind Sam Ash going out of business generated some incredibly passionate comments about how much people hated the guitar store! I thought there would be a few people happy to see them go, but not THIS MANY! The negative reviews of Sam Ash just keep going and going! Even Guitar Center gets thrown under the bus.
My original Sam Ash video: • The Real Reason Sam As...
Shred with my instructional programs: maxcarlisle.sellfy.store/
---------
Social Media -
Facebook: / maxcarlislemusic
Twitter: / maxxxwellc
Instagram: / guitar_max_carlisle
Want to release your own music? Sign up on DistroKid and save 7% with this link: distrokid.com/vip/guitarmax
www.guitarmaxmusic.com
Rubric: -5 points for Danzig references. -5 points for not reading the description. -5 points for not watching far enough into the video to answer your own question. -5 points for misquoting me in your comment. 20 points possible. Everyone starts with an A!

[@joshuabarron8535]

The problem is, when people have a good experience at a store, they may tell 2 or 3 people. When they have a bad experience, they'll tell 20 to 30 people.

[@AkaSnugD]

This is truth.

[@adamekcar]

It's not really a problem. It's the reason great customer service is so important.

[@donaldpruitt6787]

This is true about any retail sales ....I bought several things 10 years ago.... never had a problem but everyone's different and the location as well ....

[@PBTophie]

Yep. Always look for the neutral-positive reviews for the most honesty, imo.

[@veganskeletons4131]

Good spread the word

[@thoughtsbeforesleep]

After the bankruptcy announcement I saw a Facebook ad that was obviously a scam. It linked to a site using the name of Sam Ash in the domain and copied the graphics, but was clearly not the real Sam Ash site. If I needed more proof, it was offering Gibson Les Pauls for ~$200. I reported the ad as a scam to Facebook. A few days later they responded to me and said they found nothing wrong with the ad and that it adhered to their policies. I guess it is Facebook's official policy to allow scammers to advertise on their platform.

[@egroegmcdonald9870]

I also reported the FaceBook fraudsters. Like you FaceBook reviewed and found nothing wrong with the ad's OP. You folks that get/got duped there, feel free to use our statements in your eventual class action suit against FB. They are in the public domain.

[@EyesOpen369]

Yep I just left a comment on here I saw a Michael Kelly telecaster for 129 or something like that. I looked at Google and it was 900 plus.

[@RaptorV1USA]

#facebookisshit

[@scottsteeves]

Never buy anything from a f-book add. 99% are scams.

[@kennethcarlin9629]

Don't try reporting any scam to Facebook. It's a waste of time

[@nazamarcos]

Here in São Paulo/Brazil we don't have Sam Ash, Guitar Center, Manny's or anything like that. We have a street called Rua Teodoro Sampaio where there are dozens of the best Music Gear Stores of the city, where you can find the same condescending attitude from employees who didn't make it as musicians, pissed off with their own lives, being rude to anyone. It looks like failed musicians tend to end up as Guitar Stores pissed off employees.

[@zolamadda5980]

Only in Brazil we also have the pleasure of paying AT LEAST double the price for any imports. And that's after the currency exchange.

[@uvprofile67]

At SA (Hawthorne, CA) about 5 years ago I took a vintage guitar in to get set-up and, a few days later, was politely informed by the repair guy that the guitar deserved better than he could give and I went and got it back. While I was checking out, the young guy that fetched it told me that it was valuable as if I didn't know it (I'm black) and skeptically asked me where I got it. I took a deep breath and informed him that I've had it since the early 80s (which was probably 10 years before he was born) and I left it at that. Never went back.

[@steveperry3538]

You’re a good man. You didn’t lose your cool. Ignorance is the norm these days. Hope you got a good setup on your guitar 🎸👍

[@rcolelli]

Yeah, let's make it racist. This is just your side of the story. I wonder how true it is.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

Come on. I'm white and he'd be curious about where I got it too. Thats a basic question among guitar guys regarding valuable guitars. (And they called you to retrieve it because they didn't want the liability).

[@josephfranklin803]

​@@GUITARTIME2024bullshit. My guitar playing best friend is Black, and he got mistreated as well.

[@GerarddeSouza-yt3fc]

I see a common thread here with customer service that could happen in any specialty store. You can hire people who are great in their own pursuit using the product, have great product or technical knowledge, but you cannot teach people skills if it doesn't first come from the heart. Wouldn't hurt to hire the odd retail generalist people person; don't even have to be a musician, they can learn about the product and defer to someone more knowledgable when needed. Going into a speciality store, many customers already have knowledge & skill.

[@GuitarMAXMusic]

That's a great point!

[@2DclanSnipingTeam]

Totally agree. 20 years ago you needed that knowledgable sales person. Today, with so much info available on the internet, You just want a friendly face to walk you through the buying process.

[@mattaffliction]

I was treated poorly at Sam Ash stores in 3 different states. To this day they are only musical instrument stores that have treated me like that. I made it point to never purchase anything from them again.

[@jittboy1]

Why would you not shop there because actions of others? If it’s a deal I don’t care I buy it and will go to manager or someone else nice in a store of 10. Not everyone at every store sucks and if your treated that bad I can’t comment other than maybe it was you lol no offense what your saying 3 states I find that hard to believe could have happened but a holes don’t stop me from getting what I want

[@nicksrc908]

@@jittboy1Cool.

[@goodgriefitssimon]

Yeah, half of the Sam Ash employees were complete a - holes to me, who generally f***ed their way out of a good sale where I was even willing to pay full price. Truly dogs*** retail rejects that deserve to eat s*** and unemployment when Sam Ash fully closes in mid July.

[@garyhundsrucker7771]

I liked the Columbus Ohio store I visited from out of town and they allowed me to play two Gibson SG’s and it showed me that the Epiphone ones I have are just as good for a third of the cost!

[@jittboy1]

@@garyhundsrucker7771 yeah not gonna let employees dictate what I want to purchase . I am the one buying not there to socialize with employees lol I find the reason not to go employees.

[@JustinWoo]

Sam Ash's luthier fucked up my Yamaha Revstar, but the company replaced it, no questions asked. While their luthier was brain dead, their local management was great.

[@BlueberryStinkFinger62]

Ummm are you sure it was the luthiers that were brain dead?

[@grantkoeller8911]

Guitar Center always kicked Sam Ash in The butt

[@MashaT22]

Sam Ash replaced it? Or Yamaha?

[@angusorvid8840]

What store was this at?

[@beefnacos6258]

@@BlueberryStinkFinger62 The fake luthiers at Sam Ash and Guitar Center suck.

[@TheBlockPartyRV]

I just fell victim to the Sam Ash credit card Scam - it’s so rampant, my credit card company pro actively cancelled the card and sent me a replacement card. That said - one of the last few days the local store was open I did get a killer deal on a Michael Kelly hybrid guitar for like $300 - new the guitar listed for $1,000 - so it was a killer deal, and I love the guitar …. My neighbor works for Sam Ash as a manger for the past 3 decades and is now unemployed, seeing the real impact the bankruptcy has had on real people and their livelihood, gave me a much different perspective. Hey Max - I ran into you and your girlfriend at Knott’s last Year and you were super gracious and nice - you are the real deal man - keep up the great work and good content !!!

[@GuitarMAXMusic]

Oh yeah! At the gift shop right? Was nice meeting you, and thanks for you comment!

[@Jeremya74]

What exactly was the scam and Did you get your money back?

[@Crispy_Music_2024]

The guy who works closing at the Southfield, Michigan Guitar Center helped me. He greeted me, left me alone when I said I was just looking, and then was helpful when I needed a bass tuned and finding a case.

[@jasondorsey7110]

I bought a bass from gc online and had it shipped to the monroeville pa store, when I came to pick it up they offered to do a fresh setup on it for free, really nice folks

[@jaykay0401]

great to hear!

[@jasondorsey7110]

@@jaykay0401 Like many others have mentioned, there were a few times I found myself waiting around longer than I would have liked, but I've never experienced the rudeness or ignorance others complain about at their local gc...never had a sam ash anywhere nesr me so I can't comment on their customer service, but I've tried to navigate their website and it sure does suck compared to gc or sweetwater

[@hpblack1953]

I never shopped Sam Ash but how in God’s name could they be worse than GC? I used to slam a door on my hand just to see if I was not transparent.

[@joellebrodeur1015]

Depends on the location and who's working there at the time and literally minding the store. Everyone's experience varies, which sucks.

[@Jeremya74]

​@@joellebrodeur1015is he talking about ALL THE STORES or did you assume this?

[@GuitarGuy4647]

I’ve been to probably forty or fifty Guitar Centers versus twenty or so Sam Ash locations. Every single GC has done better.

[@2DclanSnipingTeam]

Yes, Sam Ash was worse the worst!

[@creeperdet]

This was back in 2016. I purchased brand new American Strat form the 34th street store in Manhattan. After dropping close to $2K in the store they wouldn't let me use the restroom while they "setup" my new guitar.

[@zad7768]

I can honestly say that I really liked the Sam Ash that was in my town for a little over 3 decades. I was very lucky to have some real cool people to work with when i was in there as a customer.

[@Jeremya74]

Were do you live?

[@aganton4977]

I will not miss them. Rarely did I ever shop in there store. Never online. Employees were clueless; just like at G.C.

[@bkwray1]

Clueless concerning........ Keyboards, Audio, Drums, Recording, Accessories, Rentals, Repairs?

[@fieraci8500]

we used to call them "Sam's Ass" for good reason

[@fullthrottle3181]

Not surprised. I retired a year ago in FL and needed to find a guitar store. There was a Sam Ash 10 min from me. I had never been to one but certainly heard of the me so I went. I thought GC has the worse customer service. Nope Sam Ash out did them. What these guitar stores really don’t get is they are in the customer service business not the guitar business. My guess is there is little to no training on customer service and if there is it’s very ineffective at best. And hence why Sweetwater a company that you can’t even touch a guitar before you buy one is dominating the industry-it’s not the gear of course it’s important- it’s the customer service experience- period. End of story. Every time I email my Sweetwater Rep I get an answer very quickly and it could be the simplest question. Ya see they “EARNED” my business!!!

[@topazure74]

We'll see how good Sweetwater does after they have the total monopoly that they have worked so hard to get. I have NEVER seen any good come from people who run monopolies. They don't care because they just don't have to. You will pay what THEY, not the market, decide you will pay

[@Swodie_Jeetin]

In my experience yes, the SW customer service is excellent. Their Achilles heel is that they're at the mercy of the delivery duopoly, though. If those clowns can't get a metal box with knobs to my door undamaged, how tf is a guitar going to make it through in one piece? It totally ruins the experience, especially when you're dealing with a hot new item you've waited weeks for and they're now telling you it'll be weeks more before they can replace your damaged gear. Just my 2¢.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

T H I S. my dad was a used car salesman Every type from prestige to taxi cabs to everything I came home from school once and asked him why he didn't change his job or at least what he was selling because it must be boring to sell cars over and over again! He looked puzzled and replied I don't sell cars! I don't think anyone really does, do they…? I asked him what the hell he's been selling all these years & he said "dreams"

[@chrisoberst3531]

Big box stores have huge overhead and can't afford to pay or train good help, especially in this age where companies hyperfocus on next quarter's results at the expense of the future beyond that. It works for Wal-Mart or Target because you don't need experts to sell shampoo and socks. Specialized retail like musical gear is different. Heck, the customer service at Home Depot is almost as bad now (it used to be pretty good).

[@richardosuna2932]

​@@chrisoberst3531 You are 100% right! I don't know if they can't afford to pay people properly, but the low base pay + commission model is especially prone to poor results when combined with zero training. And you are also right that specialized retail is different. Musical instrument retailers should train their staff to act more like "techs and roadies" than sales people.

[@DaveDurango]

Without saying what I was doing and for who, I dealt with all the large music chains in New England. I had to deal with employees and management 6 days a week. Absolute nightmare from the top down. Majority of employees were okay to me, but treated their customers like garbage. It started at the top. Majority of management were absolute pos. Shoutout to Natick Guitar Center and Steve for being one of the biggest c'ntz I've ever met.

[@coastalgenetics6512]

I’m a New Englander, I cut my teeth during the Daddy’s Junky Music hay days. I’ll never forget the feeling I got there as a teenager. I’d go in with a pocket full of cash only to be treated like a 2nd class citizen by the majority of the staff. Asking to check out a guitar was like asking the salesperson to donate a kidney to me. I refused to spend my money there and ONLY shopped at the other local mom and pop stores. Now those shops are closed and I buy from Sweetwater for new gear.

[@DaveDurango]

@@coastalgenetics6512 I always had better dealings with Daddy's

[@snapfinger1]

The unwritten signs in SA & GC are : all sales are final. We have no service dept.

[@mtguitar5150]

I'm glad I got to live through the big box music store era. We had Mars Music in Albany, it was the size of a Macy's. If I can help it though, I'm always going to buy at my local mom and pop, they've been there my entire life. A good music store employee is a player him or herself, and is enthusiastic about playing, not stuck up

[@zachary_attackery]

We had Mars Music too in Orlando that was that big, and Sam Ash eventually bought it out

[@jaypeterson7637]

I put $400 down to 'hold" a pair of $1,200 JBL speakers at a Mars store in Minneapolis. A week later they shut the doors and I never got my money back.

[@mikeandrulonis6553]

Totally agree. There's a nice locally owned, non-franchise type od music in our town. They seem to gave a nice variety of instruments and other gear.

[@drg5352]

Used to have a Mars here. Met a guy who would end up at GC later after Mars went under, and I always went to him because of his customer service. He's long since gone, passed away from cancer, but I bought from him for damn near 25 years. I even have his CD somewhere. I'll still head to GC on occasion, though they've gone off a cliff in the last decade. My experience at a local mom and pop place was to be yelled at "Don't touch the guitars". I walked out and never went back. The other local shops are long gone, so it's GC or Sweetwater, and Sweetwater sent me a guitar with a cracked headstock, and refused to replace it. It'll be a cold day in hell before I buy from them either. Fuck Sweetwater. My most recent online purchase was direct from ESP, and I had to tell the UPS service rep that they had until 3pm or I was filing a police report for theft. Driver drove by two days in a row, no stop, no attempt to deliver my guitar. I stayed home from work and stood on the porch until he showed up and was at the road before he could leave. I love the ESP, fuck UPS.

[@fernandoflorencia7241]

Compre un procesador de efectos para guitarra y a los 15 días dejo de funcionar totalmente, nunca quisieron darme la garantía y estoy seguro que incluso me enviaron un equipo usado, despues de eso nunca mas volví a comprar en sam ash

[@deluxemeat]

I’ve got stories as a customer AND an employee… Most of them bad. Mismanagement by the family all the way down the chain. Problems decades before Covid.

[@jamesduckworth9117]

The COVID years were guitar boom years to the companies with great website sales. Since everyone was stuck at home, learning guitar became a thing and sales went crazy. Having a cash business was the death knell for Sam Ash.

[@deafforever3534]

I ordered a Schecter before any store closing was announced. It arrived in a Epiphone box with a warped neck and corroded strings. I refused the guitar on the spot. An uppity employee tried to force a final sale. Eventually I got my refund. Brilliant idea, offer anniversary sales, then announce store closings and change the return policy in the middle of the sale.

[@RatedDesigns]

I bought a Jim Root jazzmaster from the website and it came with a Jim Root Jazzmaster neck that was falling off and the pickups that weren't screwed in. They replaced it but it was a very very sad moment for a 22 year old me.

[@veganskeletons4131]

Be a man and get an esp

[@Ryu0rKen]

I worked at Sam Ash from 2001 until 2006 in their stock department. I met a lot of cool people who worked there and some are still friends of mine but that place was run horribly even back then. The Ash family were so cheap and they treated all the employees like crap. I remember they bought this new POS system and rolled it out right at the Christmas rush and it kept crashing when the lines were long. I still remember the name it was GERS. They probably got it because it cost 5 bucks less than the competition they were looking at.

[@jmanned]

Sure it wasn’t called Grrs?

[@stiffrichard2816]

@@jmanned What location?

[@danshobbies13]

I agree with the Guitar Center hate. I play bass, and if you go in there for bass gear, they just stick their nose up at you. I had one guy say to me “This is Guitar Center, not Bass Guitar Center”. I haven’t shopped there since.

[@DonovanMcNabb5]

I was talking to this GC guy about what gear I needed for a good 30 minutes and he listened to everything. Then he says "well I don't play guitar, I'm the drums guy so I really don't know what gear you need" 😂😂😂

[@thecollective1584]

I've never had that experience. At my GC I went to, I had a guy come up my first time and we had a great conversation. I didn't get anything that day, but when I went back a week or so later, the same guy was there, remembered my name and generally my preferred brand. I never had a bad experience.

[@thiscorrosion900]

That's weird, because about 10 years ago when I was at Guitar Center LI Carle Place or G. City, they had an entire room for bass and bass amps! But I think a few years later they phased a lot of the bass stuff out. Why, god knows.

[@creamwobbly]

@DonovanMcNabb5 That sounds like a comedy sketch!

[@tonycarpaccio9550]

I don't think I ever bought more than a couple of cables and strings there, but I think it sucks when any competition closes.

[@juvedoo99]

It doesn’t suck. If they can’t keep up they shouldn’t be up. Simple

[@infinidominion]

We never stop talking shit on guitar center either tho and they go bankrupt every other year BUT they keep that used guitar site going and tons of product goes through there which is their saving grace....Sam Ash couldn't be assed for the website

[@demonicsweaters]

I commented on your last video, but watching this one made me think I should share my experience with the Sam Ash in Clearwater as well. This was years ago, but one day I walked into the drum room at that crazy building Sam Ash was in there. There was a 70s clear Ludwig Vistalite there. It was in VERY poor condition. It was missing several lugs, mounting hardware, heads were all horrible, bass drum spurs missing, and even had some cracked shells etc... However, I never had a Vistalite and I wanted to see if I could make a deal and put some work into it. I talked to the guy working in the drum room and offered to trade my almost brand new Gretsch Catalina Birch on the condition that he would order the missing hardware for me and give me a set of new heads. He agreed and told me to bring in the Gretsch in a week or so and he should have the parts. I brought in my Gretsch but he said the parts haden't arrived yet, but I could take the Vistalite and he'd take the Gretsch and assured me the parts would be there in about another week. I took his word and left my Gretsch there and took the completely unusable Vistalite home. A week went by and I kept calling, only to be put on hold and never answered. Two weeks went by and the same thing. Nearly a month later I was furious at this point and loaded up the Vistas back into my car and just decided I'd take them back and get my old drums back. I went into the drum room and I could see a look of panic on the guy's face. We got into an argument and I reminded him that he hadn't even given me the heads yet. Then he was like, oh don't worry it's all good, follow me. Then walked me to the back and started sneaking out heads and other drum gear from the store to load them into my car!!?! I was like what are you doing? I am not comfortable with this at all! I just want my old drums back and you can take back these. Then he admitted that he had already sold my Gretsch. I was super angry and told him that I wasn't leaving there without a functioning drumset, and not one he steals out of the back of the store! I ended up having to settle for a used Ludwig Accent worth 1/3rd of the price of my Gretsch. I did manage to get him to give me a full set of new heads with it though, and an actual receipt to prove the transaction was legit. It was completely insane and one of the worst shopping experiences I've ever had. The good news is, I didn't actually hate the Accent. It sounded better than I thought it would, and I ended up playing that kit for a few years.

[@ItFigures89]

Went to Sam Ash a few years back to purchase a really nice Epiphone Les Paul that I'd seen on one of the floor stands. I noticed a small crack in the neck pocket and took the guitar up to the counter to let them know that it should be discounted or taken off of the floor. They sold me a brand new one from the back and stuck the cracked one back on the floor stand, full price, just waiting for the right sucker. Never went back.

[@thomasalderman2399]

I got one guitar from them over 15 years ago. Bought a small amp from them 3 years ago. I'm not much of a brand new musical equipment buyer. I did not have a bad experience at Sam Ash Columbus,Ohio. It's the times, online buying is King. Most people know what they want and do their homework on a musical product. Also thanks to KZbin channels like yours it's a complete examination, pros and cons.

[@michaelgalindo9162]

The one experience that I can remember was like being in a “boutique “ snobby retail store with mostly high end gear

[@Chris4Liberty]

My only experience with Sam Ash is through Reverb, and it hasn’t been good. 3 purchases: 1) Squire Bass IV, advertised as mint condition, but was defective. I returned it. 2) Michael Kelly Patriot Decree OP. Sam Ash canceled the order four days later, without informing me. 3) another Michael Kelly Patriot Decree OP, advertised as mint condition, but was far from it. I returned that too. The return process was slow and cumbersome both times, but they did pay for return shipping and issue full refunds. (Beware of Reverb listings that use stock photos for “Mint condition” items.)

[@harvardfootball]

IDK where all these negatives are coming from - I had a Sam Ash rep that called me regularly and helped me return things that didn't fit. The nearest store is where I bought my first drum cymbal and online they always had better deals than anyone else 15-20% off anything. Don't get the hate

[@gregcissell345]

That’s why I shop at these little mom and pop’s music stores every new town we play at I’ll try to find one, you’ll be surprised on what you might find.

[@alexgrunde6682]

Not to mention that a lot of manufacturers, especially smaller ones, don’t want to deal with the bureaucracy of big chain brick and mortar stores. So much of the marketing happens online these days, and they keep a much bigger chunk of the profit if they sell through their web store, so there’s not the kind of motivation to deal with them anymore.

[@rocktober1327]

I have the opposite experience with costumer service at Sam Ash and Guitar Center as the Going to miss Sam Ash E-Mail. Whenever I go into one or the other I always make a purchase, I have spent thousands of dollars at Sam Ash and many times not even an hello from the sales person that made the commission, in the beginning of June in Springfield N.J. I went to buy a Casio key board and I couldn't try the floor model because they didn't have a power source for it, instead they just said sorry about that and I left and went across the Ave, to Guitar Center played a Casio 400 and bought it at the same price as Sam Ash's closing the store sale, the Guitar Center employee's are always friendly there, the sale person even carried it out to my car for me gave me his card and told me to just call him if I have any questions. All the employees are friendly there at Guitar Springfield.

[@keithboughey9787]

I have to chip in here. I shopped for many years at Sam Ash on Lee Road in Florida and I have to say that the service/help I received was always a great experience. I always got a discount for any marks or dings on the guitar and every time I asked if they could throw me a freebie I either got a strap or a lead thrown in without any question. I've worked in retail for over 47 years (clearly, I didn't make it as a pro musician Lol!) but many of those years I was a manager and I have to tell you folks, it all comes down to the people that you hire.

[@GuitarGuy4647]

The nearest location to me in the Tampa Bay Area was so bad.

[@Archtops]

I loved Sam Ash! But it was very hard to get a deal from the manager at my local SA.

[@TechnoRiff]

My most recent Sam Ash experience was back in 2011 when I was shopping for a Marshall amp. After seeing a few prices being offered, I called the Sam Ash phone order number (perhaps it was NYC?) and asked the sales guy who answered what his best price was. He quoted a discount of about 15%, and I said I'd have to think about it and would call him back. When I decided to go for it, I called again and asked for that guy by name, but he was busy, so I asked this 2nd guy what his best price would be. He quoted a 30% discount, so I went with him. I got the amp brand new and in great shape in a timely way. I guess my experience is somewhere between an in-person visit and an internet order. My impression was that their sales people were able to independently make deals to achieve their sales for commissions. I was pleasantly surprised with how this particular sales went.

[@jesparza4797]

Around 4 years ago I went into a Sam Ash looking to buy a Strat. I found one that had a button next to the volume and tone knobs. At the time I didnt know what it was for. Great looking Strat. So as a Sam Ash associate was walking by I asked, "Hey, Im interested in this Strat. What does the button here do?" The associate looked at me and said, "Dont know. Im a Gibson guy." And walked away. So, I took my money somewhere else.

[@TheJeffbarrett]

Sweetwater has become my new favorite. Being a west coaster we had GC and Musicians Friend (same co) and it was like that guys manbun experience. Now they only stock "this is your first guitar" inventory in the stores, they'll fail too

[@Grimmwoldds]

Same for Guitar Center buying out Music and Arts. Walking into M&A is like going into a guitar center now.

[@brianchristen7735]

It's funny that I ran across your video about Sam Ash. I literally just got back from their store here in Vegas. I was taking back a brand new pickguard I purchased last week. I did not realize that all sales were final. The pickguard was still in the plastic Fender bag it came in. The idiot at the counter said, " Didn't you read your bloody receipt? All sales are final. We are going out of business. " I mean, it's only a $40 pickguard, but the service there was always horrible.

[@marvinwindsor2999]

I believe it also depended on the area the store was in

[@Joe-mz6dc]

The thing about any store or company or doctor or Enterprise or restaurant what have you is that you're going to see good reviews and bad reviews. That's just normal. You could have a perfectly good experience at a store and give them a good review and two days later someone else will give them a terrible review. Maybe you got the good sales staff and they got the worst. And then it creates a stigma. So you have to kind of look past people's comments inform your own opinion in conjunction with what other people say. The truth lies somewhere between.

[@blackhawkxlh102]

I'd like to ask you a question that's a little off topic like everybody that's a beginner I'm learning the scales pentatonic how do you gain speed of course I know there's repetition so on and so forth but I thought you might have some tips on that and on your right hand when you're gaining that speed or the strings hit on all down notes or they alternate picking might be a good subject for another post I'm asking you because I've been watching you for a long time and you're so detailed and everything that you talked about I appreciate any information and probably everyone else would too thank you Blackhawk

[@dudemcmann6936]

I was surprised when I heard they closed recently because I thought they went out of business decades ago. When our local store went under in the early 2000s, I figured the whole company dumped because I never heard any mention of them online or among local musicians again until a few weeks ago.

[@dkyelak]

In the 80s, no one could beat Sam Ash for pricing. Music Emporium was ok, but Sam Ash was better.

[@BugGenerat0r]

What happened?

[@chrisrussoroos6091]

Great, simple discussion. Thanks - speaks to many’s experiences.

[@ukestudio3002]

First off ..you have a great speaking voice. Perfect for radio. Second, Been playing and buying guitars, amps, ukes etc..for 50 years. This experience is NOT limited to Sam Ash. There’s a local shop in Petaluma, California I stopped going to. They let you touch nothing. Big signs "Do not Touch". Many stores understaffed, and arrogant sales people. I tried to buy local - but no more.

[@JollyRogerProductions]

I bought 2 guitars a bunch of pedals and other gear plus countless patch cables etc from the Sam Ash in San Diego. Always had a great experience with the employees and am going to miss it. It sucks that another physical music shop is going extinct. I personally have never had a good experience at Guitar Center in San Diego. It always feels like your request is someone else's responsibility, on one trip I picked up a random Jackson, plugged it in, gave the Floyd a wiggle, all the strings came out. I pick up another one, go to plug it in, the whole input jack falls out. Brand new gear is just not set up or even properly checked for quality issues. You can never get any help and it takes 2.7 business days to do anything in there.

[@Megatron3000k]

Before I ordered my guitar and case I took numbers down of stores that had this guitar in stock that the sales person had provided me on the phone. I called a couple stores to check the condition of the guitar before I ordered. I called the sales person back and gave him the store number I wanted the guitar from. Checked my account page the next day to see if it shipped, and the order was canceled. The phone sales person could not explain why. He said maybe the guitar was out of stock? an hour on the phone I got the order replaced from the same store so we shall see if get my guitar or if my order gets canceled.

[@100DollarHeadache]

I've bought quite a few pieces from Sam Ash in Richmond, VA over the years, and had pretty good service. A Zoom 505 when I was in high school, three Fender instruments I've since let go of, a Moog Matriarch when they just came out and I traded my Moog Voyager rackmount towards it, and a Gibson 2010s J-35 that's my only acoustic. Now I'm closer to DC, and Chuck Levin's blows away any Guitar Center, it's too bad that I'm in Northern Virginia so it's a real hike.

[@johnnyd63]

I was a Sam Ash customer since 1978 when I took up the guitar. My first real amp, 1966 Super Reverb, Gibson Hummingbird, Strat Plus, 1960 Custom Shop Strat, Shell Pink Strat, etc, etc ALL purchased from Ash. In the day, they had the best managers and staff. Met Jeff Beck at 48th St. Location. They always worked with me concerning cost and support. Fast forward to post 2000. Their customer service dropped dramatically, and they never seemed to grasp the new reality of their market. Post Covid was the final nail in their coffin. StilI, I will miss them.

[@mtrich8113]

We never had a Sam Ash in Phoenix Arizona is just only GC and some independent guitar retailers.

[@johnnygeibHST]

I'm no experienced musician and my Sam Ash here was my main store for 24 years. Yeah, the sales people were uneducated but since they were right around the block, when I ran my basement studio for the public, I was happy they were there.

[@rickbennett105]

The problem with these stores is customer service. My local GC wouldn’t unlock the locking tuners on a guitar I really wanted to buy but it was so out of tune the fine tuners wouldn’t do it. They said the “didn’t have time”, and they wouldn’t let me do it. This is a store I’ve spent thousands of dollars in.

[@BrandochGarage]

There is nothing better than your calm voice in looking at situations. Always cool.

[@9unslin9er]

I grew up right next to the Forest Hills, NY Sam Ash. I bought my first instrument there, an Alto Sax. I also bought my first guitar there, an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow, along with a Vox Pathfinder 15R combo. I fully agree with all the negative sentiment. I've had the tech/cashier complain I was taking too long to tune my guitar. Most of the time I've gone in there, I was treated like I was wasting somebody's time. There are good branches out there, but that one was horrible.

[@fixedguitar47]

Worked there cause a friend worked there, I quit after the second day. A mismanaged company to say the least

[@activese]

Travelling to Miami, on 2021 during covid,, went to the Dolphin mall to purchase a guitar at Samash, the store was closed, every other store was open, but when I was outside the store a guy came really fast, from inside, apologizing and saying that the store was getting a renovation (people were really working on it) and to relaunch in a few days, that was my personal experience with them.

[@Machinedmetal]

I bought my first amp at the white plains NY location but the 48th street location would profile you as soon as you walked in. I was there to buy a guitar and the guy asked me if I was buying or just looking cause he didn’t have time for games. I looked at him, showed him my wad of cash and said now you can suck mine and walked out. I was so happy Guitar Center had opened up a store in queens. It was 2 hours away from my home but well worth the trip. I spent 3gs on gear!

[@kennyg63]

In any big box store management focuses on credit cards and extended warranties. When you buy stuff online there is no pressure to buy add ons.

[@mikeaaron2112]

I bought so many things at the Sam Ash in Forest HIlls Queens NY over the years. I swore them off when I had called asking if they are able to order parts for a Premier snare drum. Told to come in to the store with the drum to check it out. OK. When you're told that you figure they can get it. Pack up my drum, hop on the subway get there. Spend 15 minutes checking in the drum. Get to the drum depot. Same guy I spoke to is there. I tell him I need a lug casing for a Premier snare drum. He is looking at the drum, with the Premier badge in his face. He asked if it's a Premier drum, we don't deal with Premier. Wasted two plus hours of my life. Never set foot in there again. This was 2003.

[@NickDevXT]

Last guitar I bought from Sam Ash (new) was sold to me as is about 2 years ago, and looked to be halfway through a setup when I purchased it (loose screws, action was all over the place, strings were tuned but intonation was non-existent). I brought it back for a setup and maybe a fret level and was told it would be at least 3-7 days before it would be finished. I brought it home and set it up myself and haven't been back since.

[@surfkat59]

I worked at Sam Ash in Torrance, Ca. from 2004-2006. It was fun. I worked in the guitar department. I knew my stuff and had a great experience with my customers. Sorry to see them go. Sad

[@thehoosiercraftsmanworksho1745]

I never had any problems with getting help in the guitar department at sam ash but other departments the associates did not have time to wait on customers. If you went to buy a cheap piece of gear they did not want to be bothered. Guitar center is the same way so I just purchased a les 50s les paul stanard through reverb. Seems the online stores push customer satisfaction. sweetwater for me is the same way. I was interested in a new interface and was asking questions when the sales rep hung up and never took my calls so I did some research online and bought the unit from amazon !

[@TK-fk4po]

The last time I had a good experience there was in 1988. When I bought a brand new 57 reissue USA made Stratocaster. The only reason it was good though was because I knew I wanted the guitar even before I tried it out. They were basically like “do you want it? Do you want it? Do you want it?” .

[@DylanMorisson]

I had a fairly decent experience at sam ash. I was asking about getting a fret polish and the guy working told me not to do it in their store because the tech would takes months and probably just do it wrong. It was weird to hear but I appreciated the (brutal) honesty.

[@stratogins]

My local store (New Haven, CT) had some attentive and knowledgeable staff throughout the years. I will miss them.

[@lewbaby2749]

I grew up buying from and hanging out at the Sam Ash store in Hempstead, NY in the 60's and my friends and I made most of our musical equipment purchases from them. I have moved around the country quite a bit over the years and have shopped regularly at a few Sam Ash stores. Since I moved to FL in the mid-90's I had the pleasure of shopping at the Clearwater store quite often (after they bought out Thoroughbred Music). Apparently, lots of people have had bad experiences at many of the Sam Ash stores, but I have to say that I don't remember ever having a bad experience or being treated badly. Since I became very familiar with the Clearwater store and a few of their sales people, I will say that I was always treated nicely and a couple of times the sales people went out of their way to accommodate my needs. I for one am sorry to see Sam Ash go!

[@craigb834]

I really loved our local store and will miss the heck out of them being there. I made a weekly trip there to check out new and especially used inventory. I have bought quite e few used guitars over the years and get absolute steals.

[@kippwieland6464]

Man....I visited one Sam Ash in my life - in Las Vegas. I was blown away, BUT.....I live in Iowa and we are now stuck with one Guitar Center. That and the Internet totally destroyed every private music store here.

[@brentheigold161]

I loved Sam Ash. They were a nice alternative to Guitar Center, and them being across the street it expanded the available inventory on Sunset Blvd. Whenever I went to Guitar Center (I live right behind it on Hollywood Blvd) I would also go across the street to see what Sam Ash had. It made the trip so much more interesting and fun. And Sam Ash always had an amazing inventory of guitars, from the Tailor room, to the Martin D-45's sitting on the wall on the other side. Guitar Center never had the variety of relics, and Gibson Explorers that Sam Ash had. And the upstairs at Sam Ash, they had the raddest keyboards, as well as things you don't usually find, like flute and saxophone microphones. I bought my Taylor from Sam Ash, as well as my wireless mic/headphones set. I absolutely miss it. I drive by it almost every day. Seeing it all closed up almost brings a tear to my eye.

[@RodrigoRockChannel]

Customer service in music stores is always an issue anywhere. I think that the only company that is overcoming that in someway is sweetwater, with great customer service and great stock.

[@LB-qf3ef]

I had the best experience at their Time Square flagship store. It is a great family memory with my daughter playing bass in that store. I also just scored a Marshall vertical 212 cab at lower than advertised price during this closeout sale by calling and asking. My memories of the store are positive. 🎸

[@patrickunderwood5662]

OT, my Max Guitar arrived and it is amazing. Only downside, I had to enroll at the community college, in Floyd Rose 101. Barely made it in, class was almost full.

[@vincentmangone8078]

I've had good experiences at Sam Ash over the years. It was the only place that carried Regal Tip drumsticks and kept them in stock. They were always nice to me. I will miss them.

[@cclark5376]

Regal tip - jazz. The best !

[@vincentmangone8078]

​​@@cclark5376 That's them. Been using RT Jazz Nylons for years. I like the Combo Nylons for lighter work too.

[@damienhegedus8973]

Really good video can really connect the dots Just goes to show that community and communication is key to survival Thank You for this video 🍷

[@johnwebb2562]

Hi Max 😢. It's a shame that another retail guitars store has gone bust. I used to visit the one in Clearwater and Tampa, Sarasota as well.Its okay 👍 for everyone to voice their opinions. but at the end of the day there will be less choices for musical instrument fans. Someone or company needs to put the shops back on the map and diversity the guitar business. Such as having 😺 open mike nights at some stores with cafes and food shops a bit like a community meeting point, where they could have celebrity guests and clinics to show people techniques and maintenance. It's very hard for me purchase a guitar online 😹 unless I've tested it in real life. Anyway all the best 👍 to you and your sonic adventures.😊John. 😊😊😊

[@petesmith6434]

I did business with Sam Ash in Clearwater Florida for over 20 years. During all that time I had a good relationship with the company and many of their great employees. I am sorry to see them go.

[@cooperst765]

While I was still in New York and before Guitar Center Camden New York Sam Ash was the favorite for all the local musicians, including myself.

[@darrenselesnow3563]

I had mixed experiences at SA in Canoga Park. There was a time I returned an amp that was defective and I caught them putting it back on the floor. Their warranties for guitars that came with set ups was useless since their tech was terrible and screwed up my Rickenbacker 4003. But I did make some friends with the manager at the time and got first dibs on my Taylor before it was put out on the floor. I am not sorry their closing. But I don’t like buying guitars online without playing them so music stores are still needed.

[@Electricpraise777]

Most of my experiences at the store were good ones, employees were mostly friendly and would help me out if I needed it, and they always had strings and picks I was looking for. My one big gripe was just how bad their inventory got even before COVID, I used to have tons of brands to choose from, but they just started stocking less and less to the point where my only options were Michael Kelly or Squier, maybe once in a blue moon I'd see an Ibanez or Jackson come in, same problem with the amps, there were maybe like 3 amp models to look through on a good day. Very sad to see what they became before going out of business, this is the same location that would invite musicians like George Lynch and Mike Portnoy to sign autographs and give workshops there. They had an open mic night and metal guitar players meetup every week, it was loads of fun to attend these events while also having plenty of gear to choose from, that's the version of Sam Ash I'm truly going to miss...

[@nickd8289]

I had a good experience there buying a classical guitar for my son. They put the guitar a side for me , it was a good price and they gave me a little more of a discount when I got there. When I was looking for an sg or epiphone sg I went there and tried all the guitars they had no one bothered me I just pulled guitars down picked a amp and tried them out. Its a drag all these stores in N.J. are closing, I don't know how everyone buys guitars on line. Every guitar I bought I use to go to multiple guitar stores and tried out the guitars until I found the one I wanted. Every guitar was a little different And when I found the one I liked I knew it right a way. How do you do that with online guitars ?

[@bullthrush]

Tried Sam Ash once, never even thought about going back, haven't been in a GC in 15 years. I'm lucky enough to have some excellent high end shops near enough. The Tone Shop in Addison TX has been great.

[@kevinfries55]

Never had an issue with them. The only problem I had was the location of the store, the traffic around there is horrific. The web site was incredibly slow and barely usable.

[@coreybrails96]

I just recently purchased a jazz bass from Sam ash out here in queens ny, and it was a nightmare, when I went to pick up my bass they had it sealed in the box and I just happen to open it in the store and the bass was split in half litterally. They sent me to another store to get a replacement and that one not only was the truss rod maxed out but the hex head on the truss rod was stripped finally they shipped me one and the neck was bowed, I ordered in off of sweet water here in a couple days and perfect no issues what so ever. The customer service with Sam ash wasn’t the worst but for the issues I had to deal with i never went back there clearly something lacking in quality control

[@thebaldshredder]

Looking forward to the next video where you read through the comments from THIS video! And then just keep it going 😆

[@ToneD5150]

If Guitar Center doesn't get it's act together, they'll be next...!!! Both have terrible Customer Service... I've had accounts at both, and am a former employee of Guitar Center 🎸 Seen it up close and personal...😮 My first visit to Sam Ash was New York 1972 and that was the place to go! Thanks Max for this informative video...👍😢

[@mariosangermano]

I'm so glad I don't have to deal with GC, SA, ( not anymore permanently), because since 1992 ALL my basses have been custom made by Kiesel/Carvin. Family owned and operated since 1946.. I know the owners personally and have toured the factory a hand full of times. For accessories, strings, stands, pedals, straps, etc... I'll use GC online, but mostly Sweetwater.

[@delvinassr.3351]

It's all true. Serious management problem.

[@sergioreyes5678]

Their customer service was crap. I remember waiting 25 mins to buy a set of guitar strings. I seriously thought they should have had a vending machine for strings and small items like picks and whatnot.

[@ralphdrees4413]

That’s a GREAT idea.

[@duster71]

I shopped at Sam Ash for 30 years in White Plains, 2:52 NY,and they had a great top salesman named Spyder,on one sales to me at 14 in 1974 who sold me a Marshall Superlead 100 new but he said I'd have to wait even though they had them in stock he told me to wait a month or two and when he called and said it was in he had specially ordered me a red Marshall.Spyder was a great sales even to young kids.

[@MattKittredge2112]

We didn’t have Sam Ash stores here in Maryland, but anytime I would visit my friend who lives in Clearwater, FL, we would go to the Sam Ash down there, which was literally five minutes around the corner from his house. Of course I had only been there a small handful of times, but from my own personal experience, the staff there were always great.

[@MarkHodder-sm4ml]

Ive been playing for 30 years and i wish i had of taken maintenance more seriously from the start. Or at least had someone say to me to do my own maintenance.

[@Rich-ur4kv]

I worked in a music store back in the 80s and then went into motorcycles for 28 years. I opened a music store 3 years ago. It's been an experience, to say the least. I worked in a motorcycle shop as a GM and went on to work with one of the manufacturers. The problem with the big box stores in all industries is the corporate structure and how they have a disconnect from the customer. Some companies are better than others but once they go public it's only a matter of time before things start to get bad. But honestly between the amount of products and the internet running a business is not an easy thing to do. Companies push and push the employees, underpay them, and don't train them. This is why the consumer gets a bad experience at these stores. It's the same thing on my end as a store owner, some of the manufacturers have great gear but are a complete pain to deal with. I just took on a very big brand and 6 months in they are really close to being dropped. I don't have time to babysit my rep and keep watching everything they do to make sure they do what they are supposed to. Personally, I think the days of the big box music stores are over other than the really big markets. Small privately owned shops will come back. I get shopping online is easy and convenient but geez, there is a whole big world out there. Sitting in a house looking online day in and day out is just depressing. Get out and support these small shops.

[@superblondeDotOrg]

Good comment. The other dimension is the shitty nature of musicians especially guitarists, they would be terrible customers to deal with, nitpicking everything and never satisfied. Guys buy a motorcycle and dont whine about various aspects of it. Guys buy a guitar and nitpick the tiniest insignificant details then demand a full refund with free return shipping, ridiculous, not to mention believing in b.s. like Tone Wood, etc. And on the other side there are the music customers who know nothing yet are brainwashed they can be like Hendrix in a few months "because Hendrix didnt know any music theory" so they want to buy the "magic guitar" which will suddenly make it happen for them. . Music retail business must be one of the worst businesses.

[@barbmelle3136]

I have only been to two Sam Ash stores, both were a good experience. The Indianapolis store treated me well every time and were fair on trade ins. I bought both guitars and amps from that store. I will miss them.

[@jfj794]

My last purchase was a Martin D-18 from Sam Ash in 2022. It was an online purchase, was a great experience and of course the guitar is amazing. I’m in Richmond VA where Sam Ash and GC pretty much share a parking lot. I always preferred the atmosphere of SA over GC.

[@otherGuise]

I went to the Sam Ash in Dallas and let them know my GF collects the old Dan Electro pedals (the ones like a brick). Guy behind the counter got me a great price on 2 of them and let me know about some guitar tech equipment he'd been trying out. I never bought anything beyond that from them, but the store seemed well staffed and had a full inventory. Most of the guitar centers in the area at the time had barren walls.

[@RapturesDelight]

I posted on the over vid about my bad experience with with Sam Ash. I bought a new and they sent me a used USB interface without a power adapter instead. Sam Ash customer service was super rude, and the refund took 6 weeks after they received the device back.

[@wjimz]

I ordered a Michael Kelly guitar just a few months before they closed. I received the guitar in extreme poor condition. It wasn't even playable with the strings resting on the frets. After I did the setup I noticed two of the tuners loose and it was because the little set screw was broken off in the head. After some slow and serious work, I was able to repair the guitar and installed locking tuners. That was the first and last time I will ever order anything from Sam Ash.

[@donkelley2659]

Bought a guitar from them online a week before they closed, so I don't know ifI can return it or not. It doesn't matter it's a Taylor and I love it. It was a weird purchase because I was looking at another guitar and this one popped up out of nowhere on there website with a good price and a 15% discount. I thought it was odd at the time and now I wonder if they knew way before the closing happened.