This Furch Guitar Is Amazing! / Sam Ash Closing All Their Stores

[@GregPentecost]

Music about people being together. The magic is in making it together. One of the things we NEED is places for musicians to meet and get together with their community.

[@joeb8383]

I agree, I've been playing for 40 years and never found anybody to play with, I came to the conclusion I'm an awful guitarist and person to be around I guess. I love blues and where I'm from every body and their mom play metal, that's it.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Lots of people make music solo these days. Most bands don't even rehearse together until the night of the shows they play and almost never record together. Personally I would rather it be that way, I tend to be introverted and kind of a sociopath very honestly

[@user-1-800-spanked]

big time

[@gunsofsteele]

Yesterday, I visited my SA in Charlotte, NC & discussed the closing with my friends who work there. They were informed short notice, late at night. Since the liquidator has taken control, there is no wheeling & dealing. The posted discounts are it. No haggling as done in the past. With that said, I am sad for my friends. I will truly miss my Wednesday lunch breaks there. 😢

[@scottyjordan3036]

when MARS music in Fl was done they just sold everything and F-ed the vendors. I got a 79 Lp artist for 1,200, all original,

[@bmckee5430]

Ironic moment right after Phil talked about Sam Ash closing....KZbin went to an ad, and that ad was for...Sweetwater!

[@MaTTheWish]

Yeah sam ash closing is definitely a net positive for sweetwater and they are happy about that. I disagree with Phil on this issue, and he somewhat contradicted himself. Very rarely would I dare to disagree with Phil

[@sgholt]

:p ...in my town the only one left is Guitar Center and after they pissed me off I never went back...I tend to shop at pawn shops a lot, I have 3 really nice guitars that were pretty rough I learned to fix and setup my guitars and now are some of my favs...Walmart will be selling guitars soon :/

[@sunlightprism]

Leo Fender was definitely the king of guitar innovation, and I think Ned Steinberger deserves a shout out for completely re-thinking the guitar, from the shape, to tuners, to Trans Trem, he innovated like a mad man.

[@ctrlcf]

Glad to give that Firebird all the play time she deserves. Thanks Phil :)

[@keefjunior4061]

Congrats! It’d be very cool to win a guitar.

[@dw7704]

Cool enjoy!

[@BazonBlades]

Congrats on the win.

[@two50ne77]

Name her Roberta for all of us

[@godsmacking99]

I had a Sam Ash within walking distance growing up in Edison, NJ. Played a big part in my musical journey, bought my first guitar there when I was 12 after me and a couple friends worked around the neighborhood for the summer to save up to buy instruments and start a band. This was the early 2000's. I met Dimebag Darrell there as a young teen when he was doing a signing only a few months before he was killed. Still have his autograph and picture in my music room. Store is still there and open surprisingly but it's obviously closing now. I'm shocked it lasted this long. It's a strange location for a music store and all the other mom-n-pop music places around closed up long ago like Lou Rose and Hy Way Music. The Sam Ash is tucked in the back off the main road in the corner of town. People going to a physical store and checking out gear, those days are over. It's like Blockbuster. Times have changed and you don't have to go to a store to buy things you want anymore, everything is online. You cannot beat the convenience and customer service online for a place like Sweetwater. Guitar Center will be next, it's only a matter of time. I'll miss the nostalgia of walking around a music store, like I miss walking around Blockbuster looking for a movie to rent. But at the same time, I don't really care and have already gotten over the nostalgia. I haven't walked into a physical music store in many years now because you simply don't have to anymore. I buy all my gear online, it's cheaper, more convenient and saves me time. It's all about convenience today, people no longer want to go to the store unless they have to and online services are making it more and more that you don't have. I don't even go grocery shopping anymore. The writing is on the wall and it's been there for decades now. The future is now and that future is online. Traditional storefront places like a Sam Ash never really adapted and that's why they're getting pushed out now as they've gotten destroyed by online competitors.

[@edc3093]

I will miss the physical Sam Ash Store . . . In Cherry Hill, New Jersey, there was both a Sam Ash and a Guitar Center. The Sam Ash store seemed to have three times the square footage and three times the inventory of Guitar Center. Nine times out of ten, I wound up buying items from Sam Ash. Sadly, without innovation, a company will go stagnant, and without growth, a company will eventually die. However, the reason I like the brick and mortar stores is because I can order on-line, deliver to the store, open the box at the store and check to make sure there is no damage to the item or if I don't like the item, it stays in the store and I either get a credit or reorder the item.

[@skilletlicker9409]

Nail polish for jacks I’m 70+ learned this in my teens also works on black widow speaker cone tear

[@pauld378]

Paul ash personally sold me my first bass amp at his Kings highway store in Brooklyn. It was a peavey bass that I still have. Very sad as I had a lot of good memories from the store because back in the day musicians hung out at the store as their was no internet and it was the only way to meet up with musicians

[@AutismRocksOfficial]

I was in a Sam Ash in Orlando last week. They had "Everything Must Go" signs out front. Doors wide open and the AC turned off inside the building. It was like a sauna in there. The "Big Sale" was 5% off some items. They need to get more aggressive with their sale if they want to unload their inventory.

[@daveduffy2823]

I went over to my local Sam Ash this morning and guitars and amps were a whopping 5% off. The expensive ones were still behind the counter at full price and some amps were still original sales price. Even their web site is still full price. I looked at a guitar in the deals section and it was the same price as the manufacturer. Cables were only 10% off. The drums, most keyboards and all the sheet music were gone.

[@TheDenfender]

The one here in Houston is already offering 15% off on everything that’s $50 and up…..

[@Gene_Cali]

Have a great time playing guitar everyone! Thanks Phil.

[@anthonyalfredyorke1621]

Thanks Phil, a great way to start the Weekend and it's funny listening to you discussing how hot it gets where you are because where I am it's very cold and very very wet. Have a great weekend. PEACE AND LOVE TO EVERYONE ❤❤.

[@heymrguitarman7637]

Of the last maybe 30 years, and arguably longer, Ken Parker is by a huge margin the biggest innovator in the industry. Take the parker fly and he changed more or less everything process wise, especially with how he intended the fly to be (not how it was eventually released). I agree fender and Gibson of all time largely because they started it all properly.

[@jts3339]

I visited the Sam Ash store in Cincinnati about a month ago. They had a near-mint, customer-returned PRS SE Custom for $100 because it had “no output” and their Repair Department was “closed”, shelves of mixed guitar cases for pennies on the dollar, and lots of discounted used and returned gear. I loaded up my SUV and returned the next day for a few things I missed the first day. The new gear is lightly discounted - hardly worth it, but there are some deals in Used and Returned gear, PA’s and speakers, and the inventory changes every few days. The staff was helpful, but morale was LOW… Check it out and let us know what’s up at your store.

[@JasonSeesBandMusic]

I’m sad to see a music store close. But SA was kinda Guitar Center light. My hope is that this opens up market share for more boutique guitar and music stores. We have a place here in West Seattle called Thunder Road and it is fantastic. Great selection, good people, fair prices, and excellent service. You gotta touch and play a guitar first. For buying it, why not support local at the same time.

[@StupidGuitar]

I love thunder road but wouldn’t call their selection great. They’re very much a Fender/Gibson shop. They stock hardly anything “special” that isn’t those two. I sadly had to buy online because they stock neither PRS or Ernie Ball

[@jdemedeiros1]

Guitar Center light is the best way I've heard Sam Ash described. I had a horrible experience as a teenager trying to buy a pedal from their New York shop, have never even considered them as a retailer again.

[@JasonSeesBandMusic]

@@StupidGuitar maybe we’re not talking about the same store. I was in there the other day and they had a 1/4 wall of PRS. Left side as you walk in.

[@StupidGuitar]

@@JasonSeesBandMusic they’re not a PRS dealer. We’re talking about the same store big guy. You really think I live in Seattle and am thinking of some other store named Thunder Road in W Seattle across the street from a vacant lot?

[@JasonSeesBandMusic]

@@StupidGuitar ok got it. Have a creative day!

[@ebikes2xs159]

My favorite shop sign said Labor; $50 per hour $60 per hour with you watching $70 per hour with you helping.

[@jimsliverootsculturemusic]

We had the same thing in computer programming! Here's another: Good. Cheap. Fast. Pick Two.

[@MartinMCade]

$100/hour if you worked on it before bringing it in.

[@michael1]

And those shops are all closing. Go figure

[@jonhoward437]

So worth the $70

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Those stores aren't closing because of the signs they're closing because online retailers took the industry over. Mom and Pop aren't a pimple on Jeff Bezos butt cheek sad to say

[@JohnGadzaJr.]

This is an awesome video that you created, Phil. Anyways, I would like to take a moment to tell my stories about going to the Sam Ash store. Well, what can I say about Sam Ash? For a long time now, I have been going to the Sam Ash store with my parents since the 2010s or so and it was such a wonderful place to go. The one location that I always went to was located at West Cactus Road in Glendale, AZ inside the Cactus Village plaza. Since I live in Arizona, it was always my only go-to location and so on. During those good old times when the Sam Ash store where I went to was still very active, I would always go and do some guitar jam sessions with a group of guitar players that had occurred every Tuesdays nights as all of us would take turns going on the stage to play some music and what not. I also got a lot of great deals at Sam Ash when it came to either buying a new electric guitar or some accessories for them. So today on this fine day of May 3, 2024, my parents and I had finally decided to take a chance to go to the Sam Ash store here in Glendale, AZ for the very last time before they really close their doors. I had decided to buy some final items which were new sets of electric guitar strings and nothing else. A salesperson helped me get a great deal on my favorite Ernie Ball Regular Slinky which are 10 gauge strings for electric guitars and he sold me 12 sets altogether. I felt really good about it and it definitely seemed as if he sold me everything that he had in stock. Almost half of the store itself was already empty and all sales are currently final over there. In my honest opinion, going to the Sam Ash store for the last time today feels very different now because I won't be able to go there anymore since they will close their doors soon and it definitely feels like the last rodeo for me. Otherwise, these are my stories about going to the Sam Ash store with my parents since the 2010s and I have made a lot of wonderful memories down there. I really can't believe that all of the Sam Ash stores are closing their doors after 100 years of service. I mean, 100 years and they all had a good run. RIP to the Sam Ash Music Stores (1924-2024).

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

I bought my MIM Stratocaster from Sam Ash in NYC when they were still in the old Manny's store on W 48th Street. Going there was a little bit of a pilgrimage for me and I'll always remember my visit. I've kept the receipt as a souvenir. Shame to hear the stores are closing and I feel for the employees losing their jobs.

[@peterkatznelson12]

Thanks Phil, good fun!🙏🏻

[@thefilmandmusic]

Anybody been down 48th st NY …it’s gone , used to be guitar paradise …Maybe we’re at the end of the rock era ..

[@TheDenfender]

Was lucky to go there once in 86 Being from Houston …, went in Mannys and Sam Ash…. Walked by Pensa -Suhr , they were closed

[@howardthrust]

Great "content" once again, Phil! "Restocking Fees" DO allow the manufacturer/seller to lower their initial-sale price point--rewarding the "well-informed" buyer for their due diligence (i.e., they got what they expected). I also am a MAJOR Duncan JB fan; BUT for proper hard-edged '80s "Metal", I prefer Duncan's "Distortion" model over the DiMarzio S/Ds...and if I want even MORE of an "edge", the Duncan "Dimebucker" is truly in a class by itself! 🙂

[@bjdenil]

Congrats, Joshua!

[@MF-Alien]

I would put the new Ibanez RG5320C Prestige model for $1999 at Sweetwater up against any Suhr or Kissel any day. The new Prestige line up is as high quality as almost any USA made guitar and in my opinion best in its price range!

[@chrisrussoroos6091]

Thanks for doing these Phil- I truly look forward to it and learn every time. 👍🏼🙏🏼👏👏

[@bradrehn1007]

My G&L Tribute L2000 is incredibly designed, crafted, and manufactured. It feels great, exceptionally versatile, and authoritative ... I can't even imagine how good the Fullerton's must be!

[@pauld378]

I have a 1986 G&L L2000 Bass that I purchased new in 1986 and it’s my only bass and have put it through a lot of touring. Only now I am doing its first fret job. It’s an unbelievable quality bass and even today an incredible design. You can get any sound out of it. I have alot of dents In the finish but I like it as it gives it character.

[@redjet4810]

Spoke to Sam about guitars when we ran into each other in Carle Place. Great guy. Losing a great place. Hope something fills that void . Buying solely off Internet takes something great out of the guitar world.

[@hur1kane]

Yet .... here we are, I chose yours at random, not personal but many comments say similar things. Yet brick and mortar are dying off or dead, everyone including you buy online ... and guitar centers new approach, high end pro focus ... HUH, the majority of every day sales are low to mid mid line average guy buying guitars, pros don't buy that often .. maybe vintage but real pros don't, they repair, revamp, etc... but they're not buying daily and the average guy ain't buying 3k plus instruments... the sellers "in touch" are going down and those trying to stay seem a bit "out of touch" with their daily clientele.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

The "high end pros" I know personally barely buy equipment period. Most have endorsement deals for the instrument and strings and picks and straps and amps and cables and

[@neilpatrickhairless]

They straight up don't go into music stores unless they are touring and something needs to be purchased on the fly because it broke or was lost or something during the tour. Mostly drummers buying sticks and drum heads

[@hur1kane]

@@neilpatrickhairless I replied to one comment earlier, I share your same thoughts on the matter but not quite as .... final ...Malmsteen is all over Miami , Tampa Ft.Lauderdale cruising for gear ... I've seen multiple big names at thoroughbred in Tampa ... my point is they're on a hunt IF they're out ... and by pros I was referring to touring, gigging, session guys, not Vai's Satch's, McAlpines, or Hatfield, though Tremonti can be spotted here n there but the vast majority of everyday sales is me and you ... those guys ... are the rarity, and the big ones ... have techs, they don't string, tune, intonate, anything, hell I've been so disappointed when these guys don't know what pickups they're running or string gauge ... they show up and play ... the edge I love u2 but the edge has a full time tech on deck controlling every effect on every uptake on every song, the edge just plays ... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@thomascordery7951]

There are important aspects of the brick and mortar music store shopping experience that can never be duplicated online. I'm not going to suggest these will be enough to prevent further shift to online sales, but they are the reason why the business model will continue. The most important, in my view, is the ability to put your hands on real instruments, new and used, and try them out in person. With a great store that goes along with knowledgeable sales staff a purchaser can consult with, plus having after-sales support with qualified set up and repair staff. Furthermore, no one should discount the value of that immediacy of experience of finding an instrument you love and bringing it home or straight to your next rehearsal.

[@TheSavagederek]

Its never good to hear places closing . Regardless of peoples opinions on service or prices , its still peoples jobs have been lost , and its tough just now

[@user-bq4fn6cr3n]

Phillip you’re right. I have a cascade of tears in my eyes. Why? Because I wanna to Sam Ahs come back again! 💦🙏🎸

[@snappy-strat-snacks1551]

Love the guitar of the week segment!

[@cheintz44]

Guitar should close every store except 5~10 in huge markets and make those huge awesome stores with every guitar and amp available to demo. Then they can take on Sweetwater online while offering something Sweetwater cannot currently offer to the majority of the country

[@keefjunior4061]

When the dust settles, Sam Ash is going to come back with vintage and premium gear boutiques in the big cities.

[@michael1]

If they had a clue and they've been in business for 100 years they should have already been the biggest online musical instrument retailer. It's Kodak / Blockbusters levels of stupidity otherwise. There's no point waiting for them to stage a come back. The only logical way to run a store in a big city is if the manufacturers do that as a loss leader, i.e no one is expected to go in and actually buy anything but the few bewildered people who are still wandering around cities and towns shopping go in and see and try products - which they buy later elsewhere. A showroom. There's no point closing a business that couldn't sell reasonably priced goods to open a small store to sell expensive ones. These guys are out of the game - google and see what they said in the past about "online shopping" and you probably find something that's ironic given what we know now.

[@BG-xn5ni]

Unlikely

[@QuoVadis88]

Fender Ultra Luxe HSS Floyd Rose Strat Stainless Steel frets is my favourite

[@alangreenway6695]

EVH USA Wolfgang has Stainless Steel Frets and Floyd Rose. 49:41

[@michael1]

That's generally a bad idea now though. I mean pretty much all the other brands are putting stainless steel on, if not their low price point tier, their mid tier stuff. Fender and the brands owned by Fender need to teach Mexicans to work with Stainless steel because no one is going to pay £3.5k to get a USA made Fender, Charvel or EVH with Stainless steel frets when they can get any of a number of £600-2000 guitars with them now. The illusion that stainless steel is a pricey thing that's only available on boutique or expensive USA built guitars is shattered. Fender need to wake up and PRS too (the idiot there is still trying to convince that his frets will last waffling about his guitars has the hardest nickel frets - as though his customers are stupid)- I'm not even looking at brands that don't have locking tuners and stainless frets on their instruments whatever price point it's at.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Fender doesn't "need to teach Mexicans" or anyone else anything lol Fender has been making millions of dollars selling people guitars for over half a century. They understand business more than you trust me on this

[@claudiajay8291]

?? My dream is a Furch OM 34 SR with the piezo pickup . I was in a canoe in Florida and I drove myself and a friend right into a tall bush because of the alligator on the shore about 2 feet away! She was eating leaves …I was so scared I was paddling in every direction to get away from the bank. I think losing Sam Ash is sad for us because there are less places to try a guitar . Demo videos will be more and more important. ❤

[@eoinc4091]

Thanks for all the advice Phil!

[@666thrasher]

At the Glendale AZ store and employees are all outside. Locks on the doors changed, WOW!

[@stevestan6525]

It is sad to see Sam Ash go. But I wondered how they remained in business anyway. The website is 20-years behind the times. The used part of the website is a joke vs MF/GC. The store here in Glendale had a rich selection of Kelly guitars and a few of the basics: a big store with minimal actual merchandize to try out...A much, much smaller Music and Arts at Bell Rd has about the same guitar basics (Strats, Teles, Epiphones, cheap Ibanez) all the while specializing in band rentals. The store was always quite empty, unlike the nearby GC. I went out of my way to buy a Wolfgang Special from Sam Ash: literally trying to buy local was the only reason to go through them. GC does need, as the new CEO says, to change their emphasis as well. But they will be the only game in town. Sweetwater? No interest, have bought from small shops around the country online, but have not spent more than 100usd at Sweetwater. There is room for B&M but their in-store model needs rethinking.

[@sgholt]

That's sad to hear, it is my goto guitar store...great staff...always helpful...Oh well, everntually we will be forced to buy guitars sight unseen.... :/ Maybe we can return to a small independent guitar shops, it is an opportunity for smaller shops to make a difference...Thanks Phil, I am glad I hoarded guitars, amps and tubes :p and I have some amber shellac for my amp ;)

[@stauffrt2]

In Cleveland, Sam Ash was where I bought 90% of my dozen guitars, several amps (and etc) even though the GC was a few blocks away. They just carried what I thought was the good stuff in the $1000-$2000 range. That can’t be an accident. Also their staff actually knew what they were talking about. Sad they are going away.

[@DANWRIGHTITIS]

Looking at the ESP spanner thing. I got a set of blue plastic ROCKET-SOCKETS nut drivers fron . They were about 20€. Perfect for inputs, outputs & pedals. Just the right amount of yorque. I use a tad of nail laquer to seal the deal. CHEERS FROM SPAIN

[@baileywatts1304]

Fender wanting to fax is unbelievable.Fax machine ranks up there near polio on the list of things I would not expect someone to have in the 21st century.

[@archiewiles5512]

I live in a smallish town in the UK and we lost our last music shop during covid. For myself I'm not worried because I know what things are about and I have the confidence and knowledge to buy online or secondhand privately. What worries me is that parents might be put off buying instruments for their kids because they don't have a shop with experienced musicians to help guide them. For at least this reason alone I feel that bricks and mortar music shops are very important.

[@mikekozi-lester3887]

Sounds good I like the calapsable type

[@mikekozi-lester3887]

Nice video 📹 and workmanship

[@guestguide2544]

Tusk could be FMI - Fossil Mammoth Ivory which kills no Mammoths as they went extinct many thousand yrs ago. In the summer every year Tusks of Mammoth's appear sticking out of the snow pack in northern Russia (Siberia). They're is a legal market for these where wholesale and even retail dealers sell them to be used for various purposes, for musical instruments, for knife handles and probably the whole tusks.

[@davidsteinberg8024]

I think you are completely correct about SA's strategy. Business decisions are all about alternatives and which one has the better profit and future. I can see figuring being a strong gear brand to Sweetwater and GC beats fighting it out in the brick-and-mortar space.

[@GypsyLane]

So I drove 70mi. to the closest Sam Ash location to support and spend some money at their “Blow Out” sale…took a friend who was looking to impulse purchase something, also. I personally have purchased quite a bit of gear there in the last 10 years. Guess what we encountered?? Wait for it…10% off?? The weekend before the closing announcement there was a store wide sale of 15% off! Not a very productive trip, we left the store empty handed…When to my local Mom and Pop shop, and bought a new guitar at $225 off of retail price. Sorry Sam…

[@joemccarthy641]

My favorites are Michael Tuttle guitars. Next would be TTG models. Then, I like my Fender Vintera II Strat (I didn't bond with the Vintage II series). And, for my eb guitar, I like a Squier model that I assembled from parts (theStratosphere).

[@MM-ww3ph]

I will miss Sam Ash Glendale AZ . Mike in the guitar department is the best and Brent is their luthier and he is phenomenal. Like Phil mentioned about guitar stores nearby, Boogie Music is 1 mile down the street from Sam Ash and they have been my favorite mom and pop store. Give them a try to support local.

[@prepperchannel]

I also had a bad experience with Badlands guitar getting charged for a restocking fee on a guitar I never even received. Ordered it then canceled the order and they charged me hundreds of dollars. I will never buy from them, I’ve never had that kind of experience before. They pointed to some fine print as their legal justification. I still don’t understand why they charged me hundreds of dollars for canceling my order and immediately reselling it for full price to someone else. I have no doubt of Badlands quality but I will stick to buying from Sweetwater. I have literally bought over 100 guitars from Sweetwater and they have never screwed me.

[@benallmark9671]

Welcome to the new world of BS were it's a rules for me but not the. End game , you'll own nothing & be miserable.

[@DBroce]

The woman who has handled the PRS customer service (sadly, can’t remember her name) has been there since 1988, or when I first called PRS.

[@prospectnyc]

Re/ Sam Ash. I have a friend who is an executive at Sweetwater and he's been really busy the last few weeks.

[@guitarman3968]

And?

[@prospectnyc]

@@guitarman3968 And = "Used to connect words of the same part of speech, clauses, or sentences, that are to be taken jointly." Hope that helps! Good luck.

[@TheSavagederek]

Francistech Furch guitars are incredible and well respected in Europe and the UK . Sounds and looks beautiful Phil .

[@steveduran1664]

If you happen to need a thin wall socket, look at bike tool companies like Park Tools or Wera, they are a bitcmore expensive but in the cycling industry we do need thin walled tools to get into tight spaces.

[@SweetPablo972]

I went into a Sam Ash store in Dallas about 6 months ago, and, well, I can see why it’s going out of business.

[@matthewdeheus3124]

We do a 20% down on special orders and layaways, with a 10% restocking fee. This basically pays for the nuisance of the whole thing. We usually wave it the first time and let them know we are doing it once. It protects us from serial returners. We also have accounts that are now marked as a "cash account" - final sale, no special order, no layaway.

[@eddiejr540]

I returned a tonex to sweetwater and they hit me with shipping and 15% stocking fee….yay!!!!

[@shadowulf]

I remember picking up a G&L Legacy many years ago. It played nice. I sat it down to look at another S-style guitar, the next guy that picked it up bought it. Fast foreword to today, I have an S-500 Tribute that is everything I ever wanted in a S-style guitar. They are not "traditional" Strats. Like they are not "traditional" teles. Even the import models have a different sense or feel to them.

[@dw7704]

I didn’t enter the giveaway, because the Firebird is a wonky size for me to play, so am glad it went to someone who will enjoy it. Firebirds sound great, they just don’t mesh with my body. I do however have an Epiphone Mandobird, but that’s much smaller, and fun. But cool that there was agiveaway

[@barrettflorida]

Just found that out when i purchased an amp online, and my rep said they were just told about the closing of his store. He's been there forever

[@barbmelle3136]

I cannot hear the difference between stainless and traditional frets on recordings, but I can feel the difference in worn, nicked and rough frets. If stainless frets delay when that happens, all the better.

[@allanmakela3011]

Don,t think brick&mortor stores will close,the big boys want them,and continually entice them to sell,but they have been around for 40+ years,and we are on a personal level w/the owners,as well as meeting other musicians,There are enough stores w/out any interaction,pay&leave only,my store has very competitive prices,will bring things in,such as strings I like,etc.We need these places of social commerce

[@nicholas372]

Count me in as also interested in more acoustic stuff from the channel.

[@BirdRockin]

love the new wall color. classy

[@thmmke6926]

I have had negative experiences at sweet water, late slow shipping, very difficult returns, sales people who only will help if you are their friend otherwise you are not a regular customer, so hit the road, no deals!

[@thmmke6926]

And it’s easy to find better deals at smaller mom and pop music stores,

[@neilpatrickhairless]

That definitely sounds like a one off bad experience. Sweetwater are pretty much universally known for not usually having ANY of those issues

[@neilpatrickhairless]

And yeah, you probably had a bad experience because you're singularly worried about getting a "deal"

[@boombox2112]

I was beginning to think I was the only one that had a bad experiences with Sweetwater they got my 3 strikes and your out, never ordering from them again.

[@viewoftheaskew]

Sad about the Ash's, I worked for them in the 90's and really like the whole family.

[@buzzyboy6505]

Gratz Joshua

[@ottotheawesome5008]

The sam ash in New York should be turned into a music museum. So much rich history in that store it would be a shame for it to disappear.

[@Happyboymargarine]

Fuck sweetwater. They won’t price match!!! They refused to price match a Rickenbacker for me. And I got a list of products I bought from them long enough to put up wallpaper. I hope they go under too

[@MrPhotonjockey]

I had a Sales "Engineer" who was a tightwad. I asked for a different person to be assigned my account. The new guy gave me great deals, but he left the company to move back to Calif. The sales person I have now will give me decent discounts on some items, but not others. So, if I find a better deal elsewhere, I take it and I let them know I purchased elsewhere.

[@bryanfinkell9022]

Thank you for reviewing an acoustic guitar!

[@richhooper3949]

Does it seem like Reverb is the liquidation platform for Sam Ash?

[@lou.yorke.x]

Excellent episode! Really insightful.

[@chrisbristow3384]

That’s ironic I just bought a guitar first time using Sam Ash. Was on sale and got it a day early, yesterday. They seem like a nice outfit.

[@two50ne77]

I lived in deep South and people would say "ter-let" for toilet and "earl" or oil. "Warsh" for wash even Warshington. Mirra, Tomorra, and "tin" for "ten"

[@two50ne77]

I hope you get 400k subs soon. My guess is before September

[@KevPez-IS]

Former GC employee. My local Sam Ash was rather lacking in cool stuff, but the other stores in NJ were great. Got many great deals on drum stuff from Sam Ash. It’s a shame

[@benjaminhawthorne1969]

I will NOT miss "Sam Ash!" We had one in the neighborhood, and I only went in there once, looking for sheet music. My impression was that it was FILLED with dozens of different colors of the same model of Chinese knock-off "Stratocaster" that was probably over-priced at $99.99!

[@ALWTunes]

There's a Sam Ash and a Guitar Center in my town about a mile apart from each other. The Sam Ash was pretty empty every time I went there and they barely had any merchandise on the walls. It's been that way for years. I'm surprised it took this long for them to close, honestly. It's sad when people lose their jobs, though.

[@guitar_gnome]

I'm sad. Local community. My guitar tech is there. I suspect I'll be able to continue to pay him directly anyway but I will miss the Sam Ash being here.

[@thomascordery7951]

Another option for nuts, if you want to be fancy, is mammoth tusk. None of the several mammoth species are presently endangered. 😮 😅

[@jfrankcarr]

Regarding computer systems, that's what I do, logistics and manufacturing automation systems. Most retailers are far behind on this and other tech.

[@chrisghiardi117]

The maintenance requirements for renting band and school instruments are huge and costly. Sweetwater changed ownership so they are changing. Being a family business., finding younger family members who haven't tired of retail is a challenge.

[@kudgeond755]

Before you decide between Furch and Cole Clark you might want to see whether you can try a Dowina, an even smaller company from the Czech Republic. I have a 2017 Dowina Chardonnay model in grand auditorium size with a cutaway that has similar woods as your Furch. It also has a modern sound that's very different from my Martin and I think it sounds as beautiful as it looks. Specs include an Italian spruce top, American walnut back & sides, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, bridge, bridge pins and headstock veneer, diamond shaped abalone fret markers, flame maple binding, multi-piece wooden rosette and purfling, open pore finish, Grover tuners, a clear transparent pickguard, an LR Baggs pickup, and like yours it came in a nice padded gig bag. I bought it used from Sam Ash a few years ago for half the price of the Furch and thought it was an absolute bargain. They're a bit hard to find in the US but they're well worth checking out if you can get your hands on one.

[@979259]

I have 3 kiesels and 4 suhrs. The suhrs are the best guitars in my collection, and it's not close. and JS is a much better person than JK by a wide stretch.

[@two50ne77]

lol i can believe you called out the bald headed shredder . interesting channel

[@jeichorn63]

In the past couple of months I've bought a few 15%-20% guitars and basses from Sam Ash online. That includes a Fender Player Jazz Bass yesterday. The Fender Player instruments are already marked down across the industry, but my contact at Sam Ash gave me an additional 20% off that bass. I asked the guy if he thinks Sam Ash will remain as an online entity, but he doesn't know. What makes me suspect that they're not coming back is that you can't return anything bought online (and in the closing stores, of course) unless it's outright damaged in shipping. So it's a crapshoot. Also, I've noticed that their online inventory has decreased and isn't being replaced. It's sad to see those stores closing when they were such a force in the industry for so long.

[@worldsheaviestjamband93]

14:20 It’s interesting because the Cherry Hill NJ location literally has a guitar center in the same plaza. That being said it’s about an hour drive from me and we used to pass up a closer GC just to go to the Sam Ash and then check out the GC while we were there. I don’t think it’s worth a trip to go to that crappy guitar center .

[@namreg944]

I can tell if a guitar has stainless steel frets based on if the strings make my hands smell like pennys after one play. I dont know if its my acidic sweat or what but nickel frets make my strings and hands stink, stainless steel frets dont create that smell, evo gold does a bit but not as bad as nickel. It took me awhile to figure it out. I had restrung my ltd and had played it a day before and was like i just cleaned and put new strings on this guitar so why is it like this already, and it was the same strings i always use.

[@bluzzjazz]

I they aren't willing to reduce pricing to move inventory, then I'll refrain from visiting the store.

[@BonkeyMucket]

I am hoping with Sam Ash closing, that the Michael Kelly brand finds a way to stay afloat. I own two of them, and love their guitars.

[@thesoundchekguy]

The Columbus store was taken over by the landlord. Doors locked and chained, with a sign saying to call Sam Ash corporate to get all your instruments. Electric cut and tons of inventory still left in the store.

[@lenfest]

Bought a custom Legacy in 2004. It’s coming to the grave with me.

[@3cardmonty602]

I’m sad to see Sam Ash close. My Sam Ash & Guitar Center were within the same strip mall in South Jersey. Pre-Covid Sam Ash was fantastic. They had a salesperson that I built a repore with. Sam Ash was always stocked and organized, whereas the Guitar Center was/is chaotic, disorganized, and you can’t trust the salesperson.

[@bradrehn1007]

When I looked at the Sam Ash site a few weeks ago, nearly all the guitar "deals" were on Michael Kelly's offerings. I'm guessing their discounts will affect the value of any used Kelly guitars. I've had my eye on one (Decree, Craigslist) that's seems like a great deal. Do you feel these guitars will retain their value?

[@mancub1589]

I was in their store a few months before the announcement and passed on a Kelly. I went to their store after the announcement and the price of the same guitar was higher even after the tag said 15% off.

[@andyw6026]

Time vs cost vs quality

[@Levelheadd]

Great show! Stay Safe out there Phil 😅. Talk about innovation, see what Chibson USA has been putting out! 😂 ✌🏼

[@TheSavagederek]

Sorry i missed it this week .

[@fordsrestorations970]

I just left a branch of Sam Ash and a little wrestling I got one of them to tell me that possibly Sam Ash will still have 8 corporate stores somewhere maybe. They said it may come back in a slight different form . Anyways technology / marketplace is changing constantly .