We LOST Sam Ash Music Stores... We MUST save Guitar Center NEW CEO!

Is Guitar Center Closing?... Take Part in the GUITAR CENTER RESURGENCE!
The closing of Sam Ash doesn't bode well for Guitar Center closing likelihood, but Guitar Center corporate has a plan to turn it around. The plan WON'T WORK if we don't support them.
Meeting Friends at Guitar Center accidentally video: • Martin D-16e REACTION ...
Sam Ash closing stores: SAVE GUITAR CENTER NOW! Stop the Guitar Center decline. Don't give up on the Guitar Center community. Is Guitar Center still good?
Blues Lawyer Confessional video: • Big Changes at Guitar ...
This is NOT a guitar center review, but there is one coming...

[@rvierra7235]

"We" did not lose Sam Ash. Sam Ash lost Sam Ash. If GC does not pull its head out of its ass, the we will soon lose GC too.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I guess that's fair enough

[@TerroristicNightmares]

They are a group of businessmen who's inventory is mostly Made in China products and that fact should tell what country you are supporting when you buy from them ...

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@TerroristicNightmares yes, because it's so much more patriotic to buy my china products from Sweetwater or Amazon 🙄

[@TerroristicNightmares]

@@BillySoundFarm Mom & Pop music stores owned by locals carry the very same inventory ! patriotic lol

[@rvierra7235]

@@TerroristicNightmares Well, you have no argument from me on that.

[@mikesanders1863]

Guitar Center lost my business years ago. They got too big for their britches and I only deal with mom and pop stores. Too little, too late!! Bye! Its not our fault if GC fails, its GC's.

[@BillySoundFarm]

If you have Mom and Pop shops that are actually doing real guitar business then it makes perfect sense to support them over Guitar Center. We don't have that here.

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@BillySoundFarmMy local shops have great setup/repair services, but guitar center has a massive selection and you can have it shipped to your local gc to try out, and if you don't like it you can return it right there with no questions asked

[@rong648]

The Mom & Pop near me don't have any sales even when Daddario and Ernie Ball have strings on sale they have them at full price. If you go in the store to try something before purchasing it, they have a time limit on how long you can play it about 5 minutes.

[@TerroristicNightmares]

They are a group of businessmen who's inventory is mostly Made in China products and that fact should tell what country you are supporting when you buy from them ...

[@rong648]

@@TerroristicNightmares Guitar Center’s Country of origin for electric guitars: Canada (20), China (342), Germany (27), India (8), Indonesia (740), Japan (194), Mexico (200), South Korea (519), United States (661), and Vietnam (1).

[@rnl9520]

Guitar Center has turned into an absolute piece of s***. I can't believe how disorganized and dumpy their stores are compared to how they used to be. They look like an absolute wreck with crap piled all over the place. And you can't find any help there to save your ass.

[@BillySoundFarm]

It's not that bad at mine.

[@tortillaman2491]

Not to mention the lousy customer service.

[@andrewsimineri2243]

My brother purchased a so called KELLER drum kit from Guitar Center about 10 years ago. When he brought it home, I immediately knew it was NOT a Keller kit so he returned it. I never had an issue with Guitar Center except for only a FEW staffers that were less knowledgeable. This being said, I WANT GUITAR CENTER TO SURVIVE TOO! The superstores killed the mom and pop stores and the internet is killing the superstores now. Buying an instrument online without playing it is a little crazy although I am guilty of doing it a few times. I'm a musician for over 50 years and there were NO big music stores. We would cut out of school and take the Staten Island Ferry to NYC, take a train to 48th Street and hung out at all the music stores on musicians row. There are still a handful of Mom and Pop stores that I use but I live on an Island that never had a Sam Ash or a Guitar Center. I would always have to travel to New Jersey or NYC to find a Super music center.

[@curttitus405]

Guitar Center got rid of all their mid level and high end gear decades ago. Now they took up sales showroom floor space with private lesson booths. Stupid!They created their own demise. I bought a very expensive Mesa Boogie Road King. It had no cover, the wrong wheels, the wrong cable for the remote switching pedal. Worst of all, one my first gig, the volume went down to 5% and smoke came out of the back of the amp. Build community? What a joke! Every time I go in there, the people are new, disinterested, and dissatisfied. THEY ARE CLEARLY UNDERPAID. Needles to say, I got a refund for the MB Road King. I bought a 2018 Fender Tele Elite. No box, no case candy... where did it go? I bought a PRS, damaged. I bought a Martin, damaged. They don't take care of the inventory. The biggest takeaway is that the customer's buying experience is VERY disappointing. That is the #1 thing that must change. They purchase experience MUST BE GREAT!

[@BillySoundFarm]

You're right about all that stuff, except probably the lessons thing I don't see why that hurt anything, But their new CEO is singing the same song you are, he wants to get more expensive stuff in there. Don't you want to see if he actually fixes it?

[@charlesbolton8471]

I’m no big fan of Guitar Center either. I guess I just got lucky with the two guitars and one amp that I’ve bought from them over the years. It really says a lot about my opinion of Guitar Center when I’ve been going in their stores since the early 90s and I’ve only purchased those three items I mentioned. However, I will say that I have lived in two different states and worked in third state for a while. I’ve been to every Guitar Center stores in all three of those states plus several more. My experience with different Guitar Center locations has proven what I already knew from first hand experience with other businesses. Some locations (even within a company with numerous problems) are significantly better than others, some are significantly worse, and many (in a struggling business) are mediocre at best. I know you aren’t alone in having multiple issues with Guitar Center. However, I would like to say that the first sentence of comment is not accurate for every location. I have 5 Guitar Centers with in about 60 miles of where I live. I haven’t been in one of the five (Huntsville, AL) in a long time, so I can’t really say anything about the current state of that location, but the last time I was there it was mediocre. One of the others (Chattanooga, TN) isn’t bad, but it is smaller than most Guitar Center locations so their selection isn’t as good, and it’s definitely focused on mid-tier and lower gear. Customer service isn’t great but it isn’t bad either. The other three are in the metro Nashville. Of those three one is bad (Goodlettsville). Oddly enough, it’s right down the street from a Sam Ash store that was really good. Unfortunately, the last time I was in Sam Ash earlier this year it made the bad Guitar Center look acceptable. Of the other two, one is your average Guitar Center (Brentwood) decent size store, decent inventory level with a merchandise selection and customer service that aren’t bad but isn’t great either. The third one is easily the best Guitar Center (the one with the actual Nashville address) I’ve ever been in. It has a room full of high end electric guitars (and amps) and the acoustic room has a smaller room with high end acoustics. The customer service is far better than any other Guitar Center location I’ve been in. As much as I like that Guitar Center location I have to admit I haven’t bought anything there. Of the three purchases I mentioned at the beginning of my comment one of the guitars was 17 years ago in Marietta, GA, and the other guitar and amp were in Memphis (lived there from 2013-2016) the guitar was bought in 2013 and the amp in 2014. All three of those purchases were amazing deals that I couldn’t walk away from.

[@nunyabusiness6691]

Underpaid? For people who get commission off what they sell, Its been a LONG time since I have been even acknowledged by a guitar center employee. It's their loss

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@nunyabusiness6691 technically there is a commission structure, but I've been told the details about it and it might as well not even be there. They have to sell so much product just to start earning commissions at all, it makes them feel like there's no reason to try.

[@dickdixon6409]

@@BillySoundFarm I agree with every idea you guys stated to fix their problem, but they need to do more. Higher priced items will not save them, cause the chased away most of the musicians that can afford the higher ticket items. And who wants one that is broken?

[@letsridehard]

Guitar Center customer service sucks!… I went in with the intention of purchasing a high end Taylor, but it was almost impossible to get friendly staff to help and to unlock the guitars. I had to go searching for a rep for like 10 mnts every time I wanted to try another guitar, and most of them had an attitude telling me; yeah I’ll get someone (which they ignored me half the time). Once I found a guitar I was interested in, I asked them for a small discount since it was a floor unit, and they might as well had told me to go f..k myself. I went home, called sweetwater, they gave me a 15% discount and let me pick the exact guitar I liked best….Free shipping, great customer service, and a brand new guitar in my doorway 2 days later. I really want to support the local shops, but the service quality is a turn off.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Yeah that's not acceptable. That day, Guitar Center deserve for you to buy from Sweetwater. But keep in mind they still served an important part of your purchase decision: You tried the guitars to find the one you wanted. Sweetwater wasn't kind of bring guitars to your town for you to try, So you would have been shelling out thousands of dollars just to try one and hope you pick the right one from the specs, and If you return it they make you cover shipping. I'm curious, would you have had the confidence to buy if you hadn't had your hands on different models?

[@letsridehard]

⁠​⁠@@BillySoundFarmyeah good point, I do appreciate the opportunity to come in and test the guitars onsite, that does make a big difference, and in my case it helped me make up my mind. I would always support local brick and mortar music stores as that experience could never be replicated online, however, bad customer service can kill your customer experience. Not sure what the customer service guidelines or culture is like across the company, but my local store has a long way to go in that regard. Given what happened to SamAsh, GC should pay close attention to their competitive advantages, and focus on customer experience and perhaps be more flexible with discounts, my local store always seems to have a no discount policy from the sticker price. This is specially important if you’re buying a floor unit that has been there collecting dust and light scrathes from others, customers should not be expected to pay full price for floor items in my opinion. This is an area that Sweetwater has always excelled, I have purchased multiple guitars and music products from them, and my dedicated rep always finds me some decent discount. Discounts are not always the deal breaker. Most customers are willing to pay more as long as the service is best in class…I know I would. But when the staff treats you like you’re annoying them simply for asking them to unlock a guitar, that becomes very unattractive. I’ll always be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, I’d love to see their business model succeed, and I hope the new leadership understands how simple things can go a long way.

[@Viper_75th_RR]

The guitar community needs to save independent dealers. Guitar Center made its mission to destroy mom and pop stores and it needs payback.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I also would like to local guitar shops in business, but there are none besides Guitar Center where I live (and it's not Guitar Center's fault because we didn't have one before either)

[@joelanderson_t]

As a bass player, hopefully music stores must be saved at some point, whether it's Guitar Center or the local music shops. There will be times when I may need some repairs or maintenances beyond my knowledge. That may include pickup replacements and neck repairs. I relied on the guitar techs at a local Sam Ash store (Edison NJ) for fretless bass conversions. There were 3 of them as time passed on. They all did great on my fretless bass projects. Someday, I'd like to be a bass player for artists around the world. The guitar and bass community must stand strong until the end. #SlappedLike! 👍

[@oldcmputer]

If kids would only buy instruments instead of iThings and being a "DJ"

[@Sams911]

I just spent $6999 on a Taylor 914CE, $12999 on a PRS Private Stock and $5660 on a PRS Core Special ...Another $1600 on accessories, pedals and such ... all at Las Vegas GC .. I did my part.

[@BillySoundFarm]

We salute you.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Was the PRS private stock custom for you, or something they had in stock?

[@Sams911]

No, it was a one of a kind, hollow body I with Brazilian rosewood, fretboard, special inlay, and the most amazing quilt top I’ve ever seen. In a gold burst finish. I couldn’t control myself I had to have it

[@danwentz]

There was also a time when a keyboardist could walk into a store and play a Memorymoog. Ahhh memories!

[@JGorg8]

Guitar Center is killing itself. Good riddance when it goes. The employees are undertrained, completely unknowledgeable, thrown into a position to fill a hole rather than solve customer problems. At least 8/10 times I walk into ANY GC, they can't even say hello, let alone help you with anything you might need. Trash company. So many of your points are exactly why GC killed itself. They're not going to go back to your nostalgic version of who they were 15+ years ago.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Why can't they change?

[@Carl-V]

I recently bought an amazing used guitar there, i like GC and hope they manage to stay afloat. Will definitely continue to buy from them, while they reinvent themselves.

[@Viper_75th_RR]

Guitar Center and community!? Nope. GC destroyed the guitar community in my area by undercutting the independent dealers. It will be a good thing when it’s gone

[@jamesgretsch4894]

I like your video. I agree with everything you are saying. I got my first electric at Guitar Center in 1983 as a 15 year old. It was GC Hollywood on Sunset Blvd at the old location. All these years later I still buy from GC. I have never had any issues with GC staff, GC policies, GC inventory and stock. I have bought more new and used guitars and amps as well as accessories from GC than I can recall. I really hope GC doesn't close down like Sam Ash is slated to. I'm sad about SA also. I really like them also. If SA closes and GC does I wonder if this will provoke many independent guitar shops to open to fill the void or will GC and SA still be involved in online commerce? Also other online musical instrument sellers I wonder if those still will cause independent brick and mortar stores to still struggle or if SA and GC closing will be enough to breathe life into the independent stores. I'm really pulling for GC to stay open. By the way, at the hospital where I work as a Rad Tech I was talking to a nurse who took up guitar for the first time in her 56 years, during COVID. You mentioned many people picking up guitar during that period. My most recent purchase from GC was during Christmas, a used 1997 Fender Japan PBass, 70s reissue. I love it. Funny enough I'm loving bass more than guitar and I have tons of guitar and amps from 40 plus years of playing. I just liked and subscribed.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Thanks, and nice to meet you! ... I'm not super hopeful that smaller guitar shops will spring up with Guitar Center and Sam Ash out of the way, but in some places they might. But would people even support them? They didn't support Sam Ash. So cool to hear your nurse friend picked up the guitar, keep encouraging her! There's some videos on my channel that she might find helpful, especially a few on how to learn to sing and strum at the same time... Then, since you're playing bass, you two start a band to save the world!

[@Mr_Zimm]

Guitar centers are so bad these days.

[@lionheartroar3104]

Our local GC is horrendous. Terrible service and shi**y attitude.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Maybe yours are worse than mine, mine is nothing like the way it used to be but it certainly not bad. Not bad at all

[@TerroristicNightmares]

@@lionheartroar3104 They are a group of businessmen who's inventory is mostly Made in China products and that fact should tell what country you are supporting when you buy from them ...

[@Hicks-g1m]

Guitar center must change the way they do things keep up with the times or they'll go the way of Mars music and Sam Ash

[@jltrem]

Excuse me, Guitar Center showed up in my area about 20 years ago and drove every independent and Mom & Pop store OUT OF BUSINESS. No sympathy.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Did you have a bunch of mom and pop stores that were real guitar shops before Guitar Center?

[@jltrem]

@@BillySoundFarm Obviously.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@jltrem ok, well that's great. Most places didn't, though.

[@hellhorse01]

Rather have saved Sam Ash...Guitar Center is garbage retail anymore. They don't know what they are doing, what they have, and are inept, uneducated and wasteful.... Im out... Sweetwater, zZounds, ProAudioStar... they are Way better options that Guitar Center and their sister, Musicians Friend...

[@BillySoundFarm]

We don't have a Sam Ash near me, never did. I would have liked for them to survive, though.

[@ultramegakillerchop]

I tried to go to these stores Sam Ash and Guitar Center when I was near them on a trip about a year ago, and I couldnt go because neither opened until like 2 o'clock. I only had time in the morning, but I remember thinking are we musicians really that lazy? lol. But I do wish one was near me though.

[@everythingbobbywolfe]

I'm sad to see Sam Ash go. Even though i was never a huge gc fan, is quite honestly the last decent store, regardless of what people say. In the NJ, Pa area i make a killing off of the great used prices. They were the only ones working to get me a used near mint SG custom for $3000 shipped. The following week i grabbed a like new strat Ultra for $1200. Sold me a stingray bass for $650 NEW!! My Musicians friend advisor, Lizzie, guess and finds them negotiates with the gc rep and bamn! Musicians friend has kinda become like Sweetwater with gc as the store front... Which is what i hear is going to be the business model in the next 2-4 years, fyi. Regardless, all the local shops, even though they are super nice and friendly, can't get the deals i get nor sell my used gear at the prices i can get. Even when i didn't have a musical collections over 50, Mom and pop were scarce on what i needed, never close by, couldn't fix an instrument, etc. 20b years ago i made a side business building and teaching instruments and now deal with sw, gc and mf. Works great. How often will mom and POP and sw say..."hey, i can do at least 15% of on that". Good luck. Chicago Music Exchange does, and i hope they keep growing. I dig them, too

[@therightisright8276]

Lol! We the consumers are NOT responsible for them and their high prices, bad choices and lack of product knowledge. Retail is a test by fire. Do you have great products? Do you have unbeatable prices? Do you have knowledgeable sales staff? Unfortunately, you cant say yes to all that for GC but you CAN say that for Sweetwater!!

[@BillySoundFarm]

I think Sweetwater is great, but Sweetwater doesn't even love me enough to have a location in my town. That's the biggest box that can be checked, and it's so important that if they don't check that box then the other boxes don't matter... Maybe if they had a no risk return policy I would use them more. If I have to pay shipping on the return, that's not a real return policy to me. It's bad enough that I have to put the thing back in a box, I like to be able to walk in there and just lay it on the counter. But that's just me.

[@therightisright8276]

@BillySoundFarm Sweetwater is smart enough to know to avoid having to pay big stick and brick rent money by offering products online. It's 2024, get with the program and save operating expenses! It's overseas online sales that make the REAL money.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@therightisright8276 If they are saving so much money on brick and mortar I want to see the benefit of that. They should be covering the shipping for returns, it's still way cheaper than having a brick and mortar location. And if it doesn't benefit me, then why should I get with that program?

[@GrammySue0719]

​@therightisright8276 Sweetwater has a brick and mortar store in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, HQ location

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@GrammySue0719 well I guess that's great for people in Fort Wayne... It doesn't move the needle for the rest of us.

[@michaelodria1986]

It is NOT to late for Guitar Center! I was a former employee of a GC in Northern NJ, and it was a GREAT job. After reading Guitar Center's newest CEO Gabe Dalporto's interview, he is correct in what he said. In order to close a sale on a high end beautiful Custom Shop Tom Murphy aged Gibson Les Paul, PRS latest Dragon, or a Custom shop 1954 relic Fender Strat. The customer must be allowed to Demo the instrument without obstacles. After that if the customer "LIKES" the instrument, it must be asked. Would he or she would like to finance the guitar interest free with a Guitar Center credit card, trade ins, or the customer's own personal funds. It can be that easy.

[@dickdixon6409]

I don’t disagree with anything you said, but it could be even easier and less expensive, while being more lucrative to GC and the manufacturers. They could treat the customers, especially the older generation that they abused with respect. You know, the customers that can afford and want the guitars you stated. GC sells to such a diverse crowed that defines an instrument a million different ways. I will limit it to guitars and basses. They need to reach out to those they have wronged, via txt, mail, and email. Apologize and commit to treating them right (don’t mess this up). Stop selling them broken crap without telling them, hey, this is broken. Ask them what we want a few times a year by “survey monkey,” get it built for a 1/4 the cost with appointments like Stainless Steel frets and Premium pickups, electronics and custom wiring. Have Schecter USA, ESP USA, or PRS USA set it up, level the frets on a Plectrum Machine, and warranty their work, even if it is a Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, etc…. ESP and Schecter setups have been the best. Then GC sells and ships it to them directly, at half the cost, cause: GC will get higher “bulk purchasing discounts,” “only be ordering what the majority of the customers want,” no “guessing what the customer’s want”, no “storage cost,” no “defects cost,” and no “damage costs from kids playing it in the store.” The only issues will be “manufacturer defects,” “setup issues,” and damage by the mail carrier. All of which, are not GC’s cost to bare, except making sure the customer ends up with an exceptional instrument at the end by making sure it gets fixed by the company that caused the issue. All can be done online. This would save their brick and mortar stores, too, cause it will triple their revenue.

[@indigos290]

I already miss Sam Ash! If Guitar Center closes I'm not sure what I'd do.

[@AllanDavey-qv6ik]

Sam Ash never mistreated their employees at All

[@lionheartroar3104]

My local Guitar Center will go the way of Sam Ash if they don't get their customer service vastly improved. I buy from Sweetwater cause GC sucks so bad.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I actually give the kids at my Guitar Center sales lessons. I don't make an obvious, I sprinkle it in. They're great guys but I don't think they're getting any support or training from the company.

[@giltrahan]

I was scolded pretty good by the Guitar Center repair guy because I got to close to where he was stringing a guitar. I’m not 12 years old and I walked out of the store. I ended up buying my Yamaha keyboard online instead of that day at that Guitar Center.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Fair enough

[@joebob344]

I'm saddened to see Sam Ash go out. I've never been a fan of Guitar Center. I'd buy some strings or something from there but I never got a good vibe walking into their stores. It always felt awkward.

[@BillySoundFarm]

If you came to my Guitar Center, even if the staff didn't make you feel welcome, I would.

[@Valleyplant]

I like guitar center and they have good used stuff. Also it’s nice to have somewhere to buy any cord I need. Also Mom and pop shops have better deals for the most part on used stuff.

[@tatoprsse]

You’re 💯 right my friend!!!!

[@panhandlingray]

Love to see a "NEW" Gibson, hard to find any Gibson sometimes. I just love a cool guitar

[@blueishxx]

I don't think that these is any correlation between GC existing and the creation of music , and I'm not saying that to incite you or anyone, it's just what I believe

[@BillySoundFarm]

Yes of course, I can't argue with that statement. I just don't know what it has to do with anything.

[@PatStockdaleMusic]

Wouldn’t care if GC closed for ever.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Why?

[@PatStockdaleMusic]

@@BillySoundFarm exactly

[@danebrackvitch4901]

Guitars and basses are always beat up looking. It's like selling used gear with all the people handling them.

[@BillySoundFarm]

lol I mentioned in the video that people would say that

[@opinionhaver574]

Speaking from experience, I don't think you would love Guitar Center if you ever worked for one.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I'm sure you're right

[@goodcopbadcop9872]

Sitting here thinking about why people obviously prefer to buy guitars online - Because being a new or average player in GC can be intimidating and embarrassing. Especially so if the GC staff are jerks (most are IME) or there are a bunch of hotshot guitar players in there geeking out on gear. Imagine being new and going into the acoustic room and two club players are there jamming out. You think that new girl gonna pick a guitar off the wall and try a few open chords that she just learned to play?

[@BillySoundFarm]

That makes sense, but it's never like that in my guitar center. There are just so many more hobbyist guitar players in the world than actual musicians, let alone gigging musicians. The staff at my Guitar Center fall into two categories: Nice guys who don't know nothing, and guys who leave me alone. And there's that one girl who always calls me "mate". She counts as one of the nice ones I think.

[@goodcopbadcop9872]

@@BillySoundFarm Your store is the exception for sure. The last time I was in GC I had intended to buy a Deluxe Reverb. I was testing one out set to about 3-4 and a sales dude came over and turned down the volume on the amp as they were trying to have a conversation at the sting change stand. I walked out and bought one at Sweetwater for less money. Mind you, I am not some punk kid (anymore) - the hat I was wearing cost more than the amp (well, almost). I was not some office worker on a coffee break. There are three GC sort of near me and they are all the same.

[@jonathanmcbee3517]

I'm fine if GC closes. More independent mom and pop stores can reemerge.

[@BillySoundFarm]

That's great if that happens, but would they reemerge?

[@Varone26]

From Canada, we have Long and Mcquade up here. Pretty much the equivalent to GC. Problem with these big box companies is their still a brick and mortar operation pissing money away in rent payments. The sad reality is everything is all e-commerce and online. There’s a reason Sweetwater has officially become larger and more successful than GC.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I like having a guitar shop in my town

[@timesurfingalien]

The nearest one to me is 2hrs. I'm not going that far to look at guitars when I can get it delivered to my door. Maybe GC should adopt the business model that Family Dollar has. Several smaller stores in smaller markets. I'd be more likely to go if it wasn't 2+ hrs away.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I agree, two hours is too far. That's like the same as not having one at all... In South Jersey, Dollar General is taking over. Literally you can't drive a quarter mile in any direction without driving past one, and then if you keep going you'll just drive past another one in another quarter mile... If there were that many guitar shops, I would like that 😂

[@timesurfingalien]

@@BillySoundFarm one guitar center has enough guitars to supply 6 small stores. They could do like car parts stores do and ship store to store if one has the model someone wants.

[@timesurfingalien]

@@BillySoundFarm I mean they destroyed the mom & pop stores. Might as well fill the niche

[@corpusaethemera]

Shop at smaller businesses like Tone Tailors instead!

[@BillySoundFarm]

Yes, if you have Mom and Pop shops they take precedence over Guitar Center for sure.

[@JustinDiazJokes]

fuck guitar center. they have always ripped me off. sam ash has always been there for me when i needed them. RIP to a real one

[@BillySoundFarm]

How did they rip you off?

[@JustinDiazJokes]

@@BillySoundFarm i tried to sell a gibson an ESP and a fender and they were low balling the shit out of me. they took $100 off each guitar that needed to be 'cleaned and set up'. i brought that up to the guy in sam ash and he said 'we have a cloth and a tuner for that. no need to pay us $300' the guitars were in great condition, i barely played them and the were playable. the only problem with the ESP was a dead 9V battery

The chip in your brain will play the guitar for you. 👍🤖

[@BillySoundFarm]

😂 If you play copywritten material to yourself than the chip in your brain will rat you out and you'll have to pay royalties

[@goodcopbadcop9872]

GC may be a great place to geek out on gear and to be around other guitar players, but it is a horrible place to actually BUY a guitar! Strings and picks will not keep them going.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I don't think it's so horrible to buy guitar there. Think about it like this: You don't have to buy the guitar unless you know you love it, because you played it first. Sweetwater can't do that.

[@goodcopbadcop9872]

@@BillySoundFarm Problem is finding one you love and then trying to find the original case, case candy, etc. for it. They are notorious for not keeping things organized and the staff nicking things out of cases, or outright selling the case.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@goodcopbadcop9872 yes, but the important thing is finding the one you love, right?

[@ernestadams9283]

Keep it

[@kenwagner5667]

I'm on board, count me in

[@RobertNolan]

One thing I always remind people is that if retailers continue to close, and there's only one retailer left, that's called a monopoly and I promise you - that's when the deals stop.

[@LB-qf3ef]

I just bought a sweet Seymour Duncan set from GC and strings last week. They are super nice people in my town. The CEO isn't their fault. Tom Morello doesn't deserve any respect after his restaurant fiasco. He's too good for us normal people.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Awesome what did you put the pickups in?

[@LB-qf3ef]

@@BillySoundFarm 2016 Epiphone Korina '58 Flying V replica. The set was a Dimebag set, and it sounds incredible.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@LB-qf3ef sweet

[@LB-qf3ef]

@@BillySoundFarm thanks

[@jasondorsey7110]

Tom Morello is insufferable...millionaire socialists generally are

[@lizhof277]

My favorite part 8:32

[@BillySoundFarm]

Did you see this one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHvNfp2rhaulh6csi=IeUm4wf1kDqQuyg9

[@AwLFluX]

Regardless of anything, almost all music stores in my county closed years ago. Aside from a store that sells almost no guitar gear and the gear they sell is gear nobody who even is slightly into guitar wants because they specialize in music gear for school band and orchestra. Prices on even strings are higher than they should be and the couple Yamaha guitars they sell (beginner level) are over priced because they make their money renting out instruments for people doing music related classes/extra curriculars. A 45 minute drive takes me to my nearest guitar center and the only guitar center, let alone guitar focused store for a lot of people even up to a 3 hour radius away from the store. Im sure other places are like this too and a single guitar center may be the only big music store for a large number of people some deriving hours if they want to play a guitar in person before buying. Guitar center has been the only real music shop in my entire county and neighboring counties since 2015. Anyone else need guitar center to stay alive in their area because no other stores exist? Anyone else fearful of how musical the next generation will be without easy access to instruments? My 1 year old loves music and going to guitar center, my influence yes maybe but she loves music and I want her to have the experience of picking out the right instrument for her in person in a few years of she so desires. But that may or may not be doable

[@kelalamusic9258]

I will miss the larger selection. Usually, they have a guitar that I wish to try out before purchasing. Smaller stores have too small a selection and it's only by a slim chance that they have what I'm looking for. I do not like ordering online. Sweetwater has been a huge disappointment. Their 55-point inspection is a joke. I've received a few guitars from them that didn't indicate any inspection at all.

[@TheJoshuaJames]

Or we support our local mom and pop stores!

[@BillySoundFarm]

If you have them, by all means

[@TheJoshuaJames]

@@BillySoundFarm i do. I have three in town, plus some pawn shops. I have to drive 3 hours to get to the nearest guitar center. You’ll only find the mom and pops where Guitar Center hasn’t run them out yet.

[@andrzejbukowski2526]

no... through the ashes of the Empires...

[@BillySoundFarm]

Fair enough

[@wesd3370]

How about supporting the local music stores?

[@BillySoundFarm]

That's exactly what I'm advocating for. Where I live, and in most places in the US, the only local music shop with guitars is Guitar Center.

[@wesd3370]

@@BillySoundFarm True, but guitar center being gone might change that.

[@jamesschenk]

I have my doubts about these kids now days they love there stupid phones and game consoles I cant imagine seeing them taking the time to play guitar I'm glad I grew up when techno garbage wasnt around when I got bored I picked my strat and play simple songs like Mary had a little lamb then over time i learned to play classic rock i had a much better childhood then these spoiled little brats now day i learned to make art

[@BillySoundFarm]

Yeah! Get off lawns!

[@robinfra52]

My biggest gripe with GC the last 20yrs is the staff. In fact any retail place it is the same, lack of general competence and service. The general decline in playing ability and reliance on digital tricks has infected the stores. People don't play guitar they play the effects. They loop they distort, they "Eddie". If the staff is that limited the store will suffer.

[@BillySoundFarm]

That's probably true, but at least as of right now they don't have the incentive structures in place to have good staff. The commission structure of Guitar Center doesn't seem to incentivize people to do much of anything.

[@MarkTurner-vs7uc]

No . Guitar center needs to close. They ran everyone out of business. Let's get back to normal. Guitar shops. Owned by players.

[@BillySoundFarm]

ok that sounds great, except in reality for most town it's "back to normal, no guitar shop at all"

[@davidferrara1105]

Oh bullshit. They are a holding company and tax write-off for a bigger corporation. Learn your subject

[@BillySoundFarm]

Oh, I forgot they don't operate guitar shops?

[@ChadAV69]

Guitar Center is the company that pushed the Line 6 Spider on millions of people. They can't regain my trust.

[@BillySoundFarm]

😂 ok fair enough

[@junito1957]

WELL REALLY ? HOW MANY OF US COULD AFFORD A 1K TO 10K GUITAR I BEEN TWO BOTH OVER THE YEARS THEY THESE STORES ARE EXPENSIVE SO WHAT DID EVERYONE EXPECT? YOU NOT GOING TO WIN AGAINST THE OVER SEA GUITAR AND MANY AMERICAN BRAND ARE MADE OVER SEA AND ARE CHEAPER THEN THE ONE THAT ARE MADE IN AMERICA

[@BillySoundFarm]

90% of the guitars in my local Guitar Center are less than $1,000

[@designknob]

I will gladly support them if they EVOLVE and change with the times. Supporting the current business model they have only stands to reinforce to the owners that what they are doing is just fine. It's NOT just fine. A good business plan evolves with the times, makes tough decisions, takes chances on potentially new innovative ideas. None of this is happening at Guitar Center. Why are people shopping online?... hmmmm could it be price? Maybe better, more knowledgeable service than the actual physical stores offer? Look at successful brick and mortar retailers, then look at failed ones. Sears comes to mind. I for one, will not be supporting Guitar Center at it's current model. and just because it's a physical store that sells guitars. The stores around me are always completely dead. There is no one in there demoing or playing instruments. It's just people needing minor accessories in a pinch. Hmmmm... maybe they could focus on why people are currently going in the store? I'm no business genius, but one thing I do know, is that if you don't evolve in the current fast-paced, internet environment, you will die. Pointing fingers at Amazon, Sweetwater, etc isn't going to save you. For what it's worth, I truly do hope the new CEO brings some new ideas to the table. Even if they ultimately fail, it's better to have tried than to just accept fate and go down with the ship.

[@BillySoundFarm]

So what would they have to do to get you interested?

[@BillySoundFarm]

Also I love your thumbnail

[@designknob]

@@BillySoundFarm I think since they are already affiliated/owned by/with Musician's Friend, they should seamlessly integrate the 2 companies. Have more "daily deals"... sponsor weekend "swap meets" or offer really good value on trade-ins. Not ridiculously low-balled numbers. Hire staff that is more knowledgeable than most current staff. Pay them better to incentivize the willingness to do more than the bare minimum. Ultimately, I think they need to create the "mom & pop" feel to the store. Anything that gives people value to set foot in the physical store. And not just to try out a guitar, leave, then go home and order it online. Establish the personal relationships with customers. Basically anything that buying online simply cannot offer. The feeling I get when walking into the stores around me is that either the staff don't care, or by just existing as a music store, they are doing me a favor. Customer interaction is severely underestimated in this day and age of everything digital, social media, etc.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@designknob I agree that the biggest problem they have is that the employees are not properly incentivized. Paying them more would help but I think they can do better than that. Their commission structure is dumb, It might as well not even exist. They have no reason to feel like they win if the store wins. Also the way they get treated regarding their shifts and management is a big deal, too. If they felt like the company cared about them, it would help them to care about the customer. The managers are usually good guys but they're in this situation where they feel like corporate has just set them up for failure, It's very difficult to do good work if you don't think success is even possible.

[@designknob]

@@BillySoundFarm Agreed 110%. Change has to come from the top.

[@khrys_maxwell]

More support needs to go to the locally owned and independent music shops, not The Evil Empire. There was a time when these local shops carried Gibson, Fender, and Martin guitars but because of GC’s buying power, everyone now needs to kick down up to $100,000 PER YEAR to have each of these brands. GC also closed down most local shops due to price differences. GC is the Walmart of music stores and fuck all of them!

[@BillySoundFarm]

I don't know about where you live, but nobody was carrying any of those brands before Guitar Center here. You would have had to drive over an hour to the nearest major city.

[@khrys_maxwell]

@@BillySoundFarm what year was this? There were multiple local shops who carried those brands through the mid 90’s. One of them was the store which I started working at in 91 and brought Gibson in 92. We are a super small shop with about 500 sqft of floor space and 1000 sq ft for teaching rooms. I don’t remember when, but somewhere around ‘98, we were told we’d have to purchase $75k at dealer cost to continue being a Gibson dealer for the upcoming year and that that was expected every year going forward. The Evil Empire pushed Gibson (and others) to be their only game in town and it has fucked everyone.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@khrys_maxwell your memory goes back farther than mine, but around here you would have seen takaminis, Aria, Dean, etc

[@khrys_maxwell]

@@BillySoundFarm what I can tell you is that I now own the shop I started working at in 91. As much as I love Gibson and Martin, I could never afford their buy-in and that’s pretty fucked up. Same for Fender. And then all y’all expect us to sell for 20% over cost, which doesn’t cover expenses, especially when you are in SoCal. Understanding that, I focus mostly on used and building up a vintage inventory.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@khrys_maxwell I can imagine you're being difficult in SoCal, it's probably really expensive to stay open there

[@jcalzada74]

Their used items are overpriced looks like they are competing with Reverb 🤣🤣when i ask them to lower the price they say can't do that we just put it out on the sale room I'm like dude you rater have it sitting collecting dust than sale it and get rid of it and i tell them I'm 100% sure you still making money even if you mark it down i still had to pay tax and shipping even if i returned the item you still make money because you now discount the what is called the reestock fee 🤣🤣🤣

[@BillySoundFarm]

They can't offer discretionary discounts on used gear as a matter of policy. I used to think this was a big mistake, but then I realized that all the stuff I thought they were never going to sell at whatever price I thought was outrageous... Eventually it sold. They don't have anything to gain by turning it over quickly and cutting their margins because it's used so they can't replace it immediately like with new gear. ... Also, I've returned stuff that was used that I had shipped in and they refunded the tax and shipping and there was no restocking fee I got 100% of my money back.

[@jcalzada74]

@@BillySoundFarm well no hating or anything like that but I prefer Sweetwater their customers service is 100% legit they email or call on the spot if there is any trouble whit wetever I buy even for a set of strings and I like the small pouch whit candys

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@jcalzada74 I like Sweetwater, and I'm in sales so I respect the investment they make in their phone salespeople. For little things like strings and stuff they're my second choice if Guitar Center doesn't have it in stock locally. For anything big enough that I might want to return it, I would order it from Guitar Center because I hate paying return shipping if I have to return to Sweetwater. It's smart of them to charge you for return shipping though, it disincentivizes petty returns. But if I'm spending a few hundred dollars on something or more, I want to be able to get all of my money back If something is wrong, or even if I just change my mind... If sweetwater ran local shops they probably could do it better than Guitar Center does. But they don't. And that means something to me, Sweetwater doesn't love me enough to have a counter in my town where I can walk in my return and set it down. Guitar Center does.

[@kennakano5758]

The companies should think about reducing the price of a guitar. Who wants to buy a $3000 guitar. I think it should be $1500. More purchases is better than no sale.

[@BillySoundFarm]

When I was in the Guitar Center there were plenty of $1,500 guitars in there

[@charlesbolton8471]

@@BillySoundFarm Sure, but the $1,500 guitars of today were $1,000 guitars four years ago, and $3,000 guitars of today were $2,500 or less.

[@BillySoundFarm]

@@charlesbolton8471 it's true, American professional ii strats would be on sale brand new for $1,300 all day... And then for a while they were $1800 new? I've been seeing them on sale for around $1,500 these days. But that's not just guitars.

[@devans873]

I had some real issues with guitar center but the Sam Ash here in clearwater is closing in about a month and i can see that the guitar center seems like it's stepping up it's game so i'm fine with growing back there again, they are the only guitar store here and i think that they are making a point to get all the sam ash business. i buy some used gear on line and i like the no questions return policy.

[@BillySoundFarm]

I loooooove the return policy. When I buy used stuff online my preference is to get it from Guitar Center if they have it just because of their return policy.

[@GrammySue0719]

There was a store in Tampa back in the 70's that was the shizz... ...Thoroughbred Music A venerable candy store for musicians, and as big as a Walmart!

[@bobdimartino6738]

so there letting you try displays out like sweetwater hmm

[@BillySoundFarm]

Sweetwater never sent me anything to try before I bought it. And I'm not driving 15 hours to their one real location to do it.

[@bobdimartino6738]

@@BillySoundFarm i'm just saying they stole the idea from sweetwater

[@20111ncaa]

Bro you look like Christian Bale

[@BillySoundFarm]

Thanks! I'm like the Batman of guitar tube! I'm not the KZbinr you deserve, but I'm the KZbinr you need right now...

[@troyk4452]

Your 100% correct and if it falls it’s our fault…and that would be just sad…..I don’t think ppl really understand how important they are to us whether you shop there or not..Look at the big picture dummy’s…..