More Guitar Center Fun

Zoso · Post by **Zoso** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 5:52 pm

I just got off the phone with a sales person at my local GC. I had called to ask if they carried Peterson tuners. The girl who took my call told me to hold on, then came back in a few minutes with this reply. "No we don't carry Peterson tuners, all we have by them is a Strobostomp."

'Nuff said.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:07 pm

Just like getting a girl at the auto parts store!!

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:08 pm

OK that was just plain sexist of me. Even the guys at the auto parts store suck anymore. If it ain't on their computer they're lost.

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:47 pm

Tis why I buy from NAPA unless its for self serve items like earl and such.

Klark · Post by **Klark** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:27 am

Not to change the subject, but I bought a Peterson VS-II and I love it. Lots of great features and dead-on perfect. I plan to buy a Strobostomp for my pedalboard very soon.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 8:40 am

Necrovore wrote:Tis why I buy from NAPA unless its for self serve items like earl and such.

Yeah. NAPA is the only place that doesn't look at me funny when I come in and ask about parts for a 1950 Chevy with a 1962 inline six engine. Sometimes they've even still got the parts on the shelf.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:34 am

And now that you've got me going, my version of George's Guitar Center trick is still just as amusing to me as the first time I watched this:

I go into the auto parts store and pick up a case of oil. Go to the counter.

The guy at the counter looks at me and goes, "Don't you need filters to go with that oil?"

I tell him he doesn't have the filters I need.

I usually get a sarcastic smirk on a parts guy's face at that. "Oh I'm sure I can find what you need. What's it for?"

"An early-fifties Chevrolet six cylinder, with a bypass oil filter canister."

Sit back and watch the jaw go slowly slack, and try to pick which spot on his head he'll scratch raw trying to find a listing on his sissy-boy computer for that.

They just don't get it that maybe you DO know what you're talking about.....

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 2:16 pm

Flames1950 wrote:And now that you've got me going, my version of George's Guitar Center trick is still just as amusing to me as the first time I watched this:

I go into the auto parts store and pick up a case of oil. Go to the counter.

The guy at the counter looks at me and goes, "Don't you need filters to go with that oil?"

I tell him he doesn't have the filters I need.

I usually get a sarcastic smirk on a parts guy's face at that. "Oh I'm sure I can find what you need. What's it for?"

"An early-fifties Chevrolet six cylinder, with a bypass oil filter canister."

Sit back and watch the jaw go slowly slack, and try to pick which spot on his head he'll scratch raw trying to find a listing on his sissy-boy computer for that.

They just don't get it that maybe you DO know what you're talking about.....

You are a badass...

Zoso · Post by **Zoso** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 1:56 pm

Country Boy Shane wrote:
Flames1950 wrote:And now that you've got me going, my version of George's Guitar Center trick is still just as amusing to me as the first time I watched this:

I go into the auto parts store and pick up a case of oil. Go to the counter.

The guy at the counter looks at me and goes, "Don't you need filters to go with that oil?"

I tell him he doesn't have the filters I need.

I usually get a sarcastic smirk on a parts guy's face at that. "Oh I'm sure I can find what you need. What's it for?"

"An early-fifties Chevrolet six cylinder, with a bypass oil filter canister."

Sit back and watch the jaw go slowly slack, and try to pick which spot on his head he'll scratch raw trying to find a listing on his sissy-boy computer for that.

They just don't get it that maybe you DO know what you're talking about.....
You are a badass...

Ditto

Zoso · Post by **Zoso** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 2:00 pm

In her defense, I usually get the same cluelessness when I deal with the male employess at GC.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 2:59 pm

These stories make me think of a great word coined by Carlin. Pussified.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:05 pm

Watch out! Another Guitar Center story comin' right at 'cha!

So I walk into GC with my Les Paul, and immediately the door boy says, "Wow, looks like you got yourself a real Les Paul! I have to look at it!" After kissing my ass for 2 minutes and getting hounded by the guitar department staff, I finally got the freedom to mess around with the rest of my day to see if I could find anything worthwhile. I meandered around to the Boogies and another salesman started to kiss my ass saying that the Mesa/Boogie amps are the best sounding amps in the store. I immediately plugged in with a FAKE smile on looking like I was playing along with what he was saying. Then.. I plugged into a Nomad 100 Head.

Well as you know... it was fizzy as most of Mesa/Boogie's products are. I was acting like I was hearing "that tone" and the guitar staffer was gettin' excited like he had a potential sale. "Yea man you're right! This tone is so damn awesome!!!" Then after 3 minutes I looked over at him and said, "You know, this actually sounds like crap... Not even close to

The staffer didn't know what to say and replied with predictable responses as -

1. Well, you just have to set it up right...
2. Are you sure your guitar is in tune...
3. Tubes are probably worn out...
4. Try the Triple Rectofier...

I just stopped. I got a pack of picks and went on my way. In the car i said to myself, "Well that was fun making an ass out of an ass."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:05 am

I don't know much about Guitar Center or its corporate culture (as an employee) or who owns it or any of that kind of stuff. I don't really much care to. From what I've seen, they think they've got it knocked. Maybe they do. From what I've seen, they're willing to get neophytes and know-nothings for sales staff. I imagine that there are a lot of reasons for this. You don't have to pay people who don't quite know enough about what they're selling as much as you do experts. Also, I heard a "management theory" expounded once that went something like this: "You don't have to be a chicken to be a chicken-farmer." (Of course, I personally can't think of anyone who would make a better chicken-farmer than a chicken...) Maybe they have this "unit-selling" mentality and it has filtered its way into their personnel practices, too. Of course, as long as I've been going to Guitar Center (since sometime in the early Eighties), it's been something slightly less than the absolute epitome of perfection in music stores.

If you come upon a Guitar Center "salesperson" whose knowledge of gear you're interested in is deficient, it might be more useful to enlighten him or her without turning the experience for them into an exercise in humiliation. Why not? If they just don't get it, what have you lost? The good or neutral opinion of someone whose opinion is of little worth? Of what use is that? But if you get through to them, they can't help but have more respect for you and your ideas on tone and how to get it. The intelligent and discerning ones will also be grateful to you for not turning their previous lessons from you into pissing contests.

As a guitarist, I realize how difficult it can be to forego a chance at showing off, showing up the idiots at Guitar Center. That's because, like most guitarists, I'm an asshole. (As I've mentioned here before.) So if you take time to build up a good relationship with a few of the good ones at these places, you stand a good chance of having an "inside man." And good deals do occur at Guitar Center occasionally, when no one's looking. It'd be nice to get a few of them. And if they get discouraged working for Guitar Center, they might end up working for some better music store, and you'll have a built-in resource there, too.

Furthermore, you might get some of them started on lurking here, the Plexi Palace forum, checking out Legendary Tones, etc. Like the Eskimos say, "Give a man a fish and he can eat for one day. Teach a man to fish and he can get away from his boss, his wife, his kids, his bills and his income tax and be able to relax in a boat on a lake and drink some beer and smoke some cigars for the rest of his days."

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:36 am

Anonymous wrote:If you come upon a Guitar Center "salesperson" whose knowledge of gear you're interested in is deficient, it might be more useful to enlighten him or her without turning the experience for them into an exercise in humiliation. Why not? If they just don't get it, what have you lost? The good or neutral opinion of someone whose opinion is of little worth? Of what use is that? But if you get through to them, they can't help but have more respect for you and your ideas on tone and how to get it. The intelligent and discerning ones will also be grateful to you for not turning their previous lessons from you into pissing contests.

I think your kinda missin the point though. I dont care if GC is filled with a million Fs who think a mesa can be dialed in to sound spot on to an AC30/Plexi/Soldano/etc... Doesnt hurt me none. The problem is their attitude. The people in these stores really think theyre in an environment where they learn what its all about, inflating their heads in the process, when in reality most of the stuff that is flung around at GC is totally wrong. Old myths and wives tales and Im not talking about tone or subjective things. Im talking about the fact that in a single conversation with a GC employee about gear I may hear about 4-5 things that are complete BS though I think they really do think its right. Something along the lines of my getting into an argument with someone who tried to convince me to buy a Dunlop Crybaby because its the wah pedal Jimi used or that a RI is identical to a '67 or I cant buy a singe 6V6 because no amp uses 1 6V6,they need to be matched. You know. Basically all the advertising and marketing BS. It makes it hard for me to look around and shop when someone is feeding me corporate bullshit that they sat there and let be spoonfed down their throats because they want to sell me something.

The problem is two-fold. One is the attitude were if I dont agree with the BS then I dont know what Im talking about and its time for an education. Thats an attitude that seems to fester in GC because of the things I mentioned earlier. I already have to deal with kiddies cranking amps to 10 playing Korn badly everytime I go in there but being talked down to by some arogant ignorant acts-like-he-is-but-never-will-be musician is not on the menu. Im cool. Im not trying to convince him of anything so he should pay me the same respect. The other is that these guys are spreading BS, rumors and wives tales to young players who keep the cycle going. It happens all the time. It happened to me and I spent lots of time and money on gear because I was fed BS and was too young to know any better. If someone acts like that they should be put into their place. Its not really about tone or music. Its the same reason I hate going to Best Buy or Home Depot etc... Its not something restricted to large chain stores. Its just that these stores have so many positions to be filled their policy is more along the lines of hire anyone and teach them to 'act' knowledgeable. Whats inevitable is the acting going to their heads which translates to a supremely annoying experience for me everytime a wanna buy some damn strings!!!!

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:37 pm

I get what you're saying about attitude, but i think it's mostly brought upon by their struggling to get their next meal because they work on comission.