Guitar Center news - kinda good

[Kutt]

Nice to read this, but if they are going to continue to be hardass dicks that won't budge on prices of new gear then they will continue to fail. Most other retailers will take 15% off if you just ask. These idiots charge you 15% more if you ask.

“If you walk through a Guitar Center, you see an awful lot of $300 guitars. If I’m a serious musician, it doesn’t feel like the right place for me anymore”: Guitar Center’s new CEO explains why the firm’s future must prioritize premium guitars

Gabe Dalporto insists the firm needs to “evolve and execute better” in order to survive, and that it has forgotten who its core customer really is

www.guitarworld.com

 

[Frodebro]

Most retailers are already discounting well below MSRP, that’s what killed all the small independents that didn’t move enough volume to survive the discounts.

Go to a grocery store sometime and demand they take 15% off a can of tuna-see what happens.

 

[Kutt]

Most retailers are already discounting well below MSRP, that’s what killed all the small independents that didn’t move enough volume to survive the discounts.

Go to a grocery store sometime and demand they take 15% off a can of tuna-see what happens.

MSRP is a pie-in-the-sky number that means nothing to consumers. Street prices are what matter and instrument retailers have been wheeling and dealing for decades, including mom n' pops. Your grocery store analogy is useless.

 

[Frodebro]

MSRP is a pie-in-the-sky number that means nothing to consumers. Street prices are what matter and instrument retailers have been wheeling and dealing for decades, including mom n' pops. Your grocery store analogy is useless.

I worked in the industry when Musician’s Friend hit the scene (it was just a mail order catalog back then). I know how it works. Big chains get stuff cheaper through purchasing in volumes that single store/small chain independents cannot match.

But like I said, the listed prices are already typically well below MSRP, and manufacturers often dictate how much discount is allowed, and not just referring to MAP.

 

[Kutt]

My local mom n' pop shop has been beating the pants off of MF, GC, Sweetwater, and the rest of them for years on pricing, availability, service, and every other metric you can think of. They are growing and thriving.

 

[fitz]

Most other retailers will take 15% off if you just ask. These idiots charge you 15% more if you ask.

When I got my Studio LP, I called my rep, and he took 15% off a NIB when I told him I was looking at one on the Reverb Gibson Demo Shop.
Also called customer service about a delayed pick up of a display model at the local GC for a bass I was buying for my son.
Got 15% off NIB shipped to the house.


I never tried asking at the store - those rocket surgeons aren't authorized to do anything...

 

[guitarbilly74]

I read the article and honestly I don't disagree with anything the new CEO said. At the end of the day, GC is a business that employs 1000s of Americans all over the country, mostly young musicians. I wish the new guy the best. His head and heart seem to be in the right place and I hope he can right the ship.

 

[RCM 800]

I would like to see them turn it around. I feel they are a part of the history of rock and would like them to survive. As it is right now they are pretty much dead to me due to poor customer service and as the guy in the article said they carry very little stuff for serious musicians anymore.

 

[Geeze]

I am curious from a demographic standpoint where the music merchandise purchase money % is. I suspect the new / low budget players are the bulk of the industry in terms of $ spent. Much like the home - never play out - players are the bulk of the musicians.

Unfortunately most small businesses aren't savvy businessmen.

Russ

 

[FleshOnGear]

I worked at GC for a total of 11 years, in two stints. There was a big difference in the approach of the company between those two stints. The first time, the employees had a certain amount of power to discount gear. The idea was that the employees wouldn’t cut into their own commission unless it was necessary to make the sale. The second time I worked there was after Bain Capital and after the financial crisis. There was tons of debt, nobody had money to buy gear, and the reaction of the company was to keep margins up and sell more cheap shit.

The new CEO is right that GC needs to have merchandise that players aspire to own. They also need to pay employees enough to attract really talented and knowledgeable sales people that really care about their product and customers. It’s freakin hard to keep hundreds of guitars in good playing condition, which was part of my job as the tech.

 

[Calebz]

I'll be curious to see how this turns out.

Focusing more on premium gear sounds neat, but might limit their purchase audience a bit.

I don't believe for a second that they'll offer training and wages attractive enough to bring knowledgeable guitar guys back to the sales floor.

 

[FleshOnGear]

I'll be curious to see how this turns out.

Focusing more on premium gear sounds neat, but might limit their purchase audience a bit.

I don't believe for a second that they'll offer training and wages attractive enough to bring knowledgeable guitar guys back to the sales floor.

Yeah, I’m skeptical at best. I actually loved my job, but I made half as much money as I do now. I would’ve needed to be shady as shit and cut huge corners to get remotely close to what I make now, which is still just barely OK. I can’t remember what GC’s ownership is like these days, but I doubt those with a stake will go for paying employees much more.

 

[hsb]

My local mom n' pop shop has been beating the pants off of MF, GC, Sweetwater, and the rest of them for years on pricing, availability, service, and every other metric you can think of. They are growing and thriving.

My local shop is the same way, they may list an item the same price as Sweetwater, etc but Ive done enough business they will give me a discount, even bigger one if I buy something used. Their service cant be beat, prices are the same on the surface as the major retailers, granted most of those items fall under MAP but if I need something, they will get it for me if they can.

Rarely do I go to the big box stores for purchases any longer. Only thing a lil higher at my mom and pop is the price of strings but Im ok with that with the service I get from them otherwise.

 

[TonalEuphoria]

If the new CEO wants GC to sell more premium guitars to more premium buyers, than he first and foremost better fire a large number of young idiots GC has hired and hire on more mature salesmen. At my local GC most of the people working there you would grab tight to your personal items if you saw them on the street and you can walk into the store and walk out over and over again with no one talking to you. I can't count the number of players in town I've talked to who relay that same aspect. I only walk in sometimes if I'm over there to see if they have any cool used stuff, but if I actually find something interesting, I have to plug into myself, sometimes plugging in the power cord and even finding one, and bring it to the front counter to pay for it if I want it. Which means, I rarely go and have little concern to.

I'd honestly rather see GC closed down and just have Mom and Pop stores again that care about their customers and simply have good online dealers instead.

 

[Marshall Stack]

I'm might get heat for saying this, but at one GC near me all of the dudes have man buns. Maybe I'm old, but I just don't take guys with man buns seriously. I guess I'm bigoted.

 

[Kutt]

I'm might get heat for saying this, but at one GC near me all of the dudes have man buns. Maybe I'm old, but I just don't take guys with man buns seriously. I guess I'm bigoted.

The buns can be used to your advantage- as sound absorbing panels. All the more reason to crank an amp up loud in the store. "Hi, could you please turn that amp down a bit?". "No, your bun is buffering the volume. Look over yonder, that woman needs a Squier for her son. Off you go."

 

[Dogs of Doom]

If the new CEO wants GC to sell more premium guitars to more premium buyers, than he first and foremost better fire a large number of young idiots GC has hired and hire on more mature salesmen. At my local GC most of the people working there you would grab tight to your personal items if you saw them on the street and you can walk into the store and walk out over and over again with no one talking to you. I can't count the number of players in town I've talked to who relay that same aspect. I only walk in sometimes if I'm over there to see if they have any cool used stuff, but if I actually find something interesting, I have to plug into myself, sometimes plugging in the power cord and even finding one, and bring it to the front counter to pay for it if I want it. Which means, I rarely go and have little concern to.

I'd honestly rather see GC closed down and just have Mom and Pop stores again that care about their customers and simply have good online dealers instead.

but, it's a viscous cycle...

back, in the '80s, before there was a GC in every town, if you wanted serious gear, you'd make the trek over to Hollywood, to GC. The local mom/pop stores did not carry much serious gear. You could custom order through mom/pop, but, at a premium & you'd not get to try it out 1st, & no refunds on special orders, that you paid 50% more then it's worth...

You went to GC & there was a line for every employee. Well, it took a while to get one anyway, because there was so many customers & only so many employees.

Then, GC branched out & became the 5 & 10¢ store. Where, even many of the high dollar items were blem's, or b-stock. Then they'd give you big discounts, for off the wall blem's/b-stock...

Then, it seems like it's digressed ever since.

If the shop is like the 99¢ store of guitars, you are not going to get great talent for sales. If you start concentrating on high dollar items (w/o the blem's/b-stock), then you'll probably attract a higher-end employee talent pool...

 

[TonalEuphoria]

but, it's a viscous cycle...

back, in the '80s, before there was a GC in every town, if you wanted serious gear, you'd make the trek over to Hollywood, to GC. The local mom/pop stores did not carry much serious gear. You could custom order through mom/pop, but, at a premium & you'd not get to try it out 1st, & no refunds on special orders, that you paid 50% more then it's worth...

You went to GC & there was a line for every employee. Well, it took a while to get one anyway, because there was so many customers & only so many employees.

Then, GC branched out & became the 5 & 10¢ store. Where, even many of the high dollar items were blem's, or b-stock. Then they'd give you big discounts, for off the wall blem's/b-stock...

Then, it seems like it's digressed ever since.

If the shop is like the 99¢ store of guitars, you are not going to get great talent for sales. If you start concentrating on high dollar items (w/o the blem's/b-stock), then you'll probably attract a higher-end employee talent pool...

Different cities have different stores that carry different gears these days. But GC's being one of the biggest chains is kind of standardized. There are and have always been in the bigger cities I've lived in with major music scenes, certain boutique stores. Mom and Pop shops that deal in more high end and particular dealer brands. I much prefer them, if I like the owners, they have what I want and deal with me fairly and good customer service.

I've sadly worked for GC before when I was younger and a few other music stores. But GC has definitely changed these days for the worse. I don't know how it will work out, and if they can even get higher end employees to work there will the state of the country and economy as it is. And GC still doesn't pay much. I am ye of little faith though. I'm not betting on them, but I'm not betting on this country being the same at all in possibly a year or so, so that doesn't really matter. But even if GC does change, I'm pretty soured on them from the years of how they've been, I still don't think I'd care much.

 

[Marshall Stack]

The buns can be used to your advantage- as sound absorbing panels. All the more reason to crank an amp up loud in the store. "Hi, could you please turn that amp down a bit?". "No, your bun is buffering the volume. Look over yonder, that woman needs a Squier for her son. Off you go."

Omg. Too funny.

 

[bill0287]

Different cities have different stores that carry different gears these days. But GC's being one of the biggest chains is kind of standardized. There are and have always been in the bigger cities I've lived in with major music scenes, certain boutique stores. Mom and Pop shops that deal in more high end and particular dealer brands. I much prefer them, if I like the owners, they have what I want and deal with me fairly and good customer service.

I am in SoCAL and I learned this first hand this year. My area has a GC in it and I have always been bummed that they never have anything high end or pro level, at least guitar and amp wise. Their guitar selection is almost all Epiphones, Squiers, and sub $1000 gear. The amp selection is non-existent. I happened to be in another city nearby and i was shocked at the selection of gear they had. HIgh-end guitars, full stack amps, wider selection of amps (soldanos, Orange, etc) and even had vintage guitar on the walls. I couldn't believe it. I talked to the sales guys and they said that their store is tagged as a premier store (or some other word they used) and that's why they get higher end stuff. My GC is not in a super high income areas so it gets nothing of the kind. I am sure the Hollywood GC gets even better stuff.

Net net is that I have to drive out of my area if I want a Les Paul Custom (e.g.), or go to Sweetwater.