Stupid things you've been told at Guitar Center

[Brian Middleton]

I remember one time way back, I overheard this conversation:

CUSTOMER: I'm interested in the MOTU 2408.
WEASEL: What are you planning to use it for?
CUST: I want to transfer my ADAT tapes to my computer [one of the main applications the 2408 was developed for]
WEASEL: Oh, you can't do that with the 2408. You need something with lightpipe I/O.

[theoryinmotion]

I went to GC here in Seattle. I was wanting an inexpensive way to add some effects to our voices in a live show and was looking at a DigiTech RP50 Modeling FX Processor (guitar fx box).

Anyways, I asked the sales guy if the DigiTech could handle a "mic level" signal rather than a guitar level signal.

The sales guy looked at me kinda blank and said " I'm not sure what you mean by Mic level."


Nice.....


That is just one story. I have a ton of them.


I have learned, probably like more of you, to research a product and answer all my own questions before even stepping foot into GC.

[dpianomn]

i don't even like to buy accessories at GC as it's usually a pain in the ass. however one time i'm waiting for one of the salesmen to find something for me in the back and the other begins to talk "shop" with me. he's working in the guitar accessories dept, but says he doesn't play guitar at all.

within 5 mins. one of those helpless mothers with her 13 year old son walks in wanting to get him set up. the sales guy goes on and on about some ridiculous dvd/book combo that is "the best teaching tool on the planet". he then proceeds to tell her it's how he learned to play guitar!!

i think i threw up in my mouth a little. poor kid.

[vernier]

CG in Fountain Valley is cool, I really like that one.

[Brian Middleton]

Originally Posted by theoryinmotion

I have learned, probably like more of you, to research a product and answer all my own questions before even stepping foot into GC.

Right. The only questions it's safe to ask in Guitar Center are

1. "Do you have it in stock?"
2. "Can you go a little lower on the price?"
and
3. "Is it covered by the return policy?"

Anything beyond that, you're taking your life in your hands.

[daryllh]

Originally Posted by theoryinmotion

I went to GC here in Seattle. I was wanting an inexpensive way to add some effects to our voices in a live show and was looking at a DigiTech RP50 Modeling FX Processor (guitar fx box).

Anyways, I asked the sales guy if the DigiTech could handle a "mic level" signal rather than a guitar level signal.

The sales guy looked at me kinda blank and said " I'm not sure what you mean by Mic level."


Nice.....


That is just one story. I have a ton of them.


I have learned, probably like more of you, to research a product and answer all my own questions before even stepping foot into GC.

I'll admit, I admire a sales guy who is honest when he doesn't know something. I'd probably even go back to that guy when i wanted to buy something (so he can get his commission).

It's pretty safe to assume that most of us know what we need when we go to GC. If you have to ask a GC guy about something, then YOU haven't done your homework (or asked here first )

[gunnarg]

One time I needed to pick up an iLok and they were apparently all out. The guy at the pro audio counter that was helping me said, "we do have these though!", confidently picking up an iKEY and trying to hand it to me.

Thanks, jackass.

[CorkyTart]

Oh yeah, heard a guy in the gtr dept tell a customer about how a certain gtr was good because it came with a stick (whammy bar)

[GearGeek]

I went in the other day looking to try out a Fishman Aura Acoustic Pre-amp.
GC idiot hands me an electric guitar amp to play through.

ME: Uh, can I play through an acoustic amp?

GC Jerk: Just play through this electric amp, it's the same thing!

[robot gigante]

Originally Posted by daryllh

I'll admit, I admire a sales guy who is honest when he doesn't know something. I'd probably even go back to that guy when i wanted to buy something (so he can get his commission).

I definitely agree with that.

This thread is great BTW!

I love the fact that there's a little give and take, with music store employees and their stories about moronic customers in addition to the stories about moronic salespeople.

I can't say that I've ever bought anything at a GC although there is always a first time for everything. Thankfully there are smaller local shops that keep me covered for now.

[Tone Obsessed]

Originally Posted by Brian Middleton

1. "Do you have it in stock?"
2. "Can you go a little lower on the price?"
and
3. "Is it covered by the return policy?"

Anything beyond that, you're taking your life in your hands.

TRUE. TRUE. TRUE. My buddy was a manager there for a while ( knows his stuff, took a break from the studio, divorcing, etc). At any rate, he left quickly and told me that the turn-over there is awful. One day @Taco Bell drive-thru, the next day they're selling guitars on the floor or even worse: selling in the "pro audio" side of the store.

Here's a good Banjo Mart story that happened last week when I realized i was one DB25 short on an install. So, with a cringe, I entered GC:

Me:Have any Mogami DB 25 to XLR less than 2 feet long?
GC Mook: No, we don't carry a db25. We do have DBX, though. Never heard of Mogami.
Me: You may know it as a D Sub Conector used to interface gear and Mogami is an industry standard. I know I've seen Mogami in here before.
GC Mook:What? When?
Me:You're kidding me, right?
GC Mook: No. Hold on. I need to ask someone else but I think you'll need to go to somewhere else for that, not a music store. Sure it was here? Maybe a computer store if it interfaces. We just have cables. I'll be right back.
Me: Wow!!!! ( So I decided to have some fun)
New GC Mook: What is it you're looking for, sir?
Me: A Mogami DB 25 to XLR cable with Gold connectors.
New GC Mook: Oh, yes, we do have that, sorry. But not Mogami. We have HOSA- Wayyyy Better cables. And it's silver. So, What length?
Me: 2 feet long or less, but I don't want a Hosa.
New GC Mook: Why? They're the best. Besides, they do not make them that short and they don't make any gold cables. Not sure where you heard that, but silver is best.
Me: Really? Why? ( Gettin' good now).
New GC Mook: Because the cables need to be long to allow the sound to travel better using the oxygen in the wires! Also, the silver "imparts" ( big word for him) better electricity -- Haven't you read about the new advancements in this field? It's in MIX, you should really read that magazine. All of us pro's here do!
Me: Wow... That's good to know... So, what length do you recommend?
New GC Mook: Anything that's not too short.
Me: What's short?
New GC Mook: Any cable that's not too short, like maybe 20 - 25 feet. The longer the better is the rule around here.
Me - (really havin fun now!!) Well, I'm using this cable to interface my rack with my vintage outboard gear thru my custom DB25 patchbay and they are close to each other , that's why I need a short cable.
New GC Mook:Outboard gear? You mean external equipment? Why would anyone use external equipment when you have plug-ins that sound so much better and are way cheaper? Ya know, gear like that is old school and really hurt the sound. I mean, plug-ins are pristine cause they use your computer's calculator. Guys today use plugins. In fact, ebay is littered with old equipment no one uses anymore because they're going to plugins (which make your computer run better, by the way).
Me: 100% amused beyond belief and staring at him with a blank stare. External equipment? Plug-ins?
New GC Mook:Don't you get this? I'll explain... You don't need external stuff. You just need a good interface like a firepod, and you're set. Everything else is taken care of by the computer with plug-ins. I have a firepod and record bands in my home studio all the time. And I get at least $10-$12 per hour!
Me: ( wow, this is entertaining). So what do you use for cables?
New GC Mook: Walks to the wall and hands me a Hosa rca snake. WOW!
Me: What about Protools for recording? Is that good because I own an HD3? Is the Firepod better?
New GC Mook: Hard to say. Protools is good and we sell them here. But rather than spend money on software, just buy more plugins and some mics. The way you get sound into the computer doesn't matter. It's how you record. If you want to come to my studio to check it out and pay me for lessons, I'll charge you like $10.00 an hour and let you try some really nice recording equipment.
Me: Really? Where's your studio? Why do you work here?
New GC Mook: It's in my bedroom at my Mom's house and we can't make much noise. But it's cool for now. Beside, pros use headphone not big speakers 'cause today it's all about mp3's and that's how they listen to music so that's how you need to record music. Smart, right? But you'd have to be done by 8:00 pm cause that's the cutoff. As far as working here, it's for the discounts to build my studio AND TO GIVE BACK!!!! ( all sincere and crap --- PRICELESS --- )
Me: Can you record guitars amps there?
New GC Mook: No. But Amplitube is better than any amp could be and that's all anyone here uses. Like I said, it's a plug-in and they are just better. Make sense, yet?
Me: Perfectly.. Thanks. You've really added to my day.

As I left, I told him I was 39 and not as hip as everyone here with these new fangled plug-ins and would stick with my Pultecs, Neves, Api's, BA6A, etc. I also told him I did use PTHD with Melodyne, Sony Oxford stuff and Altiverb convolution plugs and would locate the Mogami from Vintage King on Monday.

New GC Mook: What's Vintage King? If that's a store, we can beat their price ya know and we can probably get the Hosa in gold or a Mogami if that's what you really want. If we don't have it, nobody else will. We're the biggest. WOW!!!!!

Bye, bye!

There's my recent GC story... I'm still laughin'
TJ

[wolffy]

WOW.

To be fair, I must say that the pro audio dept at the Chicago GC is really good. I've never had anyone spew that kind of bs or anything close. They also have a ton of high end stuff that you wouldn't expect to see at a GC.

[grindx]

The GC on Halsted in Chicago is a GC Pro store. Most of the "neighborhood" stores popping up are crap. They have a tiered system for stores.

[Messiah]

Never dealt with a GC as I'm in the UK, but on the positive side of things, at least the sales guys there seem to be making most guys here feel a little bit more smug in their all-powerful knowledge of all things pro-audio...

(A lot of people posting are sounding like bigger dicks than the GC monkeys to me, fwiw... just giving a heads up, people have to do jobs and get pressured from line managers, etc, etc...).

[Tone Obsessed]

Originally Posted by grindx

The GC on Halsted in Chicago is a GC Pro store. Most of the "neighborhood" stores popping up are crap. They have a tiered system for stores.

Agreed. GC Pro is a different animal. However, as with any business, it has issues BUT nothing like the corner GC. Better, for sure.

TJ

[emkay]

I guess some things never change. Early eighties living in L.A., go into Guitar Center on Sunset (old location across the street from present building). I'm with my buddy who plays keys for Alice Cooper. We just had lunch, thought we'd sniff around GC, check out some gear. I go to drums for a look and come back to see my buddy checking out some new large "electric' grand piano (can't remember which one). My buddy's just diddling on the keys, some "rock" salesman approaches us and says, "nce unit!". My buddy says "not bad. can I check it out?". "Well, not sure" the "rocksalesdude" says, "I just sold three to Alice Cooper's Band, and this might be one of them". My buddy says "really? Who in the band bought them?". "I can't really tell you, that's personal info". salesrockguy says. "But it was the drummer, the bass player and the keyboard player". Now I get the eye , you know "the look" from my pal, "So, can I check it out?"
"Sure, I guess it's okay, just be very careful" says the GC pimp. So my buddy sits down and wails. The guys eyes open wider than his mouth, he blurts out "Man you're good!"
Guy asks, "Who do you play for?". Buddy says "Don't play for anybody, I'm a roadie". "For who?"the guy asks........."Alice Cooper" my buddy says.
Busted! The look on the guy's face----priceless!
We leave, I almost shit my pants. I hope he learnt the lesson about lying in LA., or anywhere for that matter. Probably not!

[emkay]

Originally Posted by Messiah

Never dealt with a GC as I'm in the UK, but on the positive side of things, at least the sales guys there seem to be making most guys here feel a little bit more smug in their all-powerful knowledge of all things pro-audio...

(A lot of people posting are sounding like bigger dicks than the GC monkeys to me, fwiw... just giving a heads up, people have to do jobs and get pressured from line managers, etc, etc...).

You'd appreciate it more if you "dealt with" GC.

[grindx]

The best way to deal with GC is to not shop there. I don't. I still get great pricing and customer service.

[Tone Obsessed]

Originally Posted by Messiah

. just giving a heads up, people have to do jobs and get pressured from line managers, etc, etc...).

Understood. However, it does not excuse negligent and reckless advice... I feel bad for little Timmy coming in for his birthday guitar so he can improve.

I've heard GC Mooks tell little Timmy and his Mommy that (insert $150 guitar here) is best for him to learn on. WOW!

What about action, fit, instruction, string gauge, understanding his instrument, did he start properly, can he play an acoustic well BEFORE he moves onto an electric, listening to Timmy play first THEN advise??? WTF?

Nothin... Get this guitar, it's cool and he'll be set for years. And then when Timmy gets home, has action and fit problems, is no better than before and complains OR WORSE: Stops playing because he's frustrated and Mom says "well the nice salesman at GC knows what he's doing sweetheart, are you sure it's not something you're doing wrong"?

Dude... That's F'ng Wrong. And it happens evey damn day at that place. But you're right: Gotta make the numbers...

BTW: I think this post is for amusement more than anything else BECAUSE IT'S FUNNY!!

Pros and intelligent, well informed buyers are protected from these mooks. What about Timmy?

TJ

[Brian Middleton]

Well, to be fair, there are some guys at the Boston GC who have a clue, and I'm always happy to see them behind the counter.

But the trouble is, it's a crapshoot. For every guy like that, there's another guy like the one who tried to convince me, when I went to pick up a studio boom stand, that the 4-foot long, 4-inch square cardboard box he was handing me contained not only the stand proper but also the 2-foot-wide triangular cast-iron base. Mary freakin' Poppins could not have put that base in that long skinny box, as a 5-year-old could have told him, but since the box was the only thing he could find in the stockroom, he was bound and determined to convince me that I could walk out the door with it and be happy. We actually had to open the box and examine the contents before he was convinced that there must be a second piece to the SKU.

Moments like this do tend to breed a smug attitude after a while, it's true. As emkay says, you'd have to experience it firsthand to understand where we're coming from.

[Duffster]

Arrived in California from Brasil and couldn't wait to go buy a noce condenser mic to smuggle home to my studio. Borrowed my moms car a took myself to Guitat Center and rushed into take a peak at the mics. After the sales person helped me look at a blue bottle, AKG C12, Soundlux.... etc. he takes me to the MXL mic cabinet.

GC: Dude: I see you have high end taste sir, but these microphones really perform on a international level.
Me: What do you mean by international?
GC: They are becoming an international standard for pro recordings... lots of the discs you here on the radio are recorded with these. The sound they get is just more simple and easy to work with.
Me: Really!! Tell me..... isn't that $99.00 condenser just a hunk of shit?(as I am saying this the pro audio manager has walked up behind me)
Manager: Sir, If you were an experienced or pro audio engineer like myself or my coleague you would know that mics are like crayons.... they come in many different colors, and give different textures to the audio palet.
Me: So your telling me that this mic is the shit brown crayola color.
Manager: Sir, we don't take audio as a joke, and when you become a pro audio engineer you will realise why.

in disbelief at this point
Me: I guess you learned that lesson when you took it as a joke and ended working in the pro audio department in GC selling audio crayons to real engineers.
Manager: Sir, would you please leave the store..... thank you.
Phoned sweetwater when I got home and bought my mic online.

[Mosby]

Just for the record.... working for GC isn't a picnic either. It's hard, you're underpaid, you have to sell a ton to get your commission, and then you have to sell a ton more to get a commission worth a damn. Not saying it excuses anything, but there's a reason why they can't hold onto good employees. getting promoted, ha, that's easy - you'd think it'd actually mean more money, but it often times it actually means less (higher commission = higher quota, when the salesguy, if he was lucky, was making his quota before).

And there isn't just tremendous pressure to sell, but to sell certain items - (the margin is usually good, and it's *new*). And on some items, there just isn't a margin... it's entirely possible to sell $8k worth of keyboard and only make the company $500. Really.

Not saying that it excuses usually GC dumbass-ness, but just not ain't always easy on the other side.

[Jazzpunk]

Originally Posted by audiomichael

Many years ago I worked at GC Sherman Oaks, and someone called and asked for a MIDI to 1/4" cable. The guy I was working with put down the phone and yelled across the store asking me if I knew where they were!!!

Miserable 8 months.

Many moons ago I did the same...I lasted a day and a half!

[Jazzpunk]

Originally Posted by Tone Obsessed

Understood. However, it does not excuse negligent and reckless advice... I feel bad for little Timmy coming in for his birthday guitar so he can improve.

I've heard GC Mooks tell little Timmy and his Mommy that (insert $150 guitar here) is best for him to learn on. WOW!

Pros and intelligent, well informed buyers are protected from these mooks. What about Timmy?

TJ

C'mon fess up, 'little Timmy' is you isn't it?

Group hug everybody.

[Jim Kerr]

Originally Posted by Jazzpunk

C'mon fess up, 'little Timmy' is you isn't it?

Group hug everybody.

LOL!

[ddageek]

Originally Posted by Mosby

Just for the record.... working for GC isn't a picnic either. It's hard, you're underpaid, you have to sell a ton to get your commission, and then you have to sell a ton more to get a commission worth a damn. Not saying it excuses anything, but there's a reason why they can't hold onto good employees. getting promoted, ha, that's easy - you'd think it'd actually mean more money, but it often times it actually means less (higher commission = higher quota, when the salesguy, if he was lucky, was making his quota before).

And there isn't just tremendous pressure to sell, but to sell certain items - (the margin is usually good, and it's *new*). And on some items, there just isn't a margin... it's entirely possible to sell $8k worth of keyboard and only make the company $500. Really.

Not saying that it excuses usually GC dumbass-ness, but just not ain't always easy on the other side.

Yeah and every other Pro Audio Dealer faces the same Problems but here is the thing:

Make the boss happy by makeing the company money! Sell the stuff that the customer needs, not what the boss want you to sell, If the Boss is pissed and the customer is happy and the company made money the customer will comunicate to the boss that he is happy by buying more!!

Yeah I pissed Johnathan Lipp off Quite often by selling the customer what he really needed not what johnathan had bought on a wimm, but I also sold more of the old "deals" he had made over the years when it was the right piece for the customer!

Yeah its a pain in te ass when the guy asks why you need something, but He is trying to qualify your needs and he might learn something!

GC LIES TO ITS EMPLOYEES If you work at GC take a look at a real manufactures price sheet and then the prices in the computer what you will notice is that the costs in your computer are way higher than the prices on the sheet (and GC is paying less than the sheet prices) now the competition sees the real price so they can deal accordingly and make a real deal!

If you are any good at GC you can always Get A job at one of the better dealers and make some real money!

How do I know this? 7 years building one of the nations largest Pro audio huses retail division hell I could sell more than a GGC RAT in a coma (I did for six months)


The bottom line is if you have the skills and the knowledge you can make the situation work! BUTT you got to realize that you are going to learn something new every day and not always where you expect too!

Eric Nelson
Former Retail Manager Full Compass

[Tone Obsessed]

Originally Posted by Jazzpunk

C'mon fess up, 'little Timmy' is you isn't it?

Group hug everybody.

No, I'm just Little Timmy's court appointed guardian for the purposes of protecting his rights and interests when he and his hot Mommy walk into GC for a geeetar...

TJ

[Omicron_9]

Originally Posted by ArtGarceau

These are questions I've gotten from GC employees. I work for a "industry standard" mic company so keep this in mind otherwise you won't understand.

3. GC employee: My customer doesn't like how long the antennas are on his "insert model for $4k wireless system." Will it still work ok if we cut the antennas in half?

Me: No

GC employee: Can I place an order for a pair of antennas?



There are a lot more...anyone want me to continue?

Example #3: coffee. All. Over. Keyboard.


More, please.

-0.9

[zwaps]

Originally Posted by Duffster

Arrived in California from Brasil and couldn't wait to go buy a noce condenser mic to smuggle home to my studio. Borrowed my moms car a took myself to Guitat Center and rushed into take a peak at the mics. After the sales person helped me look at a blue bottle, AKG C12, Soundlux.... etc. he takes me to the MXL mic cabinet.

GC: Dude: I see you have high end taste sir, but these microphones really perform on a international level.
Me: What do you mean by international?
GC: They are becoming an international standard for pro recordings... lots of the discs you here on the radio are recorded with these. The sound they get is just more simple and easy to work with.
Me: Really!! Tell me..... isn't that $99.00 condenser just a hunk of shit?(as I am saying this the pro audio manager has walked up behind me)
Manager: Sir, If you were an experienced or pro audio engineer like myself or my coleague you would know that mics are like crayons.... they come in many different colors, and give different textures to the audio palet.
Me: So your telling me that this mic is the shit brown crayola color.
Manager: Sir, we don't take audio as a joke, and when you become a pro audio engineer you will realise why.

in disbelief at this point
Me: I guess you learned that lesson when you took it as a joke and ended working in the pro audio department in GC selling audio crayons to real engineers.
Manager: Sir, would you please leave the store..... thank you.
Phoned sweetwater when I got home and bought my mic online.

well cutting the crap of "I am pro and work at GC", he does have a point. Spending more money doesn't necessarily make a condensor better. Cheap ones do have their uses.
While this isn't as drastic as dynamic mics (i5 anyone), I have heard some decent MXLs at around 300 bucks that I could put to use somewhere... even if it was live as drum overhead.

There aren't that many factors that make a mic universally great in an objective way. The biggest influence on sound is, in fact, the frequency range it outputs. And this is, by all means, totally subjective and might work better for one instrument and recording than another and this doesn't have much to do with price.

So maybe this particular MXL was actually a good mic for, let's say, hi-hat. It is absolutely possible that this particular mic, by accident, outputs the perfect sound to make the hihat fit in your mix.

Of course this is hypothetical, but it is very well possible.

[scking]

Obviously I'm in the minority here, but I've had good experiences with Guitar Center in Atlanta. One of the assistant managers (a guy named Skip) always seems to know what I'm talking about and never tries to BS me. If he doesn't know something, he just says so.

I never go to the one in Marietta because of stuff similar to the other stories in this thread.

Another good place in town is Atlanta Pro Audio. They carry some of the more "boutique" stuff that GC doesn't have.