# Horrible/dumb music salesmen stories thread



## XeoFLCL (Jun 25, 2014)

*EDIT: Sorry I posted this in the wrong place.. Meant to click General Discussion.. Can a mod move this? Sorry about that *

I'm not sure if one of these threads has happened, I remember reading one somewhere a long time ago, but couldn't find one here.. So here we go!

So I kind of had an experience today that I really feel the need to talk about, and drove me to start one of these threads.

Today I dedicated the day to hunting multiple music stores for good bass cabs. Went to a few samashes and guitarcenters, and didn't really find anything spectacular except for a cab at a local samash that I'm kind of interested in. While doing this however, I decided to drop by a certain Guitar Center in Orange, California. From my experience there, most of the guys are really cool and I've had them score me some awesome deals (mint condition ISP Decimator for 50 dollars? Mint Super Chorus for 40? yes please ) but this story is very different. I went in today and took a look in the used section, and didn't see anything good, so I decided to ask a salesmen to see if there was anything hiding possibly. He asked which amp I was using, which I quickly replied with a 500 watt ampeg. I told him I was mostly aiming for an 8ohm cabinet so I could pair it up with my other 8 ohm cab so it'd turn out to be 4ohms. I told him I was aiming for a higher wattage cab, preferrably with a constant 800w rating. The guy says, and I shit you not, "running a cab that's too high wattage will cause your amp to burn out because your amp will try to run at the wattage of the cabinet, you should run a cab that is under the wattage of your amp so your amp is safe".....

At that point, the first thing that came to mind was "you can't be ....ing serious". I immediately told the guy that was not the case, and he must be confusing the amp wattage with the cabinet wattage, but no, he was insistent. "running your amp through a cab at it's rated ohmage/wattage into a cab that is rated at a higher constant wattage will cause your amp to overheat and die". I tried to convince him for a good 20 minutes, but the guy had to have some kind of brain block or something. He wasn't even trying to sell me anything, he was simply spreading false information and was insistent on convincing me to think that buying a cab that was under my rated wattage for 4ohms would be safer than buying one that had more wattage headroom. I even went on to tell him that I was certain this was not the case, as one, I've run well over 10 different amps, guitar and bass, through cabs rated MUCH higher wattage wise, which he replied with "well, tube amps are different they can run with any wattage cabinet".

Wait, what? I didn't even say any of them were tube amps. So at this point, I just tell him that he should probably look it up and that I've taken classes specifically for electronic engineering, which he replies "I have also gone to school for electronic engineering".. Unfortunately, the guitar center position kind of immediately made him look like a fool saying that .

Granted, after that I quickly handed him the cable I was holding (as this argument wasted at least 15 minutes of my time and I did not even get to try any of the cabs they had), put up the ibanez I was holding, and just left. It's really unfortunate, and honestly makes me not want to ever go back to that particular store. This has to be the most absurd thing I've ever had a guitarcenter employee say to me, ever. It wasn't even to try and sell something, it was just to defend a know it all additude with no actual knowledge.

Kind of saddening the people they hire on there.

Anyways I'd love to hear similar stories from others, since these threads always provide entertaining


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## Pikka Bird (Jun 25, 2014)

Well, a while ago I went into the local 4Sound (the largest chain in the country) and asked if they had the new baritone Iron Label coming in some time. I showed him the guitar in the catalogue and he looked it up in the system. Or rather, he looked up the one right under it even though my finger was firmly planted right next to the model name, so of course he came up with nothing of use. I spotted his mistake and he grudgingly agreed to type in the correct name (as if seven keystrokes would give him RSI or something) and found that they had one of them in the Copenhagen store.

I asked if they could have them send it over so I could try it out, but he said that he would rather not, and that they had a baritone Tele in the showroom that I could try because he didn't see how that could possibly feel or sound any different. I have always felt an iffy vibe coming off this guy in regards to his knowledge, but I played along for the time being. As we walked towards the Fender section he was telling me how baritone guitars were made for tuning low (duh), to which I replied that I was well aware of this but that I wouldn't realy go that low at all, but was mainly interested in the feel of the extra long scale for standard tunings or one step down. This is when he puts the god damned Tsar Bomba of music store clerk bombshells on me: "Well, the scale isn't really about the length", he quipped, without giving me the satisfaction of hearing what he then might think the scale _length_ describes. He continued: "And the baritone thing it's just about how low you tune the guitar", once again not bothering to explain his theory about what makes a baritone guitar more suited for lower tunings- something I'd love to hear.

Aaaanyways, he sets me down in front of some Fender amp, a Hot-Rod-something that I don't quite recall the name of, hands me the guitar and leaves while I put it to the test. Now, I am a big Tele nut, and I love the way the neck on my '85 MIJ Custom RI feels, but the combination of the longer scale and the rather thick neck profile made it feel quite alien for what I wanted to use it for. The humbucker in the bridge also didn't seem to work for anything other than slow, single-note drones and simple chords. That's not really the guitar's fault, but it really made me wish the guy had just agreed to bring the IB6 over instead, because this had nothing to do with what I was actually looking for.

So I turn off the amp, hang the guitar on the wall, coil the cable and go find the guy again to give him the cable back. So I told him what I thought of the guitar, and commented that I didn't really know what Fender's idea was when they put that humbucker in there, and then he just pulls another ace out of his sleeve: "Well, that's just the humbucker sound, you know. You can't really change that". 

...!!

At this point I just felt like giving him a stern talking to, telling him that he's probably the least qualified, least knowledgeable clerk I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with (a displeasure that's accumulated from previous visits to the store, mind you) and going through his bits of "information" point by point and proving the fallacy of every single thing he's ever said to anyone ever about guitars, and how I believe him to actually cost the store quite a lot of sales because of his complete inability to sense what a customer wants/needs, and ignorance in regards to what would be able to fulfill those needs.

But of course I didn't. "Well, I guess that baritone thing just isn't for me, bye then" I said and left, shocked that this ignorant, middle-aged Fender-worshipping-for-the-sake-of-nothing-but-traditional-high-and-mighty-stuck-up-ness dude has kept his job ever since the store originally opened some eight to ten years ago. Not once have I heard him say anything to a customer that has helt any truth beyond the most basic "this is a guitar. You play it by plunking the strings"-nonsense, and it actually offends my sense of right and wrong that he gets to hang around expensive guitars all day long, and on top of this he is one of the guys who gets a final say in what the store should actually stock up on, meaning 40% Fender, 30% Gibson, 10% Squier, 10% Epi and then the final 10% is shared by the cheapest Jacksons, a couple of mid-range Ibbys and that one Peavey with the digital magic tuner contraption from a couple of years ago.


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## TRENCHLORD (Jun 25, 2014)

Music store dude once was trying to sell me a peavey 412, he says;
Just look how thick those boards are man, leaps and bound sturdier than those thin-ass Mesa cab boards.
Apparently he thought I didn't understand that those "heavy-duty" boards only are on the faceplate, not really part of the construction.
I asked him; Then why are Mesa cabs so much heavier overall?
He said they just weight them to fool people .


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## Ulvhedin (Jun 25, 2014)

Not as annoying as the above, but still qualifies.

Went to a store looking for Laney IRT + 212 cab, they didnt have it, so they told me they could order it for me. After a relatively long discussion I got told it'd take 1-2 weeks for delivery because it was sent from dealer, so I told him okay, grabbed a few sets of strings, and left.

Called in a few weeks later, no arrival yet.

Week after that, nothing.

Randomly drove by like a month after that- greypaper in the windows, store shut down. Luckily I didn't pay any deposit or anything.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 25, 2014)

Salesmen are salesmen no matter what they're selling. If I had a dollar for every time someone selling me something knew 1/10th (if lucky) about the product they were trying to sell me as I did, I would have my driver take my guitar guy to the music store in my Phantom to buy my gear for me.  

If there is one thing I've learned though, is the second someone doesn't know what they're talking about, use it to your advantage. If they say that MIM Fender is the pinnacle of guitar playability and tone, and that a "Jap Ibanez" is nothing, then tell them you don't want to pay full price for "inferiority" and have them discount the guitar your really want. If they don't understand the various tiers offered by a brand, have them lower the price on the higher end models. If you act like you know what you're talking about, are persistent, you can turn "that idiot at the guitar shop" into "the guy I can get discounts from". 

I LOVE that Guitar Center, Sam Ash, and Music-Go-Round tend to hire "less than informed" staff. I've gotten so many MIJ Ibbys for under $200, CS Washburns for the price of imports, MIJ Strats and Teles for the cost of MIM, Avatar and Lopo cabs for next to nothing, etc. etc. 

Stupidity is a weakness, exploit it.


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## Nag (Jun 25, 2014)

This thread is basically the reason why I haven't been in a single music store in 3 years.

People who think they know their job just because they got hired is a dreadful thing (I'm saying that and most people I know become teachers, so imagine the disaster)

Don't ever argue with those people and don't EVER ask them for ANY technical information. You never know what kind of dumbass you'll end up talking to. Find the info on the internet, talking to people, and once you know what you're looking for, THEN go to a store.


PS Max, you're hilarious . totally gonna do this.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 25, 2014)

Nagash said:


> You never know what kind of dumbass you'll end up talking to. Find the info on the internet, talking to people, and once you know what you're looking for, THEN go to a store.



Outside of guitars, this goes for every purchase you ever plan on making. An educated shopper is far less likely to get taken by sales BS, and addign to what I said above, can put you in a position to use your knowledge to get a much better price on a piece of gear you actually want.


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## Dentom79 (Jun 25, 2014)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Outside of guitars, this goes for every purchase you ever plan on making. An educated shopper is far less likely to get taken by sales BS, and addign to what I said above, can put you in a position to use your knowledge to get a much better price on a piece of gear you actually want.



I couldn't agree more.

A year ago I decided to get my own place and had to buy all sorts of electronics (refrigerators, washing machines,...) of which I did not know anything about.

After half a day of online research I went to the shop and came to the conclusion I already had more knowledge then the average sales person there. 15 minutes later I left the store with everything I needed and nothing else.

But guitar related I've been quite lucky with the service I have been receiving. I tend to stick to small local shops where people love there job and the instruments more than anything else.


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## stevexc (Jun 25, 2014)

Yeah, I'm fortunate enough that at all 3 of my local shops I've got well-informed sales staff to work with... all of whom are willing to cut me a deal when they can. The biggest issue I ever had was one guy getting confused when we were looking up a certain Jackson... but I don't blame him for mixing up "SLATXMGQ3-7" with "SLATTXMG3-7".


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## DC23 (Jun 25, 2014)

Haha wow crazy. I prefer to do my own research online. Half of the stuff I am interested in cannot be ordered in a local store anyways.


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## Dudley (Jun 25, 2014)

The staff in the few music shops where I live tend to be absolutely god-awful. There are the odd exceptions, but for the most part I don't even bother going into shops to try/buy gear because of this.

The one experience that always sticks out in my mind is a few years ago I went to play an ESP M-II in a local store. Unfortunately it'd been sold about 30 mins before I got there, but the sales guy was helpful enough and (sensing that I had some money to burn) promptly handed over every other ESP and Caparison they had in store for me to try. Rather enjoyed the Caparison but told the fella that if I were to buy one I'd rather have the oiled mahogany version rather than the painted one they had in stock. "No problem", says the guy, 'we'd be happy to order it in from one of our other stores for you to try some time if you want".

Called back in a month or so later and noticed they had that oiled Caparison in and asked a different sales chap, who I'd never really dealt with before but always had a bad vibe from (typical 'heavier-than-thou' attitude even though he never wore much other than Lamb Of God shirts etc) if I could try it as I'd played the other model a few weeks earlier and was told it'd be fine. The guy gave me the filthiest look ever and basically spat "We don't get those kind of guitars off the wall for just anyone, y'know..." then looked me up and down, rolled his eyes and muttered "there's a load of Fenders on the wall over there behind you that you'd probably be happier with anyway", which I can only assume he extrapolated from the fact that I had skinny jeans on and indie was popular at that particular time that that was what I was into, totally ignorant to the Ulcerate shirt I was wearing. Or maybe he just thought I looked like a bum with no money, haha. Absolute douchebag either way.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Jun 25, 2014)

I was at a guitar center away from my normal Austin area stores and overheard one of their sales monkeys trying to sell a guy a Schecter with EMG's. 

Seems normal enough right? WRONG. 

According to the salesman, the advantage of the Schecter over an Ibanez, ESP, or Jackson with the SAME PICKUPS was that, and I quote, "only Schecter uses a proprietary electronics system that lets you swap in different EMG pickups or Blackouts without tearing out all of the knobs, jack, and switch."     

Seeing as Schecter has never said this even once about any of their products, I can only assume the guy had seen a video where someone swapped some EMG's and/or a set of Blackouts for some other actives in the same guitar using the quick-connect system, and the guitar used had just happened to be a Schecter  

I ended up talking to the customer after the salesman walked off and cleared up the confusion about the quick-connect system, which led him to purchase an ESP he'd been eyeing because he liked the feel of it better than the Schecter the sales guy had tried to push him into buying. 

Moral of the story: TWAT is a good Samaritan and it's important to do your own research


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## JoshuaVonFlash (Jun 25, 2014)

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> I was at a guitar center away from my normal Austin area stores and overheard one of their sales monkeys trying to sell a guy a Schecter with EMG's.
> 
> Seems normal enough right? WRONG.
> 
> ...


Good ol' TWAT.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 25, 2014)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Salesmen are salesmen no matter what they're selling. If I had a dollar for every time someone selling me something knew 1/10th (if lucky) about the product they were trying to sell me as I did, I would have my driver take my guitar guy to the music store in my Phantom to buy my gear for me.
> 
> If there is one thing I've learned though, is the second someone doesn't know what they're talking about, use it to your advantage. If they say that MIM Fender is the pinnacle of guitar playability and tone, and that a "Jap Ibanez" is nothing, then tell them you don't want to pay full price for "inferiority" and have them discount the guitar your really want. If they don't understand the various tiers offered by a brand, have them lower the price on the higher end models. If you act like you know what you're talking about, are persistent, you can turn "that idiot at the guitar shop" into "the guy I can get discounts from".
> 
> ...



To be honest, I don't think this has ever worked for me. In fact, I tried it and once -- there was an actual, but easily fixable issue with the guitar -- and he goes "I dunno dude, I'm not allowed to give discounts, especially to people that ask for them, because they probably don't have the money to buy the guitar anyways." Not only was this incredibly insulting to a possible customer, but I proceeded to pull out my money, counted it out [all $475 of it] and said, "You could've made commission. Instead, I think I'll go buy a cheeseburger from Mickey D's, because at least they know what they are selling." And of course, walked out without listening to what verbal stool was about to spew out of that herpderp he calls a mouth.


Oh and I almost bought a Viper 407 once, but the douchebag wanted something insane like $525 used or some shit on a 600 dollar guitar and said "Nah, I can't, I'm 'selling it for someone else'." This is a guy who wouldn't give me more than $100 bucks on 4 guitars so he could keep the one he wanted and sold the rest equaling 2.5x the amount he gave me. This person and his store is pretty much the reason I won't buy used and apparently, the rumor is his shit is stolen anyways. Which is kinda interesting cuz I had the worst luck owning shit I got from him, probably because of residual karma from owning stolen stuff. I've mentioned him before in other threads; he's the guy who'd always ask "when are you gonna buy a recto from me" and stated that "EQs are to make shitty amps sound better so I don't want that." Apparently, this dickcheese has never seen, let alone owned a Mark or Pittbull.


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## TheStig1214 (Jun 25, 2014)

One of the guys at my local GC tried convincing me that GC owned Groove Tubes while selling them (I was stuck between Sovteks and JJs at the time). 

I knew for a fact this wasn't true. Seeing how far I could keep this going, I asked where they were made. 

"Highest quality tubes straight from mother Russia!" he exclaimed. At least he was half (or a quarter) right. 

"Really?" I questioned. "I could have sworn I've seen Groove Tubes at Sam Ash, and the guy there told me they just match sets of tubes from all different companies, Russian or Chinese, and re-brand them as Groove Tubes. You can get a Sovtek set one time and a Tung-Sol set the next and a JJ set the next."

He was quiet after that.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 25, 2014)

TheStig1214 said:


> One of the guys at my local GC tried convincing me that GC owned Groove Tubes while selling them (I was stuck between Sovteks and JJs at the time).
> 
> I knew for a fact this wasn't true. Seeing how far I could keep this going, I asked where they were made.
> 
> ...



Foot... meet mouth. 

And it sounds to me like that cockbreath is a supporter of Russia and Che Guevera.


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## TheStig1214 (Jun 25, 2014)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Foot... meet mouth.
> 
> And it sounds to me like that cockbreath is a supporter of Russia and Che Guevera.



He said it with a thick and obnoxious Russian accent, I think he was trying to be funny.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 25, 2014)

TheStig1214 said:


> He said it with a thick and obnoxious Russian accent, I think he was trying to be funny.



No wonder Guitar Center sucks... they hire a bunch of idiotic, wannabe failed comedians.


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## TheStig1214 (Jun 25, 2014)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> No wonder Guitar Center sucks... they hire a bunch of idiotic, wannabe failed comedians.



The rest of the guys at this particular GC are actually pretty knowledgeable and friendly. Just that one guy....


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## Jzbass25 (Jun 25, 2014)

I had a salesperson be an ass to me because I wanted to shave off some of the price for this used ibby. It was overvalued by $200 even if the thing was mint but this one needed so much work that it wouldn't have been worth it even at a crazy low price, but I still liked it so wanted to try and make a deal. 

But he literally laughed when I tried to even get $50 off (it's a longer process than described but basically I wanted to see how low he would go since I knew I couldn't get it at any price but sticker after talking to him), he's like oh that's not how these things work, that's not how this works. I even heard him later tell another employee about the "crazy" $50 discount I tried to get. He was basically writing me off as a stupid kid that doesn't know how "business" works, except at that time I just accepted my degrees for business and economics... lol.


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## broj15 (Jun 25, 2014)

I had a guy in guitar center swear up and down that an RG470 was an RG570. I pointed out that it had a lo trs bridge and that 570's weren't issued in that color for the year the guitar was made according to the serial # . Then he was like "man, I get that you're trying to score a deal and all, but this guitar was sold to us by one of the guys that works here and he knows his stuff better than anyone." I told him his guy was either ignorant or a liar and that the guitar just wasn't what I was looking for and then left


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 25, 2014)

broj15 said:


> I had a guy in guitar center swear up and down that an RG470 was an RG570. I pointed out that it had a lo trs bridge and that 570's weren't issued in that color for the year the guitar was made according to the serial # . Then he was like "man, I get that you're trying to score a deal and all, but this guitar was sold to us by one of the guys that works here and he knows his stuff better than anyone." I told him his guy was either ignorant or a liar and that the guitar just wasn't what I was looking for and then left



In short: Refused to admit they were wrong. 

And while I don't really understand the Ibanez numbering system, I know enough to know a 520 is better than a 320 and that a 7321 isn't even in the same book as a 7620 as far as quality is concerned.


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## MikeH (Jun 25, 2014)

Jzbass25 said:


> I had a salesperson be an ass to me because I wanted to shave off some of the price for this used ibby. It was overvalued by $200 even if the thing was mint but this one needed so much work that it wouldn't have been worth it even at a crazy low price, but I still liked it so wanted to try and make a deal.
> 
> But he literally laughed when I tried to even get $50 off (it's a longer process than described but basically I wanted to see how low he would go since I knew I couldn't get it at any price but sticker after talking to him), he's like oh that's not how these things work, that's not how this works. I even heard him later tell another employee about the "crazy" $50 discount I tried to get. He was basically writing me off as a stupid kid that doesn't know how "business" works, except at that time I just accepted my degrees for business and economics... lol.



If this guy thinks $50 is crazy, he should meet my dad, who walked out with a $250 price drop on a brand new Epiphone Les Paul.  I don't know if it was a fluke, or what. But my dad is the king of bargaining.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 25, 2014)

MikeH said:


> If this guy thinks $50 is crazy, he should meet my dad, who walked out with a $250 price drop on a brand new Epiphone Les Paul.  I don't know if it was a fluke, or what. But my dad is the king of bargaining.



Kinda reminds me of the Old Man from A Christmas Story.


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## Pikka Bird (Jun 26, 2014)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> And while I don't really understand the Ibanez numbering system, I know enough to know a 520 is better than a 320 and that a 7321 isn't even in the same book as a 7620 as far as quality is concerned.



Well, it used to be pretty simple. The first number told you the overall league the guitar was in, the second described the pickup combination (2 = double humbuckers, 5 = HSH with a pickguard, 6 = HSS with pickguard, 7 = rear-routed HSH and a few others) and the last was for the bridge (0 = tremolo, 1 = fixed bridge). If there was a 7 in front then it had seven strings. Then you had the model suffix letter, like the R in RGR meant it had a reverse headstock, a T in RGT was for neck-through.


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## JoeuJGM (Jun 26, 2014)

I've only been to one GC, one time, and fortunately I never had the displeasure of dealing with the kind of BS alot of you have had to. The only reason I was even there was to try out an 8 string or two. They only had one and it sucked so I left with a nice, comfy guitar strap instead 
I only go to a small local shop now and everyone there is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. When I went in for a repair on my 8 string they were demoing a bunch of new Taylor electrics (the ones with the acoustic-type bridges) and I was able to have a great conversation about them, right down to the specs that most people wouldn't give two s**ts about like stacked-humbuckers in a lipstick-sized pickup casing. In a perfect world you could walk into any <_insert music store here_> and have the same experience any day, not just when that one guy who's a total guitar nerd like most of us is working


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## cardinal (Jun 26, 2014)

I've never had any issues with GC. Sometimes you'll get stuck with someone who doesn't know what they're really talking about, but there's no point in arguing with them. I guess it stinks if they end up misleading someone who doesn't know any better, but it's so easy these days to do your own homework. For the most part, everyone I've been in, the GC sales guys will pull down whatever from the wall and will leave you alone while you tinker with it (unless you're playing really loud, but I can't blame them for that). Just be reasonable: probably not a good idea to go into GC and ask them to pull down a private stock PRS while unshowered and wearing a holey t-shirt and lots of chains/rings/etc. (e.g., things that scratch guitars). 

You guys probably know your stuff, but imagine how much crap they must put up with during the day, too. I'm sure tons of guys come in that are completely clueless and broke that give them a hard time.


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Jun 26, 2014)

So last year when I was between jobs, I picked one up at GC store 777. It lasted a couple months before I landed a contracting gig and moved, but I did enjoy it. I've been in and out of all the major chains and can say it varies greatly from place to place. I think in Florida most of the GC stores are solid, and probably because most of the employees are actually reputable musicians, band members, metal heads, jazz players, or have had careers in music to some level. When they actually give a shit about their craft and have experience with gear, it helps make for honest retail, which is NOT always the case unfortunately. Good management makes a big difference too. But I think part of the problem is the over focus on sales instead of gear knowledge. The testing for certifications is ok, but easy to take. They really need to train people in person on the basics and advanced knowledge to understand gear. There are a lot of dumb customers, a lot of gear noobs, but there are also plenty of us that know more than the store and they have to be able to handle that. I could never take the full salesman approach. I'm just not really cut out for retail anyways, and GC was the only job I could manage because I actually gave a damn about what we were selling and the customer being satisfied. That means you start slowly but eventually make enough good connections that people come back for more business because you get what they want and deliver good results. Lying to make sales pisses me off like no other. The store I worked in was one of the few that really stretched themselves to satisfy the customer over "selling them whatever we had in the store", including advising on stuff we can't carry. That's what brought so many people back, including foreign customers, who wound up dumping a lot of money into the place. This made the difference from our store which pulled several million a year versus those that could only make a few hundred thousand. I think a great example was in dealing with Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth. He was patient as hell on a busy day and respected how we focused on the amount of customers being in front of him instead of doing celebrity worship. He waited for his turn, and got the attention needed to grab a custom shop Tele, and left. All of those customers I dealt with are regulars now, plus Jon came back for a setup (I've never seen 11-60s put on a Tele), jammed on some ENGLs, and tossed me a copy of Iced Earth's latest dvd. He came back weeks later to get a starter guitar for his daughter. You know you are doing something right when people come back and ask for you, and most of the people working at that store have similar experiences. 

I haven't been in many stores like that, and have seen plenty of them lie through their teeth just to sell something. I hate when as soon as they realize you aren't going to buy something they don't pay any attention to you. I'd rather have someone come in, buy nothing, but jam on stuff and enjoy themselves (without badgering them to buy shit), then to be a cold asshole just focused on gross profit. The stores that have better gear and boutique stuff do so partly because they sell well, but I guarantee it's because they have solid client relationships, know their stuff, and actually care about what the customer wants. Plus they treat a Dean buyer the same as a PRS PS buyer.


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## Rosal76 (Jun 26, 2014)

There's a music store that I normally go to and they had a classical guitar that has a hole in the body in which you can clearly see through into the body. I asked if the guitar was discounted (from it's MSRP price) and the sales guy holding it said, "it doesn't affect playability".


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## Andromalia (Jun 26, 2014)

Music stores in Paris aren't too bad in that regard. While I was living in Ireland it was pretty funny however.


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## ImNotAhab (Jun 26, 2014)

Andromalia said:


> Music stores in Paris aren't too bad in that regard. While I was living in Ireland it was pretty funny however.



Any good examples?


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## goldsteinat0r (Jun 26, 2014)

I was buying strings once and for no good reason this 19 year old kid was trying to sell me a synyster gates signature schecter. Not my speed at all and I politely declined. Just the strings thanks. Throughout the transaction (which for some reason took 20 minutes to ring) he KEPT saying "dude play it! When I do I feel like THE REAL SYNYSTER GATES MAN! TRUST ME!" 

I was like "Ok....like....NO THANK YOU." *leaves*


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 26, 2014)

They always think I'm gonna buy the $3k Taylor acoustic bc I can coherently play the intro to Call of Ktulu.


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## TedEH (Jun 26, 2014)

This isn't quite as bad as some, but I went into Steve's Music in Ottawa once looking for preamp tubes, was handed a "Mesa" branded tube, and when I asked if they had other ones to try I was asked why I would ever want to do that. These say "Mesa" on them, so clearly they're amazing. They didn't even stock other tubes, since they're all the same right? This is coming from the kind of store that keeps any non- Fender or Gibson guitar in a tiny room at the back of the store, and literally markets themselves with the phrase "if we don't have it, you don't need it".


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## tacotiklah (Jun 26, 2014)

^Cringe-worthy.


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## mongey (Jun 26, 2014)

my mate had a great one . he was buying a nice acousitc. on sale price in the store was $1800 , but on the hand written tag the 1 was kinda close to the $ sign . the young guy on the counter looked at it and actaully said " I cant tell if thats a 1 or not" and my mate says " nah its $800 not $1800 " and he rings him up for $800 without checking which my mate pays cash so he cant be traced and gets the hell out of there 

it was a big chain store who are notiroius pricks so its a win to the little guy


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## Pikka Bird (Jun 26, 2014)

^Man, I hope that guy wasn't some poor schmoe trying to pay his way through college or something. Was he one of the notorious pricks?


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## mongey (Jun 26, 2014)

Pikka Bird said:


> ^Man, I hope that guy wasn't some poor schmoe trying to pay his way through college or something. Was he one of the notorious pricks?


 

nah he wasnt a prick. my mate loves him


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## UnattendedGolfcart (Jun 27, 2014)

I can honestly say that I don't think I've had more than one or two truly helpful statements of information told to me in the Guitar Center near me in the last 5 years that I've gone to that store.

I haven't suffered with ridiculous know it alls as much as other people in this thread, but most of the information I get is just not helpful at all or entirely irrelevant. For instance, over my spring break I was looking at getting a new delay pedal, and I went to that GC to ask about their pedals. The only two they had there that I was interested in were the Boss DD-7 and the Carbon Copy. I already knew a fair bit about them, and I just wanted to see if the sales associates could tell me anything I couldn't find online. They couldn't. In fact, they had less info on them than the basic Musiciansfriend description.

One of the guys was trying to get me to buy the Boss because, quote, "I'm just a Boss guy, I haven't used the Carbon Copy though". Okay, you're recommending me pedal A on the basis that it's a certain brand, and you've never used pedal B to compare? The other girl talking to me there told me to get the Carbon Copy because "analog just sounds better and more true". Wut. Why does it sound better? They couldn't give anything more past their surface level reasons. I already know I want a TC Flashback over either of them, so I didn't buy anything that day.

There's one old guy there who has worked there for years, and no matter what the hell I tell him I'm looking for, he recommends me a Gibson. No matter what.

Once I went in to the store asking if they had any 8 strings available, that old guy gave me some weird look, although two of the other associates there were After The Burial and AAL fans so they knew what I wanted. They couldn't help, unfortunately. I told them I already had a 7 string and was looking for 8 strings, and I got directed to some cheap $300-$400 7 string Ibanez.

Sometimes I just think if you don't have anything helpful to say, don't say anything at all. Or say "We can't help". Don't direct me to something I specified I'm not looking for.


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## TheStig1214 (Jun 27, 2014)

So I bought a new amp yesterday (NAD post in the Gear section coming soon. I just need a cab). It was shipped here in NY from an Ohio Guitar Center. It was shipped in an amp box with the footswitch, tubes and power cable separate from the amp. The salesman, whom I've never seen there before btw, asks me if I want to plug into a cab to try it out. I say sure. He plops it on top of a Egnater 4x12, plugs it in and tries to turn it on.

I thankfully stop him before he turns on the amp with no tubes in it.... oh marone.....


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## Black43 (Jun 27, 2014)

At my local store, they're usually pretty helpful, pretty knowledgeable, but there's this one guy who... Well let this speak for itself.
I came in one day, just browsing, when I saw they had an Ibby S570 (low-mid range S series). I was intrigued (as the shop usually doesn't sell Ibanez gear) and I asked the guy whether I could have a go on it, but he told me it was a "strange shaped" guitar and "wouldn't i like to play something more familiar" before guiding me towards a rack of new Pacificas.
"Yamaha are one of the better guitar brands, much better than Ibanez or Schecter, they have better tuning stability and thick quilted maple tops!" he exclaims with glee as I plug one in, with the intention of drowning out the fvcker's false information with a wall of cheap Yamaha distortion.
"Uhh... Don't the Pacificas only have veneer tops?" I asked. Brace yourself for what comes next.
"What's a veneer?" 
At this point, I thanked for his time, put the guitar down and actually broke down into tears. Of laughter, I mean.
And to this day, I can never look at a Pacifica the same way again.


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## jimturmoy (Jun 27, 2014)

I went to my local Guitar Center a week ago and asked them if they had any guitars fit for Haiku playing. They told me I needed bass strings for this. Everyone knows Haiku playing requires banjo strings. What a dumbass. The experience inspired me:

Guitar Center dude
You know nothing 'bout this crap
Bad moron poop poop


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## BrailleDecibel (Jun 27, 2014)

The owner of the music store I go to is definitely not a dumb music salesman in the sense of most of the stories in this thread, he definitely knows his gear, does amazing repair work and setups, and is all-around a fairly good guy...but for the love of all things holy, do NOT mention Musician's Friend, or any online music store to this dude, you will hear a half-hour tirade of how he thinks they sell nothing but factory 2nds, and don't tell their customers about it.


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## Syphon (Jun 27, 2014)

It's easy for a sales man to sound like an idiot in the music industry.


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## jbab (Jun 27, 2014)

TedEH said:


> This isn't quite as bad as some, but I went into Steve's Music in Ottawa once looking for preamp tubes, was handed a "Mesa" branded tube, and when I asked if they had other ones to try I was asked why I would ever want to do that. These say "Mesa" on them, so clearly they're amazing. They didn't even stock other tubes, since they're all the same right? This is coming from the kind of store that keeps any non- Fender or Gibson guitar in a tiny room at the back of the store, and literally markets themselves with the phrase "if we don't have it, you don't need it".



Aaaaah good old Steve's haha. I got fed up with them, so I go to Long & McQuade or Archambault instead (only if I can't find what I want online). I took two different guitars to their tech for hardware issues, and both came back unchanged. And I waited for at least two weeks each time, because they "don't call, you have to check by yourself" (that's actually what they told me when I called). They didn't charge me though, so at least there's that.


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## TedEH (Jun 27, 2014)

jbab said:


> Aaaaah good old Steve's haha. I got fed up with them, so I go to Long & McQuade or Archambault instead (only if I can't find what I want online). I took two different guitars to their tech for hardware issues, and both came back unchanged. And I waited for at least two weeks each time, because they "don't call, you have to check by yourself" (that's actually what they told me when I called). They didn't charge me though, so at least there's that.



I'm in the same boat. I live a few blocks away from an Archambault so I go there for basic things, but I work near L&M, so I go there for any major purchases- but I've gone often enough that I know who to talk to, who to avoid, and some I recognize from local bands.

Steve's was alright at first when I tried my first couple of pickup changes on my own and did a brutal job of soldering- they fixed it without charge, which is great, but they're so condescending about it at the same time. Instead of being supportive about my trying to learn how to do my own work, they would act like it was an insult to work on my cheap instrument, and say things like "we'll have to fix it when you screw up the next one".

A long time ago, my uncle insisted on asking them to fix an amp he had, so he brought it to them and dropped it off, then heard nothing for a while. He kept calling to ask what was going on and there was always an excuse. Then he went into the store one day for something unrelated, and they were using his amp to just jam behind the counter when they weren't busy. They weren't "testing it", it wasn't fixed. Ended up getting it repaired somewhere else.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 27, 2014)

Reading some of the responses in here, is anyone really surprised that the staff at chain music stores doesn't really care about being more informed/helpful?

Half the posts here, and in most threads like this; they pop up about once a month, are pretty much folks saying they didn't really intend on purchasing anything and more or less knew what they wanted and didn't care for any sales steering.


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## stevexc (Jun 27, 2014)

Pretty much that ^^. There's really only 2 main types of customers at guitar shops, with a rare third... the guys who already know what they want and don't need any help (ie the same guys that sit around talking all day about it on the internet... losers /eyeroll) and the guys who don't know anything and will believe whatever the salesman tells them. You can't win over the first, so why bother getting things right for the second? What's the advantage? That rare third, the customer that knows a little but still needs help, isn't common enough to make a big difference.


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## TedEH (Jun 27, 2014)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Reading some of the responses in here, is anyone really surprised that the staff at chain music stores doesn't really care about being more informed/helpful?
> 
> Half the posts here, and in most threads like this; they pop up about once a month, are pretty much folks saying they didn't really intend on purchasing anything and more or less knew what they wanted and didn't care for any sales steering.



I don't know about surprised, but I don't think what you described would disqualify anyone from deserving to deal with informed sales people. I'm just as guilty as anyone else of walking into music stores, window shopping, playing a bunch of random guitars, and leaving without making a purchase- but at the same time, they don't know that I'm not going to suddenly decide to spend thousands of dollars in their store because I was maybe on the fence about something but they convinced me by being well informed and helpful- and it does happen.


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## Joose (Jun 27, 2014)

Guitarget (Guitar Center) in Denver.

Me: "Hey, do you guys have any 7 or 8 strings?"

Sales guy: "Um, why?"

And off to Drum City-Guitar Land I went.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 27, 2014)

CJLsky said:


> The owner of the music store I go to is definitely not a dumb music salesman in the sense of most of the stories in this thread, he definitely knows his gear, does amazing repair work and setups, and is all-around a fairly good guy...but for the love of all things holy, do NOT mention Musician's Friend, or any online music store to this dude, you will hear a half-hour tirade of how he thinks they sell nothing but factory 2nds, and don't tell their customers about it.



I actually wouldn't be surprised at all. Well, at least not with MF, but I wouldn't go into a 30 minute tirade about it. 



Joose said:


> Guitarget (Guitar Center) in Denver.
> 
> Me: "Hey, do you guys have any 7 or 8 strings?"
> 
> ...



Maybe he forgot how to say "Yes/no"?


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## ddtonfire (Jun 27, 2014)

Joose said:


> Guitarget (Guitar Center) in Denver.
> 
> Me: "Hey, do you guys have any 7 or 8 strings?"
> 
> ...



See, your mistake was not going to DCGL first.


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## Joose (Jun 28, 2014)

ddtonfire said:


> See, your mistake was not going to DCGL first.



Had no idea it was in Denver till I texted a friend there about where I should go.


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## Musiscience (Jun 28, 2014)

My worst experience was in a Toronto Long & McQuade. I walked in with the prospect of trying/buying a deluxe stratocaster they had. So i went into the store, my first time going to this store since I was visiting family, and asked the salesperson if I could try it. He just smiled to his coworkers letting them know he was about to make the joke of the century and answered me "these guitars are not meant to be played by french people". For the record, I am from Quebec which is a french native province in canada. I did not know sales persons could sell guitars only to who they want to following their racist ideology. 

On a funny side note, the person I was with when this happened knew the CEO, Mr. Long, on a business level and they had a meeting the week after, but he let it go not to make unnecessary drama


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## Guitarmiester (Jun 28, 2014)

I can get over the fact that GC hires idiots since it's easier than you'd think to take advantage of their lack of anything relating to sense. I usually don't buy pedals new but had to pick up a Flashback X4 before a show so I strolled into GC, played one for a bit, let the guy get nice and wet that he was about to make a sale, and then I said _"I got that email for the deal but forgot to bring it, but I don't need to have it on me for the deal right?" _He stood their for a minute and proceeded with, _"oh yea, the 20% off! I'll have the manager manually put it in for you since you forgot the email." _That was only a few weeks ago. I still laugh about that working. 

On a more aggravating note, I've been stopping at a few GC's just to try guitars and see what I'm feeling for my next purchase. The GC bro's see this as I'm going to buy every guitar I touch so they flock. When one of them daydreams without noticing me wander to a different section of guitars another bro swoops in "hey bro, I'm Broseph is there anything I can help you with?" The other guy gets salty, barges over with "I've got this... so what do you think of that guitar?" And the process repeats. 

I was looking at PRS and EBMM and this guy was so set on me trying out their new Gibson's. He kept taking guitars off the wall while I was trying a BFR JP6, "here man, we just got this in it's a ummm... (looks at tag) oh yea, a LP Studio." I lost track of how many I turned down even after telling him Gibson is not a comfortable guitar for my playing needs. So he'd then run over to his computer and yell for me to come look at other Gibson's he'd order from the website for me while I was trying to play guitars they had in store. 

I got fed up and went to see if they had any short speaker cables since I left mine at the last show we played. He popped up behind me practically giving me a shoulder massage "what kind of cable do you need? Banana? We've got some nice Monster 15+ footers." At that point, I just walked out. I've had girlfriend's that are less clingy than GC reps. If only they understood that not everyone wants/needs their hand held, they'd catch on that they can make more sales without hawking around customers. I'm there because I need something and I'll probably buy if the damn rep stops trying to follow me around for body massages the entire time. 

Out of aggravation, I'll be driving an extra 20+ miles to go to another GC to make my purchase this weekend.


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## blckrnblckt (Jun 28, 2014)

Once, I went to Gelb Music in Redwood City, CA, and the salesman called the quilt top a flame top. He also tried to convince me that either the Ibanez RG series was higher end than the Ibanez S series, which suprised me since they are two separate lines.


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## JaxoBuzzo (Dec 3, 2014)

Hey! I work at Guitar Center!


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## Slunk Dragon (Dec 4, 2014)

There's a local guitar shop by me, called 'Joe's Music'. The guy has no prices on his guitars, and if you ask him, he just sizes you up and gives you a hefty price so he can make the most money off you. It's always way above the listing price of the guitar.

Nobody in my family will ever buy an instrument from him.


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## TheStig1214 (Dec 4, 2014)

Slunk Dragon said:


> There's a local guitar shop by me, called 'Joe's Music'. The guy has no prices on his guitars, and if you ask him, he just sizes you up and gives you a hefty price so he can make the most money off you. It's always way above the listing price of the guitar.
> 
> Nobody in my family will ever buy an instrument from him.



How long has he been there? I don't see him lasting that long.


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## Xaios (Dec 4, 2014)

Back in about March or April, I went into one of the local stores to order some picks. JD Jazztone 208s. They have a drawer for them in their display, but it's always empty. So I order a bag, paying the full price up front.

A few months later, in July, I realize "You know, I never did get those picks or even a call back about them." I go back to the store. They can't find my order. The woman that took the order has been canned for skimming off the top. The sales rep there now speculates that she probably pocketed the money. He promises to order a bag of the picks and not to charge me.

Fast forward to September. I've been calling once every couple weeks. I talk to the same guy each time who insists "yeah man, they're on their way."

Finally I talk to someone else. Not only can he not find an order in their system at all, but apparently that second guy has been flaking out on all kinds of orders and ordering other things that he shouldn't be. The guy was fired like a week later.

Now, this is where it turns into a good salesman story, because the third guy really went out of his way to make things right. When I told him that I paid for these picks months ago, he relayed that to his boss. The boss actually came back and said "sorry man, there's no record, so we'll have to charge you if you want them." This third guy actually went ".... that" to the degree that he paid for another order of this bag of picks _out of his own pocket_ rather than disappoint me. A few days later, they arrived. I gave him a pick to try out for his trouble, and it turns out that he loves the thing.


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## Joose (Dec 4, 2014)

JaxoBuzzo said:


> Hey! I work at Guitar Center!



That sucks. I used to as well. Until I was told that if I didn't sell enough guitars, I wouldn't get commission for the ones I did sell. And out the door I went; I was 6 days in. I'm not much of a salesman, so that probably wouldn't have worked out for me anyway.


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## TedEH (May 1, 2017)

Not sure if it was better to start a new thread or bring one of these back from the dead-

Was in a shop in Ottawa this weekend and overheard one of the guys behind the desk tell a guy something along the lines of:

"EMGs sound terrible in the studio, nobody would ever record with those. Everyone knows that." And he said it completely seriously. Had to share it. 

I know I shouldn't have expected much from this place, cause they have a reputation for being that sort of "unless you're playing an American Fender, your guitar sucks" kind of place, it boggles the mind just how clueless they are. And it's not some new kids that just got hired saying these things - these are people who have worked in this store and been part of the music community here for decades.


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## MrYakob (May 1, 2017)

TedEH said:


> Not sure if it was better to start a new thread or bring one of these back from the dead-
> 
> Was in a shop in Ottawa this weekend and overheard one of the guys behind the desk tell a guy something along the lines of:
> 
> ...




I'm curious as to what shop this was, Lauzon??


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## TedEH (May 1, 2017)

I'm super surprised anyone has to ask. Obviously was Steves. 

The location is super convenient, but nobody there ever seems to know what they're talking about. Not on the main floor anyway. Never had trouble with the PA or drum departments but all the guitar and tech people on the main floor tend to spout all kinds of outdated or elitist nonsense. It's been a lot of the same people at that store for a long time, so I've come to expect it from them, but it's still disappointing.

I've never actually been in Lauzon.

Honestly, the only place I go into and have productive conversations with anyone is the L&M locations. They're the only places I've been to that I can go and expect people to be up to date on their product knowledge, or have an open mind about gear or music in general, or things like that.

If I go into Steves and ask about 7 string guitars I get "you sure would look funny playing country on that amirite? lol". I can go into L&M and have a legit conversation about the difference between a standard ibby and an iron label, or get opinions on different pickups, or have a conversation about the different gain characters in certain amps, etc.


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## MrYakob (May 1, 2017)

TedEH said:


> I'm super surprised anyone has to ask. Obviously was Steves.
> 
> The location is super convenient, but nobody there ever seems to know what they're talking about. Not on the main floor anyway. Never had trouble with the PA or drum departments but all the guitar and tech people on the main floor tend to spout all kinds of outdated or elitist nonsense. It's been a lot of the same people at that store for a long time, so I've come to expect it from them, but it's still disappointing.
> 
> ...




Wow, you know what's really funny is that Steve's didn't even cross my mind as an option cause I stopped going there many years ago because of the snobbery  So I guess that says enough in itself!

I've only been to Lauzon once just recently and it was incredible, but they pretty much only deal in Fender/Gibson/PRS stuff so that's why it came to mind


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## NotDonVito (May 1, 2017)

JaxoBuzzo said:


> Hey! I work at Guitar Center!


 Well I'm a Bailey Brother's guy myself, but who the hell wants to drive 280 for strings? 

The only bad music store experience was this small shop in my home town. The guy who ran it was a total weirdo and kept following me around like I was stealing something. I was there with my grandmother buying piano books for her students on top of that.


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## extendedsolo (May 1, 2017)

I remember when I was 16 and just got into guitar playing, I went into a small local guitar shop. Keep in mind this was right before online guitar shopping really really took off so I knew almost nothing. This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to *buy the guitar*. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident. Anyway, the owner was kind of a jerk so I'm not surprised. 

In Wisconsin here most of the guitar stores are fine. People leave me alone when I say I'm just looking and I rarely try stuff out since I've tried most of what is carried in stores now. One music store here, that is now closed has LEGENDARY stories about the owner. Faust Drum Center is now closed, but the owner there apparently was impossible to deal with, but had some amazing drum sets. I think I read a story about how Charlie Watts tried to get into his store and the owner told him that he didn't care to see him. It wasn't a store you could just walk into, you had to knock and he would let you in.


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## Ebony (May 1, 2017)

Years ago, I went to this music store for some repair stuff on my Warwick ST vampyre 5-string bass.
I bought it used, with loads of belt scratches and chipping and although I treat it with care I don't baby it in the same, obsessive manner I usually treat my instruments. Lucky for them.

When I came to pick it up all the guys in the backroom were having Big Macs for lunch. As the pecking order suggested, the youngest of them got up and without even drying his hands he grabbed my bass and stuffed it into the bag. 

I didn't even bother saying anything, naturally I haven't been there since but I think (and hope) they've gone bankrupt since then. I should also mention that the "repair" they did lasted 2 weeks...

The funny thing is that this store lay a hundred meters away from an actual music store that services violins in the million-dollar class along with all sorts of insanely valuable stringed instruments.


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## endmysuffering (May 1, 2017)

TedEH said:


> Not sure if it was better to start a new thread or bring one of these back from the dead-
> 
> Was in a shop in Ottawa this weekend and overheard one of the guys behind the desk tell a guy something along the lines of:
> 
> ...



Not as bad as that 8 year necro we had the other day.


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## Rawkmann (May 1, 2017)

extendedsolo said:


> I remember when I was 16 and just got into guitar playing, I went into a small local guitar shop. Keep in mind this was right before online guitar shopping really really took off so I knew almost nothing. This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to *buy the guitar*. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident. Anyway, the owner was kind of a jerk so I'm not surprised.



I'm actually always curious how stores handle situations like that. I'm EXTREMELY careful when trying out guitars in a shop because I if I dropped or damaged one I'd expect to have to buy it. Can't say I blame the shopkeeper for being upset for somebody sending one of their guitars through the wall like that though.


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## TedEH (May 1, 2017)

endmysuffering said:


> Not as bad as that 8 year necro we had the other day.



I feel zero shame. It's a good thread.


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## auntyethel (May 2, 2017)

I was buying acoustic strings for a friend, asked the guy behind the counter at the local store what gauges they carry, he looked confused and asked, "What do you mean.... gauges?" I had to inform him it meant thickness, and then had to tell him that that is what the numbers on the pack represent.


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## bostjan (May 2, 2017)

I'm glad this thread is back.

I worked at music stores in the Detroit area for years, when I was younger, and there were a variety of music stores still. I never tried to sell anything, though. If someone asked for a recommendation, I'd try to give three totally different starting points and see what people liked best and then go from there. 

My sales numbers were typically lower than my coworkers'. I watched them BS people all of the time. So, I'm fairly convinced that BS'ing people equates to higher sales, and that 99/100 customers don't really know any better anyway. I just don't think that is ever an excuse to fraudulently make a sale.

I've overheard sales guys say some really stupid and hilarious ...., though.

My favourite exchange I overheard at a guitar center:

Sales guy: "Here are the Strats. We got all kinds, American and Mexican."
Kid: "What's the difference between the American Strat and the Mexican Strat?"
Sales guy: "Well, you see, the American Strats are made in the USA, and, well, um, you know, the, um..., the Mexican Strats are made overseas."

If I was unacquainted with the sales guy, I would have thought that was a pretty good joke. But, sadly, I really think he was trying his best to give an educated answer.


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## TedEH (May 2, 2017)

^ I see two sad bits there.

One is that I fully agree there's a lot of BS in pretty much every sales environment. I can't stand salesmen for that reason. I don't believe 90% of what they say. I've never been a good salesman 'cause I tell it like it is. Sometimes the best recommendation I can give someone is NOT to buy something. And I refuse to make up nonsense "hype" for something I don't really believe in.

The second sad bit is when I think the people working in music shops start legitimately believing their own BS hype, leading to comments like "EMGs sound terrible in the studio" or "just buy a strat, it's the best guitar regardless of what you're playing". If I had a dollar for every time I've heard a sales guy convince someone to choose one bit of gear over another "because x famous guy uses it, and they ONLY use the best", I'd have enough money to buy into all the hype too.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (May 2, 2017)

It absolutely drives me nuts when people have that attitude that they can't venture outside a Fender guitar. This one guy years ago said something like "in my opinion there's only two real guitars ever made, an American made stratocaster and a les paul". Now, I can appreciate guitars of all types, though some may look horrible to me, I just say to each his own... but I've nearly developed a vice toward strats and les pauls for the amount of stuff like this I've heard. I own a strat and les paul actually, they're alright, they got their place in certain settings, but probably my least played guitars. Some times I wonder why I haven't sold them yet.

I get that same feeling when browsing through StewMac. They've got plenty of nice tools, but as far as parts and hardware they cater so heavily to the rockabilly/Clapton/blues scene that it's a bit of a turn off. Makes me think of never playing or building a 6 string again.


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## domsch1988 (May 2, 2017)

I'd like to throw in something from the other side of the spectrum. I regularly visit Music Store for Strings, accesoires, cables (yes they cost a bit more than online, but i looove the opportunity to play all the guitars and amps).
Few months ago i went in with 2k burning in my pocket wanting to buy a guitar. I would call myself well informed and generally a tough customer to deal with. So normally i tell the staff i know what i want and let them take care of other people.
This day, the staffer took me by surprise. After playing 20 guitars, i decided none was for me and started looking at amps. When the kemper came into the frame, he showed serious knowledge about the product, went out of his way to bring in a 4x12 and a FRFR Cab to show the differences. He advised on spending extra for the power head which i didn't intend to do (and am gracious now he "talked me into it"). After 45 minutes of playing, some great conversation on tech and back and forth on powered or not, he sealed the deal for the power head by getting me 300&#8364; off the price of a toaster (which made it only 50&#8364; more expensive than non powered). I left with a great product i still like and with new found respect for a sales person there. Whenever something's not clear, i go to him and he'll figure it out.
Don't get me wrong. He has a bit of an attitude, and some strong opinions on certain things. Don't try to get an 8 string from him, or anything EMG. But, for knowing his stuff, he's great.

Oh, and they do have a "custom shop" for the expensive stuff. A really nice room with sofa's and nice lighting. Feels like grandpa's room full of guitars. I went there to play a strandberg and a mayones. The sales girl(?) was really nice! She knew everything about the guitars in question, made sensible suggestions for alternatives and gave some great advice in general. I talked to her about fans and scale lengths for some time. Really great discussion. Loved that experience. I'll sure be going back for my next higher priced instrument!

So, all in all, i feel it depends on what guy(or girl) you deal with. Some just don't care, others love their job and are genuinely interested in what they sell. It's just about finding those rare, nice to deal with sales persons...


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 31, 2017)

extendedsolo said:


> I remember when I was 16 and just got into guitar playing, I went into a small local guitar shop. Keep in mind this was right before online guitar shopping really really took off so I knew almost nothing. This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to *buy the guitar*. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident. Anyway, the owner was kind of a jerk so I'm not surprised.


Where can you go to a store, trash merchandise and other various wares they are selling, and go, "Whoops, it was an accident!" What the heck?


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## USMarine75 (May 31, 2017)

One time I visited a local guitar store. He sold me on buying a Caparison HGS, Diezel frontloaded cab, and a Herbert. I made an appointment to come back the next day with cash in hand. The dealer also had a surprising amount of lefties in stock and my friend had been looking for a high end lefty guitar, so he came with me and was planning on dropping up to $5k himself. I arrived about 15 minutes early and the store was closed (he operated mostly by appointment). I waited, thinking maybe the owner was running late? After 30 minutes sitting in my car, I called him. No answer. Called back several times and left a voicemail. An hour later he called back and said he was at band practice and that I'd have to reschedule.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 31, 2017)

extendedsolo said:


> This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to *buy the guitar*. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident.



He probably couldn't force the guy to buy the guitar, but he could call the cops, file a police report and then take him to court.

Unless it was a pretty expensive piece and there was a lot of damage to the guitar and wall, I don't see how any of that would be worth it. But like I said, it's within the store owners rights to get made whole again on account of someone not knowing how chairs work.


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## Spaced Out Ace (May 31, 2017)

USMarine75 said:


> One time I visited a local guitar store. He sold me on buying a Caparison HGS, Diezel frontloaded cab, and a Herbert. I made an appointment to come back the next day with cash in hand. The dealer also had a surprising amount of lefties in stock and my friend had been looking for a high end lefty guitar, so he came with me and was planning on dropping up to $5k himself. I arrived about 15 minutes early and the store was closed (he operated mostly by appointment). I waited, thinking maybe the owner was running late? After 30 minutes sitting in my car, I called him. No answer. Called back several times and left a voicemail. An hour later he called back and said he was at band practice and that I'd have to reschedule.


You've GOTTA be ribbing us. Someone couldn't possibly value a shitty band that probably makes chump change after expenses over selling a Caparison, Diezel half stack and a lefty to your friend. What a twat. I take it you didn't reschedule.


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## USMarine75 (May 31, 2017)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> You've GOTTA be ribbing us. Someone couldn't possibly value a shitty band that probably makes chump change after expenses over selling a Caparison, Diezel half stack and a lefty to your friend. What a twat. I take it you didn't reschedule.



No sir I did not. Nice guy... I wanted to give him my cash. I tried.


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## questin (May 31, 2017)

This isn't too bad, but here goes. At Guitar Center buying some new NYXL's 10-46 sets. Dude at the checkout says, man I like these strings but I just can't get into the wound 3rd string. I told him that I'd be playing them for about a year now and I'm pretty sure they don't have a wound 3rd. He just said, 'Go home and see for yourself... you'll see...".  Ok. Sure...

They do sell wound 3rd sets and those sets specifically say that on the box, but the standard sets definitely do not have a wound 3rd. Small thing, but seems like a weird thing to argue about if you don't know what you're talking about.


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## bostjan (May 31, 2017)

GC Checkout Dude said:


> Go home and see for yourself... you'll see...





Where do they find these guys?

I've also noticed that they seem to comment about everything you buy, to the point where it usually seems forced. "Oh, number two and a half reeds? I don't play, but if I did, I would go for a number two reed." No. One. Cares.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jun 3, 2017)

bostjan said:


> Where do they find these guys?



My money is on internet guitar forums.


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## Kodee_Kaos (Jun 6, 2017)

Bought a guitar stand at GC

During checkout:
Clerk: "Can I get your email please?
Me: Nah, sorry. 
Clerk: "If I don't get your email, it will be really difficult for me to make a return"
Me: That's alright, I don't really forsee myself needing to return this.
Clerk: "If you try to return this guitar stand I will beat you with it"

Maybe he thinks he was being funny? IMO That's just trashy unless you have some kind of rapport with the person.


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## marcwormjim (Jun 6, 2017)

MaxOfMetal said:


> My money is on internet guitar forums.



"SS.org" and "sevenstring.org" may as well wordfilter to "Fool's Paradise."


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## pastanator (Jun 6, 2017)

buddy needed some cash quick so he was gonna try to sell an LTD MH either 400 or 600 i dont remember off the top of my head to guitar center. it was like 600 dollars and he had swapped out whatever non german floyd with the made in germany original, plus it was like almost mint condition just a little belt buckle rash. he was expecting like 350. got offered 200 and just left. but the stupid thing was, dude was checking it out and thought something was wrong with the electronics because he didnt realize the auto wah was on on the peavy viper he plugged it into, then had some schpiel about how "people dont like it if the guitar isnt original" even though the only modification was that it literally had the same bridge, just it now had the best possible version of it(well outside of the titanium version)


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## marcwormjim (Jun 7, 2017)

So...this is the "dumb salesmen" thread, and you posted a story about your friend failing to sell a used, modded $600 guitar to a Guitar Center for $400?

That's being kind of mean to your friend.


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## USMarine75 (Jun 7, 2017)

I've mentioned this before elsewhere on here... but I bought a used guitar from GC and had it shipped to me. Was advertised 5/5, excellent condition, with OHSC and all the case candy. 

What was delivered to me was... a guitar wrapped in bubble wrap and tape! No case. I unwrapped it and it had a nice ding right in the top center of the body. Probably 3/5 condition overall. Oh and it smelled like diesel fuel and was dirty as hell. 

I called GC and they apologized and said they couldn't (wouldn't?) discount it any further, but they'd throw a bunch of strings and stuff in the case and ship it out asap. A week later I get the case... and it's completely empty. Nothing. No strings. No case candy. Oh and the OHSC case was held together with blue painters tape. A hinge was gone and the latches don't... latch.


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## MFB (Jun 7, 2017)

marcwormjim said:


> So...this is the "dumb salesmen" thread, and you posted a story about your friend failing to sell a used, modded $600 guitar to a Guitar Center for $400?
> 
> That's being kind of mean to your friend.



In this case, the friend is the bad salesman. What a twist!


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## pastanator (Jun 7, 2017)

i was saying the dude was dumb because he had to have it pointed out to him that an auto wah was on because otherwise he would have thought the guitar had broken electronics


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