Guitar Center having another sale.

[Mike_C]

I'm just basically sick of everybody and their brother and sister who really don't give a damn whether the little guy or mom and pop store lives or dies as long as they got whatever it is they wanted,paying as little as possible. sure...I like a good deal as well as the next guy but not at the cost of someone losing their business it's just getting ridiculous! I'll gladly spend more money at a mom and pop store but I know I'm in the minority because like I said....people in general really don't give a rats ass and will just go on to the next store after the old one has boarded up the window's and gone out of business because G.C. was selling it for $5.00 cheaper......pretty pathetic and yes!! Dumbass people will spend $10.00 in gas to save that $5.00 at G.C..... morons..........

I would agree with you 100% percent if there were any decent mom and pop stores that carried the kind of gear that interests me in the area. Unfortunately There are only regional stores and to me they are just like GC. All the good Mom and pop stores that I've found have been through the internet so tell me how that is any different from buying local at a GC? Like I said for the little things you can't beat GC. Used gear can be found there at a bargain if you get lucky. and if you are looking for your kids first guitar it's not a bad place to get a LARGE selection of cheap strats. High end gear and guitars well if your lucky enough to live in an area where there is a shop that carries that by all means go support them. The closest local store that carries Hamers and other high end stuff I like is in Toledo. For Amps there are a couple of places in Cleveland. Used there are a couple of places that are in Akron that are well worth stopping at and of course there is a store in Kent that has a Good selection of Amps and Gibson and Fender. But GC as the evil empire I don't but that. I wonder how many curse GC but shop at Best Buy or Circuit City?

[Ethan]

I've been at GC for over a year and a half...bottom line is, they treat their employees like shit but will bend over for the customer. My boss once gave a guy a Les Paul Standard over customer service issues...I can't say that I've seen that happen at mom and pop stores. Sure the radio ads are gay, I hate hearing them and having to remember them, but they point is to really get first-time buyers in, and it works a lot of times. I made ok money there for where I'm at in my life right now, but I don't see myself staying there for any kind of career. However, it is good to know that if I wanted to I could move up somewhat quickly. But alas it is not for me I fear.

[Submariner85]

Didn't mean to get an argument started. I have never stepped foot in a Guitar Center since I've never lived close enough to one to do so. If there was one close enough I would and I would judge for myself just how fair or unfair it was.

There are 3 dealers close up here that I have an opinion about because I have actually shopped there:

Caruso Music in New London - Sucks. Unfriendly, unwilling to deal, don't seem to have much time for the customer. Carry bottom of the line electrics and top of the line acoustics.

Website: http://www.carusomusic.com/

Ebay link http://stores.ebay.com/Caruso-Music-Store_...sQ3amesstQQtZkm

Ron's Guitars in Groton - Awesome. Friendly, willing to deal, good prices, great gear. Top to bottom of the line electrics and acoustics.

Website: http://www.ronsguitars.com/

Ebay link http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ2...Zronsguitarsinc

Music Center of Norwich - Real good. Got a great deal on a Hamer Standard there. Willing to deal and friendly. Decent gear Fenders, Hamers, Schecters. Small place though but nice.

Going to check out a new place today called Riccardo's in Waterford. Going for a flute cleaning kit but I saw they had some guitars hanging too. Never know could be worth checking out.

[bobbymack]

Hey, I don't care whether it's GC or Sam Ash, they're both the Targets of the music biz and have their (growing) niche.

Like Mike C and many others, I typically buy my big ticket items from independents because they are the ones who carry the gear I want. If I were an independent I'd be going after the top of the market with boutique guitars, amps, and pedals and an excellent web presence as well, because you're not gonna compete with GC on strings, Boss, Epiphone, Squire, Fender, Marshall, Ovation, Dumlop, etc etc etc...

[stonge]

(snip)

Ron's Guitars in Groton - Awesome.  Friendly, willing to deal, good prices, great gear.  Top to bottom of the line electrics and acoustics.

Website:  http://www.ronsguitars.com/

Ebay link  http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ2...Zronsguitarsinc

I've done business with Ron at Ron's Guitars for over 15 years now - always top shelf stuff with great service. He was a Hamer dealer until just recently, and he hooked me up with Mrs Stonge's all-time favorite guitar back in 1992 or so (back in the day when he used to write out my receipts to Ed St. Steinberger lol). Stopping in at the shop is almost always guaranteed to cause hours or days of "I want this/ I want that". Mrs Stonge always goes with for damage control. He carries good stuff lol. I stay out of there when my wallet is feeling small...

I prefer Ron's, but with Hamers you gotta buy where ever you find them (and they ain't exactly popping out all over). I scored a 1981 Sunburst bound and crowned in 'gecko-burst' from the local GC a few months back at a fair market price (they knew what they had, and they knew how bad I wanted it. Sometimes you just gotta smile and hand them the Visa card lol). That same GC has had a carved top mahogany Phantom in trans-red (I think it was a prototype built in 1998) hanging on the wall forever - if that one is still there I'll bet the price gets chopped for the monday sale (somebody go rescue it; I don't want another trans-red Hamer lol)... I don't hate GC - I've had decent luck with them but there is just so little there that I really am interested in (and the chaos and bedlam of the store makes me wonder how bad an environment could you actually create to try out an instrument? It's like a psych lab experiment run amok lol).

and when the Targets and Home Depots and Walmarts and Best Buys have all finished feeding on the little mom and pops, where do you think they'll be feeding next? On you and me, pal...

[Guest Mark123]

I'll walk into a GC or Sam Ash on a whim every now and then, but both there selection is a bit overwhelming on the cheaper guitar stuff and the decent guitar stuff is hanging 20ft in the air where you can't touch it or see it first hand without a pushy salesperson helping you out. In the past year, I purchased my daughter a mini-Martin accoustic (student size) from Guitar Center as the local shops didn't have any student size guitars that sounded or played nearly as nice as the Martin did. I also stopped by Sam Ash a few weeks ago to pickup a Line 6 GuitarPort to play with, as the local mom and pops didn't have any and I hate to mailorder. If I can't touch it and play it, I'll find someplace else to buy it where I can.

That being said, I'm a field computer tech that finds myself all over the Tampa area and have checked out most of the music shops in a 30 mile radius of my shop over the years and found myself at a small mom and pop 20 miles away and stopped in. There was a sign that said "under new ownership" and talked to the new owner for quite some time (really nice guy). He said he would like to get rid of some of his "higher end, exotic name stuff" and I purchased a NEW Hamer USA Duotone custom for $795.00 with case!

I went back a few weeks later and talked to the owner again about wanting to get into MIDI guitar on the cheap and had found a company Switch Guitars that built a guitar with a Roland GK midi pickup built in for around $500.00 street. The owner asked me for the website of the manufacture (sent it to him Email) and a week later called me back and said he become a dealer for them and had a few instock for me to look at. Just bought one yesterday!

I've never asked Sam Ash or GC about getting stuff they don't normally carry, but doubt that they would have done what the mom and pop shop had done for me. But I will still shop them for things (like the Line 6 stuff) that I know they carry instock that my local mom and pop doesn't, but my major purchases will always go to the local store that takes the time to listen and order (or even become a dealer) what I want...

My thoughts anyway..

[pesocaster]

Damnit... rant.....

I'm at a point in my life that I refuse to put up with bullshit...... and if I'm shopping for gear I usually know exactly what I'm looking for... With that I know which stores around this area have what... Although if I can wait, I try to order stuff through my local mom and pop store... great people... www.allstarstrings.com ... I have bought gear from GC .... either used... or things like bulk strings ... hell strings and picks are like toilet paper as far as I'm concerned... That's what they are good for in my book... service? .... not so much.... Product knowledge? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

However, for big ticket items... Hamers for instance... the local guys know exactly DICK about them.... If I was really a "faithful" shopper there is a Hamer dealer in town... but I have no relationship with them... and frankly they are a "low-end" store and have little or no intent to know the product as "intimately" as the dealers that post on this board...

So at that point it's basically an internet purchase... more or less... I've had 2 fantastic dealings on this board with guys that have become friends over the past 4 years BCRGreg (SSI Custom) and Elduave's Rocketeria (Superpro in it's final trimester I hope.. ha ha ).

For me I'm going to spend my hard earned money on big ticket items with people I know and people that know their product over "best price" everytime.... and I can pretty much guarantee you won't find that kind of service in GC or any Guitarget....

Rant off.....

[Submariner85]

Well Ricardo's in Waterford is um.....ok. A bit pricey on almost everything. I picked up a set of D'addario XL9s while I was there only because they were marked 50% off (they were still 5 dollars after that). Good selection of band instruments. Had a real good price on an Armstrong open hole flute (600 bux). Might put a bug in grama's ear on that one.

Guitars: Limited selection, mostly Ibanez and Mexifenders and Squiers. Had some decent smaller amps in there.

[DEMENTED]

Well Ricardo's in Waterford is um.....ok. A bit pricey on almost everything. I picked up a set of D'addario XL9s while I was there only because they were marked 50% off (they were still 5 dollars after that). Good selection of band instruments. Had a real good price on an Armstrong open hole flute (600 bux). Might put a bug in grama's ear on that one.

Guitars: Limited selection, mostly Ibanez and Mexifenders and Squiers. Had some decent smaller amps in there.

You have got to take a ride to Alpha Audio, they are 15 mins from you. Mostly nice stuff, Hamer, Heritage, Anderson, G&L, , also have Hamer imports, Parker, Dean, Jay Turser if you're on a budget. Also carry Bogner, VHT, Randall and Behringer if you are on that ole budget. go tomorrow and tell Andy Brian sent ya

[Submariner85]

You guys are gonna get me in trouble. Just kidding. I think I might just do that tomorrow. They're in Mystic, yeah that's a short trip from here.

[rmahurin]

They had a Hill Firebird in there a few months back for 499. It was a very nice guitar. I kick myself for not grabbing onto that one.

Jesus Man!! I've been kicking myself for that one too.

Black, Neck-thru, TOM bridge, EMGs?

The only problem I had with it was the fretboard looked like someone tried to belt sand the bottom edge, and it was a 24.75" scale. other than that it was sweet. I doubt if Hill can even make that shape legally anymore. Even with the fretboard, if it had been a 25.5", I couldn't have passed it up.

[Submariner85]

Ok. So I went to Alpha Audioworks. Nice place. They had an Artist and a couple of Studios which were very nice. Lots of G&L's and Godin's in there. And Dammmm Mystic is a busy town. Stinkin pedestrians all over the damned place. Scored 200 points in 1 crosswalk alone.

[tonyvieira]

You CT guys ever try Junior's?

I have had good experience with him but never bought a Hamer from him

I purchased DrZ, Heritage, Reverend and pedals from him. I also go a cheap korean resonator from him

I got my Newport and a Mesa amp at the old Ron's location but that is pushing my travel distance.

[Submariner85]

Looks cool. 25 minutes from here. I'll have to check that out sometime before I move. Possibly this weekend. It will be after payday so who knows what might happen.

[mattb]

Did you see my new Anderson down at Alpha?

I've been to Juniors a few times. Nice amps, some decent guitars, but no personality. I am a paying customer and have never felt welcome in that store. Alpha all the way as well as rons Guitars in Groton.

-MattB

[Submariner85]

Doh. No. But I did get a close look at those, pardon me, ugly Parker guitars he has hanging by the door.

I wish Ron's still carried Hamer. That's my favorite place to go messin around. I'll give them a plug anytime.