I bought a $179 Telecaster when they opened their Boston store seemed like a good idea at the time.

Damn, what a letdown. I expected to see at least a few things I'd never seen before--mics/pres/guitar-pedals. --Nope--not one surprise. They had less guitar pedals than the mom and pop down the street! (And btw, what's the deal with so many places dropping Proco RATs from the menue?) Prices weren't too hot on the guitars either. ....Guess I got some cheap strings out of it.

Gosh, I guess it's everywhere. We have suffered the same invasion here in Austin: Guitar Center and Mars have both opened huge music malls in the last year or two. The homoginization of America continues!...

Originally posted by Southwind:
Gosh, I guess it's everywhere. We have suffered the same invasion here in Austin: Guitar Center and Mars have both opened huge music malls in the last year or two. The homoginization of America continues!...

no kidding man
every time one of those type places goes in
everyone says that they will run all the mom and pop stores out of business

it never happens
most of the good stores have carved a little niche and have customers who won't go anywhere else

i have to say though
it is pretty entertaining at the least that a place like mars has a "recording department"

i was in a pinch once and had to go there on a sunday to get another 2" reel of tape
they keep the stuff right behind the counter

i walk up and say i need a 2" reel
the guy says "of what"
this could go on for a while so i will cut to the chase

no one there in the "recording department" new what 2" tape was or looked like
yet they carry it and it sits right behind them all day

i finally had to walk back behind the counter
grab the reel and say "should i ring it up myself....."

anyway.....
big brother is always watching,
j.hall ;)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by j.hall:

no one there in the "recording department" new what 2" tape was or looked like
yet they carry it and it sits right behind them all day

i finally had to walk back behind the counter
grab the reel and say "should i ring it up myself....."

Yep. I ran the recording department at the Mars here in Virginia Beach for the first 2 years, and now I'm extremely part time- we have got to fight all the freaking time to get what we need to be serious in the store. 2" is a good example- we've got three or four 2" studios within a few miles, and it took me months to get across that we needed more than two reels at one time. It can get frustrating- I don't think there's a chain store out there where the buyers ever listen to any equipment.

at least you know what the area the store services needs

it always gets me
the music store thing that is
the constant babble you get from the employees....they never once ask you a question to try and gauge what you know or don't know.......they just run their mouths trying desperately to show they know everything
when really they know nothing

i find entertainment in leting them talk and talk.....saying all kinds of crazy stuff

now i'm just babbling on

music stores are a great sorce of entertainment on a dull saturday afternoon,
j.hall :p

It's a shame that it's come down to this. I had an awful experience trying to purchase a keyboard from the Towson, MD. store. It's a long story, so I'll make this comment. If I have to drive 2 or 3 hours to aviod Guitar Center, I will now. I was a good customer, bought alot of gear. They just don't seem to care. My 2 cents. John