Guitars locked at GC

[LyleGorch]

Haven’t seen a high end acoustic guitar at GC in years.

[RalphH]

I completely understand it. I was in my local shop when a group of teenaged tourists walked in. One of them picked up a £4k Taylor and stood stumming it standing on one foot with the guitar balanced on his knee right next to the sharp corners of a piano. The owner went nuts. I've seen their invoice sheets with now much they pay for the guitars and the profit margins are surprising skinny. Having a high end one bashed would be a real problem.

If I'd have picked it up he wouldn't have batted an eyelid because he knows that if I'm in there touching guitars I'm probably going to buy one at whatever price point I'm pawing. I find it safer to l know my budget before I go in and not touch anything more expensive. And that includes if my budget is £15 for pack of strings. Otherwise I get in trouble when I get home

The other guitar shop in town has really high ceilings and all the nice guitars are 12 foot up on the wall so you need to find a sales assistant with a step ladder. A bit like how my guitars at home hang out of reach of my 3 year old

[MChild62]

The nice side effect of this is it adds tranquility to their acoustic rooms. I was at the GC on 14th street in NYC on a busy Friday evening last week and they have two rooms with all higher end guitars needing to be unlocked. Plenty of staff around to unlock (and volunteering to do so).
A peaceful island. Only people seriously looking. I was there only briefly but would definitely come back.

[gfspencer]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

I would think a store like that would have a salesperson say something to stop them.

Me too. But they kept bringing him more high priced guitars.

[grandstick]

Our local GC has recently started locking up the higher end guitars. I can’t blame them - I stopped in yesterday to find 3 Taylors, and 4 Martins with As-Is “Scratch and Dent” sale tags on them. They all had some top cracks, damaged necks, or cracked bridges.

Oddly enough, the Sam Ash next door does not lock up their acoustics, and I have never seen any damaged new gear.

[Dbone]

Let me summarize this thread to this point...People can really suck...

Anyone who thinks their actions are not proper should picture themselves as a business owner having product of their own that needs to remain saleable.

It's really that simple for me.

[zoopeda]

I can’t count how many threads we’ve had here griping about the beat up condition of guitars at guitar center. The reality is, they get professionals and cork sniffers and they get 15 year olds who think they’re Pete Townsend and college kids in from the bar to play the high end guitars. They’ve finally done something about it, and now we get threads about how much their new policy sucks. The internet inevitably polarizes, and here’s one more example. As frank zappa so succinctly said “play yer guitar.”

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by LyleGorch

Haven’t seen a high end acoustic guitar at GC in years.

It's a relative term with regards to Guitar Center. High-End in the context of GC would be a Standard Series Martin or higher. I did play a D28Authentic 1941 at my local GC last year.

[C-ville Brent]

At GC in Columbus, OH last summer. It's about 80 miles away so I don't get there often. Their sub $1k or so guitars seemed to be free range with those above locked. The guy I talked to was cool about unlocking guitars I asked to look at/play. One of them, a Gibson J15 or J45 studio had a bit of a nick on the side of the neck, possibly from blunt force trauma. I understand why they lock up some guitars.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Roksbug

Hi,
not sure if this has been posted before. Last night we stopped by the Guitar Center in Santa Clara, CA and found all the high end acoustic guitars locked up.

Guitars Centers around the country have been doing that for at least a couple or three years now. It was a topic here when it first started.

[rstaight]

Never been in a GC. Been in a Sam Ashe a couple of times. We have three mom and pop shops in town. Will be two next week since one is closing because the building was sold.

All three have instruments out where you can pick them up. The one that's closing has signs that say please ask for assistance or you are responsible for damage. Basically you break it you bought it. I totally get it.

The second one they don't have the signage but I ask if I can take something down. It's always help yourself. This store treats you like a long lost friend. Greet you at the door and ask if they can help. They are perfectly happy to set and shoot the breeze.

They have rooms where you can try something out.

The other shop, if you are not a long established customer you don't get the time of day. They hardly step from behind the counter. Pretty much on your own.

If something is to high for you to get down it may take awhile for someone to there. Then it's not with a ladder. It's with a long hook. Don't know how they have been in business for years. Guess it's what you get used to.

[RP]

Originally Posted by stormin1155

...It would be nice if they had private audition rooms.

How would these private audition rooms be monitored? This idea probably springs from the mind of honest and thoughtful folks who treat guitars as if they were his own personal instruments. Unfortunately that defies the reality of some if not many Guitar Center customers who come into the store to make small purchases, kill some time, audition instruments that they wouldn't consider buying and/or plan to buy elsewhere. You've seen/heard those who trash guitars with their playing, belt buckles, shirt buttons and/or just recklessness. Are you really going to give those same people a private room where they can close the door behind them and thrash to their hearts content??? Having private audition rooms would seem to run counter to the notion of locking up high end guitars. The only way I could see this working would be if GC charged customers to use the rooms, and this fee would be deducted from the sale price of a guitar purchase...

[Jeff Mc]

It is kind of ****ed if you do, ****ed if you don't. Most of my guitar buying decisions have been kind of spur of the moment. I have rarely set out to buy a particular guitar. I go into a store and find a guitar that I like then wheels start turning. In my case, if it is too difficult to try a guitar, I walk away.

I was in a store over Thanksgiving helping my son find a guitar for my granddaughter. They did not have many guitars over $1k but they were all displayed on the top row and had signs that said please ask before playing. Then the sales guy hangs around with you and puts it back. (we were not looking in that price range for her)

The store where I regularly go has a room for the high-end guitars that locks and you have to get someone to let you in. They do not hang around after they open the door which is good and bad. On a Saturday, you often see guys in there banging around on a couple of Martins. The room is small and it is actually pretty difficult to get something down without banging it into the guitar next to it. I was thinking about consigning a guitar but while I was there the last time an older (probably younger than I) fellow was playing a Martin. He was wearing a jacket with a zipper while playing. If it were my store, I would hope that a salesperson would ask the customer to take off a jacket, cover up belt buckles, etc. before playing a $5k guitar.

[Daveyo]

I get it,of course
I wouldn't want my guitars banged up either
But,it does make me appreciate Sam Ash,who never complains
About that stuff,as a result,I have been visiting Sam Ash more
Frequently
Dave

[Duck916]

This has been the case here for several years. I don't blame them at all.

When I go to GC, it seems the majority of people playing a guitar are not really shopping for a guitar--and that includes me. Many are there just to make noise, it seems.

When I've gone with actual shopping in mind, I've had no trouble getting someone to unlock a guitar. I haven't asked, but I'll bet they'd let me take one into a lesson room for a better test, especially if the acoustic room was really noisy.

There's an independent shop near me that keeps their higher-end acoustics in locked rooms (one with mostly Martins, the other with mostly Taylors). You have to ask to be allowed in, but once in there, you have free reign and nothing is locked up.