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Thread: My GC experience..

  1. #1

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    Angry My GC experience..

    Went to (somewhat local) GC to get all new heads for my new kit and a snare stand (mine was horrid...)

    Asked the guy for an Emad2 Bass Batter, Coated Ambassador for snare, Pinstripes for sizes 10,12,14,16, and clear ambassadors for my tom resonants.

    The guy went to the back and came back with a few big basg with all of the heads in them. I looked quick and saw the pins and the Emad2 and assumed it was all good.

    Came all the way home (different state..No GC where I live.) Had to pay a $13 toll on the way back. Put ALLL the pins on, and did my snare and bass. Then went to do my resonants, and BOOM.... Hazy Ambassadors, all the right sizes, but... Hazy.

    I had to go allllll the way back to GC (about 45 mins away and ANOTHER $13 toll) to get them switched.. still had to pay another $8 because clear ambassadors costed more. ALL because this ONE GUY at GC does not know how to do his job.

    I mean, normally I'm not rude, or wouldnt care.. But, if you're a "Drum Specialist" at GC, you should know that when someone asks for Clear Ambassadors for TOM RESONANTS, they do not want a bunch of paper-thin snare resonants... Did he think i had size 10,12,14,16 snares that i wanted to put pinstripes on aswell..?

    Maybe it's just me, but that seems pretty ridiculous... They need to reevaluate who they hire. lol..
    Specs

    Drums: Gretsch Catalina Maple (Dark Cherry Burst) 8,10,12,14,16 toms 14 snare 22 bass
    Heads: Remo Pinstripes over Ambassadors on toms
    Bass: Stock Grestch stock reso and Evans EC2 batter
    Snare: Ambassador over Ambassador reso, PureSound Snares
    Cymbals: Zildjian A MasterSound HiHats 14"
    Sabian Xs20 Crashes 16"/18"
    Zildjian 20th Anniversary A Custom ride 21"
    Wuhan Splashes 8"/10"
    Wuhan China 16"


    http://www.facebook.com/AWorkInProgressBand

    ^^^Like my band!!^^^

  2. #2

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    GC doesn't have a good reputation for hiring knowledgeable drummers and a lot of people continually complain about this. That said, people make mistakes. You probably should have checked them before you left.

  3. #3

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    Always need to check you order before you leave...(no different than when McDonalds hand you a bag in a busy drive-though).

    I once purchased a brick of sticks....got to my gig, and realized that they had given me the wrong sticks.

    Live and learn.
    "The problem with information on the Internet is that you can not validate it's authenticity. " -Abraham Lincoln

    SILVERFOX DRUMSTICKS & SOULTONE CYMBALS Endorsing Artist.

  4. #4

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    On another note, my last trip to GC, I was buying new Evans G2 heads to replace the new stock heads on my Silverstars and the guy suggested I buy the 3 pack (12,14,16) to save a bit of cash. Well instinctively I opened the box and what do I see? "New heads" that have been used and most likely returned. They obviously had stick marks...

  5. #5

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    I have had both very good and very bad experiences there.

    Very good:
    When I bought my kit, they had to order it in as they did not stock it. I purchased a 5 piece that they told me would take 7 days. I got a call from them 3 days later telling me that, unknown to them, the kit I purchased had a free 10" add-on tom, AND, it was there already! Not only that, but the guy in the shop brought the kit to my house and dropped it off on his way home from work. I was convinced that I would never, ever shop anywhere else.

    Very bad:
    I wanted to start recording my drums through my computer. I already had the software (Protools) that I needed and went in to buy a mixer that would allow me to do this. I spent over an hour talking with the salesman about exactly what and how I wanted to do this. He brought out a Xenyx 16 channel mixer with USB output and said this is exactly what I wanted and would do everything that I asked for. I thanked him for his time and advice and purchased it and went on my merry way. Well after days and days of frustration, aggravation, and cussing, I finally realized that USB can only send in stereo, not each channel separately, which was what I had talked to the salesman about the entire time. I was pretty upset at this point and took the mixer back to GC. Guess what? They refused to take it back because the unit he gave me was a refurb! After spending over an hour in there talking to the salesman (who even admitted he might have made a mistake), the manager, and calling their corporate office, they refused to do anything about it and I was asked to leave. This happened a few years ago and I have not purchased anything from them since. I am convinced I will never, ever shop there again.
    Da' Bum
    Rockin' the beat for fadedblue
    Keepin' time for Andy Harrison & the AOP
    http://www.facebook.com/fadedbluemusic
    DW Performance 5 pc. in White Marine Pearl
    1972 Pearl Deluxe Custom 5 pc. in blue sparkle
    KAT KT-3
    Paiste cymbals
    Gibraltar hardware
    Axis pedals
    Vic Firth sticks
    Evans heads

  6. #6

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    You hear good and bad things from GC. Like most say, check your items before purchasing or leaving the store that way it willl save a trip back to the store especially if you are far away. Just because the guy at the store is in the drum department don't mean anything. We have a music store here and the drum pro ( he calls himself) should be selling cars cause he is full of you know what.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    I both love and hate Guitarcenter.

    On the upside: It is like the walmart of music stuff, equipment everywhere to drool over, and they even let you test stuff out. They have a pretty good sized used market too, so you can find stuff for lower prices. There are also a good amount of sales on the website.

    On the downside: Like I said, Guitarcenter is like Walmart, which is good and bad. Because they are so big, they can't worry about hiring the best employees who know what they doing 100%. I've also heard some bad stories of how people have gotten screwed over by Guitarcenter. My mom had gotten screwed trying to buy an amp for my brother at a Guitarcenter about an hour away she went over there being told they had the amp (One she had been looking for desperately that she needed to get before a certain time) and then they told her that she couldn't have it because they needed it for display.. that is just stupid.

  8. #8

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    Mistakes happen. Should he have gotten you what you asked for? Absolutely. Should you have verified? Probably.

  9. #9

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    luckily for me ive befriended the now manager of the GC i go to and he's a working musician on the side and knows his stuff...yeah he was telling me the same thing that most of the people that work there are good salesmen but don't know anything about instruments and have to be taught the general things

  10. #10

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    you should should shop at Sam Ash.

    more specifically in NY.......... long island.....

    il give you a good deal! i swear!
    Too Much Stuff.

  11. #11

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    Ive also had the "Good/Bad experience with GC. First off, I live 130 miles from the closest GC to me, but on a trip to the VA for a doctors appointment, I stopped by GC and ended up buying a new snare which I took home, tried out on the bandstand and called them the next day and told them I wanted to USP it back to them and they told me that their guys in the stock room didnt like to mess with UPS and returned items so it was up to me to drive the 260 mile round trip to return the snare drum. Well, the end result of this was I called Corporate and they in turn sent their area supervisor down to the store and he called me from the store and put me on the phone with the store manager who emailed me a pre-paid UPS return shipping label.
    I traded out the refunded money. Bad Situation Corrected~!!!

    I received an emailed price quote on the Tama Bubinga Elite 14x6.5 snare and I mentioned it to the Drum dept manager, who is a kickin drummer himself and he told me to email him the price quote and he would price match it...And, even though he was on vacation when I showed up to order the snare, they called him and he approved the sale...and it was a price that put a smile on my face. So here is a Dept Manager on vacation and still dealing with customers.
    So actually what began as a big Minus turned into a big Plus and then another HUGE plus was added to it.
    My successful dealings with GC was due to commmunication with their Corporate and very knowledgable department managers who went full tilt to make me a satisfied customer.
    Unfortunate that a lot of GC stores do Not have qualifed and conscientious people.
    Yamaha Oak Custom 22x17 with Brass Kick Port, Brass Hoop Claws,10-12-14 racks, 16 Floor and all toms have Brass Hoops and a Tama Starclassic Bubinga Elite 14x6.5 snare in Quilted Mocha Burst and Black Nickel hardware. All hi-end Zildjian Cymbals - K Dark Thin crashes & splashes, a Zildjian A crash & a Meinl 16" crash, Avedis Zildjian 1964 ride, K Custom hats plus New Beat hats on Closed X-Hat.


    If a Man offends thee - - give each of his children a Drum~~~!!!

  12. #12

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    Not too many drummers want to work in a music store. Most have a career in drumming or jobs that pay more than what a music store would. So these stores hire salesman that can sell and know nothing about drums etc. I am not saying that they are all bad salesmen with no experience with drums cause there are some that know their stuff but if is to find the right store where they are.

  13. #13

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    Help me Warren Wright. I'm confused. Why exactly would you pay for and go home with a snare drum that you did not like? Sounds like impulse buying at it's worst.

    all the best...

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    Not too many drummers want to work in a music store. Most have a career in drumming or jobs that pay more than what a music store would. So these stores hire salesman that can sell and know nothing about drums etc. I am not saying that they are all bad salesmen with no experience with drums cause there are some that know their stuff but if is to find the right store where they are.
    I go downstairs at the big music store in Toronto and the salesmen don't even say boo to me. So busy paradiddling away on the counter and talking to who, I suppose, are their friends. The art of in store salesman-ship is dead and gone.

    all the best...

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    I go downstairs at the big music store in Toronto and the salesmen don't even say boo to me. So busy paradiddling away on the counter and talking to who, I suppose, are their friends. The art of in store salesman-ship is dead and gone.

    all the best...
    Would that store be L.A. music by any chance. Wait a minute I thought you lived in the Bahamas. LOL

  16. #16

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    i just put in an order yesterday to be picked up at the atlanta one. normally i like to pick out my own stuff but sometimes there's no choice when things are out of stock.

    What I don't like is that the sticks and heads are behind the freakin counter! same thing at Sam Ash and the same thing at Atlanta Pro Percussion. Really hate that.
    RDM/Damage Poets
    UFiP TAMAHA Zildjian
    REGAL TiP
    AQUARIAN

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpatzST View Post
    you should should shop at Sam Ash.

    more specifically in NY.......... long island.....

    il give you a good deal! i swear!
    Sam Ash can be hit or miss as well.

    The bottom line with any store is it's about staff. The drum guy at the SA closest to me is a solid guy, the drum guy at the new GC that opened up by my house and the one's at the nearest GC to that are solid guys, as are the guys at my local shop I use for most things.

    Obviously there is more incentive for a local shop to want your business, since they don't have shared profits/losses with a big company, but that doesn't mean big box stores are always all bad. I generally shop local to support local stores, but sometimes the big stores have a deal that can't be matched.
    Jesse

    1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
    2016 Roland TD-25K
    2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle

  18. #18

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    Default Re: My GC experience..

    I certainly can't fault the drum guys whose drum stores I go to around my area. I feel quite blessed. Very rarely have ever had to go back because of a salesman's fault.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  19. #19

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    I've been lucky too, I've actually never had one of these bad experiences at any store I've used.
    Jesse

    1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
    2016 Roland TD-25K
    2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle

  20. #20

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    mehh xD still made me mad. They work off of commission, shouldnt make money to do the wrong job. It's like hiring a lawyer to work against you. lol
    Specs

    Drums: Gretsch Catalina Maple (Dark Cherry Burst) 8,10,12,14,16 toms 14 snare 22 bass
    Heads: Remo Pinstripes over Ambassadors on toms
    Bass: Stock Grestch stock reso and Evans EC2 batter
    Snare: Ambassador over Ambassador reso, PureSound Snares
    Cymbals: Zildjian A MasterSound HiHats 14"
    Sabian Xs20 Crashes 16"/18"
    Zildjian 20th Anniversary A Custom ride 21"
    Wuhan Splashes 8"/10"
    Wuhan China 16"


    http://www.facebook.com/AWorkInProgressBand

    ^^^Like my band!!^^^

  21. #21

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    It's obviously an international problem.
    My brother (a guitarist) told me this tale last week.
    He went into a large music shop in Milton Keynes to get some parts for a guitar he's doing up.
    He spoke to the nearest shop assistant he could find & asked him for some help locating what he wanted. He showed him where they were, & my brother tried to engage him in conversation. The assistants response was "I'm not interested in guitars" and he walked off.
    My brother was a bit gobsmacked at this, and after picking what he wanted went to pay.
    The assistant was at the counter with someone who appeared to be a senior member of staff.
    After paying, my brother explained that not only was he after some replacement parts, but was also interested in purchasing a bass guitar & amp (with quite a decent budget to spare), but due to the attitude of the assistant he would not be buying them from that particular shop.

    He told me this at a band practice, & our other guitarist said he'd met a similar lack of interest in customer relations there when buying both guitar stuff for himself & drum gear for his son.
    Neither of them have ever been back there.
    Mapex Armory - Photon Blue
    Mapex VXB kit - Transparent Black
    Mapex & Pearl snares
    Paiste Alpha & RUDE cymbals
    Remo & Vater

  22. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Frazzetto View Post
    mehh xD still made me mad. They work off of commission, shouldnt make money to do the wrong job. It's like hiring a lawyer to work against you. lol
    No matter what they aren't paid a lot, so I'm assuming it's hard to get good people.
    Jesse

    1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
    2016 Roland TD-25K
    2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle

  23. #23

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    my GC saleman plays 4 gigs a week and looks like hell run over on sundays.
    he still gets my batter and reso heads right.
    Rockford Illinois, talk to Joe
    i double check him on sundays

    i did almost carry out a SP Embroidered throne barstool because Joe wasnt there on a day off, she gets a pass, she was 7 months pregnant and got me my throne chop chop,
    freaky little girl with red dredlocks, told me she would call me in 2 days to see how my butt felt as she walked past the store manager.
    he said "what!?"
    i showed my receipt
    dingy broad
    great GC
    scornful look from fiance
    Last edited by kyle102565; 07-16-2012 at 08:02 PM.

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by kaosotis View Post
    No matter what they aren't paid a lot, so I'm assuming it's hard to get good people.
    It's like that saying..."pay peanuts and you'd get monkeys performing."
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  25. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    Would that store be L.A. music by any chance. Wait a minute I thought you lived in the Bahamas. LOL
    No. Actually the initials are L and M. I was a regular there until 2006 when I moved to the Bahamas and I still do drop in when I make my annual trek home. Nothing's changed all that much. I went to my first GC last year (Florida) and was sorely dissapointed with the service. It is my belief that there is a huge lack of passion in music stores. I'm not sure why. Music rides on passion! Funny... you can get more enthusiasm from the Home Depot guy, when you're looking for a box of screw nails!

    all the best...

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