Guitar Center

[Starise]

Not sure what your opinion of GC is. I love that there are a few of them not far from where I live. I know it's a tough business. I keep thinking they might not last another year. Apparently lots of people are still buying guitars.  

Small rant here. I have a looper pedal and I needed a small amplifier so I could take it out to play with the looper. I put a pick up on my violin and the idea was to have portability so I could take it outside of my studio. I also needed a way to play backing tracks in small settings. Started looking at those one speaker mini PA setups. 

Behringer makes one and so does Mackie. Basically a mini class D amplifier with a three channel mixer,phantom power, etc. I decided to seriously look at the Mackie units. Seen one on the "used" GC website for a lot less than a new one and decided to order it. Fast forward about 5 days and it came yesterday. I open it up, plug in a 1/8" to dual RCA stereo cable into my smart phone and pick a track to play. The sound is garbled, so I think maybe my impedance is off. I double check that. Use different inputs. Still has a very apparent mushy sound in the bass. I continue to play with the levels, plug in my violin pickup...same thing. This thing came well wrapped in bubble wrap, so I don't think it was dropped and damaged.

The  other possibilities aren't good. A fellow musician who knew this thing was bad when he or she came in to GC somehow bluffed them into taking it. Maybe had the bass turned down so they wouldn't hear it........basically schmoozed someone into taking their junk. GC apparently didn't check this amp out very well before they shipped it. Yes my local GC should take it back. Just a bunch of my time wasted and probably a fee of some kind. The person who brought it in had to know it was bad. I thought we looked out for each other? Never again.

Same thing happened with a rice cooker I bought new last week at a department store. Took it home, took it out of the box and the cook lever wouldn't go down. Boxed it back up again. Took it to returns and told the woman I was very leary of another one and asked her if there had been others bringing them back. She said no so I hesitantly brought another one home, took it out of the box and it did the same thing. I said the H&&l with it and took the bottom off with a screwdriver. They had pressed the parts too close together and the linkage was hitting. A few small bends with needle nosed pliers and now it works. Just a pain in the hinder parts. I'm batting 1000 this week, had some a hole try to run me off the road in the car. I was literally laying on the horn and he still kept coming into my lane forcing me into the emergency lane. Half of my car was alongside his car. I almost made the decision to ruin his car but decided I didn't want the hassle of calling insurance people etc. You have no idea how close I came to doing it. I realize these are small problems in comparison to others. Everyone has a bad day...suck it up...I guess.

Rant over

Edited February 5, 2020 by Starise

[InstrEd]

Maybe that is why I'm staying in today ?

[bats brew]

i never go into GC asking questions.

 

i ALWAYS go in already knowing what i want, how much it costs, and whether it's in stock or not.

 

 

[craigb]

5 hours ago, batsbrew said:

i never go into GC asking questions.

... unless I'm bored and want to tweak a few little brains. ?

"Hey, where are you keeping the left-handed surround-sound cables for solar-powered spring reverb tanks?"

[Starise]

14 hours ago, batsbrew said:

i never go into GC asking questions.

 

i ALWAYS go in already knowing what i want, how much it costs, and whether it's in stock or not.

 

 

On the same page here. There is a certain level of risk in buying from the GC used section. I wish the item would have been at my local GC . Still might not have changed the outcome because I would have assumed someone checked it out before they tried to sell it. The item was advertised as being in good condition. It wasn't. From now on I will likely insist we plug in the item and try it out on site. If it isn't local, I will have it shipped to the local GC and then try it out. I doubt I'll ever attempt to buy from them again though. I'll just spend more money and buy something new, probably online. Sweetwater, Musiciansfriend, Americanmusicalsupply....places like that.

Are they going to recoup me for my time and money spent in driving there 20 miles from my house? We know the answer to that one. If I have to pay a "restocking"fee. I will never darken their door again.  I'm not feeling the love

 

[bats brew]

i found THIS, in the consignment section at GC:

 

 

1977 Ibanez Artist 2618

I walked into GC to look at Les Paul Double cuts.

They didn't have any.

 

What they DID have, was a 1977 Ibanez Artist 2618, priced out at $899 (which is about $400 cheaper than anything I’ve found on EBay)....

I talked them down to $599.

Really good condition, one small chip out of the finish on the back, and the pickup selector knob is broken off, but the selector still works fine.

 

Looks like the original frets. No checking in the finish, it's beautifully worn, gold finish is coming off the hardware at a very normal rate, for a 34 year old guitar.

 

Serial # E775404

Mahogany Body with Maple top

Maple neck Ebony fretboard with dot abalone markers

Machine Head Smooth tuners

Pickups Super 80

Controls 2 vol, 2 tone, 3 way pickup selector

Harmonomatic bridge

Hardware Gold

Finish Antique Brown

24 frets all in pristine condition. NO wear at all on frets or fingerboard.

 

 

 

Almost just like the one I bought in 1979, which was a 2619, meaning, it had block inlays and a phase switch on the bridge humbucker.

I wished I had never sold it.

This sort of makes up for it.

This is the SECOND time I went into a store shopping for a Gibson Les Paul, and left with an Ibanez Artist.

LOL

Built in Japan in 1977.  Research on Ibanez can be difficult as they supported all sorts of numbering systems and numerous factories in different countries. This was the second year of production for this model. Based on the “E” designation in the serial number, it would have been built in May of 1977. The Ibanez Artist was only built with these specs for four years, from 1976 through 1979. Sometime in 1979 they cheapened all of the appointments and changed the model to the AR200, which made the earlier models hard to find and very much in demand by serious Ibanez players.

 

The guitar features a mahogany body with a carved solid maple top, hard maple set neck, bound ebony fretboard, abalone dot fretboard inlays, original Flying Fingers ceramic pickups, and gold plated

Hardware and pickups. The finish is a rich antique brown sunburst. It came with a hard shell case, but I cannot say for sure if it is the original case because it does not say Ibanez on it.

 

Having said that, in 1977, Ibanez may not have been putting their name on the outside of their cases like they do now. Bottom line is it’s a nice plush lined arch top, very well padded case that fits the guitar like it was made for it. The lining inside is lime green, if that sheds any light on the originality of it, and amazingly, it DOES NOT stink! LOL

 

Whoever had this before me, possibly the original owner, took incredibly good care of it, and did not play it very much.

 

Info i found, that i could not vett:

This guitar was made at the Terada Plant, Japan, 1977, Production Number: 5404.

 

I was actually shopping for a Gibson Les Paul, back in '79, when I bought my original 2619. I had just finished about 6 months of demoing every les Paul I could get my hands on, waiting to find the right one. This guitar has a nice warm tone and sustains for miles.  It’s actually the closest thing I’ve found to a Les Paul without being made by Gibson. This Ibanez is the only guitar I’ve ever heard that can compare to the Les Paul, which amazes even me. The Flying Fingers pickups are killer.

 

 

A pic from the original 1977 catalog:

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by batsbrew

[Starise]

Mighty fine, Mighty fine indeed. Quite a find.

I bought a Hellraiser from GC and never had any issues with it. Also a nylon  string acoustic and a Martin DX. Come to think of it most of my guitars have been bought from GC with the exception of my Variax.  Never had any issues with those guitars.

I don't know nearly as much about guitars as you likely do. I'll admit that. You knew what you were looking at. Not sure how you managed to talk them down so much unless maybe they didn't know the guitar ( very likely) and might not have paid the original owner much for it. At 599.00 they still made money so they must have bought it for a song. Ibanez isn't generally thought of in the same context as the old Gibson's which might have really worked in your favor.

I have traded some nice gear into them and whoever bought it had something decent. One amp I traded was worth something. It was just too darned loud for my neighborhood and my ears so I sold it. The guy working that day was a very good guitarist and he really lit that thing up, almost blew the roof off of GC lol.

Since this last deal I am VERY skeptical of anything electronic they sell used. Sometimes amps need to warm up before problems show up. Thankfully they have a 45 day return policy.  As my own personal rule, since this last incident, I will probably be looking at new electronics.  Guitars can always turn my head if the price is right and it's something I want. 

 

[bats brew]

 the salesman turned gray, when he went to ring it up, after the deal was struck.

he went in the back to get the case,

and looked pale when he came back.

LOL

 

they go for anywhere from 900 to 1600 on verb and bay

i use it a lot.

[bayoubill]

Beautiful! Let's hear it. 

[Starise]

38 minutes ago, batsbrew said:

 the salesman turned gray, when he went to ring it up, after the deal was struck.

he went in the back to get the case,

and looked pale when he came back.

LOL

 

they go for anywhere from 900 to 1600 on verb and bay

i use it a lot.

I wonder if he still has a job lol.

[InstrEd]

12 minutes ago, Starise said:

I wonder if he still has a job lol.

Sometimes they just want the merchandise moved out after a certain amount of time.

 

[Gswitz]

I got my ucx at a local gc. 

Lots of odds and ends. 

My rack.

Strings

Pedal board

Pedals

I like the place.

[craigb]

Back in the early 2000's, I made a deal with one guy who was new, but ambitious.  I told him I wanted to buy things for $1 over cost, but I would be buying a LOT of stuff.

One year and $40k later, I had the bulk of my studio and he was now the manager of the Guitar area. ?

[Starise]

Craig you must be a wheeler dealer. I  have a friend who would buy the latest guitars and keyboards. You would think the dude would have been happy and set for the next 5-10 years. Nope. He would find something about it he didn't like, next thing you know it's for sale and he hasn't had it for a year. He must have gone through a dozen guitars and five keyboards in only a few years......I still don't think he is content to this day. He would always buy on a deal and sell top dollar, that way his loses were minimal and he got to play with different toys all the time.  That just isn't me. I get attached to my stuff and try to learn it.

I was more of a buy and keep kinda guy, though I traded a few things. That's why there's no room in my studio. I don't really have a lot of stuff, just a small space. I guess I need to define what a "lot" is lol.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Starise

[craigb]

I basically knew what I wanted, but would entertain "ideas" (which usually were items they would discount to move them - I got a killer bass this way and a mandolin that I didn't think I would care for, but ended up really liking).

Although buying to try and reselling is going to happen a lot in this arena, I tried to keep it to a minimum.  At least until I was forced to sell everything at give-away prices! ?

That said, I definitely have a decent plan for how I'll put together my next studio once I can afford it (and live it a MUCH bigger place!).

[Starise]

I keep thinking about some of those old synths that bring a mint now and a few guitars I should have held onto....so I just started to hang on to my gear, even if I don't use it often. You never know what the draw will be to it in 10-20 years. A few of those VSTi users are drooling over something they can simply plug in, push a few buttons and play. You can still buy synths but they seem to be getting more and more flimsy.

[michaelhanson]

On 1/28/2020 at 5:21 PM, batsbrew said:

i never go into GC asking questions.

 

i ALWAYS go in already knowing what i want, how much it costs, and whether it's in stock or not.

 

 

This is me.  I usually end up educating their staff.  

[michaelhanson]

On 1/29/2020 at 11:48 AM, batsbrew said:

 the salesman turned gray, when he went to ring it up, after the deal was struck.

he went in the back to get the case,

and looked pale when he came back.

LOL

 

they go for anywhere from 900 to 1600 on verb and bay

i use it a lot.

There are deals that can be found at GC because a lot of their staff can be inexperienced on particular products.   There is one guy at the Strat Talk forum site that finds online deals all the time with Strat's that are misrepresented.  It can go the other way on used equipment as well.  Last week I was looking at an ES 335 and I informed the staff that it was overpriced because it was a "Studio" model; which seemed obvious to me, but apparently not to others.  

I have come across deals on Guitar Pedals as well, when they don't realize what its worth or misidentify the version.   A couple of weeks ago my local GC has a vintage TS-808 marked at $49; I should have grabbed that.  Someone got a deal.  

Bottom line, if you know your stuff,  many times they do not. 

 

[Jim Roseberry]

I like most of the guys at our local GC.

I've been buying gear from them for years.

 

Like Bat, I know what I'm looking for before I walk in.

 

Recently wanted to check out a Spector Euro LX 5-string bass.

These are normally ~$2650.

Online, a white one was listed for ~$1700 (I assumed it was lightly used).

Got there and the white Euro LX was marked at $2650.

Since the serial number matched the listing on the website, I got it brand new for $1700 plus change.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Jim Roseberry

[Starise]

Jim that's  great!

Update.I brought the item back to my local GC. Explained the issue. He still had to plug it in to verify everything I told him. Yep, blown speaker. The refund was made. The person working at this GC even credited me the shipping fees. I don't know what else they could have done under the circumstances. I felt bad that the dude at my local GC was stuck with this. Apparently they have a repair center they crate and ship gear off to. That's where this was headed according to him.

The fault lies somewhere else at another GC in the chain. If your reading this and you work at GC, just make sure you check the gear out well before you take it in ? Negligence was involved, but there's no point in going any further. Wouldn't matter anyhow. At my local GC these guys try hard. It's a big organization with a lot of branches. I guess it just depends on the staff and the deal.

I guess in the other mentioned cases you guys seem to be counting on inexperience lol....In some cases it seems to be they pay $$ for it. They need this much $$ to justify the sale...beyond that the details could really work in your favor. I have seen them look on the web for pricing on gear, then they pay you less than that to buy it from you obviously. Likely all based on percentages for the buy and the sell. It's a music pawn shop on the used end. Probably less flexibility on the new end.