What is wrong with Guitar Center's used drum advertising?

to me Ebay is still the king of used gear, although they're increasing fees, and poor treatment of the sellers has dramatically reduced the selection. Their feedback system is second to none, the photos and descriptions are generally really good, and if you get screwed you can let people know about it and get it resolved in their "court".

GC used seems to have a good selection of used gear, but it seems more like a pawn shop, with poor descriptions/photos, no way to really know the condition of the items, and the shipping costs are unknown until you actually check out, which I hate. They have some real low prices on some good stuff sometimes, but that's mostly because of ignorance, they hosed somebody they bought the gear from, or it's in real bad shape. Even though I've seen some things on there I wanted, I couldn't ever go through with it, and a lot of times I was able to find the same thing on ebay for a similar price, yet I knew more precisely what I was getting, and who was selling it. Personally, I still prefer going to a store (luckily I still have a good drum shop in a nearby city), but it's too far to drive for minor things, so I'm stuck with the online thing most of the time.
 
Bermuda, if you become Manager at a GC I will come work for you! :)

I'm flattered, and I'd hire you!

The problem runs a little deeper than just getting good people behind the counter. Corporate policies have their hands tied in a few ways. Also, even the best people can't accommodate their customers if there's not the right product in stock.

There are so many things they allow to work against them. It would be so easy to become the big dog on the block, which they intended to be, and mistakenly think they are... online competition notwithstanding. I'd love to sit down with them and explain what it takes to get people to come in, spend money, and stay loyal. But they haven't asked.

They won't ask.

Because they don't know that they don't know.

Bermuda
 
Not to derail the focus here, but a comparison.

As bad as the local GC looks and behaves to the customer, the Sam Ash store in the same trade area makes the GC store look like a Nordstrom.

SA is disheveled, un-manned and a ghost town most of the time. No one is stationed in the drum section. Plus, SA's prices are almost always higher than GC or Musician's Friends.
 
SA is disheveled, un-manned and a ghost town most of the time. No one is stationed in the drum section. Plus, SA's prices are almost always higher than GC or Musician's Friends.

I suppose it depends on the particular store. But I've found their prices to be consistently lower than GC's. I have both within 10 minutes of me, and I always make SA my first stop. Better selection of parts & hardware, and typically more knowledgeable staff, too.

Again, it depends on the store. There good GCs as well.

Bermuda
 
Not to derail the focus here, but a comparison.

As bad as the local GC looks and behaves to the customer, the Sam Ash store in the same trade area makes the GC store look like a Nordstrom.

SA is disheveled, un-manned and a ghost town most of the time. No one is stationed in the drum section. Plus, SA's prices are almost always higher than GC or Musician's Friends.

SoCal? The Sam Ash in Torrance is great especially when James is in the drum dept. Real dude. Knows his shit. In a legitimate band. General good dude all around.
 
Again, it depends on the store. There good GCs as well.

Bermuda

The Drum Dept. GC in Sherman Oaks was really good for a while. It was being run by a drummer, gator wrestler, and all-around good guy named Kenny Dale, nephew of Doug "The Ragin' Cajun" Kershaw. He is one amazing drummer.

One day, he either left or moved into upper management. Nobody knows. It hasn't been the same since.

They used to have their Drum Dept. upstairs, but went through a major remodel, and now they're downstairs.
 
I'm flattered, and I'd hire you!

The problem runs a little deeper than just getting good people behind the counter. Corporate policies have their hands tied in a few ways. Also, even the best people can't accommodate their customers if there's not the right product in stock.

There are so many things they allow to work against them. It would be so easy to become the big dog on the block, which they intended to be, and mistakenly think they are... online competition notwithstanding. I'd love to sit down with them and explain what it takes to get people to come in, spend money, and stay loyal. But they haven't asked.

They won't ask.

Because they don't know that they don't know.

Bermuda

Yeah, I find the help at my local drum store pretty good if transient, however they more often than not don't have what I want in stock, and when they do it tends to exhorbitantly priced. They have a decent selection of snares and cymbals, double pedals, kits and sticks(except brushes and mallets). If you see what I mean. Things like 1/4 in hihat clutches, djembe mounts, guiro mounts, ultra thin bass drum heads, brass chime tamborine, not so much.

I think it's pretty standard for a percussionist looking for that unique sound to not find things in a commodity oriented store.

As larryace noted the electronics department also sucks. They don't put the equipment specs where you can read them, so you have to ask for store help that is peretually overwhelmed. I was looking for four channel recording devices so I could go stereo+bass+snare (not a four track mixer), they kept trying to sell me 4 track mixers. Just because it has four connections doesn't mean it is four channel.
 
This thread actually gave me a nightmare about Guitar Center, and I think it was rooted in certain realities, possibly inspired by a recent purchase where they had to get a used kit down from a high shelf.

In the nightmare, this GC had a really high ceiling. A piece of gear was chained to the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, it was a Korg SQD-1 sequencer that I had sold to them during rough times. Why not buy it back?

The first stressful part of the nightmare was that I could not find ANYONE to get that piece down from the ceiling. I was the only customer and couldn't find help. Finally, I get a ladder and start to go up to get it myself.

The second and final act came when I got to the top of the ladder, when I look down at there's about 16 people lining up to wait their turn for purchases.

Woke up in a sweat. It was just too real.
 
I recently went to Guitar Center to exchange an Evans G2 batter head that the sales rep sold me as a resonant head. I wasn't aware that it was a batter head when I bought it. Anyway, the guy tried selling me a Remo Pinstripe batter as a resonant head, he also asked me if I wanted clear or coated for the bottom head. I was like "Dude, you know all resonant heads are clear right?". After a few minutes, searching for an Evans head, he finally offers me an Evans Genera Reso. Like seriously, he should've offered me that in the first place instead of the clear batter head, he keeps offering me. He should have known that reso stands for resonant. I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble trying to find a resonant head if the guy had sold me the right one. Guitar Center needs more employees that are more experienced, cause this is getting quite annoying. This is the second time I had to go through Guitar Center's inexperienced employees.
 
I recently went to Guitar Center to exchange an Evans G2 batter head that the sales rep sold me as a resonant head.

It's sad that when you go to most Guitar Centers, you have to already know what you want. You can't expect useful advice or info from the person behind the counter. They're there to ring up purchases, or check stock if needed, and that's apparently it. I know of one exception, the Hollywood Store, where Guy really knows his stuff. There must be some others... somewhere... I suppose.

If I need to know something about an intended purchase, I research it myself, and then research which store has it. If both GC and Sam Ash carry it, I go to Sam Ash first for the better price. :)

Bermuda
 
... he also asked me if I wanted clear or coated for the bottom head. I was like "Dude, you know all resonant heads are clear right?"

Not true. All resonant heads need to be single-ply in order to get excited enough to produce a sustaining note when not struck directly. Which is why the G2 (a 2-ply head) doesn't work for that. But plenty of people use coated Ambassadors or equivalent as resonant heads, which produces a slightly warmer tone than an equivalent clear single-ply resonant.

Regardless, you really have to know your sh*t before buying anything these days. You can't expect the person behind the counter to give good advice, unless they're at a highly reputable store, like Pro Drums Hollywood. But it's so easy to look up stuff like this before making a purchase, there's really no excuse not to.
 
Not true. All resonant heads need to be single-ply in order to get excited enough to produce a sustaining note when not struck directly. Which is why the G2 (a 2-ply head) doesn't work for that. But plenty of people use coated Ambassadors or equivalent as resonant heads, which produces a slightly warmer tone than an equivalent clear single-ply resonant.

Regardless, you really have to know your sh*t before buying anything these days. You can't expect the person behind the counter to give good advice, unless they're at a highly reputable store, like Pro Drums Hollywood. But it's so easy to look up stuff like this before making a purchase, there's really no excuse not to.

Ah, I see. I used a coated batter head as a resonant head before, and it didn't work out well. Also, I usually do a lot research, so it has become native for me.
 
Not true. All resonant heads need to be single-ply in order to get excited enough to produce a sustaining note when not struck directly. Which is why the G2 (a 2-ply head) doesn't work for that. But plenty of people use coated Ambassadors or equivalent as resonant heads, which produces a slightly warmer tone than an equivalent clear single-ply resonant.

Regardless, you really have to know your sh*t before buying anything these days. You can't expect the person behind the counter to give good advice, unless they're at a highly reputable store, like Pro Drums Hollywood. But it's so easy to look up stuff like this before making a purchase, there's really no excuse not to.

I also told the guy that resonant heads are 1 ply.
 
It's sad that when you go to most Guitar Centers, you have to already know what you want. You can't expect useful advice or info from the person behind the counter. They're there to ring up purchases, or check stock if needed, and that's apparently it. I know of one exception, the Hollywood Store, where Guy really knows his stuff. There must be some others... somewhere... I suppose.

If I need to know something about an intended purchase, I research it myself, and then research which store has it. If both GC and Sam Ash carry it, I go to Sam Ash first for the better price. :)

Bermuda

I was originally going to buy a Remo Ambassador Resonant head, but the guy said it was out of stock. He kept offering me 2 ply clear batter heads, and a Remo Pinstripe batter. I explained to him a bunch of times that a resonant head is 1 ply, until he offered me a Evans Genera Reso which sounds great, by the way.
 
Usually reso heads are 1 ply. But I have used clear emps on the reso side of my toms with good results. Had Aquarian performance 2s on the batter (at the recommendation of a local store).

Its no excuse for them trying to sell you what you didn't want. Just pointing out its not set in stone what can be used.
 
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