A Guitar Center experience, with a happy ending.
Thanks to a little Christmas money, I just bought a "real" guitar... something a step above the rock-bottom basic models, with a solid-wood top. A Yamaha FG730S, if you must know, but that's not terribly important. This story isn't about the guitar, it's about the Guitar Center in Wichita, KS.
Now, before I even asked for GC gift cards, I had picked out three models I knew I was interested in. Something around $300, solid-wood top, quality construction. (A Seagull, a Yamaha and a Takamine, if you must know.) Something that wouldn't give me fits like my $80 used Harmony that just couldn't be adjusted to suit me.
So, armed with my gift card, I headed down to Guitar Center with the intent to play all three, maybe couple others in stock, and probably pick one. Little did I know that today was the last day of their extended holiday hours, and it was a popular day to be there. At any given time, there were at least five people in the acoustic room playing... at least two different guys who were playing loudly and SINGING, one of them for nearly half-an-hour. One guy was having a jam session with his girlfriend and her little brother (I guess). I picked up a guitar, but I couldn't even hear it clearly. I wandered off to look at books, and wandered back every so often... the people playing rotated, but there were several people who walked in, looked at how many people were in there, and promptly walked back out.
Thing is, I'm pretty sure that the people who were in there the longest and playing the loudest had no intention of actually buying a guitar. Certainly the trio jamming away weren't planning on buying three. And I get that Guitar Center is about hands-on, getting to play the guitar before you buy, but this was too much.
After about 45 minutes I gave up and went home, figuring I'd either go back on Monday during the day (I have the week off) or maybe I'd run down there later tonight around 6... they normally close at 6 on Sundays, but were open until 7 for the holiday. So figuring most people won't know they're open, or are dealing with dinner or whatnot, I got impatient and headed back down to arrive at 6. And it paid off... I had the acoustic room all to myself for close to an hour.
Now here's where it got even better. I had checked the web and knew they should have all three models I wanted to try in stock. I tried the Takamine first and it just didn't live up to all the rave I've heard about it... I was disappointed and I easily knocked that one out of the running. So I started looking around for the other two models and couldn't find them, just as an employee walked in... the first that had spoken to me.
Now, I have to disclose, it turns out I know the guy. Will used to play guitar at a church I attended for several years, and he's a pretty cool guy. I hadn't seen him around GC for awhile, but he remembered me. So he hunted down the two guitars I wanted and I set to comparing them.
So, giving them both a shot, it was a much better experience than with the Takamine. I wanted to like the Seagull better... even though it was most expensive, it was also the most beautiful, had a slightly wider than standard neck which I liked, and it's made in Canada instead of Asia. (Though both Yamaha and Takamine are very respectable guitar makers, I'm trying to spend my money closer to home if I can.) But I couldn't... it was just too brassy and not as clear when strummed with a fingernail or pick compared to the Yamaha. And Will even unpacked a second identical Seagull out of the back room and let me try that, since, being made of wood, each guitar is unique and may sound different. (I'll note that this model was, at sticker, a hundred bucks more than the Yamaha, so I'm sure he'd like to make the higher dollar sale.) And the second one did sound better, but it still didn't sound as good as the Yamaha. And, dollar value not withstanding, Will agreed.
I sat there with the two guitars on stands on front of me, alternating between them... playing something on one, then the same on the other. I wanted to prefer the Seagull, but I was having a hard time making up my mind. It wasn't bad, and it was brighter than the Yamaha, just a little too bright when played even a little aggressively.
At the crucial decision point, a couple teens (maybe early twenties) came in and started playing. They weren't terribly loud, but they did make the process harder. But after a few minutes, they realized I was trying to make a real purchasing choice, and they kept it quiet for the five minutes or so that I needed to make up my mind. Thank you, who ever you were, for not being Guitar Center wankers. I appreciated the gesture, and I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to actually thank you while I was there.
I gave in and choose the Yamaha. It really did sound better to me, and it didn't hurt that it was the cheaper of the two... and when I looked at the tag, it turned out to be discounted even lower than the website price.
My thanks to Will, who was very helpful, and stayed after 7 on a Sunday, at the end of a nine-hour busy holiday shift when Sunday is normally six hours, without pressuring me to make a decision or giving me any kind of attitude about it.
Sometimes Guitar Center is noisier than I like, and sometimes the customers make it difficult to talk to the sales people or to hear the instrument you're demoing, but I've been very pleased with the service I've received in the several times I've been in the store. I started with buying microphones a couple years ago, looked at buying my son and myself guitars over a year ago, looked at digital pianos for my son, bought harmonicas, strings, picks, capos and so on. Every time, the staff has been helpful and courteous, no matter how many tattoos or piercings they had. I'm kind of a straight-laced 40-year-old, and I don't really feel like I "fit in" at Guitar Center, but no staff member has ever made me feel like I don't belong there.
That isn't the story I typically hear about Guitar Center elsewhere, so I thought it worth sharing.