Musician thread

[tzrider]

I'm noticing a theme here.

[Kornholio]

Colors, right?

[tzrider]

Indeed.

[Kornholio]

Ok, I think I'm done for a while Andy...

[tzrider]

Nice!

[Kornholio]

Can't say we didn't all see this coming for a while now...

https://guitar.com/news/industry-new...r-11-official/

[Hooli]

Originally Posted by Kornholio

Can't say we didn't all see this coming for a while now...

https://guitar.com/news/industry-new...r-11-official/

No big loss.

[Hooli]

Originally Posted by Volcomism

When are you leaving California to join me in Europe? I have a Funky-Metal (hate the genre name) project that I'm starting with some pretty seasoned pros. We just write and jam for fun, and will do some clubs next year.

I'd be down to travel, but only after I get vaccinated.

[Kornholio]

Originally Posted by Hooli

No big loss.

I think it depends on who you ask. For some people, Guitar Center is a haven and all they really have for a store with decent selection anywhere near them.

[tzrider]

The BK filing doesn't mean they're going away. It's a debt restructuring which may or may not help them survive.

A lot of manufacturers would miss them, as they sell a lot of product through their stores and online.

[Kornholio]

Oh I know they're not necessarily going away, but honestly with Sweetwater, Musician's Friend, Reverb and even Amazon, Guitar Center's B&M sales method is slowly dying. Even before COVID-19, foot traffic in any store I've visited in the Bay Area has been quite low. There's just far too many lower-cost options online and those store's return options are very liberal so there's basically no catch with using them over B&M unless you absolutely have to have it immediately.

[wheel_muse]

Guitar Center locations have repairs & lessons. Can't do that online!

Musician's Friend is same corp as Guitar Center.

[Kornholio]

Originally Posted by wheel_muse

Guitar Center locations have repairs & lessons. Can't do that online!

Been playing guitar for over 20 years and I've never heard of anyone taking their instrument to a Guitar Center for repairs. Admittedly, given my own personal experience with their supposed "experts" in their stores, it wouldn't be my first, second or even third choice. I've always found a local luthier or repair shop that I'd go to first if it wasn't something I'd just tackle myself.

As for lessons, I'm aware that they do offer that, but literally so does everyone else. There's tons of outlets for that in any population center.

Originally Posted by wheel_muse

Musician's Friend is same corp as Guitar Center.

Which is interesting because I cross-shop all the online stores and I'll routinely find that Musician's Friend will have something in stock when Guitar Center says they do not and vice-versa.

[tzrider]

Most of the amps I've bought over the years I would not have bought without playing them first. Not interested in a return shipment scenario if I can find it locally. I feel the same way about guitars.

Modeling gear and pedals have been a different story.

[Kornholio]

To be honest, short of the last purchase I made, the ONLY purpose GC has served for me is as a test center for things I might want to buy. However, literally no store carried the amplifier I have now in the configuration I wanted. Everyone only had the combo version if even that so there's really no way I could've tested it without just buying it. I took a chance and while it has its nits that I could pick, it's been a great platform choice overall. Even one of the guitars I picked up recently had to be special ordered as, once again, not a single Fender dealer in California, large or small, had it in stock as was confirmed by hours of phone calls and website checks. Indeed, it's just like buying a Japanese motorcycle...you're almost never going to get a chance to demo it before you buy it so the reality is you're likely just going to have to bite the bullet. I'm not a fan of most traditional amplifiers and guitars and tend to want models that are harder to locate, even though they're not necessarily expensive or high-end models.