Interesting history of Guitar Center

[Mark Schmieder]

Interesting history of Guitar Center. I had never heard of them until I moved to California in late 1991, then a decade later they had displaced most regional chains in New England and elsewhere. There are some shocking details here about the impact of a leveraged buyout.

 

 

I wasn't sure if it made sense to post this here or on the guitar forum, but this is by far the most active of the Music Player forums so I figure it'll be seen by more people here, and I think most of the guitar and bass forumites visit this one as well.

 

I wonder why Woodwind & Brasswind isn't mentioned in this video? That was a pretty significant buy. Looks like that was done in 2007, later than I thought.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Center

 

[Shamanzarek]

It is interesting that GC started out in Hollywood as Organ Center in 1959. GC in Orange County, CA was always well-stocked with the hottest keyboards in the early 80s. I bought a Pro-One, Jupiter 6, Poly-800, and DX7 there. Back then if you went in with cash and made a reasonable offer they would always make you a great deal. I didn't buy a guitar there until last year and got a deal on a Martin I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. I have purchased from many dealers but GC has gotten most of my business for the past several years.

[Docbop]

I remember the original  Vox Guitar Center as it was called when it opened in the 60's.   My friends and I first went there because it was the only place you could see and buy Vox gear.   In the beginning it an okay store the Vox gear what the draw, but it slowly turned in a good guitar store.   Seen GC go thru a lot over the decades and heard tons of nightmares and crazy crap from employees.    

 

My biggest frustration with GC was the music store West LA Music I shopped and hung out at for 40 was bought by GC just to shut them down.   WLA Music had a huge client list of some of the biggest studios, musician, and customers in L.A. and that is all GC wanted along with one of their pro audio stores that still is open.    Weird GC didn't even want WLA's inventory, GC said sell off as much as you can for whatever price you want, and we'll take was little is left.   GC had some strange management over the decades. 

[Stokely]

My closest GC doesn't have jack anymore for keyboard stock.  It's kind of random and mostly consists of controllers and home keyboards.

They have been very good when it comes to service though.  And if I want to buy used, they are my first choice due to the policy that lets me return things locally for up to 45 days after purchase.   I just bought a strat on sale after seeing it on the site, and it took them a while to locate the last one of that color in stock so that I could try it out...I didn't mind that much, but when he came back with the guitar it was in a gig bag, which wasn't really part of the deal on the website.  Just kind of a throw-in because I had to wait was the gist of it.

[o0Ampy0o]

There had been a great store in my area. When GC opened they caused headaches and concern for this existing business. It didn't take long for regulars to realize you might get a better price but it would cost you elsewhere opting for GC. Then the existing store knuckled down and changed their game plan. They competed with GC at their game with sales and aggressive pricing. The only reason to go to GC was if the other store did not carry the brand. They had enough time in business to be able to do this successfully. This store still has great stock while GC is as others have described.

[ProfD]

IMO, despite having acquired Musician's Friend, Guitar Center could not foresee the rise in online competition from places like Sweetwater and others.

 

Guitar Center ownership should 1) reduce the # of brick and mortar stores and 2) standardize floor display across all stores.  There should be a display model for every piece of gear they sell. 

 

Thankfully, my local brick and mortar music store has been in business for over 50 years and they've been winning by doing it right.😎

[Docbop]

A friend of mine sister worked for GC headquarters and she said the bulk of GC's business is online.   I think a lot of GC's stores now double as regional storehouses for online sales. 

 

For me what makes Sweetwater great and GC not, is customer service.  I know for me Sweetwater has bent over backwards a few times to keep me a happy customer.  Also Sweetwater includes their own 2 year warranty on most everything, that GC charges extra for. 

[Dave Bryce]

 

6 hours ago, ProfD said:

 

Guitar Center ownership should

 

1) reduce the # of brick and mortar stores and

 

2) standardize floor display across all stores.  There should be a display model for every piece of gear they sell. 

 

Thankfully, my local brick and mortar music store has been in business for over 50 years and they've been winning by doing it right.😎

 

1) I believe GC has been opening stores, not closing them.

 

2) All GC stores conform to an existing corporate-generated "plan-o-gram" that defines their store layout as closely as the individual store's footprint wil allow.

 

3) GC carries a ton of lines and SKUs.  There's no possible way every store could have a demo unit for every piece of gear they sell.  It'd cost a fortune, have to be vigorously maintained, and  - at the end of the day - wouldn't fit in most stores physically.

 

dB

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

We have a small local GC, it's just about all that's left for music stores in Bellingham. 

Hugo Helmer's is south of here about 25 miles and they have EVERYTHING but prices are on the high side. 

I don't need much anyway and usually purchase used gear if possible. 

 

I do remember many years ago going to a Guitar Center (I want to say it was in Hollywood?) and there were about three thousand "heavy metal rodent children" in there playing their shred licks at lightning speed simultaneously in every possible key with the MOST distorted tones. 

 

If I worked there I would have become a mass-murderer, probably during my first shift on the job. 😇

[ProfD]

3 minutes ago, Docbop said:

What makes Sweetwater great and GC not, is customer service.  I know for me Sweetwater has bent over backwards a few times to keep me a happy customer. 

I'd imagine it's easier to provide great customer service online or over the phone.  Just a matter of being polite while the customer places an order. 😁

 

Definitely not the same as  salespeople who have to deal with tire kickers showing up in the store and asking a bunch of questions and playing gear for hours only to leave it buy it elsewhere. 🤣😎

[Docbop]

8 minutes ago, ProfD said:

I'd imagine it's easier to provide great customer service online or over the phone.  Just a matter of being polite while the customer places an order. 😁

 

Definitely not the same as  salespeople who have to deal with tire kickers showing up in the store and asking a bunch of questions and playing gear for hours only to leave it buy it elsewhere. 🤣😎

I'm talking things like buying a keyboard and a tiny knob was broken upon arrival. I called and thought they would arrange for a quick repair.   No they said they are going to overnight me another board and arrange for the broken one to be picked up and shipped back.   Or a minor thing I ordered something and I didn't get my bag of candy.   So on my next order I joked with my salesman about the missing candy,  He sent me a nice Sweetwater glass jar filled with candy.  Other times I've order and item I know is hard to get and they can't deal on price I say can't you do something, throws in a Gator bag for the keyboard.   To me that's more than brick and mortar vs online. 

[ProfD]

@Docbop, that level of customer service should be standard across the industry.  Unfortunately, that's not always the case.  Excellent that you're getting it from Sweetwater.

 

Other than having a great brick and mortar music store in my backyard, that "no deal thing" at Sweetwater has kept me from even inquiring about gear there.

5 hours ago, David Bryce said:

3) GC carries a ton of lines and SKUs.  There's no possible way every store could have a demo unit for every piece of gear they sell.  It'd cost a fortune, have to be vigorously maintained, and  - at the end of the day - wouldn't fit in most stores physically.

 

Brotha dB, I realize it's impossible for a GC store to carry everything but if we could at least get their KB departments to display the most popular KBs that would be a start. 

 

A few months ago, I was out of town and walked into a GC KB department.  It was pathetic.  Nothing major on the floor.  They only had those store brand (Williams) DPs or KBs and a few other toy/home KBs. 😎

[Dave Bryce]

4 hours ago, ProfD said:

Brotha dB, I realize it's impossible for a GC store to carry everything but if we could at least get their KB departments to display the most popular KBs that would be a start. 

 

I’m not sure there’s a common reference doc that says what those are, D….but if there was, imagine what a chore it’d be to keep it (and the corresponding demo stock) up to date, not to mention how much it would fluctuate in different markets.

There are guys at Corporate HQ (only about ten minutes away from me, actually) whose job it is to do exactly what you’re calling for.  They have to make decisions that affect 300+ stores….and these days, are also somewhat limited by availability and extended delivery times that are all over the place.  On top of that, they’ve gotta try to project how the stuff they’re buying will sell through….

 

I know some of the guys who have had to do that job.  I don’t envy them.

 

dB

[Mighty Motif Max]

7 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

I do remember many years ago going to a Guitar Center (I want to say it was in Hollywood?) and there were about three thousand "heavy metal rodent children" in there playing their shred licks at lightning speed simultaneously in every possible key with the MOST distorted tones.

New signature unlocked?

[Mighty Motif Max]

I do buy stuff from Musician's Friend at times. Never straight GC though...never had a good experience with them. But the one that was local to me before we moved did have a very well-stocked keys department (the Roseville, MN location).

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Question: being in Aussie and never having these stores ive always wondered about the interesting name of Sweetwater

 

Is it named after a town it started in???  Its a good name but seems odd for a music store unless place of origin.

[KuruPrionz]

17 minutes ago, AUSSIEKEYS said:

Question: being in Aussie and never having these stores ive always wondered about the interesting name of Sweetwater

 

Is it named after a town it started in???  Its a good name but seems odd for a music store unless place of origin.

Lots of possibilities, nearby creek or lake seems likely to me. 

They've always given me great service, fast shipping and they know their gear if you have questions. No complaints here.

[Outkaster]

On 7/3/2022 at 3:18 PM, Reezekeys said:

Spyro has had personnel changes, I guess you're talking about Jay and Tom? Julio Fernandez has been with them quite a while too, though he's not a "founding" member. I first met Tom around 1976 or 77 when a band I was with was playing the original Tralfamadore Café in Buffalo. Every pic I've seen of Tommy playing with the band has him standing.

 

BTW, I just played at the Syracuse Jazz Fest - not too far from you.

 

[Morrissey]

My engagement with GC has morphed slowly from in-person retailer to eBay/Reverb competitor for online used purchases.  Can't remember the last time I purchased something new (i.e., unused) from them.  Can't remember the last time I purchased something in person from them.

 

My local GC's keyboard room is embarrassingly empty.

[Mark Schmieder]

Sweetwater is a pretty common name in the USA. Almost every region has at least one club, store, restaurant, stream, etc., with that name. When I first heard about Sweetwater as a "pro audio shop", I was very confused, because I falsely assumed that the club I sometimes played at, Sweetwater in Mill Valley CA (Marin County), had started a side business selling or renting backline gear!

[AUSSIEKEYS]

On 7/15/2022 at 2:08 PM, Mark Schmieder said:

Sweetwater is a pretty common name in the USA. Almost every region has at least one club, store, restaurant, stream, etc., with that name. When I first heard about Sweetwater as a "pro audio shop", I was very confused, because I falsely assumed that the club I sometimes played at, Sweetwater in Mill Valley CA (Marin County), had started a side business selling or renting backline gear!

Thanks Mark that expains it. Its a nice name and conjurs up wonderful holiday thoughts for me so it always felt inviting even if i would have never associated it with music.

[Joe Muscara]

You'd be surprised about the performance of various GC locations. The two here in college towns, College Station (Texas A&M) and Waco (Baylor University) do somewhat poorly. I would have thought they would at least do really well at the start of each semester when the kids are getting settled into their places and parents are buying them stuff. OTOH, the store in the town we all make fun of in Texas, Beaumont, is the best performing store in the region last I heard. Clear Lake gets a lot of foot traffic from people in town for the cruise ships out of Galveston. Each store seems to attract a different crowd.

 

It would not make sense to have all those and the other stores carry the same inventory. I do think it would be good if they had full coverage of inventory among all the nearby stores so they could ship between them or send customers to a store say, half an hour away when they're looking for something specific. But the failures of GC are not my problem and I'm happy about that.  

[zeronyne]

I worked on the floor and then in operations at GC in Chicago in the the late 80s and early 90s, which is where I first saw the name “David Bryce” in an instruction manual. Those early days, right after they did their first major expansion, was wild. I smoked while talking with customers (and I didn’t smoke cigarettes outside of work), we did funny math to up our paltry commissions (which bit me later when I became operations manager in Chicago and had to clean up that mess). This was when Paul Hamer (of Hamer guitars) was VP. They had a decent business model at the time…trying to modernize the 48th Street vibe into more of a big box store, although Mars Music went too far in that direction.

 

GC could never rid themselves of their “fast food” reputation even though I met some of the most talented musicians and business people while working there because they just churned through employees like a meat grinder.

 

fun fact: I was there when the first computer POS system was installed with a small mainframe in every store (this is in the dialup era). They STILL use that green screen system today, which blows my mind. That was an incredible investment.

[bill5]

  

On 7/13/2022 at 5:57 PM, ProfD said:

 

A few months ago, I was out of town and walked into a GC KB department.  It was pathetic.  Nothing major on the floor.  They only had those store brand (Williams) DPs or KBs and a few other toy/home KBs. 😎

It must vary per store. The one near me had a number of quality keyboards on display. Unfortunately for them, so does Sam Ash which is right next door.