Why Guitar Center Sucks

 I don't like going to Guitar Center for the same reason I don't like going to gyms, because people are just there to show off.

 I'm not a professional musician, I'm not a show off and I'm not even that good of a guitar player. I play as a hobby for my own personal enjoyment. I don't like going to Guitar Center playing a guitar and immediately being scrutinized, and judged by the flashy super fast guitarist who can't do anything else but play fast scales, the 13 year old kid either playing Crazy Train or some Tool song over and over again, or the condescending douche sales person. 

When you walk into a Guitar Center, immediately 10 people will judge you. 5 of those people are the wandering musicians in the store, and the other 5 are salespeople figuring out how much money you might spend. That’s why if you’re dressed as a college student, you’ll get the cold shoulder, but if you’re an older man, if you’re a mom with your son, or if you just look rich, the salespeople will swarm you like vultures to a dead gazelle.

 

The Flashy Super Fast Guitarist who can't do anything but play fast scales

 

The 13 year old kid playing Crazy Train over and over again

 

The Condescending Sales Person Douche

The moment you walk in the attractive woman at the door says hello to you. By the way,  why are all of the guitar center door people attractive women? 

Then you can see the obvious levels of marketing strategy at work, lower end guitars on the bottom, high end at the top. 

At the bottom you got your Squires, Mexican Strats, Epiphone Les Pauls, Jasmine Acoustics. These are the Guitars that the parents buy for their kids on Christmas, the younger player gets when they save money, and the older person gets to try and rekindle their youth. The thing about the cheap stuff is that the companies don’t really care about it. They use cheap materials, cheap labor, and no quality control. These mass produced instruments should be used by no one. 

At middle level you got instruments which will last awhile, and still sound pretty good. I’m talking the Ibanez Prestiges, Fender American Strats and Teles, Takamine acoustics, amongst plenty of others which cost anywhere from $400-$1000. These are actually good guitars, but they don’t have the construction quality of the upper level guitars. 

Then there's the upper level. These are the instruments you’re supposed to aspire to, and they take a months pay to get. Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Player’s choice American Strats, and pretty much any guitar from 1000 to 5000 dollars. These are the instruments that the companies know you want, so Guitar Center puts them out of reach. You’re only supposed to look at these things until you can actually get one, and rarely does anyone have the brass to ask a Guitar Center sales person to reach for a $3000 Gibson Les Paul Supreme unless they have the money to afford one.

Guitar Center makes musical instruments a Corporation style event, and while you’re looking for the best instrument for yourself, they just want you to buy anything. They don’t really care if you get the best deal, really love the instrument, or if you’re getting a quality instrument. The salespeople are paid on commission.

what should be a fun hobby/joy/profession such as music, is instead turned into a car dealership buying experience.