Bad Music Store Experience Today (with Phil & Eddie)

[Eddie Estes]

Sorry to everyone else. This just brings out the redneck in me.
Eddie

[HeyMerle]

I basically said if you are going to accuse someone of "SHOWING OFF" and anybody that knows me knows
I don't do that then man up and do it under your real name.
This is a group of people that have known each other for a long time. You don't come
in here and post for the first time under a fake name and start insulting people me or anyone else.
I would defend anyone that posts here against that.

You made your point and I made mine.

End of discussion!

That I can agree with. Fair enough.

[PhilHunt]

It'd be nice to know "HeyMerle's" real name. There's someone else on the chetboard who's known for using other alias names....kind of makes you wonder if it is the same person.

[Vidar Lund]

I agree with Eddie and Phil. All of us ought to use their our real name. And Merle is a marvellous name when it comes to playing the guitar!

[BillB]

I know both Phil and Eddie, and I've heard them both play. I was also an assistant manager of a music store many years ago. If they had come into that store and tried out a couple of guitars, I'd have been inviting them back just to hear them play (and maybe steal a few licks). They're good guys, and I feel confident that they wanted to visit the store and see if there was anything there of future interest. They don't go into music stores to show off. They go for the same reason the rest of us go. They just happen to better pickers than the rest of us. But we all look for good places to do our business with, and some places are just not that great.

I went into a music store in Corpus Christi several years ago and asked about a particular guitar. The guy was not real friendly, and said, "I think I have one in the back. Do you want to buy one?" I said I didn't know, because I had never played one. I was interested in trying one out. He was not interested in doing anything to help me out, and I never went back there again. That store had a history of mistreating its customers and potential customers. There were two other stores there in CC, however, that I ended up doing business with, buying amps guitars, mics and other accessories. Those folks treated me well, but I never went back to the first one. That's just how it is.

And if you don't know Phil and Eddie, you're missing out. They are to the point, but they are good guys. At least, in my opinion, they are. And those boys can pick!!!

Bill B.

[Doug_H]

....."Smoke on the Stairway to Freebird".

LOL! PRICELESS! Though it's just as likely to be 'Smoke on the Stairway to Crazy Train'. hehe...

Whatever it is, it's always annoying. A long time ago I quit going to stores that didn't have a separate sound insulated room for the high end acoustics(still avoid places like GC though). A store like that usually has someone who 'does' know squat and is happy to let you compare as many guitars as you want. I may play many guitars over several hours...rarely making a purchase that day. But I know where I'll be going when I do buy.

[PhilHunt]

Doug,
That's why I prefer a Store that both Eddie and I have both shopped at. It's called Melodee Music. The guy who runs the place has been in business since the 70's. He carries practically every brand of guitar. He carries the whole Gretsch line. And if he doesn't have it, he can get it for you. One brand he did stop carrying was Gibson, he said they are the worst people to deal with. He has an acoustic room especially for trying out acoustic guitars and it has a nice selection of acoustic amps in there. He'll set you up with any guitar, any amp, a tuner, close the door and let you be. If you wanna try it fine....it wanna buy it fine.
I can remember going to Melodee Music as a kid and seeing the whole Gibson Chet series of guitars there and drooling over them. He had a wine red Gent, a Brown Gent, a CE, an SST. And even though they were all over a thousand dollars and I was just a kid. He took every one of them down for me to play. What super guy!
This guy stays in business because he is customer oriented. He knows how to please customers. He is also the cheapest around in our area. I thought it was funny one time when I was shopping for an acoustic amp and I settled on the Fender Acoustasonic. I went to Guitar Canter and they told me they were the cheapest and nobody could beat their price. I ended up paying about $100 less at Melodee Music.....nuff said.

[Eddie Estes]

Bill,
We appreciate the kind words!

Thanks a bunch!!!!!
Eddie

[Brian Ingram]

... A store like that usually has someone who 'does' know squat and is happy to let you compare as many guitars as you want. I may play many guitars over several hours...rarely making a purchase that day. But I know where I'll be going when I do buy.

When I was in high school, I used to go to a store that a semi-pro player in town recommended. I often went in to hang out and ogle some of the gear I couldn't afford as a non-gigging kid. I did spend some time (nearly 2 hours) with one of the store's owners trying out most of Taylor's line at the time. He was guiding me through the various models, sonic differences between them, available options for a custom order, etc.

When I graduated high school (maybe more than a year after this experience), my Dad and I went down to that store, and we placed an order with them for a made-to-order Taylor. Not cheap!! My folks paid half as a graduation present, and I took 100% of what I earned working full-time for the entire time until I went to college to pay the other half. I was well paid during that summer, too...

In the end, I'd say the couple hours that store invested in helping me select a great instrument paid off for them. Not just in the guitar sold, but in the other guitar I bought from them, the amps, and the usual stuff like strings, picks, etc. There were two other music stores I had to go past to get to that one store on the other side of town (~30 minute drive), but I consistently gave them all my business.

Sad to say when Mars Music came to town (the precursor to Guitar Center expanding across the country, and founded by the same guy as Office Depot), the lure of the big box killed the one great music store in that city.

[Billy Anderson]

Hey folks, my real name is Billy Anderson and I live in North Little Rock, AR. I have never owned a music store, never played down the hazy escalator to wherever Guitar Center super fast shredders may end up someday, and I do not wish to get in a fight since I am 70 and can be whipped by my wife. I would, however, like to ask a favor of anyone out there in CB Land who might know of a used NC or CG-1959 for sale within a reasonable driving distance of central Arkansas. After several years of hinting, I think I have finally convinced my much better half that I need to buy one of these Holy Grail models (used) before I forget how to semi-play guitar. I found an NC on eBay for 1,600.00, but it is in Houston, which would take me two days to reach, with no guarantee it will still be there. Furthermore, (now here is my theory of relativity to this posting), I really would like to go in a brick and mortar store to try before buy. Please don't come down too hard on me since a lot of you made me want this guitar based on your glowing reviews of it's sound and playability. Thanks for any assistance you can give me. ROCK ON!

Billy Anderson