Guitar Center — Local services in Taylorsville

Pathetic excuse for a “platinum” store.

The first clue that the employees at this store don’t know what they’re doing is that they have their $2500 platinum gear set up as floor models next to the surplus cases, and their $400 Squier models literally under lock and key. But this is only a clue…

About a month ago, I brought in a couple instruments to sell and they tried to lowball me, very hard. I was asking for $1000 for the pair. The employee offered me less than half of that, and even deceptively covered part of the computer screen when showing me prices. I proved my point when I asked them to scroll up and look at the name on the head of the guitar. Then they started giving me a spiel, telling me no one likes these instruments, no one wants to buy them, claiming they couldn’t give me a penny more or they’d lose their jobs, and eventually telling me to call their manager about it. The next day, I did call the manager, who took my name and phone number and said they would get to the bottom of it and call me back — but I never heard back. Thanks, Mitch.

So the employees of this “platinum” store were either a) trying to fleece me for my gear, b) too ignorant to know how to read a serial number, or c) too lazy to send an email or make a phone call. I know this because I ultimately took the instruments to a different GC location here along the Wasatch Front and they took the extra five minutes to send off pictures of my instruments to their vintage department and then they proceeded to buy the instruments from me at $1050 for the pair — more than I had even asked for when I had first showed up at the “platinum” store.

I went in tonight and not one of the five employees greeted me, but one was kind enough to get a guitar off the top when asked. I was left to fend for myself at finding an amp and cable to actually hear the guitar. Then I find the instrument had not even been brought up to pitch since being shipped and it’s been on the wall for well over a month. I had to sit for five minutes and annoy the whole store while I brought a tremolo system up to pitch just so I could demo an instrument. Then again, I couldn’t have sounded more annoying than the employees who seemed to be having a contest of who could play the most guttural, edgy-lyrics metal songs on their phones on the store sound system. To top off my evening visit to GC, the store smelled like a gas station bathroom.

So now, for the second time in a row, I’ve come into this “platinum” store, ready to spend upwards of $2000, and walked out empty handed and checking Reverb and Amazon for quick shipping.

And really, I could go on with details. That’s definitely not the first guitar I’ve brought up to pitch for its very first time at this location. I did it with one of the Fenders in the platinum room. That means no one even made sure this custom shop instrument was set up properly before hanging it up for sale. In the same platinum room I’ve seen guitars with missing knobs, broken strings, and guitars hung by their tuners. They’ll hang $3000+ nitrocellulose finished instruments at floor level outside the platinum room, just begging to get turned into scratch & dent B-stock.

Honestly, I would be embarrassed if I was an employee of that store. But thankfully, I don’t have to worry about being embarrassed by being a customer...

I travelled to Salt Lake City to perform a gig, and I needed to arrange for PA equipment rental. I tried to call this location a few weeks early to confirm that they could help me, but my call rang and rang for a long time until someone finally picked up the phone and immediately hung up on me. I figured maybe they were busy at that particular time and couldn't be troubled to answer the phone, so I decided I would just go in the store when I arrived in town.

When I walked in the store and politely approached the employee working at "rentals," he was visibly irritated that I was talking to him. When I asked if I could rent a PA system, he said he was with a customer and I'd have to go to the front cashier to wait for service. After waiting in line, I asked the cashier if I could rent a sound system, to which he asked "Do you have a reservation?" I told him I was just hoping to rent a few speakers for a gig I had that night. He was indifferent to my situation and said that if I didn't have a reservation, they wouldn't help me. I told him I had tried to call weeks earlier but that I was hung up on; that I was in town for an important gig that night. But he was totally indifferent and maintained that if I didn't have a reservation, I wouldn't be helped.

I travel and perform music for a living. I have never met a GC location that would accept reservations, let alone require them. Furthermore, I have worked with busy locations in the past, but I have never been to a location with employees as cold and contemptuous toward me as a patron.

I had to drive 40 minutes north to the Ogden Guitar Center location where I found employees who were happy to help. They were busy, but they were not mean. Quite the contrary- they were friendly, and asked me about my gig, the music I play, and even consulted me on the venue where I was performing.

I think it's interesting that the Taylorsville location essentially turned down $200 in profit because they don't have the employees or the inventory (or decency) to provide the service they are supposed to. I would never do business here, and strongly encourage anyone else to steer clear of this toxic location....

I teach at a local university and we usually get our gear from B&H audio or Performance Audio, but now and then I need opinions from boots on the ground, in this case a keyboard for mobile concerts and possibly a few dozen for our computer labs; light, simple interface, just ok sound, so I thought I'd try Guitar Center. The person identified as the keyboard specialist was clearly put out with my presence, and within 5 sentences I knew he had just "gotten off a 6 month tour" and was "classically trained". Perfect, I thought, just the opinion I needed. But giving these credentials was not intended as reassurance, but rather dismissal that I was not worth his time. He simply pointed to the keyboard section and suggested I try them. This, dispite repeating what I needed, who it was for, that I wanted his "professional, just got off tour, classically trained" opinion, and doggedly asking specific questions; what models he liked (while on tour), he was clearly annoyed. Which use sampling, which use physical models. (He assured me the Casios were modeled, they are not. Must not have covered that in classical school.) What didn't he like about the action of brand X? Further annoyed, gesturing to the keyboard section. He never even came over.

Once every 5 years I swing by Guitar Center just for due diligence, then remember why I hate them. I once returned a $4k purchase because I specifically asked not to be put on a mailing list, which they promplty did. If you want to play riffs in the corner, or buy a DJ system from a classically trained pianist who just got off tour, try Guitar Center. If you want gear, Performance Audio, or B&H audio.

(To be fair, my favorite guitar, a Breedlove, came from Guitar Center, suggested by a staff member after hearing me play. It...