Kinda strange experience at a guitar shop...

[Galaxy_Stranger]

I'm getting prepared to blow a shite-load of money on Warmoth.  While doing my homework, I need to decide what kind of fretboard radius I want.  I don't even recall ever having played a fretboard that wasn't pretty flat.  So, I went over to Evans Music City in Houston today.  I'd never been before.  Found out they carry a lot of Schecters and Fenders.

So, I walked in and noticed their "high-end" section to poke around in.  After just a few seconds this guy walks up behind me and says "hello" and starts his "can I help you" schpeel.  And I told him I wanted to sell my stuff and get a nice guitar and needed to find out just what I wanted - like fret board radius.  And instead of showing me what he had, he said, "Ok, well let me know if you need anything"  and trotted off.

I know I hadn't farted.  You think it was my breath?  Is this normal?  I mean, I was standing around a bunch of guitars that weren't any less than $1,200 - didn't it look like I wanted to spend money?  At that point, I briefly went through all their guitars and checked them out - every board I looked at was flat as far as I could tell.

Wtf?

 

[metalman22105]

Dude, I know exactly what you're talking about, I know that there are a lot of really knowledgeable and helpful people working in various guitar stores, but there are a BUTT-load of retards that have no clue about what they're selling!! I guess since you knew what you were talking about you scared the guy off...

 

[big bob]

if you go to the manufactuers web sites you should be able to find radius
fender old 7 1/4 new 9 or 12 , gibson / heritage 12 ,  prs jackson 14, compound 10 at top 16 at bottom  :headbang: :headbang:

 

[nathan a]

Personally, I usually prefer it when sales guys leave me alone. I want to check stuff out at my own pace without some dude breathing over my shoulder. Now, if I have questions or comments, certainly I want the sales staff to be friendly and knowledgeable. Small shops often excel at this, and I can have great conversations. But even then, if I am trying stuff out with the intention to buy, I want time alone.

 

[hannaugh]

I like time alone at places like GC because the sales-dudes usually either spend their time hitting on me or being condescending.  Or I ask a question like "What scale is this?", and they say "full".  That's went I know it's time to look at stuff without their "help".

 

[tfarny]

Being left alone in a room full of nice guitars, with someone politely offering to answer questions and leaving you alone to play whatever you want - this bothers you? Hmmm....

 

[Superlizard]

Apparently you didn't play the correct "may I help you?" riff.

 

[OzziePete]

GS:
Maybe they were looking after their input time with you vs. the possible sales outcome.

I have seen sales people spend a lot of time with what they think are prospective good customers only to waste 15 or more minutes with someone for nothing, while other customers get snapped up by other sales staff. Have that happen to them too many times, and the sales guy gets spoken to by the sales manager for wasting time instead of making sales. In other words, time wasters lose the sales staff money and make them look bad to their boss if they get taken in by too many.

It may have been possible the guy you spoke to, thought there wasn't enough intention shown on your part to warrant close sales work, and stood back to see what you were doing. In which case, he was right, because your post does say you went into the shop to check out fretboard radius as research for your Warmoth project.

Also guitar shops that have high end sections of display guitars are usually very wary of letting people grab hold of these expensive guitars and may appear disinterested in you in order to see if you go back and assert that you want to try this or that guitar. As you can appreciate a store carrying high end guitars would get a lot of rubber neckers in.

Whatever happened, I wouldn't take it too personally. But if they were rude or refused to serve you when you had a question, then that's another matter.

 

[OzziePete]

I like time alone at places like GC because the sales-dudes usually either spend their time hitting on me or being condescending.  Or I ask a question like "What scale is this?", and they say "full".  That's went I know it's time to look at stuff without their "help".

Gee Hannaugh I thought that sort of neanderthal chauvinism was a dying breed!

I'm at the other end of the scale to you, young sales guys won't come near me! I'm in my late 40s, old enough to be their Dad, no kid in tow, and bloody well know my guitars inside out. One mistake by one of these young turks with me and I could play question games with them til they go running for their boss for help!

Nothing deflates them more when they try to get me interested in a 70s remake guitar and I tell them that I tried to play that rubbish when the originals were brand new and they were rubbish then and possibly even worse now!

The strangest experience with young sales staff, though, was when I was told by a friend of mine that my Rickenbacker 1997 guitar was back on sale in a store in town, after selling it to a well known professional muso a few years before privately. The sales guy thought he had me in hook line and sinker until I asked him if the case was silver in colour, had a reddish lining and smelt of camphor still! The manager of the store nearly jumped the counter trying to tell his sales guy to stop talking, thinking I was about to claim a stolen guitar or something.

You should have seen the look on the manager's face when I described the serial number layout to him and the key scratch under the number on the jackplate. He was about to go ghostly white, when I told him that I had sold the guitar to Mr. Pro Muso, and surprised that MY guitar was now fetching twice the amount I had sold it for only 3 years on.

They gave me a cup of coffee and we sat down to discuss the guitar's provenance, which they greatly appreciated. :headbang1:

 

[Mor Paul]

I'm hoping on working in a music store (maybe GC...) soon. I've learned a lot here, and maybe I can pass some of the knowledge on to people looking for help.

 

[taez555]

Usually my trips to GC are well planned out military style missions.  Get in, buy what I need and get out as quickly as possible.

Any music store that has a huge "guitar hero" video game display as you walk in, instead of actual real musical instruments, scares me.

Honestly the only reason I shop there is because sometime's they're the only ones who have it, and you just can't wait for shipping from a reliable non evil on-line store.

Although.... it has been fun now that I have a 3 year old daughter.  I take her and we go from room to room checking everything out.  The drum guys give her a set up sticks and she goes from set to set bangind the shit out 'em.   I think she's the only 3 year old who knows the difference between a regular guitar and bass guitar.  Plus it's fun to annoy 'em as she bangs away on every piano and synth. (she gets angry if it's not loud enough)  

 

[hannaugh]

Although.... it has been fun now that I have a 3 year old daughter.  I take her and we go from room to room checking everything out.  The drum guys give her a set up sticks and she goes from set to set bangind the shite out 'em.    I think she's the only 3 year old who knows the difference between a regular guitar and bass guitar.  Plus it's fun to annoy 'em as she bangs away on every piano and synth. (she gets angry if it's not loud enough)    

That's really cute. 

I only go to GC if they don't have whatever it is at my little independent store.  Actually, now that Best Buy has a guitar department, I would almost rather go there than GC.  They know just as little about what they are selling there, but at least they don't pretend to know what they're talking about. 

 

[nathan a]

Best Buy has a guitar department 

WHAT?? How did I not know about this.

Weird. Seems sorta wrong. Must investigate.

 

[dbw]

Yeah, it's pretty new.  I visited one... basically like Guitar Center but not as loud, less of a 'tude, and quite a bit smaller.

 

[hannaugh]

I kind of like it because they leave you alone there and they have little rooms that you can play in that you don't have to ask the sales people to unlock for you. 

 

[OzziePete]

I'm hoping on working in a music store (maybe GC...) soon. I've learned a lot here, and maybe I can pass some of the knowledge on to people looking for help.

All the best trying to get that job Max, hope it goes well for you.

I'm sure the experience you have gained by building the Tele, and discussing other topics on here, will make you a good interviewee so long as you don't come across as too much of a smart ass (which, in print on this forum, doesn't seem to be the case  :icon_thumright: ). Let us all know how you go when you apply - I'm sure others here,  wish you well too.

 

[hannaugh]

The GC applications are somewhere around 300 questions long.  You have to apply online.  The questions are things like "Would you turn in a co-worker if you found out they were stealing?" and "Do you work well in a high pressure environment?", and they finally evolve to sounding more and more like "Would you battle a co-worker to the death to get a commission?".  Then if you score high on their "hire-ability" meter, and they actually need someone new, they call you and schedule and interview.  It's a pretty sweet deal if you get it though because you get a nice discount on everything.   

 

[mayfly]

That's pretty funny.  I've got some time between meetings - I think I'll apply for a job at GC!

Course, the nearest one is likely 400km from me.  Hannaugh - can I use your address?  :icon_biggrin:

 

[mayfly]

well, I just applied.  Used my phone number in lieu of a US social security number.  :icon_jokercolor:

Wasn't so bad - it's pretty easy to guess the answers they were looking for.  Oh - and I clicked "yes" to the question "are you legal to work in the US".  Am I going to hell now?  :evil4:

 

[hannaugh]

I just thought the questions were funny because it seemed like they were trying to give you the impression that the stress level you would experience working there would be on par with working in the pit at the NY Stock Exchange.