Sam Ash RIP... Guitar Center next? ;)

Guitar sales are way up in the last couple of years and continuing to rise even post-pandemic. Especially acoustic guitar. As far as the future goes, take investor analysis with a grain of salt but this one forecasts continued growth through the decade.

The pendulum is already swinging back and pretty soon disco will be dead (again). And then it will swing back yet again.

The real question is... how will all these kids learning guitar at the fastest rate since the 1960's change what music sounds like as they get older over the next 5 - 10 years? 


www.linkedin.com/pulse/acoustic-guitar-market-set-see-revolutionary-9nrxf/

In my small college town, it's just the opposite. Shamelessly higher than internet prices on silly things, bananas close to new prices on used, and not the kind of place you're going to feel comfortable returning a guitar. I was shopping acoustic guitars and two new Martins on the wall had low or medium low saddles. One was at least halfway to needing a neck reset. The owner (pop) started talking about how it was fine...but the guitar needed a new nut, etc...just all kinds of bullsh*t. The Guitar Center here doesn't have much of a selection, but the kids that work there are in involved in the community...play in bands, etc. I've bought a lot from GC, and they never bat an eye if/when I return something. GC gets my business here even though I wanted to support local.  

Let's not pretend its all roses with mom and pop shops. Try returning something to some local mom and pop shops. Many won't even let you glance in the direction of a guitar if you don't have your CC out and you'll pay top dollar for it and all your accessories.

In my town growing up there were several music stores and almost everyone I knew had multiple bad experiences. One particular memory that stands out is a friend was just starting on drums, who went to buy heads for the first time and mentioned he was playing rock was sold all diplomats for batters (by the owner, who was a guitar player). When I saw him the next day and told him that was the absolute worst heads for what he was trying to do, brought them back, new, never taken out of the box and the store refused to exchange them.

I've had good and bad experiences with both kind of retailers and I think there is a space and place for both. I know a few small shop owners and what kills them is not competition from GC, but the fact that Gibson and Fender give them astronomical minimum orders they have to fulfill to be a dealer. One of them would blow out brand new, high end Fenders below his cost sometimes so he would meet the quota and wouldn't lose his ability to sell them.

As far as customer service goes... salespeople get jaded. They deal with enough jerks or tire kickers and eventually they start assuming everyone walking in the door is like that. I worked in high-pressure sales for years and one thing managers would have to remind us of was that every customer experience was unique and to not pre-qualify people based on past experiences. They knew it was a natural reaction and something you had to actively be mindful of and force yourself to resist. There are helpful and not so helpful people in any store you walk into. 

With used gear, if given the choice, I will take someplace like GC over Reverb every day of the week. If the piece arrives in not so great condition, I can return it no problem and not pay for return shipping. 

I believe Front End Audio is the same. Apparently, you have to do enough business in a state before you're required to collect sales tax from customers there. Technically, you, the customer, are supposed to pay sales tax to your state if it's not collected in the transaction. I'm sure that happens 0% of the time LOL. 

This can also work in your favor... I scored a Soyuz 017 FET that was tagged as a used Bomblet

Skimming but noticed the last 2 Posts!

Bought gear … no tax  … from here…..  zenproaudio.com… free ship $99

”ZenPro Audio is only required to collect sales taxes in our home state of South Carolina.

We do not collect taxes or share information outside of our state, when shipping from South Carolina.

You may be required to report purchases, so know your local tax law.”

I am not too surprised this happened. I received a personal letter from "Sammy" back in 2019'ish banning me from his stores and online purchases because I had returned one too many items for his taste. I think a local employee ratted me out or he spent his days running stats on customers and writing the "bad ones" letters. Funny thing, I spent equal amounts at his chain, Sweetwater, Guitar Center, and one other store that year - it wasn't a small amount, but apparently not enough to cover my excessive returns (mostly guitar pedals that didn't fit the amp/rig I had at the time - and I went through several amps over the course of a couple years.) 

It was in that moment that I thought " its just a matter of time " and wrote him a letter back telling him everything I thought was wrong with his chain. Yeah, I was a bit mad, but I was professional in the letter. They would let used gear sit on shelves for a year with no price movement. If money (life blood) is not moving through a business, the business is going to rot. He never responded further and enforced his ban on me - I had an online purchase a year later declined by their fulfillment team because I was a bad apple in Sammy's eye.

I suspect after Sammy's passing last year, the family decided it is just too much of an uphill climb in the present economy. Their real estate is quite possibly more valuable than the brand itself and closing to sell all that off or lease it for future "easy" income is a better plan I think. The lease on that NY store is probably more profitable than instrument sales. 

I haven't been into a Sam Ash in a REALLY, REALLY long time but those stores hold fond memories for me. In 1972 after a family visit to my grandmother in West Virginia her gift of 15 silver dollars funded the very first album that I ever bought, The Concert For Bangladesh from back when the entire front of their store in The Green Acres Mall was dedicated to vinyl (I can still remember seeing John Mayall's Journey From The Past, the second album I ever bought sitting in that bin...and got it because my neophyte 13 year old brain thought that his sax player Johnny Almond was an Allmann Brother, lol...and "discovered" that guy who was blazing on guitar on that great record, Eric Clapton). A few years later I bought my first good electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Standard there, and I bought my first synth, and Ensonique ESQ-1 at their Queens Blvd branch in Forest Hills in 1985.

RIP Sam,
You were
The man!

I suppose until Amazon has drone service and handy products in every community, from a mere need perspective, I find it important to have brick and mortar stores all over. Many times, I have needed a cable, tuner, strings, or some equipment, while at a gig in an out of town city. Finding out that there is a Guitar Center nearby has helped. Obviously, if this could be accomplished by local shops, that would be great, but it is not realistic any more. Of course, I could always plan better, but still something seems to fall through the cracks, or something is broken, etc.

Fortunately, bigger cities also tend to have nice rental places too.

Meanwhile, if I knew the best drone stock to invest in, I could probably fund all these stores myself or at least care a little less about it all. I can see drones delivering light items like mic clips, strings, and more. I suppose, it might be dangerous for a drone to deliver a PA or keyboard though.

Proud to say that while there were a TON of GCs in Chicago, there are a few remaining stores like Chicago Music Exchange that are absolute treasures. There’s no walking in there and wondering if you know more than the teenager you’re talking to like GC

Oh that… yeah maybe check a Synth Repair Shop if you wanna find a used stereo compressor out there 😅