Author Topic: G Guitars - Final Days (Read 608 times)

keurosix · « **on:** February 05, 2011, 01:25:56 PM »

Sorry to see this wonderful store go. They still have a beautiful Tribute, and are selling everything in the store at unbelieveable prices.

Today is one of the last days. Wish I knew this sooner, or I could have given a better heads up.

http://www.gguitars.com/alembic14009.html

keurosix · « **Reply #1 on:** February 05, 2011, 01:36:19 PM »

Here is the notice:

http://www.gguitars.com/closingsale.html

bsee · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2011, 03:22:22 PM »

It's a tough market. I was in that store a couple times and spent a few dollars on strings and things that weren't in stock in my local stores. I generally found the prices quite high compared to shops more local to me. Not sure if the real estate is super expensive there or what. If I knew earlier and wasn't spending as many hours working on snow removal and the like, I might have made a road trip to see what they were up to.

Whether you loved the shop or not, the loss of a shop is the loss of options for players. I would have thought that would spell the end for Alembic dealers in New England, but apparently there's a place called Brian's Guitars in Hamden, CT. The website is a little tough to work with, but I'll have to stop in there next time I'm passing through.

-bob

cje · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:29:40 PM »

Yikes!!! This is the dealer I put my deposit down with for my Alembic! I wonder what I should do?

thumbsup · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:31:58 PM »

Hi Chris,
Music stores were a very competive market when times were good! We lost a ma & pa store thats been in business for 30 years this year and fixin to loss another.
We'll be down to only 1 local store and thats in a city of 115,000. And we dont have any chain stores like GC. If the last one doesn't make it we local muscians will have to go to Dallas or Temple/Austin....or just get everthing on the net!

Steve

(Message edited by thumbsup on February 05, 2011)

pace · « **Reply #5 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:38:31 PM »

http://briansguitars.com/

Brian is the nephew of Gguitar's original owner.....and a super nice guy.

the new location isn't far out of the way, in fact it's closer to my in-laws, so maybe I have an excuse now.... .lol....

thumbsup · « **Reply #6 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:39:13 PM »

Hey CJ,
I'm sure you will contact them and ask.
Was your deposit for a custom build or one they have/had in stock?

cje · « **Reply #7 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:52:33 PM »

Just spoke with Nick - the short story is that I have about 2 weeks to pay the balance on my instrument (I was planning on paying when I picked up the guitar)! I guess it'll be OK, but I'm certainly caught off guard by the timing of this. And I would never have even known they were closing if I didn't see this thread, so thank you!

Kinda bummed to see this awesome store go, and equally bummed about the timing of my unexpected lump sum payment!

Gonna sit down and have a shot of PVW...!

cje · « **Reply #8 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:54:53 PM »

It is a (truly awesome) custom build, thumbsup!

bigredbass · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2011, 07:51:51 PM »

Economics are relentless.

IF you have a local store you like, with good people that sell fair and give good advice, spend your money there when you can ! The mom and pop music stores we all grew up with are steadily being murdered by the net and the big box stores. And it will surely be a loss if kids now go to Guitar Center to hang out on Saturday mornings, instead of the local 'House of Music' where so many of us hung with the older cats, got part-time summer jobs getting the rental horns ready for football season, and had first dibs on the juicy trade-ins.

I've never understood how in the old days guys would try 10 or 12 of the same guitar in different stores till they found exactly the right one for them, yet now we think nothing of sending a credit card number across the country to buy a guitar completely blind, hoping it will arrive in one piece someday, with no thought of setup or trusting it IS 'as advertised'.

We all want a deal, but I think I'm saving a lot of peace of mind (and S+H !) when I can buy local.

J o e y

88persuader · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2011, 10:15:59 PM »

Well Joey ... I think most of US on this forum set up our own instruments and don't expect them to be perfectly set up to our taste when we get them. In my neck of the woods (Southern NH) all there are is the Guitar Center and Daddy's Junky Music. If you want to buy ANYTHING besides Fender, Ibanez and the occasional Warwick you HAVE to buy over the internet. Just a fact of life I guess. When I was a kid there was a store called Progress Music and the owner Johnny Progress was an old jazz head. You didn't hear rock or pop in his store (today it would be rap, house and grunge) you heard progressive jazz ... it was an awesome environment and Johnny was a real musician, not some kid who should be selling fries! I'm afraid those days are long gone and we should consider ourselves lucky to have experienced them. I totally agree ... if you have a cool Mom and Pop music store in your area buy as much as possible from them before hitting the internet. Keep them in business, you're lucky to have them!

mike1762 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:29:05 AM »

We had 1 music store in my town when I was growing-up. I spent a LOT of money there (for a kid anyway) and enjoyed hanging-out with the local talent. It was my only point of reference; therefore, I didn't realize how much the owner was SCREWING me at every opportunity!!! The owner eventually sold-out to one of my buddies and I learned some of the ins/outs of the retail music business. The big three at the time were Gibson, Fender, and Music Man. They (the manufacturers) were notoriously difficult to deal with and their business practices were just this side of extortion. The small independently owned stores often could not afford to stock their instruments; therefore, they became pick and string stores with an occasional used LP or Strat hanging on the wall. They just didn't do the volume of a GC; and as such, they HAD to mark their stuff up more (however, I still feel like the original owner took advantage of me). When I think back on it now, I really can't BELIEVE the prices I paid for stuff back in the 70s and 80s. I was paying the same for bass strings that I pay now!!! I'll admit that I'm an internet troll when it it comes to gear. I'll find what I like at a brick and mortar store and then spend hours looking for the same/better/equivalent wherever I can find the best deal. The internet REALLY changed the game for EVERYthing associated with the music business.

pas · « **Reply #12 on:** February 06, 2011, 05:07:26 AM »

3 of my 4 Alembics were purchased from the now defunct Rolls Music in Falls Church, VA. Phil, the owner, wasn't the most personable fellow I ever met, but he ALWAYS gave me a better deal than the folks up at Chuck Levin's. I hope he's doing well, where ever he is.

glocke · « **Reply #13 on:** February 06, 2011, 05:20:43 AM »

In my area there are hardly any independent music stores, a few have opened up and tried to make a go of it over the years, but never lasted.

Also, as much as I would like to support a local store, in all honesty I really have never been to one that carried anything I could use or would buy. The ones that have tried to make a go of it usually stocked lower end equipment and accessories.

Heck, when it comes to basses even the guitar centers and sam ash stores I have been to really don't have anything that would interest me enough to plug in and try out, although the acoustic guitar rooms in these stores can have some nice things to check out. That is if the tops arent all cracked and warped from lack of proper humidity.

hankster · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2011, 05:45:58 AM »

When I was a kid, the local music store - Leister's Music - was owned by an upright bass player who played in the local big band and played all the local amateur musical theatre production pit bands. He was old enough to be looking to retire from those, and as soon as I was a good enough reader he started pushing me, and those around him in those gigs, to get me in to replace him. Once I started, he stepped back, and at age 14 I got all those gigs.

I doubt if that would happen in today's big box music store world. It kept me out of trouble and taught me to play. And it was good for business, too.

Rick