DRUMMER CAFE - Community Forum

This is sort of old news ... but it hasn't been discussed (to my knowledge) and I was late in hearing the news.

Guitar Center to be bought by Bain Capital (http://www.reuters.com/article/consumerproducts-SP/idUSBNG22972720070627)

This is the first for me to hear that also. Our local news hasn't even mentioned it. Shows how our TV programing work. All it's covered is our river bridge falling apart. Now I've got to find a new way to get to Guitar Center....    ::)  :'(   

I got a letter about this in the mail. Strange.

Aren't the owners of Guitar Center the same people as the owners of Musicians Friend?

Guitar Center bought out Musician's Friend a while back, becoming a subsidy. 

I haven't heard anything about this as yet. I received a flier last week concerning some sale and a drum contest going on at the present time. I beleive a four door 4x4 is the top prize. Bart, what if anything will that mean to those of us that purchase from GC? Since they opened in our area they have been taking business from the other two local stores, due to lower prices. This is a good thing for us. Could we be looking at higher prices or more items the chose from? Anything you know will be welcomed.

remember that creepy-mean venture capitalist dude I used to work for a while back? the one I'd always whine about? this was his deal. I remember him having meetings with the bain people to discuss GC. it was one of the few times he'd ask me about something personal [eg; music & purchase habits.]

guess this makes him exponentially richer...and meaner.


smithers!

Awe gee.  I just love guitar center.  I hope they can maintain their excellent selection and pricing along with their knowledgable sales staff.   ::)

DEATH TO GUITAR CENTER  HOO-RAH!!!!!!!!

I placed an order online with these guys last Monday and it sill hasn't been shipped to me yet.  They said it has something to do with a warehouse issue.

They and MF have been using the Warehouse story for some time now.   They're definitely off their A-game these days.

You should see no change in GC. Bain is a private equity firm that bought out a controlling interest in GC. This is a trend in the corporate world. No company is too big (Chysler for example was just bought by a Private equity firm.) The advantage to the company is they are no longer being told how to run their business by the street. (Wall Street). Now perhaps they can afford to pay their employees more and attract better employees with worring about the effect on ROE.

I won't deal with them anymore. They absolutely blew it on an order that I needed STAT, and had nothing to offer me except a tiny store credit. I ordered several hundred dollars worth of stuff and was promised certain shipping terms. I explained that it was essential that the terms be fulfilled as I was working on a ship which would dock in Ft. Lauderdale for just one day and would not return for 2 months. I had every assurance from them that there was plenty of time to get the order processed and shipped to the port. I got there and no gear. Phonecalls, emails and a lot of pleading with them to do ANYTHING to fix the problem and nothing but a lousy store credit for far less than what I suspect was their total mark-up on the items I purchased.

Not another cent of mine.

I don't think this is unique to GC or MF.  It's been my experience that ordering anything from any store has a reasonable chance of not shipping per the salesman's promise.  If I need something on a certain date I only buy if they have it in stock and I can walk away with it.  I've been biten too many times.

What really irks me is on-line stores telling me the item is in stock but as soon as I place the order I get an email saying it is back ordered.  Music123.com has done this to me several times... don't recall MF doing this... now I only use on-line stores if I'm not on a schedule and dont care when it arrives.

Yeah - this is hideous.  Many times, I wouldn't bother with an order if I saw it was not in stock.
M123 does it, and actually, now with the Warehouse story :)  MF is also pulling it.  I have had two different items in the past 6 months show in stock, only to get mail later that it wasn't.  And sometimes, later was several days later.     Bzzzzzzt.

My local music store was telling me this story about Guitar Centers, the day I bought my drums.
                          Nutty

The biggest threat to mom & pop music stores is GC... they are the "Home Depot" of music stores... I love 'em !!!  They always give me my 'diddle' discount  ;D and will beat MF or M123 prices...  if you need what they stock then they are hard to beat!!!  Yeah, they hire kids that don't know too much but that dosn't bother me  ;)

I guess we're lucky here in Portland, Maine.  There is a Drum Shop that has been here for years and they match the new Guitar Center in prices - plus answer ANY question you might have related to drumming and you don't have to listen to 500 young kids banging on their kits or playing the guitars

You are right diddle, 
My local music store was celebrating but reguardless, I was at a GC in Lexington shopping for a drum kit when I called my Favorite local store owner and they beat GC enough that I drove from Lexington to Louisville to buy from my favorite local store. I was looking at Tama Star Classic Birch and Gretsch Renound at GC and I ended up buying Star Classic Birch in Louisville.
I know that I will get better service at my local store.  Also, the GC in Lexington had Adult musicians working there, not kids.  One of them is a friend of mine.  Very good guitar player.
                               Nutty

Leveraged buy outs are the way of the world and it's no surprise that GC was aquired. It should not effect the operation as long as the new owners maintain their credit standing and pay the suppliers and employees.  I really don't think any change will even be noticed. 
I have no real dislike for GC, as long as I am willing to put up with the banging kids, loud videos, clerks that can't figure out how to run the register and security that makes me feel like a criminal scoping out a bank heist.  I just have to take the attitude that I know 10 times what they know,  that I know what the value of the item is. If it's a item I need NOW, I take a deep breath, compose myself and open those double doors into GC hell, buy what I need and get out. Man, I remember when going to the music store used to be a fun adventure and something to look forward to. 

I have never had any real bad issue with online suppliers and have found that Interstate Music has been great to deal with.  MF has always been on time and reasonable as well, I continue to buy misc items from them.  Chances are that if the price was right, and they had the right sizes and finishes I WOULD make the drive to  patronize my local drum shop for large purchases. I wish there was a local drum shop closer to my area. The only one close to me only sells low end stuff, crappy selection of heads and sticks and never has anything remotely close to what I need.     

This is the first and last time I ever order from these folks.  I ordered on the 6th and he last package arived yesterday, but my order was short.  One of the items was not in the box. I call up and they tell me they need to do an inventory count in the warehouse before resending out the item.  Could be another 10 days.  This is very poor customer service.

I have to agree with your coments on Interstate Music and MF.  I buy all my heads and sticks, polishes, staple idems from them.  I have even bought Paiste 2002's with confidence
from them.  I buy all my drum kits from my local store.  I don't like waiting 90 to 120 days for a drum kit.  I want to walk in the store see what they have, test drive what I want and take them home that day.
                                   Nutty

MF has always been perfect in the past, but I just received the "warehouse excuse" on an order I placed on Sunday, expecting it to be here by tomorrow - there is no time frame on the shipment now. Luckily I'm not in any rush, it's just some sticks and moon gel, so the extra delay (within reason) will not bother me.

I did the same thing Nutty.  My local guy beat GC on a Pearl Master Series kit by a huge amount and I know that I can rest easy knowing the entire transaction will be right.  For quite some time I've noticed a very negative trend in GC here in northern Virginia where a once professional staff has now been replaced with kids who could care less about service.  In fact they act offended if you break up one of their pow-wow sessions for any type of assistance.  The only time I use GC now is for emergency items that I can walk in, find, pay for, and get out.  As one post stated, they are the "Home Depot" of the music industry.  That may be true, but when I want straight 2x4's I don't shop there either.