DRUMMER CAFE

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

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

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

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!

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.

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 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.

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

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

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.