Guitar Center facing bankruptcy?

fronobulax

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Curiously a three paragraph article headlined with "Guitar Center" spends two paragraphs talking about Gibson's woes. What is journalism coming to these days?

The article https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/04/17/guitar-center-bankruptcy/ that is the source for the reference article also talks abut Gibson but that article seems to suggest that GC credit ranking is not as bad as it could have been because of some last minute renegotiation.

I would not want Gibson or GC in my investment portfolio at this point and if I wanted to bet, I'd bet that one of them suffers the consequence of default before September.
 

walrus

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I got a very nicely produced Guitar Center catalog in the mail the other day - hard stock, glossy photos etc. First half or so - all Gibson. The two company's fortunes are, of course, intertwined...

walrus
 

dreadnut

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Henry Juszkiewicz, as my Scottish boss used to say, "talks a great game of golf."
 

davismanLV

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Quoting Henry J (one of the worst businessmen in the entire world who is universally hated and despised) and having HIM criticized GC like THEY are the problem is comical!!! Who writes this $hit?? Jeeze........

I'm going Tuesday...... I want a new guitar!!!

Let's see if they're dealing yet. Maybe I can put one on layaway, and wait until they're going under and renegotiate?

Let's see.....
 

davismanLV

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That 2012 Rolling Stone "Mitt Romney" article is a confusing bit of stuff that could or should really be condensed into a coherent few statements with backup stats. Instead it's a flowery and confusing bit of ..... well, I wouldn't call it journalism unless being vague and confusing is what you're after. Just my opinion.
 

fronobulax

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I got a very nicely produced Guitar Center catalog in the mail the other day - hard stock, glossy photos etc. First half or so - all Gibson. The two company's fortunes are, of course, intertwined...

walrus

Agreed. But wouldn't a balanced three paragraph article with a headline about GC also devote some space to FMIC which also has the potential to rise or fall with GC? :)
 

fronobulax

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That 2012 Rolling Stone "Mitt Romney" article is a confusing bit of stuff that could or should really be condensed into a coherent few statements with backup stats. Instead it's a flowery and confusing bit of ..... well, I wouldn't call it journalism unless being vague and confusing is what you're after. Just my opinion.

Do you have a link? Can I claim my snark because we are dealing with only three paragraphs? Are your standards for journalism lower than mine? Is that the one where Mitt complains about how hard it is to find high heels that fit because the other countries stopped making them in his size in anticipation of a Trade War 8 years in the future?
 

walrus

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I'm not sure anything by Rolling Stone would constitute as "journalism"...

walrus
 

Neal

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Currently reading Kalamazoo Gals, a book chronicling the Banner Gibsons of 1942-45.

What a shame that a company over 100 years old, with such a proud history (at least prior to 1960 or so...) has fallen on such hard times, first as a result of some truly bad guitars in the late '60's through the '80's, and now as a result of crappy management decisions that took the company too far off scope.
 

davismanLV

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Do you have a link? Can I claim my snark because we are dealing with only three paragraphs? Are your standards for journalism lower than mine? Is that the one where Mitt complains about how hard it is to find high heels that fit because the other countries stopped making them in his size in anticipation of a Trade War 8 years in the future?
Well if he's a Republican he knows how to buy LARGE sized high heels. Used to be this place in LA called Eubas. I think she (or he) started catering to Black women who needs shoes larger than they could find in stores. Then SUDDENLY, she had a whole new clientele and the shoes kept getting BIGGER and bigger....

I won't say more or less Democratic or Republican because that's not allowed...... but I'm sure Mitt know's where to get his shoves. No telling where he buys his special cloves....... ;-) :smiley_simmons:

LMFAO that this came up on a damn guitar forum!!! We shouldn't be talking about this stuff.

I want a new guitar. Tomorrow we're going to GC (before they close) and scope out the Breedlove Myrtlewood Concerto!! YES!! Can I afford it.... probably not but then..... so what?
 
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adorshki

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No telling where he buys his special cloves....... ;-) :smiley_simmons:

goatfeet1.jpg

Same place I do, no doubt.
But if I tell ya then everybody'll know .
LMFAO that this came up on a damn guitar forum!!! We shouldn't be talking about this stuff.
Hey fashion is deadly serious big business too, and if Juskiewicz is ousted at Gibson and winds up at my favorite boot maker we might get this:

99f213089ad2e1895deebb83f0c68abe.jpg


Oh the humanity!
Zippers!
 
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mike1100

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I'll bet Sweetwater's not hurting

Sweetwater is amazing. In 2014 I bought a Baja Tele from them and, while I was probably lucky, it arrived perfectly setup. Buying from them was also a positive experience (thanks Nick Church!). I doubt I'll be in Indiana anytime soon, but if I do make it that way I would like to check out their store in person.

I don't dislike GC, but I'm pretty ambivalent regarding them. I do try to support local "family owned" music stores, even though it often means paying a bit more.
 

PittPastor

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Sweetwater is amazing. In 2014 I bought a Baja Tele from them and, while I was probably lucky, it arrived perfectly setup. Buying from them was also a positive experience (thanks Nick Church!). I doubt I'll be in Indiana anytime soon, but if I do make it that way I would like to check out their store in person.

I don't dislike GC, but I'm pretty ambivalent regarding them. I do try to support local "family owned" music stores, even though it often means paying a bit more.

I'm not a big fan of Sweetwater. They always seem more pricey than GC. And once I got in an effects pedal that didn't work for me, and within one week I called to return, and you would think I was telling them to take back a baby I was adopting. Really grilled me over why I wanted to return it, and did I want a tech to call me first, and did I do my homework before I bought it... Compare that to GC where you can take a Martin guitar back after 29 days and tell them: "Well, I just didn't love it..." and they take it back with no problem.

YMMV.

But I kind of like GC.
 

mike1100

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PittPastor.....

Interesting. I haven't had the need to return anything there, so I'll take your word for it.
 

bobouz

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I've scored some great used guitars at very reasonable prices through GC, usually because someone in the food chain didn't really know what they were holding in their hands. Things have tightened up considerably in the last few years, but good deals do still come along from time to time.

Also, you can order anything from their online store (which is essentially the same as Musician's Friend), and return it to one of their big-box stores if it doesn't work out - so no return shipping & no hassles whatsoever. I've done this many times, and it's a real plus.

Here's hoping they'll find a way to keep things going.
 

adorshki

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PittPastor.....

Interesting. I haven't had the need to return anything there, so I'll take your word for it.

I think any of those anecdotes need to be considered in the context of the time in which they occurred.
I do seem to recall generally favorable reviews for Sweetwater, and wonder if the problem with the pedal was due to an inexperienced rep on the phone, or did it possibly happen during the dark dark days of the great recession when almost everybody was clawing for survival?
GC definitely has a mixed bag of feedback.
Many laud their extremely flexible return policy while at the same time bemoaning their employees' typical lack of expertise when it comes to the products they carry.
Seems to be the hazard of entry-level retail employment, and perhaps their flexibility on returns is an appropriate balance for that weakness.
 

Grassdog

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In my experience with Sweetwater, I'd say they're maybe a bit over the top on customer service (if there is such a thing) with the follow up calls/texts to make sure the purchase was satisfactory. But that doesn't bother me. I had to return a mic cable once but they didn't give me hassle. I've had the same sales associate since I first started buying stuff from them maybe 5-6 years ago. I've made the trip to Ft. Wayne a couple of times (it's only a couple hour drive for me). It is quite the experience, you should check it out if you ever get the chance. I was in the market for a J-45 at the time and I think they had like 15 of them for me to play and contrast. Same with D-28's. It was like being a kid in FAO Schwartz in NYC at Christmastime. Those workshops they sponsor are amazing.

I still buy stuff from GC and Sam Ash too and I've got no real complaints with either of them but when I'm researching something online, I think the user reviews I read on Sweetwater tend to be a little more indepth and useful.
 
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