In this latest match up we pit two powerhouse music stores, Guitar Center and Sam Ash, against each other to see what the pros and cons are and which is more worthy of getting your hard earned money.
In the Cincy area, we have a Sam Ash and a Guitar center within 2 exits of each other down the highway. It makes sense to call them and have them go against each other for the best price when it comes to buying gear. Audio gear seems to be something that can be bargained with price wise, unlike going to a major electronics retailer or other retailer. Saying “can I have this ipod for 30 dollars less” is unlikely to get you anywhere. However music stores seem to love wheeling and dealing, so why not take advantage of it?
Sam Ash in my area is the direct descendant of MARS music. MARS is now gone, and Sam Ash is in it’s place, using the majority of display decals left behind from the MARS store. Their product selection is decent, and they have the ability to order most products in as do most music retailers. You have all the goodies of a mega music store, including DJ gear, Drums, Guitars, Pro Audio and Recording, as well as a band instrument section.
Guitar Center is located just a few exits away from Sam Ash, and has a considerably smaller piece of real estate inside of a local mall. They sell the same category of products as Sam Ash does, minus the Band Instruments. They have a large variety of products and a large inventory onsite of the most popular items.
Now to compare. I venture into both of these stores quite often looking for the latest gear and the best deals. You can’t really walk into a small local music and school band store and pick up a variety of P.A. and DJ or recording gear, so I don’t usually go that direction. I am a very want-it-now type of person, and generally both of these stores have most of it now. So what’s the difference?
Service. Service. Service. The biggest complaint I have about Sam Ash is the level they go to satisfy you. The only time I have ever argued with an employee at a music store was over pricing of a product at Sam Ash that I was quoted that they decided to not honor after quoting. I have had multiple occasions of Guitar Center quoting me a price only to realize they made a mistake in the quote, then honor it anyways to keep me a loyal customer. Why can’t more stores do this?
If you are looking to get the best service and great prices, along with a company doing their best to gain your business, I suggest Guitar Center from the list of major retailers. I will say that I do not have experience with the other major music retail companies and that some guitar centers may not work this way, but if the Cincy store is an example of the rest, then they have my business!
5 comments:
I will never buy from Sam Ash again due to their horrible packing and lack of customer service. I received 6 orders so far that were not packed with any protective materials or it was just set on top and the equipment was smashed at the bottom of the box. No markings of Fragile sensitive music equipment. Some items were supposedly new and had been previuosly opened/used/scratched/b-stock? Contacted them numerous times. No response from customer service or shipping, returned items and got a generic response from the President of Sam Ash. No apology or any resolution to the problems. Will now always shop at G.C. or any other store/on-line mail order. NEVER AGAIN AT SAM ASH!!!
Sam ash cerritos operates like a car dealer. They have a 45 day replacement guarantee but they try very hard and sometimes even insult you if you try to return something. I believe that cerritos california general manager was an old school car salesman.
Dear Francis,
Grow up. If you ever had a job you would know that the customer is not always right. Sam ash knows way more than gc ASSociates, and they don't deal with dickheads like you. P.S. You're a prick.
Sam Ash are dicks I couldn't even barely turn up the amp I wanted to buy. They told me once I turned it down they told me again and I got up and flashed them $1000 and said fuck you I am going down the street to guitar center. Where the at least let you test the damn equipment without squatting Down just to hear yourself play ..
My experience differs. Every Guitar Center I went to had commission hounds waiting to hunt, or not waste time bothering to help, either extreme. Sam Ash always treated me right. For instance, I went with the purpose of buying an Overdrive Pedal (Electro-Harmonix Glove). I told the associate that I had a very minimal budget and probably wont get anything today. This guy brings out several pedals, teaches me how to tune with harmonics, literally gets on the ground to show me all the settings on the pedal. I didn't buy that day, but I came back the next day to get the above mentioned pedal. One of the best service experiences I had in a music store.
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