[malcolm mcwhirter]

It might just be a personal thing have you ever went into a guitar store to try out a guitar or the latest fx unit and thing you are doing ok with the latest riff you have learnt or some funky chords. and in walks this dude that not only looks like slash but sounds like him too you suddenly feel embarssed about your own playing and extremley intimidated in the prescence of a rock God

Here comes my conspiracy theory I have never seen these dudes buy anything just show off are they employed by another guitar store to hound you out of the shop?.
or by the guitar forum to make you pay attention to the 1st class lessons to enable you to become a better guitarist?

[allthumbs]

Originally Posted by malcolm mcwhirter

It might just be a personal thing have you ever went into a guitar store to try out a guitar or the latest fx unit and thing you are doing ok with the latest riff you have learnt or some funky chords. and in walks this dude that not only looks like slash but sounds like him too you suddenly feel embarssed about your own playing and extremley intimidated in the prescence of a rock God

Here comes my conspiracy theory I have never seen these dudes buy anything just show off are they employed by another guitar store to hound you out of the shop?.
or by the guitar forum to make you pay attention to the 1st class lessons to enable you to become a better guitarist?

I would like to say we have our spies everywhere to hound you to practise, but not so. Players at that level rarely buy anything because they most likely have a dozen or so of their own axes. They surf the guitar shops looking for guitars with that magic tone their looking for or just keeping current with new stuff that comes out. Annoying aren't they. I have a lot of friends that do that. Invariably they stumble over huge bargains or hidden gems. I have one friend who has scored 3 classical guitars and a small vintage amp at flea markets in the last month alone.

[John Burr]

I don't know Malcolm but I have actually thought the same thing. Worse though is to have the sales guy that thinks he looks like Slash and Plays like Steve Vai and knows everything about music there is to know, AND THEY PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF THE ACOUSTIC ROOM!

He talks really loud and keeps telling you that only the Ovations are worth having because anything else feeds back like crazy at any reasonable volume. When you finnaly get him to let you play the Martin 000 you came to try out keeps urging you to go ahead and "Bang the S--- Out of it, Man!". Sort of sucks the fun out of the experience.

In real life I always enjoy listening to someone way better than me play around in a guitar store. I really don't get selfconcious about my playing. Ever since I learned A E and D I have been happily visiting music stores and trying, (and sometimes buying), guitars without worrying about being an obvious beginner. Everybody else, including Slash, had to start somewhere.

Enjoyed the post though,

BSR

[6string]

Poll time Conscious Playing Poll

[Andy S]

Originally Posted by John Burr

Worse though is to have the sales guy that thinks he looks like Slash and Plays like Steve Vai and knows everything about music there is to know
BSR

Saw something similar at Mars Music several years ago. I wandered in , just on a "don't-waste-your-time-with-me-cuz-I'm-just-looking" visit. There was a guy and his wife looking at a Carlo Robelli Jazz guitar costing around $599.00. I overheard her tell her guy,"if it's the one you really want, go ahead and get it."


Now, I had already played the thing, just out of curiosity. Played really nice, seemed well built, no flaws in the finish or binding, all parts fit well, etc,etc. And the hardshell case was included.

Along comes a sales guy....."oh, would you like to see it?" he asked. Proceeds to pull it down, kneel down with it, pay a bunch of fast riffs, looks up at the once prospective buyer and says, "Damn near plays itself!" He plays some more speed riffs, then a few chord riffs, looks up and asks, "Oh, would you like to try it? Here give it a try"

The man just looked at the sales guy, turned and said, "no thanks", looks at his wife and says, "I'm done, let's go" and walks away and out the door with his wife stammering,"but I thought you wanted that one! Isn't that the one you wanted?"

He just kept on walking out the door. Mr sales guy had no clue that he just blew a sale by trying to be Mr. " I'm a guitar know it all, wanna hear me play?"

Give it a TRY?? Give it a TRY??? Would you like me to play some more and try to embarrass the daylights out of you? Maybe the prospective buyer was actually quite good. Don't know, Maybe he was comfortable with his playing and was just looking for a nice Jazz box that he felt he finally deserved to play. But to have the sales person snatch it off the wall and play it rather than let HIM try it??

C'mon! All he should have done is check the tuning then hand it over, take a few steps back and let the guy be comfortable playing something.

Perhaps it's my older age, but my attitude has been getting rather ...oh, grumpy? testy? Patience getting short with others. I have tried new guitars in the last few years. When the sale person starts hovering around, asking me questions, I just stop, look up at them with a smile and try to say as politely as I can, "Look, Right now I'm just looking and killing time. I have no immediate interest in this thing. I'd rather put it down and walk away than to have you waste your time buggin me. I'm sure you have something more productive you should or can be doing. If I develop any real interest in buying it, I'll come and get you." Then I smile and wait.

If they continue with their sales ploy, which can be rather interesting if they do it right (ask open ended questions, not yes or no questions) , I just smile, sigh, put the guitar back on the hangar and say, " Well, you have a nice day" then walk away.

Seem a bit nasty? Nah!! I tried to let them know as nice as I could. If they are smart, they give me room and let me make the next move. That was how I got my Dean EVO. Went in, looked around at a few Epiphone LPs, told the guy to back off
(as I just described) He did. When I had a couple of questions about one of the LPs he came back and after a few minutes, I was playing the Dean. He handed it to me, told me a few facts about it, plugged me into an amp and let me alone. Half hour later, I walked out with the Dean & a hardshell case!


Well, that's my experiences, sorry I got up on a soapbox, but In short, yeh it bugs me a bit when something like the hired gun shows up. (now that was short & to the point....maybe I just like to type????)

[scotty_b]

I was looking for a new acoustic once and had visited several stores to see what was around.I had $3000 and I had it in my wallet, so I was a 'serious' buyer. I went into one place and was having a look at the Martins, Matons etc. A guy came over and asked me what I was looking for, and he took one of and played a few open chords ( G and D etc) and then told me I really wasn't up the standard of buying a guitar like that anyway. As an afterthought he offered me the chance to play it, so I played Tommy Emmanuel's version of Lady Madonna (and by my own admission I did play it rather well) and then gave him back the guitar and walked out.
A former teacher of mine, a guy named Carl Orr (google him if you like modern jazz guitar - he is a phenomal player and one of the greatest people I have ever met) was telling me about the same thing happening to him. Some guy took a strat off the wall, played some sweep picking arpeggios and then put it back up on the wall. If only the guy knew who Carl had played and recorded with....

[r1p32]

Originally Posted by Andy S

Perhaps it's my older age, but my attitude has been getting rather ...oh, grumpy? testy? Patience getting short with others. I have tried new guitars in the last few years. When the sale person starts hovering around, asking me questions, I just stop, look up at them with a smile and try to say as politely as I can, "Look, Right now I'm just looking and killing time. I have no immediate interest in this thing. I'd rather put it down and walk away than to have you waste your time buggin me. I'm sure you have something more productive you should or can be doing. If I develop any real interest in buying it, I'll come and get you." Then I smile and wait.

If they continue with their sales ploy, which can be rather interesting if they do it right (ask open ended questions, not yes or no questions) , I just smile, sigh, put the guitar back on the hangar and say, " Well, you have a nice day" then walk away.

Seem a bit nasty? Nah!! I tried to let them know as nice as I could. If they are smart, they give me room and let me make the next move. That was how I got my Dean EVO. Went in, looked around at a few Epiphone LPs, told the guy to back off
(as I just described) He did. When I had a couple of questions about one of the LPs he came back and after a few minutes, I was playing the Dean. He handed it to me, told me a few facts about it, plugged me into an amp and let me alone. Half hour later, I walked out with the Dean & a hardshell case!


Well, that's my experiences, sorry I got up on a soapbox, but In short, yeh it bugs me a bit when something like the hired gun shows up. (now that was short & to the point....maybe I just like to type????)

yea it is pretty annoying wen ur just playing guitars and they come up asking all these questions. but then again im usually only at guitar center to buy a $5 pack of strings and i end up playing the guitars and basses. so in that aspect i do feel kinda bad.

[bluesguy]

It bugs the daylights out of me when the pulls that stuff on a potential customer. It would be like going into a auto dealer and having the sales guy take you for a drive on a grand prix track and then ask you 'want to drive now'

When I bought my Takamine EAN-15 I had already checked out the big-box stores in town and found a small shop up the road from where I lived. I went in after work and told them I what I was looking for. One of the co-owners took me into the acoustic room, asked if I needed a pick or a tuner and said "have at it". I spent time just looking and then started playing a few different models of guitars. About 1/2 later he came by and asked how I was doing. Told him which models interested me. He told me they were going to have a sale soon and if I could wait that would be a good time to come back. Played a bit more before deciding on the Takamine. He even complemented me on one of the songs I was playing (which I had just learned). That shop got more business from me later when I went back for an acoustic amp.

[allthumbs]

The funny thing is that some of the sales people learn only a couple of runs, but learn them really well and then give the impression that they could jam all night. A guy I used to know who worked in a music store admited that to me .

[malcolm mcwhirter]

Originally Posted by John Burr

I don't know Malcolm but I have actually thought the same thing. Worse though is to have the sales guy that thinks he looks like Slash and Plays like Steve Vai and knows everything about music there is to know, AND THEY PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF THE ACOUSTIC ROOM!

He talks really loud and keeps telling you that only the Ovations are worth having because anything else feeds back like crazy at any reasonable volume. When you finnaly get him to let you play the Martin 000 you came to try out keeps urging you to go ahead and "Bang the S--- Out of it, Man!". Sort of sucks the fun out of the experience.

In real life I always enjoy listening to someone way better than me play around in a guitar store. I really don't get selfconcious about my playing. Ever since I learned A E and D I have been happily visiting music stores and trying, (and sometimes buying), guitars without worrying about being an obvious beginner. Everybody else, including Slash, had to start somewhere.

Enjoyed the post though,

BSR

You also get the complete oppisite type of person who knows bugger all about guitars. This is a true story a number of years ago the band Travis done an acoustic set at Virgin Megastore in Glasgow and Fran Healy had 2 custom made guitars stolen 1 worth 8 grand and the other 3 grand . The guitar was discovered in 1 0f these cash convertors type shops wait for it for it the 8 grand guitar going for 50 quid meaning they must have bought for about 20 quid