If you've purchased from Guitar Center before, come on in.

[slightlyhuman]

Been creeping around the local GC lately in search or a new guitar. Got my eye on a Les Paul Studio Deluxe. My only problem really is with GC. They've got a 'brand new' price on the tag but in all honesty these guitars are touched and played on a daily basis. I have a small problem paying the new price for, in my opinion, a used guitar. The color I feel in love with had the dirtiest strings out of the 3 studio deluxes I looked at. Would their jaw hit the floor if I ask for a discount(albeit small) off of the final price and get them to throw in a new pair of strings?

 

[tailes151]

You can definitely haggle at guitar center. Usually can get them to throw in a case. If you don't want one that's been played ask if they can order another. I doubt they'll have an issue as they did this for me.

 

[TheVrolok]

I've gotten them to throw a case/stand/cable/half decent strings for free. The worst they can do is say no.

 

[Platypus]

they will wheel/deal to a certain point, just be prepared to walk away.

 

[KlokWyze]

Guitar Center is so ghetto....

 

[lxskllr]

If plays good, who cares if someone else has touched it? Guitars are all different, even within the same make/model, so you can't be assured an unplayed guitar will be as good as the one you tried out.

 

[slightlyhuman]

it comes with a hard shell case. i'm going to ask for a small discount since it practically is used imo. i thought about just ordering a new one but i won't in fear of it not feeling as good as the one i have my eyes on.

sometimes the first chord you play on a guitar you can tell if it's picked you or not. what's the saying.. you don't pick the guitar, it picks you?:biggrin:

 

[Aluvus]

I used to work in a guitar store. Guitars should not be like washing machines, where the floor model may have a bunch of extra scratches and dings. Unless someone has severely mistreated it, it should be basically indistinguishable from a straight-from-the-factory instrument, other than perhaps the strings.

Anyway.

We often threw in a new set of strings with new instruments. But if you walked in and claimed that the new Les Paul sitting on our floor was "used" and demanded a discount, I doubt you would get anywhere. Probably better off just bargaining normally.

 

[Fausto]

they will wheel/deal to a certain point, just be prepared to walk away.

This. Make them and offer and if they don't go for it, walk out the door.

The other option is to wait for a holiday sale coupon to arrive in your mailbox and take advantage of it. I bought a Gretsch at 20% off street price by getting a GC competitor to honor a coupon like this. They were pissed about it, but they were not willing to let me walk out the door and go get the same item from GC. Either way, you get a decent deal.

edit- 15% off this weekend items $299 or more.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Promos/ClaimDiscountCoupon.aspx?pid=3790

 

[Gibson486]

they will wheel/deal to a certain point, just be prepared to walk away.

They will? I had no idea...I assumed that no retailer haggle anymore. What are we talking here, like $20 extra bucks off or throwing in a guitar strap?

Anyways...it should not be an issue. yeah, their are finger prints, but so what? if you want to be teh first to play it, then get a cheap preboxed model or get a custom one.

 

[dwell]

They routinely have 15% off trade in deals. You can usually bring in a cheap pedal and trade it in for 15% off a new Les Paul.

If you really have bargaining chops you can tell them you just want the 15% without a trade-in, then have them take off another 5% for the wear on the guitar. NEVER trade a guitar or anything over $20 in for the 15%. They will rape you.

 

[Fausto]

They routinely have 15% off trade in deals. You can usually bring in a cheap pedal and trade it in for 15% off a new Les Paul.

If you really have bargaining chops you can tell them you just want the 15%, then have them take off another 5% for the wear on the guitar. NEVER trade a guitar or anything over $20 in for the 15%. They will rape you.

Yep. Your best bet to get a reasonable price for your used gear is craigslist. GC will give you a pittance keeping in mind they want to turn around and make a profit on that item.

 

[Gibson486]

This. Make them and offer and if they don't go for it, walk out the door.

The other option is to wait for a holiday sale coupon to arrive in your mailbox and take advantage of it. I bought a Gretsch at 20% off street price by getting a GC competitor to honor a coupon like this. They were pissed about it, but they were not willing to let me walk out the door and go get the same item from GC. Either way, you get a decent deal.

edit- 15% off this weekend items $299 or more.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Promos/C....aspx?pid=3790

How did you do that? Like the majority of all the other guitar makers, they are fixed price meaning no retailer can undercut another in price. I think you lucked out.

 

[dwell]

How did you do that? Like the majority of all the other guitar makers, they are fixed price meaning no retailer can undercut another in price. I think you lucked out.

I did it too on a $2300 Les Paul. They are not supposed to do it, it even says the brands that are excluded in the fine print, but you can get them to do it. Especially in this economy.

 

[Fausto]

How did you do that? Like the majority of all the other guitar makers, they are fixed price meaning no retailer can undercut another in price. I think you lucked out.

I brought the coupon in and said "will you honor this? If so, I'm going to buy that Gretsch over there today."

Manager came over, looked at it, said "sure".


They tried to back out of it once I got up to the register, but I stuck to my guns and said I'd rather buy it from them but there was nothing stopping me from driving 15 min and getting the same item from GC.

They caved, but were pissy about it. I wrote corporate a nastygram and that's the last time I spend money at Sam Ash.

 

[Fausto]

The sad part is that I was going to buy a case, strings, and some other shit, but then they started trying to back out of the deal on the guitar.

They actually tried to convince me the price on the tag was not correct and that they would be happy to apply the coupon to the "correct" price ($75 more).

 

[Gibson486]

Hmmmm....I will have to try this. Fender has these new Mustangs out...I like them a lot, but I do not think they are worth the price tag.

 

[slightlyhuman]

They routinely have 15% off trade in deals. You can usually bring in a cheap pedal and trade it in for 15% off a new Les Paul.

If you really have bargaining chops you can tell them you just want the 15% without a trade-in, then have them take off another 5% for the wear on the guitar. NEVER trade a guitar or anything over $20 in for the 15%. They will rape you.

so let me get this straight. i should take the amount they were offering me on my old telecaster and pocket it. then walk outside grab a pedal and take it in to trade it in and they will honor the 10% off the LP studio deluxe i'm looking at?!

for some reason i feel like they would go tell me to fuck myself if i tried that..?

 

[slightlyhuman]

also, would they let me use the 15% off labor day coupon with the 10% off trade-in together?

 

[slightlyhuman]

* Coupon is good for 10% off single item purchases only when combined with Trade Credit from a qualifying instrument during the same transaction (up to $500 discount)

 

[dwell]

so let me get this straight. i should take the amount they were offering me on my old telecaster and pocket it. then walk outside grab a pedal and take it in to trade it in and they will honor the 10% off the LP studio deluxe i'm looking at?!

for some reason i feel like they would go tell me to fuck myself if i tried that..?

Don't bring the Tele in at all. You'll be lucky to get 50% of the eBay value for it from GC. Like Fausto said, sell the Tele on CL.

 

[dwell]

* Coupon is good for 10% off single item purchases only when combined with Trade Credit from a qualifying instrument during the same transaction (up to $500 discount)

The Deluxe goes for $1400? Just bring the 15% Labor Day coupon in and ask for $300 off total due to the wear (15% + wear deduction). If your skills are good you can walk away with that guitar for ~$1100 without trading in. Then sell your Tele for its full worth on CL and add that to your savings.

 

[twinrider1]

Buy a used guitar.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I'd never give them my business.

 

[Fritzo]

They don't usually sell the guitars off the wall (at least in my local CG). They always give a boxed one out of the back.

They do match prices with Musicians Friend, and you can usually get a free setup/strings out of the deal as well. They're not a bad place to buy from in all honesty.

I do feel bad for the classic ma & pa stores though. GC pretty much undercuts them and puts them out of business. Maybe take a look around at the smaller stores and see if you can find what you need from them first