I stumbled into my local Best Buy store and wandered back to the new instrument department. It appears to be set up like a small Guitar Center... same look, same feel, same guys coming up to you asking if you need a cord. Note that there were FULL RETAIL prices on all the guitars: Epiphones at $799 and more, Fenders at $999, etc. Anyone else been in one of these clone-shops?
Yikes! Best Buy cloned Guitar Center!
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- Rated: 9 ↑
Nov 14, 2008 9:37 p.m. GoDogGo:
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Nov 14, 2008 9:47 p.m. Beatles6120:
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Nov 14, 2008 10:29 p.m. MrAstroJet:
None near me! thank goodness I still have Cintiolli's, Eighth Street, D'Town, Guitar Barn.......
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- Rated: 41 ↑
Nov 14, 2008 10:45 p.m. bwallace1:
yeah, there's been one here in Richfield, Mn for about a year now. I've been in a few times just looking around. I've even bought my two effects pedals there. prices were reasonable. if you find a lower price, they will honor the lower price. the one thing that I like about this store is, it's quiter than Guitar Center.
brent
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Nov 14, 2008 11:00 p.m. TAG4:
In my town (Springfield, MO), Guitar Center and Best Buy are NEXT DOOR to each other??
TAG4
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- Rated: 38 ↑
Nov 14, 2008 11:06 p.m. bobbyrivera:
I really didn't know the market was big enough for these huge stores to sell seemingly high end guitars. Who would ever go to to Best Buy for a guitar?
"Excuse me annoying salesjerk, I'm looking for a 52" Plasma TV, a 5 channel Home Theater System and a Gibson guitar, can you help me and charge me full price for everything?"
Weird.
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- Rated: 35 ↑
Nov 14, 2008 11:31 p.m. crowbone:
I'm sure it makes perfect sense to the store if folks are coming in and plunking down, right?
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Nov 14, 2008 11:56 p.m. arm1151:
TAG4 so you're in Springfield, I live in Highlandville twenty miles south of you.
You are right the GC and the Best Buy are right next to one another. I buy my strings from BB as every time I walk into GC I get really really bad acid indigestion.
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Nov 15, 2008 12:00 a.m. Ric12string:
arm1151, can't you get strings a lot cheaper online than buying them at Best Buy?
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Nov 15, 2008 12:08 a.m. arm1151:
Yeah probably but I need to get out of the house once in awhile
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Nov 15, 2008 1:17 p.m. Spartanman:
Maybe the idea is this:
"Mom, Dad, I rock on Guitar Hero, can you go buy me a guitar?"
"Well we bought Guitar Hero at Best Buy, let's get the guitar there."
Just a thought.
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Nov 15, 2008 1:41 p.m. Joel:
The main reason these chains are getting in other businesses is basically to diversify. The economy is tough and they are not doing it make more money but more as a survival kind of move. I know Circuit City is losing money and Guitar Center recently had their credit downsized. Starbucks is closing stores and and chains such as Sharper Image are closing their doors. Diversifying is just a way of keeping from having all your eggs in one basket. I know Best Buy's big claim to fame used to be CD sales and I know the music industry is in shambles. Most people don't even buy physical CD's anymore. From what I read, Best Buy won't be dealing in "pro" level instruments like Guitar Center does to an extent. All my favorite music stores in Oklahoma City and Tulsa where shut down because of Guitar Center, so I really don't go to those cities much anymore. Music Sound World that used to be in Tulsa was 1/30th the size of a Guitar Center but it was 500% cooler...
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Nov 15, 2008 8:35 p.m. cielski:
Back in the day we got our guitars at Sears and Monkey Wards. What goes around, comes around.
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Nov 18, 2008 4:53 p.m. GoDogGo:
I remain very lucky to have Elderly Instruments close to me. I tend to stick my head into Guitar Centers from time to time, but only to look. To be fair, I did buy a nice guitar once at a Guitar Center - it was a clearance guitar. Not sure how the local Best Buy offers me anything, but I suspect they'll sell some guitars, amps and such....
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Nov 18, 2008 5:00 p.m. Mark G:
Brent took me to that Best Buy in Richfield MN last June. The selection was far better than I expected.
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Nov 18, 2008 5:05 p.m. MR TROUBLE:
Guitar Center Corp offices in So Cal just laid off over 100 people.
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Nov 18, 2008 5:56 p.m. bwallace1:
Mark G said: Brent took me to that Best Buy in Richfield MN last June. The selection was far better than I expected.
yeah, we found some nice accoustic guitars in there that night.
brent
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Nov 18, 2008 6:00 p.m. Mark G:
There is a chain email circulating regarding several big box store closures. Linens n Things is all fine and dandy but I'm waiting to hear that GC is closing some stores and having a fire sale.
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Nov 18, 2008 7:12 p.m. SonicTitan01:
There's a Best Buy in Memphis dealing high end Gibson product.
Surprised the hell out of me! -
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Nov 18, 2008 7:33 p.m. arm1151:
The Best Buy here in Springfield does not carry Gretsch ... not even the Electromatic. Fender, Epi bla bla bla
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Nov 18, 2008 7:52 p.m. Thilton59:
We've got a bestbuy music emporium down here in Murrieta, CA and it's all epi and fender. It's less than a mile away form Guitar Center too. The nearest ma & pa shop is about 15 miles out and they don't carry anything useful, no steel strings anyway. All the local music shops are defunct or on their way there. It's a sad little place I live in...
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Nov 18, 2008 8:35 p.m. partsman:
Hey Thilton, You Just up in Murrieta? I'm In Poway. My Daughter Lives Just off Clinton Kieth. Sorry for the off topic....
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Nov 18, 2008 8:41 p.m. Thilton59:
Haha, I work off just off clinton kieth! Small world, we'll have to do a socal roundup one of these days...
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Nov 18, 2008 9:14 p.m. partsman:
Yes, I do Believe an Inland Empire Roundup is in order. Maybe we can get the guys from up at the Gretsch/FMIC custom shop in Corona to showup.
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- Rated: 41 ↑
Nov 18, 2008 9:41 p.m. bwallace1:
arm1151 said: The Best Buy here in Springfield does not carry Gretsch ... not even the Electromatic. Fender, Epi bla bla bla
everytime I go in the one up here, I ask, "what no Gretsch's, yet ?". I've even left a couple of the 2008 catalogs that I had.
brent
