Guitar Center Files for Bankruptcy

NY Times ^ | 11/22/2020 | Lauren Hirsch

[wastedyears]

The filing by the nation’s largest retailer of musical instruments highlights the growing gap between the strongest and weakest companies in the pandemic.

[Larry Lucido]

I just wanted to be a juke box hero.

Or a drummer.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

Bain Capital at it again they have taken businesses that have been in business for decades and destroyed them what a shame!!

[Chode]

damn... ya could drive a train btwn those two options 8^)

[Poser]

“I’ve been keeping my eyes out for an old Norlin-era Custom in black. They’ve really gone up in price lately!”

You are right about that. I bought my ‘71 for $350 with a Peavy backstage 30 amp in 1977. It has kept ahead of inflation. I put the stock bridge pickup back in a few weeks ago. I’m selling the antique DiMarzio for decent money. They seem to have appreciated as well.

[meowmeow]

Please add me to your ping list! Newbie player but loving it!

[left that other site]

Will do! :-)

[Tijeras_Slim]

I play my red guitar;
It’s the devil in the flesh,
It’s the iron in my soul.

[moehoward]

“ Guitar Center here in Hollywood.”

I remember going to their old location across the street. Clerks were good back then too.

[left that other site]

As I said...I am not the “Official” Keeper of the List, but mine is pretty much up-to-date, and i promise i will ping you to any pertinent articles I may find.

[dayglored]

I am quite pleased to be on your list, thanks!

But if that be not the “official” list, who then is keeping that list?

Reminds me of: “But Father, if you are here, and Grandfather is here, who may I ask is minding the store?”

[left that other site]

I wish I knew the answer to that! :-)

Maybe I’ve been elected, and don’t know it yet. LOL.

[TChad]

I thought “On and On” was a pretty cool song, though.

Oh, he's talented. It's not easy to produce a song so treacly that it seemed reasonable for Belushi to destroy that guitar.

[dayglored]

Okay guys, y'all shamed me into taking a picture of my collection. Most aren't collector's items, but I've played all of them fairly regularly.

The picture is reduced size, so "View Image" to see full size. From left:

• Santa Rosa half-size guitar
• Angelica 5-string banjo
• Fender JG12CE/12 12-string acoustic
• Fender FA-135CE 6-string acoustic
• Alvarez-Yairi 6-string acoustic DY74C
• Gremlin (gift from a friend)
• Gibson Melody Maker, 60's, rebuilt w/Bartolini pickups
• Gibson Les Paul "Black Beauty", 2000, 3-pickup
• Fender Stratocaster, American, 2018
• Custom carved black walnut, Modulus Graphite nexck, Bartolini pickups, Washburn whammy bridge
• Gibson SG, 1962, rebuilt w/Bartolini pickups, Washburn whammy bridge
• Ibanez 5-string bass, SD/GR, EMG pickups
• Peavey Foundation 4-string fretless bass
• Custom 4-string "Frankenbass", lipstick-case pickups.

The Strat and the Les Paul get the most playing in the band where I play lead; the Ibanez bass is for the band where I play bass. Of course, nobody's been playing out for 10 months, grrrrr...

BTW, there are two Twin Reverbs, silverface 1974 in back, blackface in front 2008? reissue. Not shown is a recent acquisition, Fender "ToneMaster" Deluxe Reverb.

[FranklinsTower]

GC had terrible inventory problem if I remember correctly. No big surprise on their bankruptcy.

Sweetwater has excellent service on the phone — they know what they are talking about!

[Poser]

I can’t see the picture, but does the SG have two pickups or three? In any case, I want it.

[dayglored]

> I can’t see the picture, but does the SG have two pickups or three? In any case, I want it.

Hmm, the pic not displaying? That’s distressing... does it present an empty rectangle, nothing at all, broken-pic icon? Works for me so I’d like to know so I can fix it. Thanks.

The 1962 SG has two custom-design Bartolini humbuckers, specified for high output, growl, and sustain. The SG body/neck assembly itself has a funny history. Around 1987 I visited a local music store that took consignment sales, and there was this horrible looking SG in an original Gibson hard shell case on the counter. Beat to crap, hardware shot, and painted garish red which had chipped and faded. It had arrived that morning, for “best offer” sale. The music store guys didn’t know what to do with it, was it worth fixing up?

I picked it up and sighted along the neck — looked true. Frets were in decent shape. Everything else was trash. “How much you want for this ugly thing?” “I dunno, 150 bucks with the case?” “Sure”.

Turned it over to my luthier friend who does the fancy custom work on my instruments, said, “Make this into something”. He looked up the serial number (hence 1962), stripped the paint, put all new hardware, ordered the custom pickups, and a Washburn whammy/bridge that was smooth as silk, even stayed in tune. Et voila, I had a marvelous axe that was more responsive than anything I’d ever played.

The mahogany is a little soft, so it’s a blues guitar, not a rock slammer. But it can scream and wail, growl and spit, as well as purr.

Sorry, not for sale. But I understand the appeal. :-)

[left that other site]

Gorgeous!

My whole family are in music, and the ;ast 10 months have been particularly grim. Grrrrr.

I hear you!

[OrioleFan]

Bain Capital was Mitt Romney’s old company.

[usconservative]

Got my first bass guitar from Guitar Center so many years ago.

Sweetwater.com is my choice these days for purchasing anything guitar, mic, amp, board, etc.. related. They carry a nice selection of XLR to USB (PC) interfaces too that I've purchased from. Good products, great service. I've been dealing with the same person there for ten years now. They're doing something right IMO.

ThirdCoastGuitar.com does needed repairs since they're here in the Chicago area where I live. Their repair services are second to none. Love their service.

[T.B. Yoits]

Re: fixing up a "budget guitar".

I've had to take most of mine apart and swap stuff out (better pickups, wiring mods, add shielding, etc) so much so that I'm determined to build the next one from scratch.

I don't have any with stainless steel frets yet but am thinking of going with those on the build.