This is par for the course. People like pissing on Guitar Center on forums. I moderate the EBMM (Ernie Ball Music Man) forum so I see, read & deal with this kind of stuff all the time.
Here’s the main issue: Those who frequent online message boards about guitars and basses know a ton about gear… we read about this stuff all day. Now, the salespeople at big retail outlets like Guitar Center aren’t always/usually as knowledgeable about boutique/non-standard brands like Music Man. Most of these employees are standard people (non gear-nerds) and know the some stuff about run of the mill gear: Fenders, Gibson, PRS Guitars and stuff like that. It’s not common for GC employees to know a ton of stuff about the smaller brands. Also, some of the younger types have the “youth attitude”… ya know: “Only old fucks play strats” and “If you play metal you have to use an Ibanez or ESP”.
When these two worlds collide you have the makings of a pissing contest. The gear nerds kinda get a hard-on telling salespeople that they’re dumb (or telling stories about these experiences) and the sales people just want their commission and some just like pushing their favorite brand.
So anyways… this thing gets posted on the MM forum. Sterling Ball, owner & CEO of Ernie Ball Music Man, chimed in with his 2 cents… The Marty Albertson, CEO of Guitar Center, cruised by to try and address the issue (scroll to post #54). So here you have 2 CEO’s, each from multi-million dollar companies, hopping onto the front line and interact with their customers “face to face”.
I really gotta tip my hat to these guys. Sterling and Marty don’t shy away from stuff and will step into a shower of bullets in order to represent their companies and try to “fix” situations… or at least provide some insight. I’ve met these 2 (Sterling’s a friend) and their both super nice and really care about their companies and customers.
Customer support matters. I consider these guys as mentors in that aspect of business. Props guys!
On page D3 there’s a big ass picture of me Here’s the interweb version:
Unfortunately the article isn’t about how awesome I am… it’s about music startups and how the up-and-coming bands use the interwebs to get themselves out there. Actually, The Hot Toddies got front page real estate… in those little squares up at the top of the front page. Tres Cool huh?
This guitar is fucking gorgeous. If I had some bank I’d snatch this fucker up in a second.
I’ve always wanted a nice Axis Super Sport. I had one with MM90 pickups (like P90s) but have always lusted after a humbucker version. This one’s pretty much perfect. It’s from a super limited run and comes with a koa top.
That’s right ladies and gentlemen! I ordered up a new guitar a few minutes ago… via text message.
My friend Pete run DuBaldo Music Center somewhere out in Connecticut. I met him at an Ernie Ball event a few years ago and he’s been my dealer ever since. He usually has a ton of Music Man instruments in stock so whenever I’ve got the itch I text Pete and usually after a few replies I’ll have a new guitar on the way
So here’s a pic of what I ordered up:
That’s not the exact guitar but it’s close enough. Here’s the vitals:
The lil guy just got painted yesterday so he’s a couple weeks off from getting to my door. He’s still gotta go through buffing, then outfitting (electronics and hardware), then the setup department, then off to CT (they don’t drop ship) and finally Pete will give it a once over and send it over my way.
Here’s a quick clip of John playing the guitar I just bought:
Finally got my beater bass back into playing shape!!! It’s my first bass ever. I got this guy about 14 years ago and I still love the ‘lil bastard.
I cannibalized it about a month ago in order to source some parts for my last P Bass project but about 2 weeks ago I decided it was time to fix him up. The main problem was that I’d lost a couple set screws for the saddle. Without these set screws I couldn’t get the string height right and the bass would be pretty much unplayable. The challenge is that these are some random ass screws. Home Depot didn’t have any… neither did Orchard Supply. Finally, I swung by Gelb Music on Saturday and Ed rummaged through a bunch of drawers ’till he found a screw that fit the bill.
So the bass i nowhere near stock. He’s got quite a few modifications:
The only thing stock on the bass is the body. This Epiphone PJ has come quite a way over the years. He’s quite the player; feels great and sounds great!
I’m still not done though. I think I’m gonna make this guy an active bass again. He needs a preamp… it sounds good but I gotta admit I’m a preamp addict now. They add some bite and give you a tremendous amount of versatility. I haven’t decided what preamp I’m going with (maybe an Aguilar OBP-1 or OBP-3) but I have decided to install an on/on/on mini toggle for pickup switching (neck, both bridge) instead of using a pan knob.
I’ll report on the whole preamp thing later once I figure out what I’m gonna do. ‘Till then here’s some pics for ya:
A couple weeks ago I had Dan’s SG Junior at my house and since then I’ve been wanting a P90 equipped guitar… and all of a sudden I’ve had a new found “thing” for the look of the SG.
Go figure huh. I actually think I want an SG w/ P90’s. Gonna have to keep my eyes open on the forums and eBay.
Here’s the interweb version: 
