Guitar shops

Ger the man

How would you rate guitar shops in Ireland for customer service?

Karl Hungus

I'd rate them negative 8. A lot of the time they're a hinderance, and can even put you off spending your money. A lot of staff are unhelpfull, ignorant, and arrogant.

Ger the man

Money really talks! I was trying (with the intention of buying one of..) a Gibbo LP Baritone, Studio and Explorer over the weekend. The sales guy thought all his birthdays came at once and kept annoying me every 5 mins to hurry up the possible sale. The three guitars were dirty, dusty and the strings were way out of tune and as old as the earth. I ended up buying elsewhere.

*Tripper*

One of my experiences, recently i was in {a guitar shop} with the intent of purchasing a Boss Multi-track. So went in and ask a young lad there questions about it. Now he knew fcuk all about the thing but insisted he did.

I had done my reasearch and knew more or less everything about it but wanted to double check. Now this prick was so arrogant in the way he answered questions and walked away whenever there was a 2 second sielence that I decided fcuk it, i'm in now ruch for this i'll get it on the web!

So here i am with my new machine from the web! I would have gladly bought it there but because of that one guy I didn't and will never again buy anything there!

Voodu Child

It varies from shop to shop.

There's one in particular that I think is pretty useless, rude metalhead staff who sit behind the counter chatting and wouldn't even look up at you if you asked a question.

There's one that's excellent, friendly staff, no problems at all.

And a few in-betweens.

No big surprises there tbh.

Ger the man

*Tripper* wrote:

One of my experiences, recently i was in Waltons with the intent of purchasing a Boss Multi-track. So went in and ask a young lad there questions about it. Now he knew fcuk all about the thing but insisted he did.

I had done my reasearch and knew more or less everything about it but wanted to double check. Now this prick was so arrogant in the way he answered questions and walked away whenever there was a 2 second sielence that I decided fcuk it, i'm in now ruch for this i'll get it on the web!

So here i am with my new machine from the web! I would have gladly bought it there but because of that one guy I didn't and will never again buy anything there!

Was in the same place about a month ago and witnessed a Gibo LP being dropped off the wall hanger about 10 feet up. It was an accident but they never even checked it for damage, some poor sucker probably bought it.

sham69

Posted this a while back but i think its worth a repeat.
Bought an Ibanez JS100 guitar a few months back, it was my first tremolo electric as I had a couple of LP copies before that. I changed the strings and fecked up the floating tremolo. I checked a couple of shops to see if they would tune it for me.
{a guitar shop} would not take it on a friday as they would not be insured over the weekend. I took it to {a guitar shop} and the young assistant took it and charged me a fiver, said I could collect it a week later. I was quite happy to get it done as I didnt want to feck it up being new and all that. I got a phone call 5 mins after leaving the shop telling me that no one in the shop has ever worked on a floating tremolo and that I would have to take the guitar back, I was amazed.....
I ended up taking my time and doing it myself (with some help from the very helpful people on this site) I never really shop in those shops, bought the guitar from Thomann and get my strings online I trust it more....

Jelly 292

"There's one in particular that I think is pretty useless, rude metalhead staff who sit behind the counter chatting and wouldn't even look up at you if you asked a question."

Wuld that be on XXXXXXXXXX? I concurr wholeheartedly!!


The attitude of the staff in guitar shops in Ireland is terrible.

They are like sulky teenagers who seem to treat the customer as some fool who has walked into the wrong shop.

I think I had one good experience in Musician.inc with some obscure parts question for a strat but apart from that 99.9% of guitar shop experiences are negative.

I will never never never buy a guitar new in Ireland. Its not just the extra cost, it is the staff for me, I cannot abide by there attitude where do they get them from, do they give them special training in bad customer service before they start?

I hate even buying strings here and only do if I'm stuck.

Thank god fro Thoman and the like

Rant over

Voodu Child

Jelly 292 wrote:

Wuld that be on the quays by any chance? I concurr wholeheartedly!!

Im not naming names for the negative experiences, just to be on the safe side. (And I suggest the rest of ye do the same, or at least keep the 'penis head' comments in check)

But on the positive side, yeah, Musician inc is the shop I think is very good. It's one shop i'd be happy to recommend to a normal person looking to buy a guitar for their son/friend etc.

What you said about sulky teenagers is bang on for a lot of the guitar shops. And funny

Fad

really i think it varies from person to person, some guys in musician inc are dead sound, will let you try out just about anything, others next to ignore you when you ask a question, and say come back another day when its not so busy.

waltons seem to hire complete penis heads and are generally unhelpful in every way. ({a guitar shop} near grafton street, never been in the other one)

i was in {a guitar shop} buying a tuner and they tried to sell me about 5 other things with the bloody tuner, i ll avoid there from now on.

perfect pitch most of the guys are pretty sound, bought my second eletric there (they bought my first too), and theyve been quite helpful any time ive been in.

{a guitar shop} in dun laoghaire are OK not great, they asked me never to bring in my first eletric (Aria pro 2, floyd rose etc) again as they replaced the trem twice as they broke it, and it cost them a fair bit (or so they said)

never realy bought anything in music maker but the staff seem alright. godwins is cool but i avoid caple street like the plague so never bought much in there either

feylya

Guys, please remove all guitar shop names. Boards.ie is responsible for all libel.

Rigsby

I went to almost every guitar shop in Dublin browsing to buy a bass . I found the staff in most to barely helpful at best. One in particular (I wont give the name ) contained a staff of ignorant ----ers.
In contrast, a week before I bought the bass I browsed some shops in Amsterdam and found the staff to be very helpful, friendly and they really knew their stuff.

Ger the man

Yep, I can vouch for Perfect Pitch.

Karl Hungus

voodoo_child wrote:

There's one in particular that I think is pretty useless, rude metalhead staff who sit behind the counter chatting and wouldn't even look up at you if you asked a question.

In fairness, them being metalheads has nothing to do with it. They're just ignorant bastards. I imagine if they listened to hip-hop, they'd be equally as ignorant and unhelpful..

Johnny Storm

feylya wrote:

Guys, please remove all guitar shop names. Boards.ie is responsible for all libel.

I very much appreciate that you are doing your job Feylya. Can I just point out that it is only libel if it is not true

Rant warning: IMHO this country is really heading for trouble where people are afraid to say and do normal things in case some loser decides to sue them. I think a lot of us don't realise how much worse Ireland is in that respect than almost any other country.

Alanstrainor

Ger the man wrote:

How would you rate guitar shops in Ireland for customer service?

Generally poor, one guitar shop in particular is just awful, unhelpful, condescending, and arrogant staff, not to mention the poorly kept instruments. I rarely buy anything from guitar shops in Dublin, although, there is one shop i'd recommend to anyone in Dublin, with helpful staff who actually know their stuff. (i wont name it but i'm sure a lot of you know which one it is;) )

The Saint

I presume I know tha shop being referred to as full of ignorant metal heads. However, if this is the same shop that has an acoustic section on a different floor then I must defend that department.

About two years ago the neck on my Taylor Big Baby broked (was knocked by a child). The head snapped right off at the joint. I brought the guitar in and asked how much it would be for a replacement neck. The guy said it would probably be around €150+. I said to order it and let me know when it came in.

A few weeks later I get a call saying the neck had arrived so I went into the shop with my wad of cash and asked how much it was. To my amazement he said nothing. Thats right nada!! He said that Taylor didn't charge them for the neck so he wasn't going to charge me citing karma as a reason. I was delighted as you can imagine.

So a few months later I went into this shop again and bought a Takamine semi-acoustic classical from the same guy. Looks like karma works. Any time I've gone into the acoustic department I found the people to be nice, helpful and knowledgable. The guys in that department seem to be older than the stroppy metalheads in the electric dept so maybe that's a reason.

Killaqueen!!!

I understand that mods have to do their job around here, especially in regards to things like {removed} which we're not supposed to talk about. I don't know why but that's ok.

But having a discussion about a shop. In Ireland. On an internet forum.

I mean really? They're hardly gonna sue boards for that :rolleyes:

But anyway, I agree with the statements in this thread. But even the one shop that people think is alright, I've had a few bad experiences with. the staff aren't that friendly. I was gonna buy a tube amp from them but I wanted to try it with a guitar that had similar qualities to the one I was gonna buy online. He gave a snarky comment about not letting me try out a guitar here if I was gonna buy it online. But I was gonna buy an amp there and then!!! Not anymore.

feylya

Killaqueen, talking about that topic will get you banned. The reason we can't talk about it is exactly because of what you mentioned - they're suing Boards.

Voodu Child

Karl Hungus wrote:

In fairness, them being metalheads has nothing to do with it.

Of course not. It was just a descriptive adjective - if i say the shop with one or two rude middle-aged metalheads squeezed in behind the counter, most people know which shop im talking about, without mentioning any store names.

See?

And the shop with all the sulky teenagers? Again, I know exactly which one this is, again, without naming names or making music. And before Hungus points it out, of course ALL teenagers arent sulky

Karl Hungus

The Saint wrote:

I presume I know tha shop being referred to as full of ignorant metal heads. However, if this is the same shop that has an acoustic section on a different floor then I must defend that department.

Oh you mean Music Maker? (I get to call them by name because I'm being positive) No, that wouldn't be the place I'm on about. Infact, I think it's one of the few places I've found where people there are actually helpfull. Most of the time, going in there is a good experience.

Infact, there was a thread on here a few years back where someone was complaining about the staff in Music Maker, and the manager there actually took the time to sign up on here to apologise for the staff's behaviour. Honestly, I tip my hat to them, because I've personally never had a spot of bother with them at all, and signing up here to apologise certainly deserves respect.

So yeah, with reguards to Music Maker, they're one of the only music shops in Ireland I'd really step foot in and expect to be treated properly as a customer.

Strings.ie

Jelly 292 wrote:

"
I hate even buying strings here and only do if I'm stuck.

Thank god fro Thoman and the like

Rant over

We are trying our best to compete with Thomann on prices but it's not easy. The 21% Vat in Ireland is a killer.

I totally agree with regards service. I value every one of my customers. Without my customers I have no business and if I want my business to grow then reputation is everything.

All I can say guys is many music shops in Ireland need to wake up fast. Thomann are taking millions out of the Irish economy and as a country this is bad news. Watch this space!

-=al=-

ah we all know by now what tha shops are like and looks like we all share pretty similer opinions

theres jus one shop in town that i like and dont mind going too, but some others i jus dont even bother anymore

Johnny Storm

When you buy from Thomann 21% VAT is included in the price.
I'd be very happy to buy from a local shop if the price was anyway close to the on-line price. The "guitar shop" in "Dun Laoghaire" seems to make some effort in this direction.

Voodu Child

If we're talking customer service, one place told me to 'come back during the week' to try a guitar, it's too busy now..

That pretty much speaks volumes about their customer service. Needless to say, i couldnt go back during the week because that's when i work to earn the money to pay for said guitar (duh!) and I don't think they've gotten any money off me since.

stereoroid

So far I'm in a similar position to other here - I've only found one shop that has been any help at all. The problem I have is that it's such a small market, it makes it hard to find anything beyond the bog-standard. Try and find some double-ball strings, for example. No, they're a special-order item... so I order mine direct from a manufacturer in the UK. (Status Graphite, who also make headless basses, and got sick of string supply problems.)

I do have one thing to be grateful for, in a lopsided sense. A couple of years ago I was seriously considering a 6-string bass, but I got over the urge, thanks to the combined efforts of Dublin's guitar shops. None had a single 6-string bass in stock; there weren't even any strings for one, either. Thanks, guys - sanity has been restored, and my next bass will probably be a 4-string.

If so, it will be bought online. I don't expect retail stores to match online prices, and I don't mind paying a bit more for a service. What a Dublin guitar store punter is offered, however, is that chance to pay a LOT more, for little or NO service. I mean, what's the point of going retail if the shop doesn't have the item in stock, and the staff don't know anything about it? "We'll order it for you"? Yeah, right... I'll order it for me. :rolleyes:

The Saint

Yeah, was talking about Music Maker. I assumed that's who other people were talking about when they were talking about stroppy metal heads. I haven't much dealings with that department really. I bought a Cube there about a year ago and they seemed fine. I'm interested to know who people are talking about now. PM anyone?:D

Karl Hungus wrote:

Oh you mean Music Maker? (I get to call them by name because I'm being positive) No, that wouldn't be the place I'm on about. Infact, I think it's one of the few places I've found where people there are actually helpfull. Most of the time, going in there is a good experience.

Infact, there was a thread on here a few years back where someone was complaining about the staff in Music Maker, and the manager there actually took the time to sign up on here to apologise for the staff's behaviour. Honestly, I tip my hat to them, because I've personally never had a spot of bother with them at all, and signing up here to apologise certainly deserves respect.

So yeah, with reguards to Music Maker, they're one of the only music shops in Ireland I'd really step foot in and expect to be treated properly as a customer.

Yakult

Well up in dublin in the bigger shops I found only 2 out of 4 good.

they were really stuck up, and seeing as Im only 17 they looked at me like I was gonna rob the place which I found really un-comfortable and really made me wanna leave straight away.. So I did..

But locally they are spot on. The 2 guys that work their a really friendly and helpful and would jam with you like! And the prices are comparable to musicstore. So I like my local!

*Tripper*

Apologies for droping the name feylya!

But its a sad situation when these people who work in guitar shops in dublin think that they are so sh!t hot that theycan be ignorant just because they work in a guitar shop!

Rigsby

R_H_C_P wrote:

Well up in dublin in the bigger shops

What bigger shops ? Most of the guitar shops in Dublin are small. It always amazes me that in this country with our new found opulence and one that boasts the biggest rock band in the world that we cant have a huge ware house type store that will stock most guitar brands and accessorys under one roof. Something like a "Tescos" for guitars is badly needed.

unclebill98

My experiences with Music Shops in Ireland...

Being told, no you cant try the amp unless your really interested in buying it. This has happened in 3 of Dublins stores over a few years. Even when I call in advanced to ask what gear they had in stock....excuses are, were to busy...its not plugged in etc etc

Asking about cabs that clearly have been there donkeys years and getting offered 10% off..still 200euro more than online.

Guitars, not set up right, so your never going to like them.

Staff not knowing what they are selling and offer bad advise.

Drum depts and the amazing book of prices and not even having sticks in stock.

One shop not even having a single plec in stock.

Ordering stuff as they dont have in stock and they suggest ordering it and coming back and I am still waiting over a year for amp covers.

No prices on anything in most places.

Overall general rudeness....

but, they can be great.

Music Makers Liam, is very friendly and helpful. Always makes you visit pleasent.
Crehans, never a bad experience.
McCulloigh Pigotts taking an order and calling you back to say its in.

Thats about it...

Voodu Child

Rigsby wrote:

What bigger shops ? Most of the guitar shops in Dublin are small. It always amazes me that in this country with our new found opulence and one that boasts the biggest rock band in the world that we cant have a huge ware house type store that will stock most guitar brands and accessorys under one roof. Something like a "Tescos" for guitars is badly needed.

There actually is one big shop with load of room and potential, but it's full of Epiphones and SX guitars, and Crate amps...

And it's got the biggest longest counter out of all the Irish shops, looks very impressive, with all the bags of miscellanous hanging behind on the wall, but NO TRUSS ROD TOOLS. 'Sorry, we don't sell things like that'. FFS, not a single shop does, I walked all over town there a while ago looking for a Gibson sized (8mm) one, not a single place had them. And i'd have probably bought a few packs of strings or something in the shop that did have it. What did people do before the internet?

:mad:

Royale with Cheese

Posıtıve experıences: Got a solderıng job done the day of a gıg ın that place on Capel Street when absolutely none of the other shops ın town could be bothered wıth me. Guy was faırly sound.

Negatıve Experıences: Plenty.

Just the general atmosphere of the place. I really don't know where theır attıtude comes from but generally guıtar store staff have some kınd of elıtıst, the customer ıs a c*nt thıng goıng on. Really the vast majorıty have absolutely no ıdea about customer servıce and how they can generally be so rude and arrogant and get away wıth ıt I just don't know.

One of my frıends bought a Les Paul Custom Shop ın {a guitar shop}. It was €2000 marked down from €4000 (ıt's a nıce guıtar but you must be f*ckıng kıddıng ıf anybody would pay 4 grand for ıt). When he went to pay for ıt he asked ıf they'd throw ın a pack of strıngs and a strap... the reply was 'no, you're already gettıng 2000 euro off. You're a lucky boy aren't you?' He was about 20 at the tıme so the lucky boy comment was just the staff beıng condescendıng c*nts yet agaın. I mean even after spendıng €2000 ın theır store they stıll fınd a way to treat you lıke shıt. Havıng saıd that he later brought ıt ınto {a guitar shop} to have ıt setup and he saıd they were really sound, generally very complementary about hıs guıtar and make the few adjustments needed rıght there on the spot for free.

Apart from the staff the prıce ıs generally what keeps me away from guıtar stores ın Ireland. I buy almost everythıng from musıcstore or thomann. I Lıved ın Cologne for a year and used to vısıt musıcstore alot... Irısh musıc stores could learn so so much from that place.

Dıd work experıence ın {a guitar shop} when I was 16. The staff were generally just musıc bums wıth nothıng better to do. Not necessarıly bad people but ıt seemed they worked there because they were really good a guıtar/pıano... and not necessarıly knowledgable about the stock or partıcularly good at dealıng wıth customers.

feylya

Royale, I asked everyone not to mention guitar shops. Consider this a warning to everyone.

-=al=-

I had a lil fiasco trying to get a DC brick in Dublin...

There was none left in any shops so I got the display model which was the last one in one of the shops... didnt fully want it as it was the display it but nowhere had them and just made my pedalboard so eager to get it running..


So took it home, gave it a go, realised i was givin the wrong power cords... so figure fine ill return to the shop and collect the proper ones... went in changed them... got it home and tried it again, the pedals got powered but barely.... the LED's never lit up, looked at the adapter and realsied it was some marshall adapter which was not nearly enough powerfull to power it.

SO went back said it would take a week to get a new one in waited a week... went in... not there, waited another... went in, not there, waited one more went in got a refund.... got it online and had it a week later for 50e cheaper


after checking around looking and asking about it yada yada in diff places turns out some music shops only get Dunlop stuff in a couple of times a year with monthly intervals


I had a fantastic time


oooh also.... the 2nd last time i went in waiting for it to arrive in i was gona ge a refund but was told to come back as there was not enough cash in the till ...almost forgot that bit

Johnny Storm

voodoo_child wrote:

There actually is one big shop with load of room and potential, but it's full of Epiphones and SX guitars, and Crate amps...

And it's got the biggest longest counter out of all the Irish shops, looks very impressive, with all the bags of miscellanous hanging behind on the wall, but NO TRUSS ROD TOOLS. 'Sorry, we don't sell things like that'. FFS, not a single shop does, I walked all over town there a while ago looking for a Gibson sized (8mm) one, not a single place had them. And i'd have probably bought a few packs of strings or something in the shop that did have it. What did people do before the internet?

:mad:

+1 on this. I had the same experience in the 4 "major" guit shops in Dublin looking for the little spring that lives down the trem hole on a Strat. I eventually got them from Axes'R'Us in the UK. At least the guy in Waltons did bother his arse to go into the backroom to look for them but they didn't have any, either.
I look on the shops in Dublin as showrooms for gear that I might someday buy online.

Dord

On the subject of guitar stores, anyone remember Rock Steady Music??
They had a fine selection of basses and keyboards. Some nice gear.

Th' oul XBox center is there now...tis a shame. Went in one day to buy my first bass and it was closed...I had only been in there the week before


I've been in every guitar store in Dublin city, 1000's of times by now. I've found Musicmaker and Musician Inc. to be the best of all these. The reason being is that these shops actually employ musicians.

I'm not going to comment on the other stores as I do not wish to get boards into trouble.

Fad

yeah the guy in dun laoghaire prides himself on having apparently ''cheapest epiphones les pauls in ireland''

he is also a lot easier to get than having to get the dart into the city for a packet of strings or something (admitedly a good 20 minute walk but however)

Dord

I haven't been there, I think?

I was at a shop out in Bray years ago, and from what I can remember its pretty much the only place with a good selection of valves in Dublin. I don't know if thats still the case.

James Hunt

I've bought from Musicmaker in the past, no problems with them personally. Never bought anything major from MusicianInc, but I've always been afforded the opportunity and time to try things, and I would buy from there absolutely no problem, if the right deal came up.

I was with my brother one day and went into that shop...the one that we all know what it is. He was up from the country, desperate to buy a good guitar. The man had €2000 cash in his pocket and he wanted to try out a Truckster. The guy reckoned he'd give him 30 seconds on it. I honestly thought he was joking, just being funny. Nope. 30 secs later, out comes the lead...'that's enough'.

Honest to God, I would rather go elsewhere and pay more for the same item than go in there again.

-=al=-

i doubt people would mind paying a few extra $$ if the service was a lot better and they added the personal touch to it...

Ger the man

What I see is a general dislike to young teenage guitar players by staff. What the shops dont realise is that they make up a huge part of the market, they are starting out and tend to go for the lower end stuff to begin with. Although I once witnessed a long haired kid trying to buy a 1500 euro Jackson and the sales guy didnt believe him until he produced the cash, then he dropped the arrogant attitude and couldnt do enough for him.... until he told him what to do with his guitar and walked out! lol!!

lev

Guys,
I'm a Dub now living in Kilkenny and I fully agree that the attitude of many (not all) staff in Dublin stores suck. However about a year back Ad Lib music opened a store in Kilkenny (they have one in Carlow too) and I have only good things to say about this store.
They know that on many items they can't compete with Thomann's prices, however they've realised that the way to win back customers from the internet is through great customer service.

They have a great range of stock (Fenders, Epiphone, Ibanez, Line6, ESP) and you can try anything for as long as you want. All their guitars are setup great with new strings before they go on display and the staff are musicians who know their stuff and are exceptionally friendly. I bought my last guitar there and I was happy to pay a little more than the internet price.

..might be worth a day trip to Kilkenny &/or Carlow...

Reading this back it sounds like I work there - I don't, it's just refreshing to have a positive experience in an Irish Music Store

Dord

Thanks for that Lev, I must check out that store next time I'm in that part of the country.

Welcome to boards btw!