Sound Control - oops!

[MarkMono]

When I say the companys incompetence I simply mean their pricing. From this thread alone you can see that their customer service history is ubiquitously varied and they did used to have a pretty good selection of guitars, especially acoustics.

Would I walk round the corner to save a tenner? Maybe, but I certainly would to save fifty.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by MarkMono

When I say the companys incompetence I simply mean their pricing. From this thread alone you can see that their customer service history is ubiquitously varied and they did used to have a pretty good selection of guitars, especially acoustics.

Would I walk round the corner to save a tenner? Maybe, but I certainly would to save fifty.

Aye, man. Their selection of acoustics was magic, and you used to be able to go in and see a whole variety of different guitars for whatever style. It seems as if lately, choice was poor and even though it might sound stupid, would it kill them to stock ONE Fender Strat with a humbucker in the bridge? lolz.

Na, totally man. If you're being treated decent as a customer, gettin good help and that, time to check something out and answers to you're questions, a tenner is nothing. 50 quid certainly is a different matter lol.

Wonder where the nearest shop is gonna be now for them. Only bacause if I was going to get a Schecter now, I wonder how far I'd have to travel to try one out. Hmmmm.

[djtoast]

Originally Posted by Yorgo

The thing that gets my back up is when people try out gear in these stores, buy elsewhere, and then wonder why they have to up prices.

ditto

same story, different industry: jessops are in a lot of trouble just now, presumably because eveyone goes in, spends half an hour comparing the Nikon D50 and the Canon 400D, picks one, then orders it for £5 less from the internet.

well i wouldn't do that but i would conceivably buy a camera online just from reading the specs - but no way I'd do that with a musical instrument. it took me eight months to buy my piano, and I must have played fifty or so in that time... a description and a jpeg on a web page isn't quite the same as playing it!

and imagine buying a PA system without hearing it

[MarkMono]

Yeah, unless you're buying a very specific model and know what you're getting, I'd definitely want to try a guitar out before buying. In fact, even then I'd still want to touch it before I bought it just to make sure that its not covered in barbed wire at the back or somesuch crazy superstitious shit.

McCormacks used to be an amazing place, but that was in the early 90s and, much like Sound Control, they've been trading on location and reputation for quite some time.

[Kenny Everett]

Originally Posted by Yorgo

Sound Control's pricing policy has always been a bit vague, marking up stock maybe 5% more than competitors, but with the buying power it had, they always had room for a bit of haggling.

Once you got "in" with the PA/tech guys (Danny and Ollie more than most) you always felt looked after and got some good deals.



G

This is exactly my problem.

* The pricing has always been shocking, waaay above average. If it's hanging on a wall cheaper elsewhere in the city, why the hell should I bother haggling? It's not hard to put your best price on the wall from the off

* I hate having to be "in" with the staff before I egt proper advice. The only time I've ever not been treated like an idiot in Sound Control was either when I went in with Al or another older friend. This is a shocking way to do business and they're deservedly suffering from years of poor customer service.

[djtoast]

Originally Posted by Kenny Everett

TThe only time I've ever not been treated like an idiot in Sound Control was either when I went in with Al...

Is that because he's a respected industry professional, or cos he's fucking huge, do you reckon?

[MarkMono]

A little from column A, a little from column B.

[Yorgo]

Originally Posted by Kenny Everett

This is exactly my problem.

* The pricing has always been shocking, waaay above average. If it's hanging on a wall cheaper elsewhere in the city, why the hell should I bother haggling? It's not hard to put your best price on the wall from the off

Because the only way they have been able to make their overheads is by trying to get the best price possible for their stock. If it's cheaper in another shop, fair enough, but if you're going in there specifically to try with no intention of buying it there, that's a bit wide.

Originally Posted by Kenny Everett

* I hate having to be "in" with the staff before I egt proper advice. The only time I've ever not been treated like an idiot in Sound Control was either when I went in with Al or another older friend. This is a shocking way to do business and they're deservedly suffering from years of poor customer service.

It's the same everywhere. Every store has its cliques, even though I agree that sometimes the staff can get a bit patrionising, but that's because the majority of their punters, as we both full well know, are "wee dicks". I feel you get better service ANYWHERE when you get "in" with the staff, including Glasgow's favourites such as Merchy, Rhythm Base and Drum Central.

I'm not saying I agree with everything sounc control stood for, but I don't like the fact their gone, I relied on that shop for last minute PA gear, such as D.I. Boxes and cables, with unrivalled consistency!

[Kenny Everett]

Mark, we're agreeing too much again in this thread.

I'm scared

To George: I've never been treated as badly as a customer as I have been by Sound Control and McCormacks. Other shops have had "off days", but that's allowable.

I've not even tried anything out in Sound Control for the past five years, just plain blank refused to shop there. There's nothing that I can't get easily enough elsewhere.

[MarkMono]

True story, their vaunted wide selection has been a thing of the past for a while. I'm being extra-fair ever counting it as one of their good points as their lefty selection was always crap.

Originally Posted by Yorgo

Because the only way they have been able to make their overheads is by trying to get the best price possible for their stock. If it's cheaper in another shop, fair enough, but if you're going in there specifically to try with no intention of buying it there, that's a bit wide.

If I was going to buy a Les Paul in Merchant City Music, why would I walk down to Sound Control to try it first?

Bit wide aye, but why would anyone ever do it?

Or do you mean that its wide to try out guitars (with no intention of buying them) at all?

[Yorgo]

Originally Posted by MarkMono

True story, their vaunted wide selection has been a thing of the past for a while. I'm being extra-fair ever counting it as one of their good points as their lefty selection was always crap.



If I was going to buy a Les Paul in Merchant City Music, why would I walk down to Sound Control to try it first?

Bit wide aye, but why would anyone ever do it?

Or do you mean that its wide to try out guitars (with no intention of buying them) at all?

I think a lot of people try guitars in Sound Control first because, a, it's central and b, it has the largest selection with exception to guitar guitar possibly.

Prime example, friend of mine wanted to buy an Ibanez S470, I said, try Merchy, they didn't have it, so he tried it out in Sound Control, liked it, walked out and ordered from Merchy.

Now, i'm not saying it's pure out of order to try a guitar out when you're not gonna buy it in general, but if you're trying a guitar out that you do want to buy, but you know you're just going to buy it elsewhere after using the stock Sound Control have willingly ordered in, it is wide as fuck, and especially so if you're gonna go out of Glasgow to buy it.

On another note, I don't think it's ever wise to buy anything online if it's "organic", like timber structure guitars, bass', drum-kits, etc. They are all different.

G

[MarkMono]

Hmm, my experience over the last few years is that people haven't been going into sound control, period.

Which would certainly explain their current predicament.

[TheFallenAngel]

Granted I do feel its a shame if its gone.
Their selection had became a bit stale past couple years though to be honest.
I personally wouldnt order a guitar online without having played it... ebay is different though. I've only ever got one guitar from ebay before but I didnt get it directly. Mate bought it and then he sold it to me so I got to play it before I parted my wallet. Although fact it was an Axis its a safe bet if i did get one from ebay.

I wouldnt buy a guitar from Dolphin or whatever ... it doesn't make sense because even if I went into Sound Control or GuitarGuitar and they had say 4 Les Pauls for example I would try each one and maybe if i'm lucky one of them would connect with me. You don't get that option online they just send u a Les Paul and if you don't like it when it arrives... tough shit.

Plus actually going guitar shopping was fun and not to mention all the money you would spend that you didn't intend to as well!!

I liked goin with my mates guitar shopping then maybe stopping off for some grub etc etc - that dont happen online. Long live guitar shops (please)

[slicer]

Originally Posted by TheFallenAngel

Long live guitar shops (please)

Seconded!

[MarkMono]

Just not shite ones.