Curious if anyone else has run into this before.

I'd run low on strings so went into a music store in the next city north of me. Bought six packs of Ernie Balls Super Slinkies. While at the counter the fella, ring'n the sale thru, and I were chatting it up.

So he says I must be pretty brutal on guitars if I needed that many packs of strings. Told him 'nope, I build CBG's and give'm away. Had to school him on what CBG's were. Then after I tell him what they are he says... "Ohh, ur the guy" then got quiet and finished the sale... Thank you come again...

I was kinda puzzled by the response but after I got back to my truck I figured maybe he'd heard or saw some of my gits and thought I was cutting into his biz... Thats all I could come up with.

So... does anyone else find music stores friendly or a bit.... short, with you when they know you build CBG's???

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  • I rarely go into the big box git stores anymore. My local (privately owned) store loves CBG's and has sold, on consignment, a dozen or more of my instruments as well as another guys CBG's. So the music store makes their percentage plus I make what I usually do at craft shows.  The store owners mom even bought one!

  • "We don't like their sound, and guitar music's on the way out, Mr. Epstein." - Decca, 1962
    • Famous last words...  LOL  Just when you say it ain't gonna happen....   it happens...

  • It's probably been 10+ years since I went into a Guitar Center even though there are a few relatively nearby. I've been in a couple of local stores recently and left disappointed with both the selection of merchandise and attitude of the salespeople. Further away in the Atlanta metro area, there are some "Our *Stuff* Don't Stink" stores that have high end merchandise but terrible, snobby, attitudes. So, these days I buy guitar stuff online or from individuals locally.

  • Local music shops are very supportive of CBG's. GC not so much. Don't shop there anymore!!!!!

  • Don't spend much time in guitar stores these days. They don't know much about what is in their store, much less anything else.

  • I have found the people in Guitar Center to be mostly arrogant no matter what I went there for.  I wasn't metal shred dude so I wasn't worthy.  Strings are a lot better deal online at Musicians Friend, their house brand is really low priced alot of the time (no affiliation).

  • Last time I visited a guitar shop I asked to see a CBG just to see what they had, none. 

    "It was just a fad that died out a couple of years ago, nobody wants to buy them anymore" 

    I just smiled and thought to myself 'yeah because we're building them ourselves and selling them ourselves' 

    Personally I think these guitar shop guys have their head up their own sales strategy.

  • I have a little different story.

    I got a text from a local used music store saying they would give 20% more for used gear.  I grabbed a three string I had sitting around to see if they would give me enough for a set of strings.

    The manager was kind of excited and said I would make more money if they consigned my work.  He offered to take three guitars.  I brought a couple more over later. 

    They offered me a decent return - 70% of retail.  They also set pretty good prices.

    That's the good news.  The bad news is they haven't sold yet.

    • They don't sell well when sandwiched between a used plywood 6 string for half the price of the CBG on one side, and a $30 plank-not-a-strumstick on the other side.

      And if none of the salespeople know how to demonstrate a CBG, it often looks like an expensive wall decoration like the not-a-real-sword you find at the imports store in the mall.

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