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Turn Off That Music!
Those of us who play guitar have probably heard that phrase from time to time. Although it was probably closer to “Turn off that noise!” Anyway, I recently found myself thinking just that. The funny thing is, I was at a music store. I should say, a musical instrument store. Guitar Center to be exact. Now don’t get me wrong. I usually like going to Guitar Center. They let you play everything and are usually very helpful. But the last two times I went to my local Guitar Center, they had music cranking — loudly — over the store speakers. I wanted to try out some semi-hollowbodies and the new, way cool Fender Champion 600 tube amp. Unfortunately, the music blasting in the background made it hard to hear the guitars I was auditioning. There was really no way I could get a decent listen to the tone of any guitar or amp in that environment.
Now I expect to hear people cranking up an amp occasionally and showing off the licks they recently learned. No problem. I usually just wait for them to finish and then do my thing. But with music blasting all the time, how are you supposed to try anything out? Maybe that’s the plan… If so, it’s a poor one. I’m not going to buy a guitar from a store without hearing it well. Fortunately, the acoustic room was much quieter, with no music playing (other than what leaked in from the main room.)
Am I wrong? I don’t think so. In fact I find it mind boggling that a store that sells musical instruments would make it difficult to hear those instruments. If I owned a guitar shop it would be dead quiet except for the tone of great sounding guitars being played by happy customers; the helpful comments and suggestions of knowledgeable sales people; and the “cha-ching” of the cash register ringing up another sale. Well at least in my dreams…
Reader Replies
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I agree with you that the music is way too loud at Guitar Center stores. The theory is that the blazing sounds will excite the potential customer to buy NOW. And it works, too. Many studies support this. That being said, perhaps the volume could be toned down a bit so that we could hear what we’re playing. A “dead silent” guitar store? I’ve been to a few and they seemed a bit like a morgue — not exactly conducive to selling hot instruments! The answer is probably somewhere in between. If enough people complain about the volume to the store manager, I guarantee the music will get quieter! They are hoping to stimulate sales, not chase them away! At least if you get a purchase from GC home and don’t like what you hear in the silence and solitude of your “studio” (bedroom, study, basement, garage) you can always return it with no hassle. That’s my two cents. — Bill Peoples