RIP Sam Ash. All stores closing

[ArtDecade]

Warrant > Swift

But, Swift > Proggy, Tech-Death, McDjent Metal

 

[Grindspine]

FUCK TAYLOR GODDAMN SWIFT! Zeena Schreck, take your daughter home already!

Taylor Swift actually plays some pretty nice Taylor (brand) Koa line guitars. If anything, her popularity should be good for guitar / live music equipment interest and sales. Besides, her album production is typically close to flawless. Can't justify hating her.

I Prevail has that Blank Space cover too.


I don't think that guitar is dying. Frankly, the population is just too big for that. There is definitely a trend toward different types of music, so guitar is no longer as center-stage as it was 40 years ago.

 

[AltecGreen]

I'm kind of with you on this but I think rock music has just stagnated really hard in recent years. It's either the same bands that have been doing it forever or none at all.

I think the advent of the internet has also lead more kids to getting into metal now than ever before but being the (historically) less popular genre than rock and less accessible over all, I don't think as many people are getting into rock or guitar oriented music. Most of the young dudes I've worked with in the last few years usually immediately bring metal to mind when I tell them I play guitar or something. I really can't bring to mind a rock band that has come out in the last 10 years that's really done anything. Plenty of metal bands, sure, but not as many people are going to be drawn to that.

Rock music in general I think killed itself a bit in the late 2000's/early 2010's. It all started becoming so homogenized and boring that I think people just aren't interested. Sure, there are plenty of people who still like the stuff from the 2000's and prior and those bands sell out arenas and whatnot, but you don't have any more up-and-coming bands like there used to be. I'd hate to shit on people's taste, but I think the more radio-friendly sort of emo bands played a part in killing this stuff too. Bands like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, MCR, Fallout Boy, Paramore, etc. I think all of these bands are still around but I'd be hard pressed to call anything they really release now 'rock-music'. Hell, even before Linkin Park dissolved they were more pop-sounding I think with a little bit of that rock edginess.

It almost feels like we're back in a blending period of different genres but it's a little more acceptable now days and maybe even more well executed. Bands now days are pulling off these blends better than ever, but it's on the underground. In general underground music is kind of going through a bit of a golden age again. The creative juices are certainly flowing, but the outreach is definitely not there. We've probably all been to the metal shows where it's like 15 - 20 people in the place and then you notice that like 2 or 3 of them are young people.

It's also hard because we don't really listen to the radio anymore. We're all using Spotify or something now days where we're kind of staying within our bubble of interests and not really being exposed to things we didn't necessarily look for like when the radio was around. It's had a weird, ironic sort of effect where back in the day I would listen to the radio waiting to hear my favorite Metallica songs or something and with even dial-up internet being a thing in only a few households, it wasn't as easy to find the underground bands.

I guess basically when I think about it, new mainstream music died so that underground music could take off again. Bands that I grew up listening to that I used to go see for $10 - $30 are now hundreds of dollars. I think I saw Cannibal Corpse easily like 15 times in the 2000's and I probably paid at most $30 to see them. Even at big festivals. Summer Slaughter, Sounds of the Underground, hell, even Warped Tour, were pretty cheap to go to and the bands were way better. I was going to go see Cannibal Corpse with Gorguts this last year and it was expensive as shit. I just stayed home lol. I know this has a lot to do with the scummy business practices of Ticket Master and the like, but something has got to give.

Sorry for the old man yelling at clouds rant, but I really do think rock music absolutely killed itself years ago. Even harder than what happened in the 80's going into the 90's with grunge. The music world is long overdue for a shakeup, but it's so hard because it feels like it's all been done. As much as I don't like mainstream rock really, it was my gateway to playing guitar. If I'd never heard Metallica, The Offspring, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, etc, I probably wouldn't be playing guitar. It sucks that kids now days are just going to miss out on a world of great music because the stuff being shoved in their faces for 10 - 30 seconds at a time is just such braindead garbage that they can't even begin to form interests in anything else. There are any number of other things at play here that are toxic as fuck and not helping, such as social media rotting people's brains.

TL;DR - We need introductory rock music to make a come back to get kids interested again.

This is SSO. TGP is that way.



I notice your location is Japan. I spend alot of my time listening to music from Japan and the rest of Asia. Lots of new bands pop up all the time that are rock based. I follow everything from the big bands all the way down to bands formed by elementary school kids. I can't keep up with the music and I live in the US. Four band just started in the last four months that I had to add to my already large collections of bands to follow.


I'm trying to decide which of four streaming concerts I want to watch from last night. This is one innovation leftover from Covid. A lot of small clubs stream the concerts and it is available world wide. It is one way I support the many bands there. Life is not easy and most small and medium sized bands have day jobs but they seem to be able to play out and make records. It does help that physical media is not quite dead in Japan. I think I buy guitars from Japan to justify the shipping charges for all of the CDs I buy from Japan.


I'm on several groups that cater to Japanese music for Westerners and rather than fell gloomy over the state of affairs we get enjoyment from introducing people to new bands.

If you are stuck listening to music from the US, it's pretty dire. But it's been dire for two decades.

 

[Randy]

 

[nightsprinter]

Damn.... I wonder if they're just trying to rope in a few suckers before they ship all the gear to a warehouse and wait for the inventory to sell online.

 

[c7spheres]

I haven't even noticed the used stuff coming down in price yet. At least not the stuff I've had my eye on.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I don't know what folks are expecting with the sales. It's not like Cinderella and everything is going to turn back into a pumpkin when the clock strikes midnight.

Anything unsold will likely get returned to the distributor to be transferred/resold to other retailers.

 

[RevDrucifer]

I don't know what folks are expecting with the sales. It's not like Cinderella and everything is going to turn back into a pumpkin when the clock strikes midnight.

Anything unsold will likely get returned to the distributor to be transferred/resold to other retailers.

Well, something on par with a “Closing all stores. Everything must go” isn’t out of the realm of expectations.

Guitar Center has bigger sales for Labor Day.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Well, something on par with a “Closing all stores. Everything must go” isn’t out of the realm of expectations.

Guitar Center has bigger sales for Labor Day.

They're not closing because they're just tired of doing it, they have creditors that need to get paid and giving things away isn't going to do that very well.

There are still some shortages in the market so it's smart to sell for as much as you can for as long as you can until it's time to negotiate a deal with the distributors who are likely among those who they owe money to.

They're also still bound by the MAP that manufacturers set, so any crazy blowouts will need approval there as well.

If you want a deal you're going to have to wait till the last paychecks start mailing out and come with cash. That's how it was when Mars closed down.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Lol

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

They're not closing because they're just tired of doing it, they have creditors that need to get paid and giving things away isn't going to do that very well.

There are still some shortages in the market so it's smart to sell for as much as you can for as long as you can until it's time to negotiate a deal with the distributors who are likely among those who they owe money to.

They're also still bound by the MAP that manufacturers set, so any crazy blowouts will need approval there as well.

If you want a deal you're going to have to wait till the last paychecks start mailing out and come with cash. That's how it was when Mars closed down.

If you want a massive deal, you'll have to get one in person through haggling and have as little paper trail as possible.

 

[ArtDecade]

They're also still bound by the MAP that manufacturers set, so any crazy blowouts will need approval there as well.

I dunno about that. They have already declared bankruptcy and all their distributors have closed off their line of credit. Selling below MAP is a good way of having the manufacturer cut you off, but Sam Ash isn't planning on buying more stock anyhow.

 

[RevDrucifer]

I had to laugh when I went to mine a last week and saw this on the door-



Hahahha as if that weren’t convenient! I called this past weekend and they were open again. I’ll probably check it out this weekend and see if anything has dropped any lower.

 

[neurosis]

So far the only items I have seen on sale were on Reverb. I asked about a Jackson they had listed way below the general prize point and they said it was a new floor model in PA. I took too long to think about it and it was gone fast. Since then I bought elsewhere but have been seeing more random guitars popping up on Reverb so some stores are definitely discounting, just maybe not on site?

 

[philkilla]

Stopped in at the Nashville store while waiting for the woman. It is pretty surreal to see everything mostly vacant, massive discount labels and sad looks on the employees faces.

There wasn't a whole lot of stuff I felt like sacrificing my wallet for, and the associates said a lot of gear has already been cleaned out.

They don't even know when the doors will officially be closed .

 

[FloridaST]

I went to Guitar Center in Daytona last week and it was like I was invisible. I wanted to try a few guitars and there were no employees in sight. So I bought a killer guitar here in the classifieds and my amp or modeler (haven’t decided yet) will be bought online too. Big corporate brick and mortar music stores are going away.

 

[ArtDecade]

I went to Guitar Center in Daytona last week and it was like I was invisible. I wanted to try a few guitars and there were no employees in sight. So I bought a killer guitar here in the classifieds and my amp or modeler (haven’t decided yet) will be bought online too. Big corporate brick and mortar music stores are going away.

Whenever I have walked into a Guitar Center or a Sam Ash, it is like Cheers and everyone knows me. They also know what I like and I will get the occasionally call or text when something comes in. I have established relationships with these guys over decades. In fact, I am about to grab an H90 at some point this week from a - gasp - brick and mortar store.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[FloridaST]

Whenever I have walked into a Guitar Center or a Sam Ash, it is like Cheers and everyone knows me. They also know what I like and I will get the occasionally call or text when something comes in. I have established relationships with these guys over decades. In fact, I am about to grab an H90 at some point this week from a - gasp - brick and mortar store.

Your mileage may vary.

True ymmv but even if it's your first time walking in there, you think they'd put forth a little effort. I prefer the smaller shops but I'll still go to GC - I'm not mad at them.

 

[FloridaST]

Taylor Swift actually plays some pretty nice Taylor (brand) Koa line guitars. If anything, her popularity should be good for guitar / live music equipment interest and sales. Besides, her album production is typically close to flawless. Can't justify hating her.

I Prevail has that Blank Space cover too.


I don't think that guitar is dying. Frankly, the population is just too big for that. There is definitely a trend toward different types of music, so guitar is no longer as center-stage as it was 40 years ago.

You noticed that too, huh? Her recordings are pristine - I like listening to them on my HIFI rig. She's my guilty pleasure.

 

[SalsaWood]

I don't think that guitar is dying. Frankly, the population is just too big for that. There is definitely a trend toward different types of music, so guitar is no longer as center-stage as it was 40 years ago.

Sooner or later software will outpace any artistic endeavor that we humans have undertaken. Sure, there will be those people who prefer content made organically, but they will be in the minority. All of these artistic indulgences are set to become especially pointless for us personally. We're horse trainers about to get run over by the internal combustion engine. Imagine a synthesizer which can not only replace a whole band's collection of instruments, but also all of the creative impulses of that band.