Best Buy sells gear?

[myboss57]

So I went into Best Buy today to kill some time and noticed that there was a whole Musical Intruments section. Thinking, "okay, they prob just have keyboards and Daisy Rock, but let's see...", I walked in. They had a whole wall of guitars and basses - like Fenders and Gibsons. They had a whole acoustic guitar room, and a bunch of amps - even a Marshall stack. No Oranges though! There were electro drumsets and then all the regular accessories (books, strings, cables, etc).
Anyways, pretty wild.
Oh! And they had the Gibson Explorer Melody Maker too. I could really get on with that axe were it not for the Flying V headstock - just not right, IMO.

[OrangePaul]

So I went into Best Buy today to kill some time and noticed that there was a whole Musical Intruments section. Thinking, "okay, they prob just have keyboards and Daisy Rock, but let's see...", I walked in. They had a whole wall of guitars and basses - like Fenders and Gibsons. They had a whole acoustic guitar room, and a bunch of amps - even a Marshall stack. No Oranges though! There were electro drumsets and then all the regular accessories (books, strings, cables, etc).
Anyways, pretty wild.
Oh! And they had the Gibson Explorer Melody Maker too. I could really get on with that axe were it not for the Flying V headstock - just not right, IMO.

I'm guessing you didn't just read the thread then on too much gas

[myboss57]

Did someone mention this already? Yeah, definitely not good if you have a bit of a GAS problem. It was easy enough for me to walk out. One thing though, I didn't really take a look at the prices for comparison to places like GC - I'm willing to bet that Best Buy may have slightly lower prices though, just because they sell so much other stuff.

[OrangePaul]

No it was the thread entitled...'This forum of ours'

Yeah I'm sure if they could get Gibsons in at my local Walmart it might bring down there prices a little

[myboss57]

No it was the thread entitled...'This forum of ours'

Yeah I'm sure if they could get Gibsons in at my local Walmart it might bring down there prices a little

Oh yeah! Duh...
Gibsons would definitely would be cheaper at Walmart - I think you might be onto something.

[OrangePaul]

Just checked....the UK Best Buy stores dont list guitars

[Randy Bass]

The nice thing about Best Buy is that their clearance prices are super low - like more than 30% off of regular street price. They only sell musical instruments in select stores, so your local store may not have anything.

[myboss57]

The nice thing about Best Buy is that their clearance prices are super low - like more than 30% off of regular street price. They only sell musical instruments in select stores, so your local store may not have anything.

I'll definitely have to check back to the store then! I could go for some super clearance.

[Cordboard]

The nice thing about Best Buy is that their clearance prices are super low - like more than 30% off of regular street price. They only sell musical instruments in select stores, so your local store may not have anything.

Yes to this...

If you find one close by, just go in every couple of weeks, some real steals actually, and not just guitars.

[myboss57]

If you find one close by, just go in every couple of weeks, some real steals actually, and not just guitars.

Good idea! Or bad idea, if you asked my wife!

[Dark Helmet]

the tube-amp selection at the store here is deplorable, and the guitars didn't seem to be "1st quality" examples.

and the prices were MAYBE 1% lower than GC... and the staff is/was WORTHLESS. we have a good GC here and a good local shop as well... BB should drop the dept IMO.

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

The department serves a good purpose for small towns that don't have Guitar Centers, but do have Best Buys. I remember when I worked in bum-fornicate North Dakota and I had to drive 2 hours to Minot if I wanted to buy guitar strings and picks.

The department isn't geared towards the people that would be buying Gibsons. They are just there for marketing the department. I imagine 95% of instrument/amp sales are presents and under $400 USD.

[Randy Bass]

I like that the Best Buy employees are aware that they don't know anything about the products. They leave me alone. My local Guitar Center has two knowledgeable employees at most, but the rest of them still insist on "helping" anyways.

I got my Epiphone Slash LP Goldtop from Best Buy for $699 new in box instead of $999 at Guitar Center for a floor model. I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't on super-duper clearance.

[indianDYsummer]

They leave me alone. My local Guitar Center has two knowledgeable employees at most, but the rest of them still insist on "helping" anyways.

Haha, I remember when the Fender Blacktop guitars came out and I went and checked them out at GC. I played this strat that was SOO heavy, like obviously the wood was not cured or dried properly. Anyways, I mentioned it to one of workers there when he asked how I liked it and he was like, "Yeah, it's a great guitar for the price, very solid," completely unaware that a heavy, non-resonant piece of wood is not a good choice for tonewood.

Maybe he thought I was stupid and was just trying to sell me a POS. Either way, that's not the type of salesperson I prefer to deal with.

[Cordboard]

I got my Epiphone Slash LP Goldtop from Best Buy for $699 new in box instead of $999 at Guitar Center for a floor model. I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't on super-duper clearance.

This, rather than super salesperson guitar knowledge, is the reason for stopping by. I have picked up a Fender strat SKS case and some other odds and ends here for less than half the GC price.

In my mind the GAS game is best served by being patient and looking for folks who are mispricing things in the market.