I was in my local Guitar Center this afternoon seeing what I could get for one of the guitars I’m just not playing any longer. As soon as I walked in, I was painfully greeted with some dude playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman absolutely cranked through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Blues Deville 4 X 10 combo. He was playing clean, for cryin’ out loud! He just didn’t need to be that loud. It was so loud that I had to practically yell to the sales guy in front of me who was THREE FEET AWAY!
This is a story we all know well. The shitty show-offs crank the amps, while the real players get the level to where they can evaluate the tone, then just… play… being respectful and considerate of the other people in the store. For instance, while that dude was hammering away on his cowboy chords on the Fender, this Japanese dude quietly took one of the new Ibanez guitars with the neon colors, plugged into a Line 6 Spider, then started RIPPING out Jazz lines – all at a volume where only he could hear.
A lot of people complain about the high schoolers that come in and do that. But the dude today was in his 30’s. It’s like, “DUDE! What do you have to prove?” And worse, he had this air about him that made him seem like he was God’s gift to guitardom! When he tried to play lead lines, he flailed all over the place! Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against people of any experience level trying out gear. But I do have a problem when it’s done without consideration for other people.
Circling back to the title of this article, I’ve only witnessed this in big-box retail stores. It’s almost as if it’s a policy to let people crank it up that loud. That would never happen at a place like Guitar Showcase in San Jose, or Gelb Music in Redwood City. The sales folks there would tell the perpetrator to chill; nicely, but they’d be pretty emphatic. Or in the case of Gelb, they’ll put you in the back room. For instance, I needed to test my Gretsch at gig levels through a Fishman SA220 SoloAmp, so they set me up in back so I wouldn’t disturb anyone. That’s just good customer service.
I think the big-box boys do their customers a disservice by not controlling people’s volume levels, or if they have to be loud to test out an amp, at least limit the time they can be above 100 dB. Oh well, that’s why my Guitar Center experiences are short and sweet, in and out. Kind of tough to put up with wankers.
Guitar Gear 
I’ve seen the one in Sacramento tell folks if they want to crank it for more than a few seconds theat theyll put them in one of the sound rooms..
I will say it’s definately more annoying when it’s something you don’t like. For me most jazz is actually painful to listen to so the guy RIPPING on jazz chords would have bothered me about as much as the open chord chaos..
It can also work the other way for the shops, I was in northern california working on a communications upgrade and relocation when I was about 25 and went into a local shop with about $400 to spend and about $1000 in per diem, I asked if I could play through one of the amps since what I had at home was crap. The guy set it up, set the volume and walked off and with in ten seconds another guy came up and told me if I wanted to jam I needed to head out.. I wasn’t even the one that set the volume, I said that’s cool but I need a set of strings first, He walked me up to the counter where I picked out a set of slinkys and pulled over $1000 out of my pocket to pay for them, pretending to try to find a bill small enough, he started calling me sir at that point and if I wanted a private room he could set it up… That ship had sailed.. .
Funny how you can get ’em where it hurts – their commission.
But yesterday was really exceptional. I’ve gone into that same place, and it’s loud for a short period of time, but then it falls off. But this was at least 20 minutes of ice-pick cleans with cowboy chords. I really wanted to ask the guy, “Where did your manners go?”
Agree 100%. I can’t think straight at GC with all the loud racket going on. It’s impossible on weekends to try any gear surronded by so much noise. Fortunatly, they have a great return policy…
I agree, however…these music stores should have either a Gig Room where one can really try out an axe that they may truly be interested in, and or perhaps maybe the whole rig itself! I know that if I’m interested in a particular axe or amp then I make certain, out of professional courtesy that I ask the store proprietor if it’s alright that I check out their equipment and to what level, meaning…am I looking for a monster sound or am I just looking for an all around amp that i can deal with, and how it clicks with the axe that I may be interested in purchasing. I know that there are those wanna be Rock Stars Or Guitar Demi Gods who think that their a S. Vai or Satch or whomever…these people don’t have simple musicianship Edicate as I like to call it. I ‘ve seen them come in and basically just take over like the guitar room for example with total disregard for others! So…you guys who wk.@ GC etc. just make certain that there are losing potential buyers due to their lack of awareness.
Peace out and Rock on!!
I think any shop selling amps needs to have some kind of isolation room, if not many. When looking at amps I need to turn them up, and this often means serious volume. This one shop, Davis Wheeler in Caberra let me play an Engl E656 for half an hour, and the shop dude helped me tweak it while I played. That was brutal, what an amp 🙂 They also let me try almost all their overdrive pedals for about an hour another time and I walked away very pleased with a Vox Duel Overdrive. I could not have done that at showroom-friendly volumes, definitely not.
Session music and Thomann in Germany have also let me spend some time with loud amps and cabs in rooms where they simply close the door and let me play. So while the Diezel Im playing is rupturing my internal organs, anyone outside could still pick up an acoustic and have no troubles hearing it.
But then you still need to know when to give the room up if someone is waiting 😉
Great input, guys! My local GC where I was at has an isolation room, and when I want to check out an amp, I also politely ask if they can move the amp into the iso room so I can properly audition the amp. But most wanna-be rock starts want to be in the main room. The worst thing is that they look the part, they dress the part, but most don’t have the chops to cut it, but they still like to broadcast their total lack of skill! 🙂 Grrr….
Anyway, when I want to audition an amp, I do the same as you slide’, and ask if the can move the amp into the iso room. It’s out consideration for others, but also, if I happen to throw a “clam,” no one will know it but me. HA!