Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: Bentley |
Angus - yer back - I thought I was gonna hafta drag up the old "Equipment is nothing" thread to get yer attention.
Good to see ya. How's it going. How's married life? |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: Borguy |
| I am sorry to hear that. Although I prefer my local Guitar Center to the local Mars, it is still a sad day for all of us when competition leaves the market. I like paying the lower prices at Mars for peripherals like cords and drumsticks, instead of the inflated ones at the mall music store. |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: Angus_Podgorny |
Quote from: Bentley on October 02, 2002, 07:33 PM
Angus - yer back - I thought I was gonna hafta drag up the old "Equipment is nothing" thread to get yer attention.
Good to see ya. How's it going. How's married life?
|
Married life is good. I figured I would be a bit-less busy now that the wedding is over, but it turned out I was wrong. At very least, I have a bit more money now that I don't have to pay for things like flowers.
Basically, on top of a busy playing schedule with my band (www.kuriosband.com), I've been busy designing websites such as www.irisltd.com and www.attachmentville.com, and attempting to start doing that as a part-time job.
Cool News alert: I sold my website, www.sonicmayhemstudio.com to Sascha Dikiciyan of www.sonicmayhem.com (the guy who does music for video games such as Quake II and III, Unreal, and James Bond).
So I guess that's more than you wanted to know, but thanks for asking!
-Angus |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: Gibson |
the day he opened his first store i wanted to call him and tell him he was making the biggest mistake of his career. (really) but he wouldn't have listened to me due to the ego and the bank account.
bottom line music is about people and passion not numbers. everybody needs office supplies not everybody plays an instrument.
so now we have guitar center/musicians friend
mmmmmm just a few years ago m-friend was ready to file chapter 11 also until guitar center stepped in and took over.
but hey guitar center has lost over 2 million dollars a year for years. gosh kinda makes you wanna invest in large box retail chains.
So here's the real problem with box stores failing: if a small store in downtown nowhere goes under we'll never know as an industry. but when stores like mars go under they'll make a wave that could take out other mid-size companies we all use or depend on. such as alesis, dbx, harmon products etc. d**mn there goes my warranty.
the only person or company i can think of that saw the writing on the wall and refused to sell to them was Heartly Peavey mmmmm.....that's why he's been around so long.
well, if or when guitar center/ms files chapter 11 we can all kiss some of our favorite toys goodbye. remember alesis was ready to file just a year ago when business was up....hope the new lighting co. can keep them alive.
Heartly is still King....hell he should run for president.
that's all i gotta say about that.
gump |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: CGibson |
testing 1..2..3..
sorry for the test but i've had to be a guest for several months now. (ahhh netscape) 
it's good to be back 
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Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: Jon_B |
I'm sorry to hear that. I've never been to one as they never got a foothold in my region. There are 2 Guitar Centers and 2 Sam Ashes on Long Island and a Sam Ash and Manny's in Manhattan, and a lot of mom and pop shops filling in the cracks. Tough market, but a lot of customers. Not all Guitar Centers are the same, btw Angus.
Nice websites, btw Angus! I hope you got a decent dollar for sonicmayhem. |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: jb |
the store by me was looking pretty picked over. All the old sales people are gone
and the store had a lot of low-end equipment in it. When I inquired about it, they
said "We're not closing. We just got a truck full of new stuff in". At least there is
still a Musician's Friend store in town. |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: BlindCowboy |
Actually,
Houston's got 2 Mars stores, and they both have some serious problems. One of them consistently looks as if a tornado hit it. And the equipment was in horrible shape. I hit the guitar dept. and every guitar I touched was out of tune. I don't expect much, but hey. At least make the effort. The other one is worthless for customer support and the sales people stand around like a bunch of idiots. It took me 1 1/2 hours last time I went in there. I went in with a question about a product and money in my hand to buy the product. 30 minutes to get the guy to come to his department. 15 minutes of blowing me off as he talked to someone on the phone. (Which i'm pretty sure was his girlfriend) Another 20 minutes for him to find somebody in the store that knew about the product (even though it was his department and everyone else pointed at him as the knowledge base) Another 15 trying to find it in the "back". Ring me up Scotty!
Then, I stop into the Guitar Center around the corner. I'm greeted with a smile. The lady in the front asks how my little boy is, because ~SHE REMEMBERS HIM FROM THE TIME WE CAME IN 2 MONTHS AGO~ I walk to the recording department and see everything in place along the way. The guy in recording knows the answers, and automatically tells me the best deal that I can get on the equipment. Tag it and bag it. I'm on my way. Stop to look at the guitars on the way out. They're all tuned, i'm asked only once if I need help. The rest is smiles. I'm out in 30 minutes and 20 of it was me playing around.
The funny thing is, these aren't isolated incidents. It's like this everytime I go in to either of the chains....
Blind Cowboy...
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Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: Borguy |
| I gotta agree with you Blind Cowboy. The Mars in Cincinnati is full of lazy sales people with little product knowledge. Guitar Center people seem genuinely concerned about my buying experience. Plus, I can wheel and deal with them and feel like I am getting a good price. Maybe, I am getting a sweet deal on a mixer and then getting hosed on the cable mark up, so it comes out the same in the end, but I feel better that way anyhow. |
Subject: Re:Mars Music files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Posted by: mike higgins |
| while its always sad to see a company fail i am not surprised at all.They had 2 stores in my state(ma)and never did any marketing at all here.They opened one of the stores in a financialy destitute city with poor access from the surrounding towns with money.I also noticed that guitar centers stock market report is real bad. Their debt ratio is crazy....60 percent or something.Their inventory is huge and eliminating any profit.Combined with the fact that they sell just above cost on alot stuff their on a bad road.over 60 percent of their stores were created in the last 4 years. they have nearly buried every small shop in new england and are poised to open another in rhode island. it is only a matter of time before they over saturate themselves and the shareholders pull the plug.
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