Phillip McKnight is a YouTuber that produces guitar-related vlogs on his channel. This includes guitar/amp/pedal reviews, as well as critiques of manufacturers and stores, be they brick-and-mortar or online. His recent critique of Guitar Center motivated the CEO of the company, Gabriel Dalporto, to contact McKnight and set up an interview to react to the critique.
I applaud this wholeheartedly. We saw how effective podcasts and vlogs are recently, such as the presidential election. The interview was actually interesting to watch. Dalporto, besides being the head of GC, is also a musician. Just like the CEOs of Ford or GM drive the cars that their companies build, he plays the guitars that his company markets. He knows as a performing musician what is needed when on the stage or in the studio. He walks the walks so that he can talk the talk.
Most interesting in the conversation was that Dalporto realizes that the terrain of musical instrument stores has changed dramatically, especially post-COVID. Low-priced beginner guitars are available through Amazon in a way that GC cannot compete. So Dalporto has decided that GC will concentrate more on mid-line and upper line/vintage instruments, and making them more accessible to customers. He realizes that GC is like a candy store to musicians, but regular musicians, whether pro or amateur, want to get hands on with the better equipment. Dalporto plans to take the locks off of the instruments out of reach and make them playable. He has found in studies that those customers that spend more time in the store end up purchasing more.
Dalporto plans on taking the challenge of competing against online-specific music stores like Sweetwater, which right now has a strong hold on the topic, particularly when it comes to fast shipping. He also said that he is interested in getting questions from customers on how to improve the stores. The comments section in the YT video had some good points, along with people complaining just to complain. I posted my thoughts with two suggestions. One deals with GC executives traveling the country to visit stores outside of California. My second suggestion was more important to me personally.
When I go into one of the local GC stores here in the Detroit area, I notice that the guitar section is about 85% electric guitars and basses, Much of the floors space is dedicated to amplifiers. Acoustic guitars have a separate room, with about a dozen acoustic guitars, two or three acoustic bassed, and perhaps two mandolins, a banjo, and a round-neck reso guitar. Interest in acoustic music, especially in the bluegrass and Americana formats, has grown considerably in the past decade. Particularly, youth and female musician numbers are growing. Yet selection for acoustic instruments is still limited.
I am fortunate in that I can drive about two hours to one of the best music stores to offer acoustic musical instruments in the country. Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan has been one of the best resources for bluegrass musicians since 1972. Yes, the offer shipping to out-of-state shoppers, but if anyone is like me, one likes to try out the instrument and “kick the tires” before purchasing.
GC already has a contract to sell Gibson electric guitars. Gibson makes excellent banjos and mandolins. Selling Fender lower-quality banjos and mandolins will not get that niche customer base into the stores. It would be worth it to at least test-market such an idea at a few stores to see what happens over a few years. Hopefully Dalporto at least considers this suggestion, or at least looks at it.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 