OT: Ridicule as a young man in a music store: A tale of frustration.

[Jordon]

So i'm fooling around on my PRS today without going through an amp, and I notice that my low string seems very lifeless. I have not been able to order my usual strings in some time, so I had been using GHS Zakk Wylde sets (10-60's). These strings seem to die very fast and leave me with a rubber-band sound after a few days. I decide to go in search of strings that wont die so fast, and I know that I dont want to spend an hour at my closest GC watching the guy look at acoustic strings when I'm asking for electrics, so decide to visit the mom-an-pop stores around town.

First I go to the little father-daughters owned store down the street. I've known them for years and I'm on a first-name basis with the father. I ask around, thinking I'll try something new, but they dont have the guages I need...It sucked cause the daughter that was helping me out was gorgeous, and I wanted to hang around asking for things that didnt exsist just to flirt for a bit...I'm a sad man

So the next stop in my travels was the family owned store in the next town. Service is usually so-so depending on which family member you are talking to. Well today they had some new help, so I was a bit wary. I go up and ask if they have any strings that go up to a .056, maybe even a 7-string set I can fiddle with. He hands me a pack of DR 11-50's saying that strings dont come bigger then that. I found this interesting, wondering what I've been using these past few years.

Anyway, I see a pack of DR 12-52's and decide to grab those and a single .059 (thought they only came as big as 50?) and a single plain .022 (I cannot stand wound "G" strings). He asks why I need strings so heavy in a very condescending way. I thought "Oh here we go." I reply that band plays in Drop B and Drop A# along with various open tunings based around those. He asks what guitar I play, and I think "Oh god, dropped tunings, and a PRS, he's gonna go on about nu-metal now." I say a PRS Cu22. He says there's no point in tuning to anything but standard, and that all the grats like Page, Vaughan, and Hendrix only played in standard. I couldnt believe it honesly. I thought Page was a fan of alternates at times? And I know SRV tuned down 1/2 step, as well as Hendrix I believe. He asks what music my band plays, and I say Hard Rock, similar to Dark New Day, and Sevendust. He goes "oh nu-metal crap?" What a way to talk to your customers.

I grabbed the strings and walked out shaking my head, mentioning to the owner on my way out that I would not be back unless they did something about that employee. Is it really wrong that I enjoy the sound of a low B chugging away, really like open tunings, and decided a while back that my hands are too small for a 7 string? I mean COME ON!


Thanks for reading my rant.

 

[cloudnine]

I would have told him that the heavier string would fit better up his ass and walked out. No way I woulda given that store money.

Oh, and Bron-yr-Aur is in C.

 

[mrp5150]

I hate morons who think E is the only tuning that should be used. What a total fucking joke.

 

[Neeklaus]

i wouldn't have bought from there. that's the closed minded guitar shop jerk off that believes only the classics matter because everything else is a rip off and innovation is a bad thing

poor sad man.

 

[flying_high]

The guy was obviously an inbred.

 

[soc_monki]

i never tuned to B until i met the guy im working with now. i got my RR3 and immediately tuned it to B and love every minute of it! got my Dinky tuned to D, and when i get my PRS fixed up itll be the standard axe....maybe LOL

i figure ill keep the PRS standard, RR3 in B, Dinky in D, and when i get an RR24 itll go in B as well (and use the RR3 for backup when we get a band together...)

nothing wrong with alternate tunings...its amazing how many people think the legends played everything in standard...they obviously dont know about DADGAD (Page seemed to like that tuning a lot...) etc etc etc.

hey Ziel...you got any material from you band online? i wanna check it out...i love Sevendust (who ARENT nu-metal IMO), and wouldnt mind hearing your stuff

 

[soc_monki]

nvm...i saw your Myspace link! why did you call that song Chinchilla Butter? its cool though, i like the clean stuff

oh, and i demand you play in my town! ill come and support you...although i dunno how much you really wanna come to Corinth LOL

 

[Gainfreak]

:|::QBB:

So i'm fooling around on my PRS today without going through an amp, and I notice that my low string seems very lifeless. I have not been able to order my usual strings in some time, so I had been using GHS Zakk Wylde sets (10-60's). These strings seem to die very fast and leave me with a rubber-band sound after a few days. I decide to go in search of strings that wont die so fast, and I know that I dont want to spend an hour at my closest GC watching the guy look at acoustic strings when I'm asking for electrics, so decide to visit the mom-an-pop stores around town.

First I go to the little father-daughters owned store down the street. I've known them for years and I'm on a first-name basis with the father. I ask around, thinking I'll try something new, but they dont have the guages I need...It sucked cause the daughter that was helping me out was gorgeous, and I wanted to hang around asking for things that didnt exsist just to flirt for a bit...I'm a sad man

So the next stop in my travels was the family owned store in the next town. Service is usually so-so depending on which family member you are talking to. Well today they had some new help, so I was a bit wary. I go up and ask if they have any strings that go up to a .056, maybe even a 7-string set I can fiddle with. He hands me a pack of DR 11-50's saying that strings dont come bigger then that. I found this interesting, wondering what I've been using these past few years.

Anyway, I see a pack of DR 12-52's and decide to grab those and a single .059 (thought they only came as big as 50?) and a single plain .022 (I cannot stand wound "G" strings). He asks why I need strings so heavy in a very condescending way. I thought "Oh here we go." I reply that band plays in Drop B and Drop A# along with various open tunings based around those. He asks what guitar I play, and I think "Oh god, dropped tunings, and a PRS, he's gonna go on about nu-metal now." I say a PRS Cu22. He says there's no point in tuning to anything but standard, and that all the grats like Page, Vaughan, and Hendrix only played in standard. I couldnt believe it honesly. I thought Page was a fan of alternates at times? And I know SRV tuned down 1/2 step, as well as Hendrix I believe. He asks what music my band plays, and I say Hard Rock, similar to Dark New Day, and Sevendust. He goes "oh nu-metal crap?" What a way to talk to your customers.

I grabbed the strings and walked out shaking my head, mentioning to the owner on my way out that I would not be back unless they did something about that employee. Is it really wrong that I enjoy the sound of a low B chugging away, really like open tunings, and decided a while back that my hands are too small for a 7 string? I mean COME ON!


Thanks for reading my rant.

I'm 40 years old and that Douchebaggery has been going on in music stores since I was a kid. I used to get "Is that as fast as you can play" The dialog has changed but the douchebaggery is the same!
Don't let it get to you. It is a known fact that most employees of a guitar store who speak to people like that are failed musicians who are disgruntled. Next time you see him tell him that he should het his facts straight before he spews any more of his verbal diahrea. You were correct SRV tuned to e flat and used very heavy guage strings and Page has had many tunes using odd tunings. Just know that he is a MUSIC STORE hack... nothing more
Now don't get me wrong, I know a lot of guys who work at stores who are the real dea,l but this guy is obviously a dick

 

[Chubtone]

I own a guitar shop. I would read that employee the riot act if a customer told me he had been condescending to them. I'd call and talk to the owner calmly and just tell him exactly what happened. You won't need to embellish or threaten not to shop there ever again. The owner will probably be out for blood.

I guarantee that store owner wants guitarists who tune to whatever to visit his store. I remember the older guitar store jerks who looked down on me playing Rhoads and Van Halen stuff in the early 80's and kept telling me Clapton and Steely Dan were real musicians with feel

 

[vultures]

Nothing wrong with tuning to B, I used to do it when I had a 7 string and loved it! :beardbang:

 

[thiswaythatway]

:|::QBB:

So i'm fooling around on my PRS today without going through an amp, and I notice that my low string seems very lifeless. I have not been able to order my usual strings in some time, so I had been using GHS Zakk Wylde sets (10-60's). These strings seem to die very fast and leave me with a rubber-band sound after a few days. I decide to go in search of strings that wont die so fast, and I know that I dont want to spend an hour at my closest GC watching the guy look at acoustic strings when I'm asking for electrics, so decide to visit the mom-an-pop stores around town.

First I go to the little father-daughters owned store down the street. I've known them for years and I'm on a first-name basis with the father. I ask around, thinking I'll try something new, but they dont have the guages I need...It sucked cause the daughter that was helping me out was gorgeous, and I wanted to hang around asking for things that didnt exsist just to flirt for a bit...I'm a sad man

So the next stop in my travels was the family owned store in the next town. Service is usually so-so depending on which family member you are talking to. Well today they had some new help, so I was a bit wary. I go up and ask if they have any strings that go up to a .056, maybe even a 7-string set I can fiddle with. He hands me a pack of DR 11-50's saying that strings dont come bigger then that. I found this interesting, wondering what I've been using these past few years.

Anyway, I see a pack of DR 12-52's and decide to grab those and a single .059 (thought they only came as big as 50?) and a single plain .022 (I cannot stand wound "G" strings). He asks why I need strings so heavy in a very condescending way. I thought "Oh here we go." I reply that band plays in Drop B and Drop A# along with various open tunings based around those. He asks what guitar I play, and I think "Oh god, dropped tunings, and a PRS, he's gonna go on about nu-metal now." I say a PRS Cu22. He says there's no point in tuning to anything but standard, and that all the grats like Page, Vaughan, and Hendrix only played in standard. I couldnt believe it honesly. I thought Page was a fan of alternates at times? And I know SRV tuned down 1/2 step, as well as Hendrix I believe. He asks what music my band plays, and I say Hard Rock, similar to Dark New Day, and Sevendust. He goes "oh nu-metal crap?" What a way to talk to your customers.

I grabbed the strings and walked out shaking my head, mentioning to the owner on my way out that I would not be back unless they did something about that employee. Is it really wrong that I enjoy the sound of a low B chugging away, really like open tunings, and decided a while back that my hands are too small for a 7 string? I mean COME ON!


Thanks for reading my rant.

Next time grab an acoustic and ask that fucking moron to play Bron Yr Aur from Led Zep in standard tuning, then cover your ears at the sound of his shit playing trying to cover it up.

And Ralph is correct, there will always be a dickhead in every other music store. They seem to happy for a few weeks when they feel they are part of something music related but turn sour quick when they realize it's just a job and the crackheads at Wendy's make almost as much money.

 

[Jordon]

:|::QBB:

The guy was obviously an inbred.

Best reply in this thread. I wouldnt doubt it with some of the people around here.

:|::QBB:

nvm...i saw your Myspace link! why did you call that song Chinchilla Butter? its cool though, i like the clean stuff

oh, and i demand you play in my town! ill come and support you...although i dunno how much you really wanna come to Corinth LOL

Thanks man, if we can find a place to book, we'll come down there, definately. Chinchilla Butter was a working title that our singer coined. He decided to keep it, citing that the song is about pot and the effects it has on him. Also he has some theory that a song can be good even if the title makes no sense...something he really didnt have to proove! If you want to hear some more rough studio live tracks there are some on my soundclick page.

The only reason I didnt walk out completely was the fact it was late, I needed the strings, and I actually like that owner. This was a kid, probably 18 or 19...ignorance is rampant in the young ones these days...especially around here. I dont get it much at the GC's around here anymore. The people at those stores have learned that I'll make a scene if I'm treated like a little moron kid.

 

[Jordon]

:|::QBB:

hey Ziel...you got any material from you band online? i wanna check it out...i love Sevendust (who ARENT nu-metal IMO), and wouldnt mind hearing your stuff

By the way, have you had the misfortune of hearing 7D's newest album? I downlaoded it to check it out...Man since clint left, it's been bad news. I couldnt make it through the songs all the way. It's like a circus monkey taped the pieces of different songs together...what a shame. Nowadays, Dark New Day is where it's at.

 

[cobrahead1030]

that's pretty lame

i shop at quite a few music stores where the people that work there aren't into the music that i play at all...but they can joke around and be cool about it, all while understanding that music is about enjoying whatever the hell you wanna play

 

[Jordon]

it seems the attitude around here lately is if you arent into a certain scene, then fuck you. Nobody gives a shit that it's about ENJOYING yourself. If you dont like the music I play, then that's cool, but dont bitch if i dont like indie or whatever.

 

[cobrahead1030]

i really feel the same way...i mean for one it's absolutely ignorant to judge any type of music based just on the genre, tuning, or whatever

there are are lot of great players and songwriters out there who have me listening to styles i'm not usually into, just because they're THAT good!

there's no need in talking shitty to people like that tho...even if someone wants to express their musican opinion, it can be done in a respectful manner

 

[Jordon]

For example with me, I'm just not into The Beatles or Led Zepp, but I can recognize thier talent and the contributions they have made to music. God forbid I say this in the context of a show or interview, though. People stop taking me seriously as a musician then i say such things. It goes on and on like that, but if someone comes up and says Staind sucks, then whatever. They are one of my favorite bands, I learned to play to their music, and at the time they were unique, at least to me. What really bothers me is if someone says a band or muscian sucks, but totally denies them their talent. If someone writes a good song, then it's a good song, no matter what genre it is. People will say my band sucks, and I say thank you for the feedback, what didnt you like? If they reply with something like "i just dont like your music so you suck" or something like that, then I dont take them seriously. But if they genuinely feel that we are not good because of our performance or overall songwriting, not having to do with genere, then ok, I'll take a step back and look.


Honestly, at times, I cannot believe how ignorant people are.....and here I am ranting again.

 

[feintguitarist]

Make a list or all the songs Hendrix and Zep did in tunings other than standard. Go back to the store.. and this is where you probably think I'm going to say "Show him the list." But, no.. that's not the case.

Take the list and shove it up his ass, and then leave.

Once he gets off on the feeling of something in his ass he can pull it out himself and read it.

Maybe include your old strings up there with the list and have each individually labeled as to what gauge they are.

 

[Jordon]

There is nothing about that plan I dont like.

 

[soc_monki]

:|::QBB:

:|::QBB:

By the way, have you had the misfortune of hearing 7D's newest album? I downlaoded it to check it out...Man since clint left, it's been bad news. I couldnt make it through the songs all the way. It's like a circus monkey taped the pieces of different songs together...what a shame. Nowadays, Dark New Day is where it's at.

no i havent...Animosity was the last thing i heard, or bought, by them, i havent checked anything newer out. i dunno why, but Animosity kinda rubbed me the wrong way for some reason? it wasnt bad, it just wasnt...Sevendust. ill have to find some newer stuff and see if i find it as bad as you do LOL
and ill check out Dark New Day as well!

as for booking a place down here...if you can then i will be there Tupelo might even be better to try and book (and is only 45 minutes away from me). i added you guys on Myspace so if you get a chance to come down here then you can let me know (im Darth Bacchus on there, btw).