It all happened on a Saturday night…
I’ve been looking for one of these for quite sometime
and after looking online I found that PSSL and Guitar Center carried this magnificent Martin light.
So I call Guitar Center, Covina
I stay away from the Pasadena location at all costs simply because most of the guys in the pro audio department NO NOTHING of what they are doing.
The Covina guys are great and actually give me my entire production discount unlike that other location.
So… the guy I spoke to informs me that they do not have the light but the Hollywood store has 5.
I decide to make a small trip to Hollywood to get it…
I call the Hollywood store and ask them to please hold 2 lights at the front counter.
Arrive at the GC off Sunset Blvd in Hollywood
I get to the counter and ask for the lights that were placed on hold.
ME: I called in I should have some lights here at the counter for Joint Tendency.
GC Hollywood: “What lights?”
ME: “I called and asked for 2 Martin SCX 500’s to be placed on hold at the front counter and was told that they’d be here.”
GC Hollywood: “Who did you talk to?”
ME: “I don’t recall”
GC Hollywood: “Well that’s going to be a problem”
ME: Please find out what’s going on and where the lights are, i’ll be back in a moment”
So I proceed to the room with the decks and mixers and see another GC employee half assed explaining, to a customer, how to work a Numark CD TT. The guy can’t scratch or even demo the product properly so I figured as soon as they got off I’ll catch wreck on the decks for a quick second. They did and I did a basic scratch routine, some customers started to crowd around and watch, in awe, what I was doing. Some chirps, flares, couple crabs nothing too crazy. A few asked for my card and lessons, but I told them to go check out
since i have absolutely no time to teach this to anyone.
While I’m doing the routine my peripheral catches the gold, I see 2 Martin SCX 500’s chillin in the cut, out of box, i’m like dope those are the lights but probably not the one’s I am purchasing. A GC employee approaches me and says “Yo you do 8 bars and I’ll do 8 bars” I get on the deck and we do a trade off session I flipped some more tricks this time around thinking that the guy was on some turntablist level, which he was not, and then we stopped the session after a couple songs. Which were an endless amount of G UNIT instrumentals. Dude was cool all he did were transforms, needs practice but we all nned to start somewhere.
I leave the DJ room and go back to the counter and ask about the lights.
ME: “Any progress?”
GC Hollywood 4 to 5 guys are behind the counter at this point: “No it’s going to be really hard to find those lights.”
ME: (aggravated) You know what there are 2 lights in the room I was just in, how about I bring one of them to you so you can see that they are here.
GC Hollywood: “Really?”
ME: (go get one of the lights and I return)
GC Hollywood: Just so you know these lights are AS IS, no returns, no warranties, no refunds.
the guy had a tone as if he didn’t want me to purchase the lights as if he was wanting them for himself.
ME: “That’s understandable can you get a cable for them?”
GC Hollywood: “We don’t have any DMX cables”
keep in mind DMX cables are XLR/Mic cables you can use them as such, as long as they aren’t daisy chained for more than what I think is 4 or 5 lights.
ME: “Are you kidding me?”
GC Hollywood: “We don’t have any cables at all.”
ME: “How about the power cable?”
GC Hollywood: Nope.
ME: How about those on the truss they are on and operational I’ll buy those 2.
GC Hollywood: Nope. We aren’t authorized to go on the ladder to take the lights down, our lighting guys has to do it.The money you save on this deal you can fix them even if they are broken.”
ME: (now i’m heated) “YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT IF I PURCHASE THIS LIGHT I CAN’T RETURN OR GET REFUNDS BUT YOU WON’T EVEN LET ME HOOK THIS UP WITH A POWER CABLE TO ENSURE THAT IT WORKS? THE POWER CABLE IS A REGULAR PC POWER CABLE JUST USE ONE OF THOSE YOU HAVE LAYING AROUND.”
GC Hollywood: ~ Silent kind of shocked and stairs at me for a moment ~
ME: ~ thinking stop staring go do something! ~
GC Hollywood: ~ man says to coworker. “Look for a power cable so we can get this up and running.”
ME: “While you guys look for the cable I have a few phone calls to make.”
so I go to a corner of the store and call my oh so wonderful buddies at GC COVINA. I get connected to a Craig in the pro audio department and tell him my situation, I will leave that conversation out due to respect for him, I asked him if there was another location that had the light’s he mentioned GC RANCHO CUCOMONGA.
I was about it, what’s the number he gives it to me, I call.
Get connected to Chris at GC.
TALK ABOUT SERVICE!!!
Chris has the light’s they are in perfect condition, just a little dusty. Told him i’d be coming from Hollywood, he tells me I’ll stay open as long as it takes for you to get down here just call me intermittently while you’re on you’re way.
So I go to the counter and plug in the lights one works the other WAS BROKEN!
ME: I’m out of here i’m going to another store to get these lights”
I get to GC RANCHO CUCOMONGA about an hour later. Chris and his store manager stayed open for me and were even willing to pull out a drawer if I was paying cash!
Chris you saved me money, and as we say on ebay feedback. ITEM AS DESCRIBED. Perfect working order.
I will make the drive from here to GC Rancho Cucomonga for that incredible service.
I will also be writing to GC Corporate about my horiffic shopping experience in Hollywood.
