jlames
Well-known member
Anyone who has read my posts knows that it's not like me to bad-mouth anyone. I'm so appreciative of the help you all provide and this is a great forum but when today happens, well, I can't stand by and not warn you. I've been putting together my audio setup with lots of help from Joe Kras, The Yankee and others. So today I decided to amble down to the Sunset Blvd Guitar Center where I had a great discusson with "Gong" there (yes, that his real name!) and finally settled on a matched pair of Oktava 012s. instead of the Rode I was originally after. I mean they were on blow-out special with hyper caps! Anyway, after he brought them out, I inspected them and, remembering the pages I saw in dvxused on fakes, I walked outside and retrieved my laptop. Hooking up wirelessly, I called up the dvxuser board from Guitar Center and lo and behold, there was the page on fakes. As I scrolled down, item by item listed on that page was there proving that the Guitar Center mics I had in my hot little hands were indeed merely Chinese fakes.
I brought this to the attention of Gong who apologized and asked if I wanted to go with the Rode instead. Not knowing how I would know that the Rode was real, I of course declined and asked to see the manager. After a few moments, Richard, the Manager appeared. A likable sort, I told him of the problem. After I had finished, he informed me that he already knew they were fakes stating, "Yeah, that's pretty much why we're dropping the whole line. I get these directly from Oktava and since they insist on sending me these fakes, we've dropped their entire line.
Now dropping their line is a great move but the problem lies in the fact that had I not been an informed shopper through the great people at dvxuser, I'd have gotten screwed because his own sales person, Gong, didn't even know enough to tell me, presumably because his manager never told him. So the issue I have is that, Guitar Center, an institution in Hollywood and the whole Hollywood scene for more than 50 years, is knowingly ripping people off by selling them equipment they know to be fakes. How freaking unfortunate is that but is just goes to show the power of the Internet and the power of people who have come together under banners like dvxuser to help and protect others.
Am I a "PROFESSIONAL" sound guy. No. And I may not have even noticed the difference between the fakes and the real thing. But the fact of the matter is that as a consumer I have the right to expect "Professionals" like those at Guitar Center to give me what I pay for and not something that they know is a fake. So for those of you out there considering Guitar Center or any other establishment for that matter, two words for you; Run Screaming Into the Night! (OK five words) Your best defense against these people is to read everything there is to read in this forum and others and buyer beware. The Sound Room...Here I come and thanks dvxusers for helping me avoid getting ripped off! And if Guitar Center reads this and thinks of suing me, two things you should know. 1) I had a friend there with me listening to the whole conversation and 2), There was a man and his wife there at the counter just to my right who also heard the conversation I was having with the manager and decided to leave the store without their intended purchases. He gave me their names and phone number as two witnesses to the story. Bottom line Guitar Center; we're coming together to protect our interests because you in corporate America simply don't care. This is not what I spent 10 years in the Marine Corp for.
I brought this to the attention of Gong who apologized and asked if I wanted to go with the Rode instead. Not knowing how I would know that the Rode was real, I of course declined and asked to see the manager. After a few moments, Richard, the Manager appeared. A likable sort, I told him of the problem. After I had finished, he informed me that he already knew they were fakes stating, "Yeah, that's pretty much why we're dropping the whole line. I get these directly from Oktava and since they insist on sending me these fakes, we've dropped their entire line.
Now dropping their line is a great move but the problem lies in the fact that had I not been an informed shopper through the great people at dvxuser, I'd have gotten screwed because his own sales person, Gong, didn't even know enough to tell me, presumably because his manager never told him. So the issue I have is that, Guitar Center, an institution in Hollywood and the whole Hollywood scene for more than 50 years, is knowingly ripping people off by selling them equipment they know to be fakes. How freaking unfortunate is that but is just goes to show the power of the Internet and the power of people who have come together under banners like dvxuser to help and protect others.
Am I a "PROFESSIONAL" sound guy. No. And I may not have even noticed the difference between the fakes and the real thing. But the fact of the matter is that as a consumer I have the right to expect "Professionals" like those at Guitar Center to give me what I pay for and not something that they know is a fake. So for those of you out there considering Guitar Center or any other establishment for that matter, two words for you; Run Screaming Into the Night! (OK five words) Your best defense against these people is to read everything there is to read in this forum and others and buyer beware. The Sound Room...Here I come and thanks dvxusers for helping me avoid getting ripped off! And if Guitar Center reads this and thinks of suing me, two things you should know. 1) I had a friend there with me listening to the whole conversation and 2), There was a man and his wife there at the counter just to my right who also heard the conversation I was having with the manager and decided to leave the store without their intended purchases. He gave me their names and phone number as two witnesses to the story. Bottom line Guitar Center; we're coming together to protect our interests because you in corporate America simply don't care. This is not what I spent 10 years in the Marine Corp for.
