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End of an era but I can’t say I’ll miss it; I used to love going to music row on 48 street in NYC but my experience was that the people who worked the stores there were always rude. It was never a nice experience. So when I found that great customer experience with a smaller store (that is still around) I just started shopping there. Then the internet came along and Sam Ash just didn’t adapt.

I used to shop at Sam Ash, but their customer service is pretty terrible - and I'm not talking about "in-store", I'm talking about corporate. If you're going to compete with a company like Sweetwater, you better have your act together. And last time I checked, Sweetwater is kicking everyone's butt - including GC.

Brick and mortar shops are always about having things in stock. If they say to me we can get it for you, I walk and say I can get it for myself. Their main value will always be in having it today.

All the problems you experienced at Sam Ash are the same problems that Guitar Center has been going through for at least the last 15 years or longer. Their biggest problem was screwing their sales people and the customers. Which created a huge turn over in employees. Most people didn't stay more than a few months once they got tired of the managements excuses for the corporations crooked operations.

Sad I got my first “real” guitar (Martin D18) in 1969 from Sam Ash in NYC on music row. Still have it and play it also have the hand written receipt $250 case included.

Companies end up creating their own demise by bloated, inefficient, out of touch policies. I went into Sam Ash my first time a couple months ago just to pick up a set of guitar strings. 2 sales guys hanging around talking never once acknowledged me or asked to help. Then the Sales Mgr came out and started a sales meeting 10 ft away and I didn't want to interrupt and waited patiently while he tried to motivate his staff to make sales. Meanwhile, I'm still standing there and no one approached me or offered to help. Finally, after the meeting finished i had to go up and ASK a sales person for help so I could check out. One of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had.

I worked at Sam Ash store 02 in NY and you hit the nail on the head entirely. The “commission” structure was completely a sham. Most people in my store never made any commission. The people that did only ever saw it 1 or 2 months out of the year. They sold it to you during the job interview as “minimum wage plus commission”, but it was really minimum wage with extra steps. We also had mad issues with stock. A purchasing manager once told me “don’t order any PRS guitars, we owe them a lot of money. Try selling people on Epiphones and Gibsons” There’s so much more i could say. How the extended service plans screwed over technicians, how the “family owned” nature led to nepotism, management just simply not listening, etc.

I've been going to the Sam Ash on Sunset in Hollywood since 1986. I'm sad to hear it's closing. It was a happening store at the height of hair metal. I bought a lot of gear there and had my guitars worked on by some great techs.

Great insight Pat, thanks man. My parents purchased my first guitar in 1983 at the 48th St store in Manhattan. It was the Japanese made Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe in white; I was 13yrs old. Imagine waking in to church with this insane guitar in the 80's when heavy metal was considered the devils' s music. It was hilarious. I still have it. Thanks again for this post.

Thank you so much for clearing the air about some of sam ash stores closings.❤

Dude that was well done. Thanks. You explained it very concisely..

I worked there many years in 86-90 2000-2003 lots going on back then too. Pro audio never worked, stores were mess. But The Ash family were very kind, nice family.

I lived within walking distance of 48th Street and shopped all the music stores on “music row”. 48th Street was convenient to a lot of the subway lines which made stopping by on my way home from work easy. The new location on 32nd street all the way over on the west side was far less convenient, so I only went there occasionally. It is hard to overstate the scale of the disastrous destruction of “music row” by the powers that be be in NYC. The cultural heart of the entire NYC band scene was cut out in the pursuit of real estate profits. Bloody shame….

As an ex-employee of Guitar Center, everything you have mentioned is going on at GC as well! The smaller stores are hurting with employees that are only there to earn a paycheck but have zero knowledge of gear. They try to up-sale shit that you have no need for and also...employees that seem to have recently graduated from highschool.🤣🤣🤣

Thanks for the info and quick cut editing to get to the point....very nice

Great overview Pat....thank you...your in the loop and I appreciate the inside info. You answered many questions that I wondered about. For what it's worth I hope they see your channel ! and they will learn how easy it is to be disconnected from hands on to corporate level ! For the record most of my Big purchases have been from Sam Ash and their is a reason why. MD

I worked sales for Ash from 1987 through 2000. In that time I worked in the Queens, NY store and I have noticed the store closing sign which is there as of today 3/23/'24. We ultimately went to full commissioned sales and I have to say, it was like giving yourself a raise as the business flourished. Ash also bought out Manny's Music on W.48th. I also worked as a buyer and we were in the offices on W.48th Street (Music row). Ultimately we were moved to corporate in Hicksville, NY. I knew Jerry, Paul, David, Sammy, Richie and Bernice (Jerry's Wife and head of sheet music). Those were wonderful days and now three of them are gone. I can understand closing some stores and consolidating their holdings. I got plenty of gigs over the years through my association with Ash and it's a shame that the Manhattan store is scheduled for closing.

This was a really amazing discussion of business strategies and KPI. I would love for corporate to engage all of the managers who think like you, and get them in an advisory committe to prevent this kind of stuff from repeating and growing out of control. They seem to have too many people in the wrong places, and not enough people in the right places. Keep up the updates. And good luck with that rain! Was that a hurricane? It sounded like you were in a car wash.

Excellent job! You have cleared up the situation for me. I have been a bit anxious since the announcement because I placed an order for a back-ordered amp right before the news came out.

Miami Lakes was my shopping store too 😢. Thank you for all your help when working there and also for all this information. I didn't know there was so much burocracy behind the scenes.

What a great analysis. Really insightful. A reminder that businesses are often closed when the founder stays too long.

Fantastic observations and assessment of the Sam Ash business. Everything you reviewed is applicable to every retailer in the country, musical or not. Should be used as a case study. I think you have a future career in consulting. Great job.

Thanks for the enlightening information.

Fun listen and insights. thank you

All very good points. I hope this is actually a sign of their plans to move forward leaner and stronger

My friend and I use to go to Sam Ash in Brooklyn in the 90s and when I got into rock music I wanted to learn how to play guitar..so Sam Ash was the place I went to get my first guitar. It was a cool place to be just to learn music and just watch other people jam. Fast forward I work right by the Manhattan location and I was shocked to see the store closing sign. I hate seeing that especially when these stores has been around for years…but yeah Manhattan rents are high as hell and I’m not sure if the high demand for instruments are the same as in the early days…still sad to see them go but I hope they still find away to keep the name around and continue to sell and be a resource to those coming into wanting to learn music and play instruments. Every now and then I love to go in and walk around play the piano or pick up a guitar…definitely sad to hear they closing stores…

Fascinating inside view--thanks for sharing. I bought both my guitars online from Sam Ash, but bought plenty of strings and accessories from the local brick-and-mortar store, which is now closing. The one bright spot for me is that I have my eye on a couple of guitars on the wall and am hoping prices drop as the store gets closer to closing.

All corporations are working hard to disconnect the consumer from both their money and the ability to get accountability from the company. They want a computer screen between you and their business.

Very interesting. Not surprising though. CEO's and such are often times isolated from reality and this is what happens.

(Lord, I had to watch this twice.) Wow. This explains sooooooo much. I'm close to the Miani Lakes store. I asked myself all those questions. Thanks for finally clearing it up. If the 4th gen doesn't understand that you can use the internet to your benefit, it's going to be tough. Resolve to make that happen.

Good stuff dude! Thanks for sharing your experience and insights

Had an awful interaction at the Charlotte NC store. Was using the enclosed music room to play a half stack with cash in my pocket to potentially buy. A sales person on the floor trying to sell to two parents a starter guitar and amp told me to turn it down so much it might as well be turned off. The doors were closed to the room. I bought nothing and walked out and never returned again. They favored introduction lessons and cheap gear and the quality of gear declined as did their customer service for gigging pros. I can’t say I’ll miss Sam ash.

Great job man. This was very informative. I used to frequent the Garden City one quite often when I was in HS, but that was many moons ago, and I’m now in N. Florida. Sadly they are closing the one closest to so we’ll only be left with Guitar Center. The customer service was always top notch at Sam Ash so I’ll miss that, but as you pointed out in this video their website is God awful. Now that I won’t have a local shop to visit I’m hoping they address that issue so I can still support them.

Thanks for sharing this post I was a dept manager at store 4 Forest Hills NY 04-09. I bought a Godin Multiac for myself Christmas 2023 from store 7 Manhattan. Very light traffic in both stores for the last few years. I think Bklyn is still open for now. Sad to see my favorite music stores close.

It would have been cool if I met you while I was at Sam Ash, I'm 100% sure I'd get the help I need. So sad that you cared too much, but not the business you worked in.

I really wanted to like Sam Ash as its closer, but the one by me gets destroyed in every way by Guitar Center. The Sam's here never has any good Rhoads, or good Vs or any guitar that they might think could get damaged. Its prob the customers fault but I have seen very few guitars above low-mid budget here for most brands except for Gibson that are very high on the wall. If you ask them for help they just tell you to grab it yourself. I almost fumbled one of the guitars but luckily no accident happened as it was too high for me. The one or two people there just don't care about helping anyone and they have such poor selection and not very competitive prices. I don't know this might be why its shutting stores. Reverb and and online buying is also always available.

Thanks Rhett. Very informative video. I appreciate your efforts 👍

Excellent analysis. Thanks for giving us your side of the whole story.

Hi Pat. Great to see you.

Very informative and insightful video. Skilled presentation, as well. Thanks for uploading.

Great insight! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your brilliant autopsy, and analysis of the situation. As an independent promotor, Sam Ash, as well as GC have always remained supportive of my equipment expos. Any company would be lucky to have you in their employ! Loni Specter AMP SHOW, LA GUITAR SHOW- PEACE OUT!

Great summary and history, Pat. Fascinating to hear how much goes into running a big musical instrument store. Thanks for the very interesting details and how well you explained everything. I actually bought my first serious electric guitar at the 48th St. Manhattan location in 1973 - a Gibson L6-S. I think that was the only Sam Ash store at the time, maybe.

Thanks for the history & explanation, I brought my LP conga’s, various guitars & amps there🎼🎸🪘🎶

Great explanation! Thanks!!

Good vid. Nice breakdown of what happened.

Wow!!! Thanks for the inside scoop! I use to practically live in the old Brooklyn Kings Highway store and then the Brooklyn Flatbush Avenue store. It was exciting to hang out in the 48th Street Manhattan Store, especially during the “48th Street Heyday!!! Manny’s, 48th Street Custom Guitars etc.). Those were the days!!! ❤️🎶❤️

Great explanation. Thanks!

This was a great analysis

I had to subscribe. You brought me back through the time I worked at guitar center

Hey Pat...new subscriber here, after watching your Boss DS-1 video today. Greetings from Ohio...keep up the great work. Cheers.

Love music, play drums, never been to a Sam Ash store although I have heard about them. Your video is excellent for what was a down fall not for just Sam Ash but could almost be applied to so many family business trying to expand. Thank you for making this.

Very informative. I think this can be applied to most other music equipment chains. I have had lots of criticism of GC over the years and most of what you say applies to them too.

thank you for the info ,,,

Last June, I almost took a long drive to Paramus, NJ, for a used vintage cymbal advertised on the website presently in that store. Lucky I called ahead. Call was forwarded to the corporate office who told me Paramus was closed and the cymbal was now in a Pennsylvania store. No big deal, but I later read online that the Paramus store had closed nearly a year earlier in July 2022. LOL

great video thanks !!

A very nice, succinct, analysis.. Too bad about the SA chain, but very often over-expansion causes those types of problems. At least they (4th gen) are starting to recognize the e-business weaknesses and will hopefully address them wisely.

Thank you for informative info....I always used to browse and shop at the Sam ash stores in NY...Queens store and 48th ave I believe

Incredible breakdown!

you did a good job explain everything .

Great video!

Pat!! Great video! Good to see you doing what you do. Just found out that Sam Ash is completely going bankrupt. Very sad but we all new it was inevitable. All stores are closing. And just to put the nail in the coffin, GC just opened up a new store in Hialeah. What a kick in the ass! Take care brother!

Super interesting information. Thank you for making this - it explains a lot. Retail is a brutal place to be right now - it's hard to compete with the online world where you can almost always find exactly what you want and the prices will be low because they don't have the overhead of a physical location. I do think there will always be room for music stores, but they're going to have to be run brilliantly, with no room for error.

Great Job bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had years worth of memories hanging out at the Forest Hills Sam Ash, Queens NY...and over time would go into various stores and they looked shabby, dirty floors, lack of inventory, you could see the lack of motivation in the workers. Guitar Center stores were a breath of fresh air. Always clean with tons of gear to try out. And now with Sweetwater...how could a chain like Sam Ash survive? Great video, Pat!

Great piece! Knew some people back in the day, who loved working there….but some the info you presented makes my think they were just young and eager. It Wes also before the expansions. However, I have heard they have excellent health benefits. 🤷🏻‍♂️

An interesting story of a company adopting business practices unsuited to its industry, and failing to keep up with the times. Thanks for posting this. I would not otherwise have understood it. I have ordered from the online competitors you showed, all with excellent results. Although I now live in the Northeast, Sam Ash territory, the name didn't cross my mind for online purchases, and I only recall one purchase in the Manhattan store.

I remember appying for a job at the 48th street location back in 1998. Everything was good until the manager told me about the pay, just as you mentioned, you have to go abouve the pay rate in order to collect on commissions. Also he wanted me to work 6 days a week including weekneds. He said to me "we are all musicians so every one is expected to work on weekends if needed". I actually never worked there once he told me that. I felt it could be difficult to pass that threshold weekly given the amount of salespeople they had.

Great video, awesome crash course on the retail business!

Great job, Pat in explaining it all. Liked the history of SA too. Well done. I always enjoyed the warmer vibe at the SA stores in Manhattan, Miami and Sarasota . Sorry to see them go. Hopefully the online store will modernize and prosper. Again, very well done presentation.

Thank You JB

Great video. I worked at the Brooklyn store in the 90's. The Ash family was always super cool back then. Sad to see.

Nice synopsis, thank you.

This video was randomly recommended to me and I cannot believe I found you Pat ! I used to be a regular back in my highschool days at the Sam Ash by the palmetto and you were always so informative and very cool. When you left I would always ask the employees " What happened to pat" . Cool to see you doing youtube now .

WOW! GREAT STUFF:))

Thank you for this very informative and beautiful video. Sadly my SamAsh store here in Paramus. New Jersey closed down also. I got my Gibson LesPaul Classic there back in 2012 and a lot of other stuff like amps, pedals, acoustic guitars and other accessories. 😢 we’re left with Guitar Center whose workers also seem not to care anymore. So now online is the best bet.

Excellent Information and Presentation. The Local Sam Ash (Edison, NJ) is closing and that makes Guitar Center the best choice for my future Music Needs. You sound like you have a great understanding of the Sam Ash Business, I hope you are still in the Music Industry, as you appear to care as much about the Customer as the Business, which is a balance that few commit to and then it hurts both.

Boy, what a mess. Like you said, no surprise this was going to happen. Thank you for the insights! Too bad they didn’t listen at the time.

I've only been to 2 of their stores but I did enjoy my time there. ( Cerritos and Hollywood California )

I saw the writing on the wall at my local Sam Ash here in Connecticut a few years ago.. I haven't been an active musician for about 10 plus years now, but recently I stopped in just to get a bit of nostalgia and I was shocked to see how empty the walls were. You just knew.. I spent my childhood and teen years in that store dreaming about getting the latest and greatest gear. It's sad to see it go.

You vid is on pace with excellent delivery. I will miss Sam Ash out her in West Hollywood California 😦😭

I bought my first guitar at their 48th st NYC store in the late 70s only a few doors from Mannys. Back in the day European friends would buy a Strat or a Les Paul there every time they were in NYC and flip it for twice the price when they got off the plane back home. They never quite got the hang of competing on the internet. Thank you Sam Ash for the old-school good deals though!

Out of the many times that I’ve been there over half the times I was met with rude customer service and those were unwilling to help. I ended up going to other stores for my purchase needs and online

I’m really sad about the Manhattan store closing. We made a point to go there, even buying things we could have bought closer to home just because we enjoyed visiting it so much. The musicians who work and study in NYC must be very sad to lose their music shop.

Very good and informative video. It's weird to have lived through all the years and to have seen the rises and falls of all these places. So I don't know. Overseas/internet competition from so many places, even Vietnam, makes me wonder how things are gonna go for these US retailers (and even brands/manufacturers!). The real life experience is what it is, but if you feel like the service isn't worth it...

Great video! I worked for Guitar Center when it was privately owned and only a dozen or so stores in the early 90s. I worked in their advertising department. I always like Sam Ash more. The used gear part is the hardest blow. If you buy new gear, you don't necessarily need to play it first, but used gear its pretty critical.

Pat I truly believe the fourth gen family should hire you as a consultant to make it work better. Thanks for the explanation of what happens in large music store chains, really enjoyed the vid man !!!

Great video! I actually worked at one of the stores of Sam Ash bought out of the 90s. It was wild to see all the changes.

The Sam Ash near me closed .. Amity. Connecticut. They were my go to when I needed something in a pinch before a gig.Great job explaining how the system works!! .. That was interesting

I started my musical journey in the 2000s and remembered going into Sam ash Nashville and seeing that place loaded with guitars, primarily low end mid range but still so many and maybe too many to choose from. The drum room they use to have was inspirational. You walked in and all kits where set up and all the techs there where very knowledgeable and gave me a rundown of what each kit I was questioning about. What was lack luster was the acoustic room at the time but I still remember that room was loaded. I remember to this day before they remodeled it the employee that was working there passed me a Taylor acoustic guitar and told me to sit in a spot by the entrance to the room. He then said onto me that was the spot where he passed Taylor swift one of her first guitars to try out. Maybe was exaggerating it or maybe have been telling the truth but that was the time when she was getting popular. But I’ve always remembered how that store used to be because of that experience. Fast forward to 2023 and I rarely would go to Sam ash because it’s very inconvenient and in a terrible neighborhood but I was going there for a clinic with Jared James Nichols and I took the time to walk around the store and just absolutely killed me seeing how empty and uninspiring it was to walk in there. The only thing that was an improvement over time was the acoustic room which was tremendous and still loaded. But everything else was empty or just straight up gone. The drum room was gone with all percussion stuff just in the middle of the main floor. Plenty of open walls where guitars used to hang. To a sad thought in my mind, I did question how was this place still open. Now the real plot twist to this event, we had a storm and it produced a tornado not even a half a mile away from the store. I remember seeing power flashes and an explosion through the managers office window. That’s was where I was thankful that the staff really went and cared for their customers that was there. Ensured us that we can leave when we felt most comfortable to do so with no rush. Of course the event was canceled and power was out but gave me a unique experience that I’ll remember for a while. Truthfully I hope it stays open but I could see it close for many reasons as well. If it did close of course I’ll be sad. Between prime GC and prime Sam Ash, I would rather go to Sam Ash any day

Great business insight!

I get it.. Very well articulated video.

I got my '83 Gretsch kit from Sam Ash in Paramus, NJ. The service and price were better than great! My salesman, Tom Sontag was so helpful and made sure i was happy with the kit, going so far as to contact Gretsch directly about some of my concerns. I played that kit for over 30 years! I also picked up a lot of cymbals and hardware there that i'm still using. I used to travel to Sam Ash in Manhattan to buy stuff in the early days when it was the only store. It's good to hear they're not closing up.

Good explanation of what's happening there. I worked at the Dolphin Mall store and had a lot of fun, even with the low pay rate.

I was on the "genesis" crew that opened the Miami Lakes (Palmetto) Shop in 1994. We built the white walls and the basically the entire shop from the inside. It was a great shop back in the day and a destination retail experience for its time. Being family owned is always a problem as decision making is always centralized and takes forever for anything to get done. Sad to hear that it is closing. MI retail in general is shifting at great speed especially with Internet access to generate sales. If an MI establishment doesn't employ Omni channels to support sales - Money is being left on the table to your competitor. Hopefully, the new generation of Ash's can pivot in this atmosphere to turn the brand around.

Buddy used to work there … in Brooklyn Flatbush. Bought my first real epiphone LP there … that one actually closed down years ago. But we used to hang out there all the time .. was fun days.

Gonna have to check... surely the one near me is safe .... one of the good things about living near Nashville I guess. Man I hope they aren't closing. Love that store.

I just heard that all the stores are closing and the first video that comes up is from the perspective of the stores in my city 😂. This clears up a lot I've always wondered about how the stores were operated. I was at the miami lakes store about a month ago when they started the closing sales and im sad to see the brand go but I can't say I've had too many good times there. Trading something in was a whole day event for some reason and the guitars at dolphin mall were always tied down, and there was never anyone around in the guitar section. This also explains why when i bought an acoustic guitar there i had no choice but to buy the display model. Guitar center was always a better experience anyway and good riddance to that POS website.

Excellent post and business synopsis