The Guitar Trade Centre

Spodokomodo

Just thought I'd ask people's opinions on
The Guitar Trade Centre in Glasgow, run by Jim Ramsay.

I've heard so many rumours - good and bad - from people in the business and people who have bought and sold from him, and I have seen a couple of nice pieces at lower prices than their normal market value.

He apparently bought his way into ownership of many Facebook groups, giving him choice of listing's prior to the being posted - which seems quite shady to me - bombarding them with DMs from various accounts, lowballing them into acceptance.

The whole Kenny's music thing seems totally odd to me too as he wasn't there for long at all, and it looked like they were going to make a big thing out of him being there before splitting relatively soon after.

I'm personally a bit wary of him as a person due to the sheer amount of experiences I've been told that people have had with him, but I have personally never dealt with him or his business.

I'm not here to hate or cast any judgement, but I think it is important to discuss where it is sensible to purchase guitars from, and what people's opinions of businesses are that are selling them.

Look forward to seeing what people think and all the best

GoldenEraGuitars

You can’t be too far from him, you’re both in Glasgow/Glasgow area? Why not go along and see him in person? He’s getting a new unit kitted out just now so you could go along for a chat and check out the gear he has in stock. 

Spodokomodo

GoldenEraGuitars said:

You can’t be too far from him, you’re both in Glasgow/Glasgow area? Why not go along and see him in person? He’s getting a new unit kitted out just now so you could go along for a chat and check out the gear he has in stock. 

That was really the reason for me asking for opinions on The Guitar Trade Centre - I saw Jim had a new one opening but have never been myself, despite hearing of him so much.

Also the new one looks more like a carpeted living room, so I have no idea what to expect from him or his business, giving me more unanswered questions!

P.s. your guitar bodies look great

sw67

I had a guitar for sale and Jim turned up and paid full asking so no complaints. I have offered him a few others but we couldn't agree on a price so didn't go ahead. Cant say i have heard anything bad but i have always been suspicious of dealers hoovering up any bargains on facebook groups.

ElectricXII

I bought a Vox AC15 at a decent price from him a few years ago. No complaints.

MartinBush

It sounds like you have made up your mind already based on your opening post.

Pierrederesistance

I bought a guitar from him through the guitar trade centre imstagram. Good price, well packed and posted, and I had a decent chat with him about the details.
Personally I would do it again. 

JR-GibboMan

Spodokomodo said:

Just thought I'd ask people's opinions on
The Guitar Trade Centre in Glasgow, run by Jim Ramsay.

I've heard so many rumours - good and bad - from people in the business and people who have bought and sold from him, and I have seen a couple of nice pieces at lower prices than their normal market value.

He apparently bought his way into ownership of many Facebook groups, giving him choice of listing's prior to the being posted - which seems quite shady to me - bombarding them with DMs from various accounts, lowballing them into acceptance.

The whole Kenny's music thing seems totally odd to me too as he wasn't there for long at all, and it looked like they were going to make a big thing out of him being there before splitting relatively soon after.

I'm personally a bit wary of him as a person due to the sheer amount of experiences I've been told that people have had with him, but I have personally never dealt with him or his business.

I'm not here to hate or cast any judgement, but I think it is important to discuss where it is sensible to purchase guitars from, and what people's opinions of businesses are that are selling them.

Look forward to seeing what people think and all the best

Hi

Why dont you book in for an appointment to see some of my guitars, we can grab a coffee while you are there and ill answer everyone of your questions as well as letting you try lots of guitars out. Its always best to go to the source on things rather than listening to stories for sure.

The new unit isnt a living room..its an office space on an industrial unit which will be used for storage and appointments. The photo youve seen is just after we got the keys. Nothing has been done to it internally and we are still debating how to present it. We've had it less than 24 hours so far.

I dont have fake accounts nor do I low ball people..ill guarantee that my offer will be more than every big high street store. Im now very conscious of people with the perception of shops lowballing so ill now not even make a client an offer if they initially want too much. We are contacted every day with people wanting the same price that I would resell it at so we refuse lots more than we actually buy.

Anyway..give us a call and im happy to meet you and have a chat and you can make your own mind up on me. It would be interesting to chat to you and hear all if these stories especially from "people in the business"

I hope to hear from you soon.

Spodokomodo

JR-GibboMan said:

Spodokomodo said:

Just thought I'd ask people's opinions on
The Guitar Trade Centre in Glasgow, run by Jim Ramsay.

I've heard so many rumours - good and bad - from people in the business and people who have bought and sold from him, and I have seen a couple of nice pieces at lower prices than their normal market value.

He apparently bought his way into ownership of many Facebook groups, giving him choice of listing's prior to the being posted - which seems quite shady to me - bombarding them with DMs from various accounts, lowballing them into acceptance.

The whole Kenny's music thing seems totally odd to me too as he wasn't there for long at all, and it looked like they were going to make a big thing out of him being there before splitting relatively soon after.

I'm personally a bit wary of him as a person due to the sheer amount of experiences I've been told that people have had with him, but I have personally never dealt with him or his business.

I'm not here to hate or cast any judgement, but I think it is important to discuss where it is sensible to purchase guitars from, and what people's opinions of businesses are that are selling them.

Look forward to seeing what people think and all the best

Hi

Why dont you book in for an appointment to see some of my guitars, we can grab a coffee while you are there and ill answer everyone of your questions as well as letting you try lots of guitars out. Its always best to go to the source on things rather than listening to stories for sure.

The new unit isnt a living room..its an office space on an industrial unit which will be used for storage and appointments. The photo youve seen is just after we got the keys. Nothing has been done to it internally and we are still debating how to present it. We've had it less than 24 hours so far.

I dont have fake accounts nor do I low ball people..ill guarantee that my offer will be more than every big high street store. Im now very conscious of people with the perception of shops lowballing so ill now not even make a client an offer if they initially want too much. We are contacted every day with people wanting the same price that I would resell it at so we refuse lots more than we actually buy.

Anyway..give us a call and im happy to meet you and have a chat and you can make your own mind up on me. It would be interesting to chat to you and hear all if these stories especially from "people in the business"

I hope to hear from you soon.

This all sounds great Jim, but I think it may be difficult to remain impartial whilst you are part of this discussion.

I didn't mean to disparage you new location also - it just seemed slightly strange compared to what a guitar shop usually looks like!

digitalscream

Spodokomodo said:

This all sounds great Jim, but I think it may be difficult to remain impartial whilst you are part of this discussion.

I didn't mean to disparage you new location also - it just seemed slightly strange compared to what a guitar shop usually looks like!

The thing with a public discussion forum is that you don't get to decide who does and does not participate in a thread. On this forum, nobody gets to do that, except the moderators and I.

Unless a rule is broken, we will never allow a thread about somebody (or their business) without them having the right of reply (EDIT: even if that means them signing up, it's still valid).

GoldenEraGuitars

Spodokomodo said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

You can’t be too far from him, you’re both in Glasgow/Glasgow area? Why not go along and see him in person? He’s getting a new unit kitted out just now so you could go along for a chat and check out the gear he has in stock. 

That was really the reason for me asking for opinions on The Guitar Trade Centre - I saw Jim had a new one opening but have never been myself, despite hearing of him so much.

Also the new one looks more like a carpeted living room, so I have no idea what to expect from him or his business, giving me more unanswered questions!

P.s. your guitar bodies look great

Spodokomodo said:

JR-GibboMan said:

Spodokomodo said:

Just thought I'd ask people's opinions on
The Guitar Trade Centre in Glasgow, run by Jim Ramsay.

I've heard so many rumours - good and bad - from people in the business and people who have bought and sold from him, and I have seen a couple of nice pieces at lower prices than their normal market value.

He apparently bought his way into ownership of many Facebook groups, giving him choice of listing's prior to the being posted - which seems quite shady to me - bombarding them with DMs from various accounts, lowballing them into acceptance.

The whole Kenny's music thing seems totally odd to me too as he wasn't there for long at all, and it looked like they were going to make a big thing out of him being there before splitting relatively soon after.

I'm personally a bit wary of him as a person due to the sheer amount of experiences I've been told that people have had with him, but I have personally never dealt with him or his business.

I'm not here to hate or cast any judgement, but I think it is important to discuss where it is sensible to purchase guitars from, and what people's opinions of businesses are that are selling them.

Look forward to seeing what people think and all the best

Hi

Why dont you book in for an appointment to see some of my guitars, we can grab a coffee while you are there and ill answer everyone of your questions as well as letting you try lots of guitars out. Its always best to go to the source on things rather than listening to stories for sure.

The new unit isnt a living room..its an office space on an industrial unit which will be used for storage and appointments. The photo youve seen is just after we got the keys. Nothing has been done to it internally and we are still debating how to present it. We've had it less than 24 hours so far.

I dont have fake accounts nor do I low ball people..ill guarantee that my offer will be more than every big high street store. Im now very conscious of people with the perception of shops lowballing so ill now not even make a client an offer if they initially want too much. We are contacted every day with people wanting the same price that I would resell it at so we refuse lots more than we actually buy.

Anyway..give us a call and im happy to meet you and have a chat and you can make your own mind up on me. It would be interesting to chat to you and hear all if these stories especially from "people in the business"

I hope to hear from you soon.

This all sounds great Jim, but I think it may be difficult to remain impartial whilst you are part of this discussion.

I didn't mean to disparage you new location also - it just seemed slightly strange compared to what a guitar shop usually looks like!

Thank you re the bodies. I appreciate that. I have to say I’m enjoying how everything is looking now.

I think it’s fair to say that while all of us would love to walk into a street level guitar store in the centre of town the cash flow vs overheads simply don’t match up. Personally, I’d love a small unit in the town I live in with a workshop out the back. It would further my “pride of ownership” with the dont stack up. It would also be amazing to have somewhere proper to come and pick out what they want (if they wanted to) rather than just discussing it over emails. But considering the cost of rent/rates/electric etc it’s no wonder music stores are becoming obsolete. Couple that with internet sales and the whole idea is a non starter. So I applaud Jim for his efforts to not give up and the fact that he’s got a unit to show off his stock should be a positive for the UK guitarst community.. not a negative.

lovestrat74

That's a pretty explosive first post. I wouldn't bother with hearsay. If you want to know more about the man, take up his offer and then make up your own mind.

lustycourtier

Ive bought from him, and more importantly, chatted and made offers which havent resulted in deals but never soured any further potential deals and discussions. Seems an honest and decent guy

Jaycerose

Spodokomodo said:

JR-GibboMan said:

Spodokomodo said:

Just thought I'd ask people's opinions on
The Guitar Trade Centre in Glasgow, run by Jim Ramsay.

I've heard so many rumours - good and bad - from people in the business and people who have bought and sold from him, and I have seen a couple of nice pieces at lower prices than their normal market value.

He apparently bought his way into ownership of many Facebook groups, giving him choice of listing's prior to the being posted - which seems quite shady to me - bombarding them with DMs from various accounts, lowballing them into acceptance.

The whole Kenny's music thing seems totally odd to me too as he wasn't there for long at all, and it looked like they were going to make a big thing out of him being there before splitting relatively soon after.

I'm personally a bit wary of him as a person due to the sheer amount of experiences I've been told that people have had with him, but I have personally never dealt with him or his business.

I'm not here to hate or cast any judgement, but I think it is important to discuss where it is sensible to purchase guitars from, and what people's opinions of businesses are that are selling them.

Look forward to seeing what people think and all the best

Hi

Why dont you book in for an appointment to see some of my guitars, we can grab a coffee while you are there and ill answer everyone of your questions as well as letting you try lots of guitars out. Its always best to go to the source on things rather than listening to stories for sure.

The new unit isnt a living room..its an office space on an industrial unit which will be used for storage and appointments. The photo youve seen is just after we got the keys. Nothing has been done to it internally and we are still debating how to present it. We've had it less than 24 hours so far.

I dont have fake accounts nor do I low ball people..ill guarantee that my offer will be more than every big high street store. Im now very conscious of people with the perception of shops lowballing so ill now not even make a client an offer if they initially want too much. We are contacted every day with people wanting the same price that I would resell it at so we refuse lots more than we actually buy.

Anyway..give us a call and im happy to meet you and have a chat and you can make your own mind up on me. It would be interesting to chat to you and hear all if these stories especially from "people in the business"

I hope to hear from you soon.

This all sounds great Jim, but I think it may be difficult to remain impartial whilst you are part of this discussion.

I didn't mean to disparage you new location also - it just seemed slightly strange compared to what a guitar shop usually looks like!

Yeah tbh your posts are just coming across as a thinly veiled attempt at a hit piece now.. 

Jims reply to you was very fair. Take up his offer and form your own opinion first hand. Unless of course you never had any actual intention of dealing with him to begin with.. 

As to what a guitar shop looks like nowadays.. Well pop up and appointment based guitar shops have became more common ever since 2020 while many traditional stores have unfortunately gone bankrupt and shut up shop, with ever rising costs and dwindling profits you might see more switching to that format in future. Id certainly welcome more of them over only having big box warehouses to buy from. 

Offset

@Spodokomodo - I find it rather odd that your only post on here is to call in to question the business practices of a trader - and then piss on his very reasonable response to your OP.

I have no skin in this but I do wonder if you have an ulterior motive here.  Feel free to prove me wrong.

WafflesOnHorseback

Strange thread. I would deffo say Jim 1 - OP 0 on this showing. Jim seems like a decent chap and good of him to chime in I say.

designerseye88

Seems like a decent chap, some nice guitars 

InactiveX

Not much at all in this thread from @Spodokomodo ; just a good helping of speculation and "I've heard multiple bad things, is any of it justified? It's just that people keep saying..." kind of questions.

Seems to me that it is fine to ask about a particular vendor's way of doing business, and about any experience us 'boarders have, but a whole post (Spodokomodo's first post on tFB) based on speculation and nothing but rumours is pretty bad form if you ask me.

Good to hear from @JR-GibboMan!

(Edited to correct people's names)

Philly_Q

InactiveX said:

Not much at all in this thread from @JR-GibboMan; just a good helping of speculation and "I've heard multiple bad things, is any of it justified? It's just that people keep saying..." kind of questions.

Seems to me that it is fine to ask about a particular vendor's way of doing business, and any experience us 'boarders have, but a whole post (JR-GibboMan's first post on tFB) based on pure speculation and nothing but rumours is pretty bad form if you ask me.

Good to hear from @Spodokomodo !

Have you got those the wrong way round?

InactiveX

You are quite correct! I shall edit my last post now. Thanks. 

UnclePsychosis

Despite being based in Central (ish) Scotland I don't think I've ever heard of this place. Need to check out out....