As a warning if it's TLDR I completely understand. I am also already seeking employment elsewhere. If I could move elsewhere easily I would.
As much as I wish I didn't need to work and I could just enjoy life in any way I pleased, I'm aware that the world does not work like that. My rant however is about a specific company that I always admired, but now have nothing, but disgust for these days.
I work for a California based guitar company. Well known and very popular. I thought I caught my big break when an interview for a general worker turned into a Guitar Tech job. “You belong here” the interviewer said(cheesy, but it still feels good to hear).
My first day was all magical, we had a famous guitarist I liked holding a concert outside. Free burritos the size of my forearm. I'm leatning to set up and allowed to play $1600+ guitars that I personal would never be able to afford even with my new %40 discount. And that would facade crumbled like in 2 weeks.
Guitar Center gets like an hour to set up and repair a guitar. Not here, the goal, if you like only working 8 hours, is 15 mins a guitar, that is complete wiring and placing hardware from an empty body to full set up and bells and whistles and a buff if necessary and a polish. They need 32 a day are clear you don't go home until all them are done and passed (if something gets kicked back or even if someone else damages it in that time you have to replace it with another one). Work weeks can easily be 6-12hr shifts and they even tried a seventh a couple times. Typical factory setting with no care for the price tag on these things i know but its still infuriating.
Not to mention that they outsource workers from a seperate series of guitars own by the company and they bring the quality expectations they are allowed to get away with. They'll complain about quality while giving us empty bodies and necks that already have Knicks and burns or cracks in paint or are over or under sanded. And not only do we have to catch all these but then if we do kick them out for defects we are over rejecting. These guitars have a 40+ person process but my area is the only one that has any real discipline for quality. If we caught it at the source everyone in the entire building would have an easier time. But no pizza parties we have to pitch in for and potlucks with constant lecture meetings in the middle of hour hectic shift about the expectations they have of us are gonna really get us.
They only care for their managerial bonuses and the money in the shareholders pockets(such a shock i know) Not only has it killed my love for these instruments slowly but on top of that we are underpaid in the industry by a much $5 which if i were paid at a real competitive wage then maybe i could deal with it more but now I'm broke and burnt out on top of California being hell bent on making me homeless one day.
I really wanted to give my all and really put out witk i could be proud of even if it was hard but not only am I just tired but I'm ashamed to have my initials on a guitar that has the audacity to have that ptice tag. These days all I do is take as many days off as I can just to breathe and feel like I have a life.
I hate this company and out of 24 of us I've counted at least 8 others with the exact same feeling about the company and also dont expect to stay. Thanks for listening if you did.