I had a good impression of Sam Ash...until I went in July 3rd 2014 to purchase a guitar...and had to deal with a sales clerk named Abraham.
I had called beforehand and and he told me that he would be able to give me a discount on a guitar for $150. I went in and was in the process of purchasing the guitar only to find out that the discount was $100. He adamantly denied promising the former discount and claimed that I had heard him wrong. To add insult to injury for this modified bait-and-switch tactic, after I said I was not going to buy it, he dismissed me with wave of his hand and a curt goodbye. From prior reviews, it seems that other clerks are quite good. But my advice is to avoid Abraham.