Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Has anyone ever bought a guitar, electric and/or acoustic from Guitar Center through their mail order system ?

They ship to South Africa (most do NOT) . . . but it is still very hard to feel 100% comfortable with this purchased-unplayed scenario.

With how much confidence can i buy from them ?

In Other Words . . . when they claim the guitar is in very good cond, can i trust their judgement ?

I am not worried about the transport - that is out of their hands, but i want to rest assure that when they say a guitar is 10/10, it truly is 10 out of ten.

Anyone has any experience with them in this regard ?

 

[DreX]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

It probably varies from one GC to another since it's a judgement call and they're not highly paid professionals, but anecdotally, I ordered a used JVM said to be in great condition, and it was, and most impressive of all was that they took out every power and pre amp tube and wrapped then individually in bubble wrap and sent them in a second box. The guy who's listing your guitar and the guy who packs it up might not be so awesome, can't know for sure, but my experience was A+.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Used and unplayed?!? Care to elaborate on that one.

Well, if the guitar is broken in transport of course there should be some insurance taken out as part of o/s shipping just as a matter of course.

As to the other - well as you know you take a risk anytime you buy sight unseen.....whether it be from a shop in a different part of your own country or another altogether. You're not guaranteed to get something that you like or that speaks to you.

I bought 2 Les Pauls from the US.......big risk. One was from Southpaw, the other from a member of a LP forum I frequent. Both arrived just fine - but the risk on spending a LOT of money on 2 possible duds is the same regardless. Luckily they were both players. A new guitar will likely have less issues (or none) than secondhand of course.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

What colour?

 

[Swyse]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

In my experience a few of GC employees are liars over the phone, bending the truth or leaving out details to get a sale. Some are unreliable post sale for getting shipping information. I've bought a dozen or so guitars from them used, and there have been some great guys, but unless you ask very very specific questions some will not point out flaws. Keeping in mind the stuff I buy from them used has mostly all been pretty old stuff from 87-93, so they tend to be decently well used. This isn't a huge problem for me as the local guitar center branches take returns from any GC, but you can't simply return it in South Africa.

I bought a Mesa Mark 4 combo from them and it arrived with a bad tube (not the end of the world), I bought an Ibanez prestige and it arrived with a single piece of bubble wrap around the headstock loose flopping around in the box. Several times I've gotten "its shipping out tomorrow" or "I'll send you tracking information when it ships" and had to call back after a few days to find out it hadn't been prepared for shipping at all. On my last purchase, the guitar was reasonably well described, but the employee who was supposed to call me when it arrived for pickup at my local store never called and couldn't locate it when I called, but I guess it had been there a while when i called a second time a week or so later. Little side thing for US residents near GCs who buy used alot, I've started having the guitars shipped to the local GC so they don't sit outside my house and so I open them there and can instantly resolve any potential problems.

It sounds like the guitar you're after is in very good condition, so condition problems might not be a worry for that purchase. Overall, if I was in the US i'd consider Guitar center for a purchase, because they will take care of you at the local branches in my experience, but outside the US unless its a deal that can't be beat I'd order from ebay if I had to order online to have paypal's protection making sure you got what you paid for since you can't easily return it to guitar center.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Used and unplayed?!? Care to elaborate on that one.

.

Ermmmm, how can i elaborate on that ?


. . . 2nd hand (pre owned gear) guitars that i can NOT play and test before i buy ???

 

[Swyse]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Ermmmm, how can i elaborate on that ?


. . . 2nd hand (pre owned gear) guitars that i can NOT play and test before i buy ???

I see AlexR's confusion, I also read it as used and unplayed as in someone bought the guitar, didn't ever play it then traded it in. I thought you meant it was "unplayed" condition as in perfect.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

I see AlexR's confusion, I also read it as used and unplayed as in someone bought the guitar, didn't ever play it then traded it in. I thought you meant it was "unplayed" condition as in perfect.

Ahhhh, gotcha . . . nope, i do not think there is such a guitar out there

 

[BTMN]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

You mean unplayed by you correct?

Used from GC shipped to South Africa? WOW.:cool2:

Shipping and import fees might be as much as the guitar huh? :dunno:

Is it that Cool of a guitar and nothing else will do?

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

You mean unplayed by you correct?

Used from GC shipped to South Africa? WOW.:cool2:

Shipping and import fees might be as much as the guitar huh? :dunno:

Is it that Cool of a guitar and nothing else will do?

Put it this way, a brand new Studio will set us back $1500.00

 

[dominus]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Call the store, tell them to put it on layaway. Find someone here local to the store to check it out for you.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

But even then opinions are as individual as poopchutes. For example, I go check it out and say it plays great, but he gets it and decides he doesn't like the action, can't intonate it for his Double-Drop A with 13-98s on it, and has issues with the whole deal.
All one could do is report the condition of the guitar....as it was on the day you saw it. What happened to it after you left and before it was shipped, however.....

Buying blind sucks as you're at the mercy of the seller, but if you've ever played one of the model you're after, you're not going to have a drastic difference, despite all the hoopla about "gotta pick through a stack of Gibsons to find "the good one" that goes on. Assuming of course the description is correct i.e. they say it's got a slim-taper 60s neck and it's actually got a cricket bat neck, or is the ultra-rare lapsteel model with action meant for a half-pound steel bar to lay on top of.

 

[autologic]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Are poopchutes all that individual? Most of them look about the same to me.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

I have bought used gear only one time before and it was a Bugera Tube Amp. I called the store where it was located and asked very specific questions before buying. The guy was very honest about it and the amp came in exactly as described.

So I would suggest doing the same thing...there is a time difference between South Africa and the US; however, maybe you can e-mail...?

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Call the store, tell them to put it on layaway. Find someone here local to the store to check it out for you.

This is a good idea too! If its in GA give the store a buzz and I will check it out for you

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

I bought my wife an upright bass from Musicians Friend. It was used, and their rating system was extremely conservative. It arrived in much better condition than we expected.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

I ordered and bought a brand new Martin HD-28E Retro a couple of months ago from my local GC sight unseen, and couldn't be more pleased, but that was a new guitar.

I would suggest that you call and deal with the Store Manager, or the Sales Manager at least. I can vouch for the guys at the Beaverton and Clackamas Oregon stores; these guys have been great to me. Also Michael Beens in Seattle.

I've had very good dealings with my local GC over the last 15 years or so--it's been the small shops that have tried to screw me.

Bill

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

IMO, you need to call up the store that has it, talk to someone on the phone, AND have them take detailed pix for you. Usually the photos and descriptions of used stuff at GC are pure crap.

 

[Kac]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

I have bought several used guitars through guitar center online and had them shipped to my nearest guitar center. I have always been satisfied with the guitars and their described condition. I'm sure you could run into some bad ones though as some people at some guitar centers don't seem to even know what they're looking at.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Buying guitars used & unplayed from a BIG well known Co ?

Are poopchutes all that individual? Most of them look about the same to me.

And yet they're all filled with the same material.