Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

I always always get it from the guitar shop. All 7 of my axes have been bought from a shop brand new and never online. I need to have it in my hands to try out and like the sound of it before I reach for my wallet. My local area isn't well stocked with guitar shops so I often have to travel further out just to get a broader range of them to choose from.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

My last several purchases have been online, but I would prefer to purchase locally. In the past I've lived close to some really nice shops, but sadly the two conveniently located stores for me now are a mom & pop shop which has wonderful people, but a lousy selection, and a Guitar Center which has pushy people and a so-so selection (you'd think it would be better... Grand Rapids is a pretty big city).

I tend to research the bejeepers out of something online... without some salesperson standing over my shoulder. If I can, I like to go in and try out whatever it is once I'm pretty sure it will meet my needs, but it seems like those times are becoming more and more seldom because I can never seem to find stuff in stock.

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Cords, strings, etc usually local.

Guitars almost online exclusively. I haven't purchased a new guitar in 15 years. Local shops really don't have many pre-owned options.

 

[Lovegun]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

I buy my guitars these days online. I would buy locally, but if I can save 100 to 150 euros buying the same model online, then I will buy it online.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Local whenever possible. It's not always possible though.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Rarely do I need something immediately. If I do, I go to a music store. I don't really like music stores, (or shopping in general), so I avoid them. Also, I have weird tastes, so music stores around here carry the easiest-to-sell stuff, which is not generally what I am looking for.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

I definitely prefer to buy local when I can for peace of mind and the ability to try before I buy. However, the return policies at a lot of online shops are pretty lenient these days and the few times I had an issue, the shops generally stood by the product.

What usually drives me to purchase online is availability and/or price. It always seems like the products I want aren't carried by any of the stores around me (and I'm in a larger metro area) or the prices are so high it doesn't make sense to buy local.

On the plus side, my #1 guitar was bought online 10 years ago, sight unseen, and it was the best purchase I ever made!

I recently bought a Schecter V-1 Custom online, as well. I was nervous as hell about it, but it turned out great...got exactly what I was after and there was no way any local shop could beat the online price!

I've had mixed experiences with amps and pedals, though and my general rule is to buy those locally.

 

[MkIII Renegade]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Online mostly these days because I am always drawn to rare things, and I don't have the time to visit local guitar stores often enough to catch them in person.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Mostly online. There's only one music store near me that's worth going to and they have a limited selection of used stuff.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Depends upon where I see the product that I may be looking for at the time I have the money to spend on it. Websites, dedicated music stores, pawn shops, private deals both on and off the web. However it works out. For the most part I have followed the advice "Caveat Emptor" and have done ok.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

There are two stores within a convenient distance from my house but more and more they do less and less to act like they actually want business...so I've been giving them what they want.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

I've only bought one guitar online. I usually will only buy in person unless I absolutely trust the brand (as in, they put out a very consistent product) so I know what I'll be getting without playing it. I trust G&L, so I bought one online when it was a SDOTD. I would never buy something like a Gibson online though. Those need to be played before bought, because they're supposed to be hand-made; each and every guitar will naturally be unique, and some guitars will just fit preferences more than others.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Online is better than a bad, or even a mediocre, music store. But nothing beats a truly good independent shop. I am lucky to have one close by, although they no longer deal Gibsons.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

My local store I try to use as much as possible. I've got 'generic' things like cabs and speakers from them......plus strings and the odds and ends for keeping guitars going.

Most of my purchases now are more specific - they're not going to have the clone amps I want, nor boutique pickups. Then there are all the guitar building supplies which have to come from online luthier supply stores.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

But nothing beats a truly good independent shop.

Agreed 100%...but unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the direction of the industry any longer. Retail is a tough gig anyway, and it's rare to find a retailer which understands the importance of paying good employees enough to keep them around. When was the last time you walked into a Guitar Center and ended up having a great experience with a truly knowledgeable salesperson? In my experience it's rare. Guitar Center (as a company) seems to have a Home-Depot-style sales mentality which tries to replace quality with quantity... a more profitable venture for sure, but it pushes out the quality-oriented ma & pop shops. It's quite unfortunate...


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[allbutromeo]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

I prefer to buy in person from a storeso I can try it out first. But sometimes if it's too good of a deal, or something specific that's out of production then I go the online route. For example, most of my guitars I bought at a store, but way back in 2002 musicians friend had Gibson Nikki Sixx Blackbird Bass on closeout for $1000 off, $750 instead of $1750 so I jumped on that without hesitation, or the time i bought a JCM 900 sight unseen, because i had been looking for one for a while and tje only 50w one i could find at the time was three states away. Pickups or accessories, I'll check locally but if they don't have them I'll usually order from Sweetwater, and with their customer service I wouldn't be completely opposed to buying guitars or amps from them.

 

[Dahla]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

There are two stores within a convenient distance from my house but more and more they do less and less to act like they actually want business...so I've been giving them what they want.

+1

Online for me too. Standard answer at my local shop is "we don't have that, but we can order it for you. (Whispered under their breath: It takes three weeks, and there is an upcharge. Of course)".

Why deal with the middleman, when I can order it directly?


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[Darg1911]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Kind of surprised by some of the answers. I'd be far more inclined to buy an amp or pedals and other accessories online than a guitar. Of course I'd rather try something in shop before I buy it, but the guitar is potentially the least consistent of all of the items. You may not like the amp or pedal, but you are not likely to get a bad one and if you do, it's just "bad". A guitar is a much bigger risk IMO. You may not like the guitar either, but you may not like it because it has crappy fret work, a twisted neck, poorly cut nut, bad finish or it's just a bad/dead playing sample of what should be a better instrument. Any number of reasons that aren't typically going to apply to an amp or pedal.

To put it another way ... you can audition the amp or pedal in store and then buy online and you'll end up with what you auditioned in the shop. Do the same with a guitar, and you may not end up with what you auditioned in the shop.
I'm not against buying online at all. But for guitars, I would really prefer to take home the exact instrument that I had my hands on. That's not always possible for any number of reasons, but that's my definite preference, even if I have to pay a little more.

Just my opinion and probably worth what it cost ya.

 

[DMR]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Usually I buy online. The local shops usually either have nothing I want or are way over-priced. I research my stuff and then buy online. I do all my own setups/pickup installation on my guitars so I don't even use local shops for that. But I will say that i've heard there's a big difference between buying online from places like Musicians Friend and buying online from actual shops like Drum City Guitar Land or something, where your guitar gets some love and inspection on the way out the door and you tend to find some good extra swag in your case when it arrives.

I will buy my next guitar (an american elite strat or tele) from Wildwood Guitars.......even if I do buy it online from them. I'm addicted to their Greg Koch demo vids.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Do you buy from a guitar shop or online?

Kind of surprised by some of the answers. I'd be far more inclined to buy an amp or pedals and other accessories online than a guitar. Of course I'd rather try something in shop before I buy it, but the guitar is potentially the least consistent of all of the items. You may not like the amp or pedal, but you are not likely to get a bad one and if you do, it's just "bad". A guitar is a much bigger risk IMO. You may not like the guitar either, but you may not like it because it has crappy fret work, a twisted neck, poorly cut nut, bad finish or it's just a bad/dead playing sample of what should be a better instrument. Any number of reasons that aren't typically going to apply to an amp or pedal.

To put it another way ... you can audition the amp or pedal in store and then buy online and you'll end up with what you auditioned in the shop. Do the same with a guitar, and you may not end up with what you auditioned in the shop.
I'm not against buying online at all. But for guitars, I would really prefer to take home the exact instrument that I had my hands on. That's not always possible for any number of reasons, but that's my definite preference, even if I have to pay a little more.

Just my opinion and probably worth what it cost ya.

IME, I own approximately (if not exactly) thirty guitars - of different brands - that to the best of my knowledge (atm) have all been purchased online. Only three (maybe four) have something "majorly" wrong with them. And I've had the option to return them if I wasn't satisfied!

The worst problem I've run into is that the truss rod on one of my Mockingbird's doesn't turn in either direction at all. But, I have three of the same model and the other two are fine.

And the other tweaked guitars simply have a few bad frets that cause buzzing on generally the lower frets. Sometimes, it's just one bad fret is all. I can still play 'em. I just wouldn't necessarily use them for major recording or for live use.

No bad nuts, tweaked necks, or terribly bad finish jobs (of which I can't recall seeing except maybe in a small area on a Soloist I don't play). Not saying that you can't run into those things buying sight unseen but, IME it's a relatively rare occurrence. Guitars are made pretty well these days for their prices.