mail order guitars?

[Pbass75]

has anyone ever ordered an acoustic,and had it shipped? is it safe? because guitars are pretty fragile..i dont WANT to go that route...but i think where id be ordering it from would give me the best deal
thanks

[Daddy-O]

I ordered a vintage hollow body from a shop out of my home state and had it shipped to my home. I arrived in one piece and on time. Insist that the guitar be insured by the shipping company against thieft and damage. AND MAKE SURE that the shop you are purchasing from will let you return the guitar if you don't like it. Keep in mind also you will be expected to pay for the frieght charges. After paying these fees, how much money are you really saving? It's also a good idea, when purchasing any musical instrument, to try it out along with several others so you can compare. Even if they are the exact model and make, guitars have this strange quality of sounding completely different from one another. My situation was unique becuase I had played the guitar previously at a guitar show. So to answer your question, Yes if is safe to mail order a guitar. But I would rather go to a local shop and try out several so I could get one that fits my hands, plays well, has no dead spots and sounds good. It's very hard to test for those things when the guitar has to be shipped to you.

[dobro]

Yeah, exactly. How would you feel about a mail-order bride? Sight unseen. *And* I don't think it's sexist or unflattering to either women or guitars to make this analogy.

[JC Lives]

If you find a guitar that you are interested in, and the price is what you are looking for, take the add to a local dealer that carries that guitar. First, play it and see if it is what you truly want. Then if it is, present the mail order add and the dealer will probably match the price.

[jcorliss]

Well I can tell you a story... I bought my wife a Takamine clasical cutaway with electrics and a hardshell case from musicians friend last Christmas They offer a 45 day guarentee... I Live in Maine and shipping was COLD ! it took me three guitars to get one that met Lin's taste and feel... two had a slight buzz in the strings . The third is PERFECT ! We saved a BUNDLE... Musicians friend ate alot of shipping because they offer free shipping for internet orders over $200. I don't remember how it worked, but I think they sent UPS with a pick up tag... I might have shipped once and then was reimbursed. I have bought a Stratocaster and a Bass from them as well without any problems. And Drums when they paid the shipping as well which saved us big. Would I do it again... I always ask local shop if he can match prices or meet me halfway and he is very good. This experience took awhile but the people were Good... I've learned NEVER to buy what isn't in stock at these online mail orders... I've been waiting months for an accoustic bass which backorder dates change as you turn the calender page. You can see some of the rediculosly low prices here... just make sure that what you order is stocked.
The Christian Music Web
http://www.christianmusicweb.com/index.html

[Tom Hicks]

I'm a former Charvel-Jackson tech and you would be shocked to see warehouse guys THROWING guitars as they unload a truck or container.The axes are in cardboard boxes with styrofoam.Sounds flimsy,right?But I've rarely seen ANY damage even with that level of abuse.We QCd and shipped them on out to Musician's Friend and other retailers,sometimes in cardboard and sometimes in SKB hard cases.Shipping damage happens,but statisticly is really rare.
Tom

[trucker dave]

I have had 4 acoustics shipped in, one regular and 3 steel bodys. One of the steel bodys arrived with a broken neck right out of the box but i think it was cracked before it was shipped. Otherwise, not a scratch on any of them.

[dabluesman]

I got my Ovation acoustic shipped to me from musicians friend. It was well packed and came in one piece. The only problem I had was, one of those little packs of silicone beads had busted open and it took me several months to get them all out of the guitar. I still hear one on in there on occasion..

[Brahmb]

Personally I think it's a crap shoot, but I do it anyway. I've never had any trouble with mail order, including a hammered dulcimer. But I worked in a warehouse once and saw how the UPS trucks came in with all their cartons flattened and smashed. I don't know if there's a difference between that type of commercial shipping and what you order, but there you have it.