Buying Guitars Mail-order or On-line, do ya?

What do you think of getting your axe shipped to you?

  • I never do it, never will

    Votes: 29 18.7%

  • I have done it once and will never do it again because ___________ (please explain)

    Votes: 14 9.0%

  • It's a great option and it worked well for me and I say, "do it."

    Votes: 88 56.8%

  • I want to but I'm not sure if it's a good idea

    Votes: 24 15.5%
  • Total voters
    155
junplugged

junplugged

Taking the slow road
Guitarits, Bass players, and other instuments too, what do you all think of purchasing from the catalog, mail-order, interent, etc. sources?

I was always weary of this since it's such a feel thing, I thought I kind of need to be there to try it out, but lately, I've heard of a lot more people doing this, so I wonder what you all think.
 
I bought my last bass and my last guitar this way. The bass needed a little work set up wise but then again so does every bass I've ever played in Guitar Center. I recently got an Ibanez Artcore guitar and it played great right out of the box. It was just about in tune. :) I sometimes try things out at music stores and then order online if the price is better or they have the color/style I want that the music store doesn't offer. Most online stores have a pretty easy going return policy.
 
I do both

I've bought guitars from stores, but also from Carvin. I've been happy with the Carvin guitars. I like the fact that I can specify whatever color I want, options, etc. And by skipping the middleman, I get a guitar for half what it would cost in a store, due to the wholesale and retail markups. But there's still something to be said for playing 5 guitars in a store and picking the one that sounds and feels the best. And some online stores charge just as much as the music stores, so there's no benefit of using them.

Rob
 
EdWonbass said:
I bought my last bass and my last guitar this way. The bass needed a little work set up wise but then again so does every bass I've ever played in Guitar Center. I recently got an Ibanez Artcore guitar and it played great right out of the box. It was just about in tune. :) I sometimes try things out at music stores and then order online if the price is better or they have the color/style I want that the music store doesn't offer. Most online stores have a pretty easy going return policy.
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Hey, I just saw your guitar on the other thread, it looks great, so you got it shipped. It's interesting that it's a hollow, that's what I'm looking for right now. I see some nice deals on Ibanez and I think I saw one for an insane $300 at CG and at MF. I didn't get to play it long enough in store, I have to go back there, but someone I know said they were impressed with an Ibanez hollow, not sure what model....
 
junplugged said:
Hey, I just saw your guitar on the other thread, it looks great, so you got it shipped. It's interesting that it's a hollow, that's what I'm looking for right now. I see some nice deals on Ibanez and I think I saw one for an insane $300 at CG and at MF. I didn't get to play it long enough in store, I have to go back there, but someone I know said they were impressed with an Ibanez hollow, not sure what model....
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a friend of mine is selling an ibanez hollow body. it's like a surf green. i'll give you a link to one of the places he has it listen. i'm sure if you're interested, he'd do whatever it takes to make you comfortable buying it from him. he sells on ebay a lot too, so he'd probably sell it there if that made you more comfortable.

http://funkytonkrecords.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=4223da0a53e1ffff;act=ST;f=6;t=78
 
thanks for the link, I think I'm gonna try a cheapo semi and see how it is, return it if I don't like it, but I'm missing out on last week's pay so it'll have to do for now....
 
It depends on what you’re getting. Carvin is very consistent. I’ve heard that Gibson and Fender aren’t and it pays to look for a good one. Usually GC will match online prices anyway, so you can try one out and then buy it.
 
If you buy online make sure you know and uderstand their return policy. Some online stores charge a restocking fee (usually 15% of its value) if you return it. Also some online stores are store fronts which sell product that are from a different online store. Make sure you know their poicies too.
 
I bought my Gretsch Anniversary over the phone from a shop in Ponca City OK. The pricing was much better than locally, and the service was stellar. I'd buy an electric this way, but never an acoustic. Too many variables.
 
There was a thread about this a few months back, and the general consensus seemed to be, "Electrics? Sure. Acoustics? NEVER!"

I've ordered one guitar online (from AMS) and it arrived set-up and in tune!
 
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Carvin sells lots of their Cobalt acoustics on-line. Most customers are happy. Some take advantage of the ten day return policy.
 
I've done it once. A couple of years ago I ordered a Gibson ES-335 from A Plus Guitars. But only after hearing some good reports about the place in this forum. Not only did I get a great deal but before shipping the owner asked me what guage strings I preferred and how I would like it set up. The guitar arrived in tune, set up just the way I requested.
 
Done it twice from Musician's Friend. Both times, I had minor shipping problems (took an extra few days), but I was more than happy with both guitars. I think I would have a much harder time buying a used guitar online.
 
I've bought 5 guitars online (2 of them off Ebay)-- never had a problem.

I know there are lots of people who say you have to play many guitars and find the one that "speaks to you." I think that's BS for the most part. Every guitar I have bought online has "spoken" to me once I started playing it. If you get the exact make/model/color of guitar you want, then you will fall in love with the guitar regardless of whether you actually played it before you bought it. On the other hand, if you are unsure about what kind of guitar you want, playing many different guitars is a good idea.

Granted, every guitar is different. Wood is variable. Two Fender Strats made with the same kind of wood by the same human will sound slightly different. But they both will still sound and feel like a Strat. However, I don't deny that there are "special" guitars out there somewhere.

So, if you want to spend countless hours searching music shops, pawn shops, garage sales, classified ads, etc. looking for that "special" guitar-- I say go for it! Meanwhile, I'll be at home becoming a better guitarist by practicing on the American Strat I ordered online. :D

I like ordering online. I get the exact guitar I want (color, etc.) and I get a guitar that no one else has played before. You usually cannot say that about a guitar bought from a music store. How many hacks pounded on that "special" guitar before you bought it? Also, with the very liberal and easy return policies most of the online stores offer, it's really a low-risk transaction.
 
apl said:
It depends on what you’re getting. Carvin is very consistent. I’ve heard that Gibson and Fender aren’t and it pays to look for a good one. Usually GC will match online prices anyway, so you can try one out and then buy it.
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I used to get Carvin catalogs set to me all the time, for years and years, even before I started buying pa or recording stuff or other guitars....

Kind of forgot about them, I guess they're still around, it's funny you mention Carvin, it's been so long....wait, once 5 years ago I saw a reggae band at happy hour and they had a Carvin PA they were using for the first time.
 
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junplugged said:
Hey, I just saw your guitar on the other thread, it looks great, so you got it shipped. It's interesting that it's a hollow, that's what I'm looking for right now. I see some nice deals on Ibanez and I think I saw one for an insane $300 at CG and at MF. I didn't get to play it long enough in store, I have to go back there, but someone I know said they were impressed with an Ibanez hollow, not sure what model....
Click to expand...

IMO its a great guitar but I haven't been spoiled with real nice guitars all my life. It was mentioned in another thread about there not being good access to the upper frets. This is true. If you need to be up there all the time I wouldn't get the model I got.
 
I noticed that some people have said electrics yes, acoustics no. Well I bought a Washburn acoustic/electric off ebay and I'm quite satisfied. Now I'll admit I'm not an expert guitar player, or an expert on guitars for that matter, but I have a feeling it's what fits you as a player that is right. After all I might find something else ten years down the road and say that the Washburn was crap compared to it, but that will be then, this is now.
 
My first mail order ax was an ibanez RG450. I still have it after 9 years and while it could use some tweaking on the neck and bridge, it still rocks.

However, I will likely never buy mail order again b/c as I get older, my taste gets better and I can't see forking over more than $500 on an instrument I've never touched.

Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you get screwed and contrary to popular belief, getting screwed is a bad thing.
 
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