Is it just me?

[crankmeister]

it's not online shopping that's a problem.

it's childish inability to accept the consequences.

choosing from unlimited online selection is obviously the superior way to buy, but sometimes you'll buy a dog. so what? return if you can or shrug, take a loss and move on.

i think most of the complaining is from people making a mistake of buying a unit they can't afford. regret compounds the frustration from perceived flaws of the instrument.

guitars are rapidly-depreciating consumer products. if you're paying retail, you're being had, every time.

unless you're curating a guitar museum, buy them for music - not for nitpicking and public online tantrums.

Some people seem extra eager to **** on a particular brand, too. I can’t think of any other reason why any grownup would denounce an entire company based on a single production-line guitar.

 

[Intune]

it's not online shopping that's a problem.

it's childish inability to accept the consequences.

choosing from unlimited online selection is obviously the superior way to buy, but sometimes you'll buy a dog. so what? return if you can or shrug, take a loss and move on.

i think most of the complaining is from people making a mistake of buying a unit they can't afford. regret compounds the frustration from perceived flaws of the instrument.

guitars are rapidly-depreciating consumer products. if you're paying retail, you're being had, every time.

unless you're curating a guitar museum, buy them for music - not for nitpicking and public online tantrums.

Exactly. Most of the threads start out with “this expensive guitar”. Most recent was the dude from Serbia. First post and all I kept hearing was expensive and let down. 10 second fix was all it needed from the looks of the pics. Buyers remorse sets in and it’s traded for a Gibson and probably not played prior either. So good luck when that expensive one shows up. I bet it will be flawless.

 

[Della Street]

Some people seem extra eager to **** on a particular brand, too. I can’t think of any other reason why any grownup would denounce an entire company based on a single production-line guitar.

i know, right?? why is @3bolt79 so hard on Kramers? just because he got 6 bad ones in a row is hardly a reason to discount the whole outfit

 

[Stratafied]

I think the internet forums turned fiction into facts and waaaaay too many people can't tell the difference between what is perfectly fine and what isn't and they spread the insane nonsense which newcomers swallow like a porn star and they poop the jibber jabber out and like fertilizer it spreads.

I'm not Eric Hendrix nor do I have a slew of spreadsheet statistics but I do know that the bulk of what people whine about is Karen jibber jabber.

If it feels good, if it plays good if it sounds good then it's ****ing good.

I can neither confirm or deny that 1.2 grams of burning leafyness contributed to, and not limited to, my spontaneous desire to post this but I confirm that with a ****load of guitars that have entered my life giving my innards a joy that tingles I have encountered damn near zero of the issues internet babies piss and moan about.

Am I lucky?

I think not.

I have a complaint about this response

 

[Stratafied]

"Is it just me?"

Yeah. It's probably just you.

Oh my !

 

[Della Street]

Exactly. Most of the threads start out with “this expensive guitar”. Most recent was the dude from Serbia. First post and all I kept hearing was expensive and let down. 10 second fix was all it needed from the looks of the pics. Buyers remorse sets in and it’s traded for a Gibson and probably not played prior either. So good luck when that expensive one shows up. I bet it will be flawless.

my $2,500 Taylor arrived covered in dried up maple syrup or pepsi or some sh... sometimes you just have to laugh it off.
it did clean up, thankfully.

 

[10 Thumbs]

I've only bought 4 guitars off the internet. So far, no heart wrenching, send it back problems.

 

[Frank Roberts]

I cannot find the guitars I want to try playing without first buying them. Nobody wants to run the risk of stocking them.

I don't know what guitars you want to try, crank, but in case you aren't aware, Bizarre Guitar on Oddie Blvd in Sparks, isn't far from you and carries a pretty sizable inventory, including a lot of Fender Custom Shop stuff.

I should add, I have learned the hard way, to agree with the OP's point that it is best to buy based on trying out the guitar in person with the opportunity to compare with others.

 

[crankmeister]

I don't know what guitars you want to try, crank, but in case you aren't aware, Bizarre Guitar on Oddie Blvd in Sparks, isn't far from you and carries a pretty sizable inventory, including a lot of Fender Custom Shop stuff.

I should add, I have learned the hard way, to agree with the OP's point that it is best to buy based on trying out the guitar in person with the opportunity to compare with others.

I don’t at all disagree with trying a guitar before buying, especially an acoustic. But today’s economic model doesn’t make that possible in many cases.

But grownups complain about all sorts of stuff on the internet. There’s plenty to read into any one complaint.

The owner of Bizarre Guitar is a whiny rich guy — he comes from old money — and had shut his doors in some sort of protest against “the times” (items were only available on Reverb). I guess the shop’s reopened now. Maybe I’ll head that way sometime.

 

[Quikstyl]

(Steps up onto soap box)

There sure seems to be a lot of disappointment posts popping up on guitar forums all over the internet and with increasing frequency. People buying something sight unseen, waiting for it with bated breath and then discovering the actual thing doesn't live up to the anticipation. There are posts complaining about the setup. Posts complaining about the colour not looking quite like it did in the pics. Posts about the lamest issues. There are also posts about legitimate issues but there's still no excuse for it, no matter how you slice it. They bought it sight unseen. What did they think was going to happen? That it was going to be that magical "one"? The keeper of all keepers that has all the mojo?

You know, when the lockdowns were in place you could understand how the number of instances of people buying online surged up but that's been over quite a while now. It seems like like it became the new normal. More and more people are gambling their money on something they've never even held in their hands let alone played. I say, "snap out of it." Am I the only one who still believes in try before you buy? I mean hell ... I live in a tiny little town that has exactly one small music shop and none of the inventory could ever be called special or high end. If anyone ever had a bonafide reason to shop online it would be me because there is literally nothing for selection there. For me it's place to order parts or buy strings or whatever. That doesn't stop me from trying before I buy. I drive an hour and go into the city when I need or want something.

We're all alarmed at how fast the prices of new gear is going up and I totally "get" that there are many other causes for it but one thing is still certain; repeatedly taking advantage of return policies is not helping.

Please ... just leave the computer alone for one lousy afternoon, get off your butt and go try some guitars. Drive an hour if your have to. Drive four hours if you have to. Buy the one that chooses you. It can't choose you if it's never met you. You're just begging for disappointment if it doesn't choose you. If you're too inexperienced of a guitar player to know how to recognize when a guitar chooses you then it doesn't matter so just buy the one you think looks the coolest.

Thank you.

(Steps down off of soap box)

I agree with you. I have enough guitars to not worry about "needing" one immediately. Alas, I do inevitably see some online and wonder "what if?". However, the thought of buying one without playing it is a non-starter precisely because the neck, frets, pickups, tone, or feel might suck. If I can't hold it I don't buy it.

 

[3bolt79]

Exactly. Most of the threads start out with “this expensive guitar”. Most recent was the dude from Serbia. First post and all I kept hearing was expensive and let down. 10 second fix was all it needed from the looks of the pics. Buyers remorse sets in and it’s traded for a Gibson and probably not played prior either. So good luck when that expensive one shows up. I bet it will be flawless.

Well at least he got his money back. If I find a used one of those new AVII 70’s Strats at a good price, and it has that problem, I would knock on the neck a see if it goes back to where it belongs. If it didn’t I would pass.

But here is the problem. The guy in Serbia said the tech would have to redrill. The third bolt at the bottom isn’t a wood screw…it’s a machine screw that threads into a metal disc in the neck, that is inlaid in the heel, and mounted by two small wood screws, flush into the wood.

The old style 70’s necks have the disc sunk into a round hole. Unlike the later ones where the circle is open on the end, going to the end of the neck. It might be able to be moved, but it won’t be an invisible repair and quite noticeable when the neck comes off, and is still a pain in the ass and really a hack job.

If the machine screw hole in the body isn’t put into right spot, we’ll that is another pain in the ass that just isn’t worth it.

We really don’t know what the matter turned out to be, but the tech couldn’t fix it. A four bolt would likely have been an easy fix.

Let’s just hope that the bridge isn’t mounted in the wrong place on that guy’s new Les Paul. Too far left or right and would have the same problem with the LP. I had a les Paul in the early 2000’s that had that problem. I wound up trading it for a motorcycle.

 

[Intune]

Well at least he got his money back. If I find a used one of those new AVII 70’s Strats at a good price, and it has that problem, I would knock on the neck a see if it goes back to where it belongs. If it didn’t I would pass.

But here is the problem. The guy in Serbia said the tech would have to redrill. The third bolt at the bottom isn’t a wood screw…it’s a machine screw that threads into a metal disc in the neck, that is inlaid in the heel, and mounted by two small wood screws, flush into the wood.

The old style 70’s necks have the disc sunk into a round hole. Unlike the later ones where the circle is open on the end, going to the end of the neck. It might be able to be moved, but it won’t be an invisible repair and quite noticeable when the neck comes off, and is still a pain in the ass and really a hack job.

If the machine screw hole in the body isn’t put into right spot, we’ll that is another pain in the ass that just isn’t worth it.

We really don’t know what the matter turned out to be, but the tech couldn’t fix it. A four bolt would likely have been an easy fix.

Let’s just hope that the bridge isn’t mounted in the wrong place on that guy’s new Les Paul. Too far left or right and would have the same problem with the LP. I had a les Paul in the early 2000’s that had that problem. I wound up trading it for a motorcycle.

I’d ask for a second opinion as in get another tech to look at it. Like mentioned earlier, it seems extremely rare for this to occur. Lots of necks out of alignment, sure but re-drilling neck mounting holes is extreme. So did a tech really come to this conclusion?

 

[3bolt79]

I’d ask for a second opinion as in get another tech to look at it. Like mentioned earlier, it seems extremely rare for this to occur. Lots of necks out of alignment, sure but re-drilling neck mounting holes is extreme. So did a tech really come to this conclusion?

Well, he said he returned the guitar and the tech said it needed re drilled in one of his posts. So apparently so.

Luckily I have two guys that are top shelf in my city. I think the guy from Serbia took it to a shop in a neighboring country. Off the top of my head, I don’t remember where it was.

 

[Wrighty]

Some people seem extra eager to **** on a particular brand, too. I can’t think of any other reason why any grownup would denounce an entire company based on a single production-line guitar.

Not a case of right or wrong, there are pluses and minuses to both methods of buying. It just seems obvious to me that the minuses of buying on line, no set up, damage in transit, don't get to try and the hassle of returning is more than the benefit of saving a few quid on the guitar.

Problem is, it's a one way street. Those of us who prefer the shop experience or those that get fed up with the on-line experience and want to revert to the 'try before you buy' model find that the shops are gone. We're then at the mercy of the on-line system and the operators of same are free to hike prices (their profits) at will. no need to be cheap anymore.

 

[Sparque]

I am a 'try before you buy' kind of guitar shopper myself.
I love to hold it, play it, examine it, and take my time making sure that I'll be happy with the guitar, before I lay my money down.

When I am unable to do all that, I have had the most luck with Sweetwater and with a variety of sellers on Reverb.
But I do examine the photos closely, and I am fond of contacting the seller and asking questions.
In the end, I have never had to send a less-than-wonderful guitar back, ever.

In one case, a Yamaha Revstar arrived with a broken neck (thanks, UPS), but that return was handled nicely by the merchant.

No complaints here.

 

[Guithartic]

There are also posts about legitimate issues but there's still no excuse for it, no matter how you slice it.

I agree that a color being off or a bad set-up that you can correct with a screwdriver and Allen wrench is no reason to complain or to return. I’ve only returned 3. One butterscotch blonde Tele that had a big gash on the edge. A Gibson Les Paul Standard ‘50s that was unable to get mildly low action even when the bridge was set as low as it could go An American Ultra Telecaster that had the bridge screwed on a little crooked. These are over-$2000 guitars, and issues a quick inspection should detect. Each time, I ended up getting a fantastic replacement, so I felt like the system worked.
But at the same time, in the bigger scheme of things, I agree with you.

That doesn't stop me from trying before I buy. I drive an hour and go into the city when I need or want something.

Like others have said here, the internet changed the way we buy. I wish there weren’t so many options. The great players I’ve loved went to shops and chose one out of 50 guitars that just happened to be there that day, and that guitar was like their adopted child. Now there is so much information and marketing we feel we’re missing out if we don’t take advantage of all the online options.

 

[Guithartic]

People began saving a couple of quid by going into the local shop, trying out guitars and then ordering on line.

the benefit of saving a few quid on the guitar.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I’m curious. Are guitars cheaper online compared to in a shop in the UK? Here in the US real stores like Guitar Center, Sam Ash, and my local George’s Music all have the exact same price and tax as all the online places, e.g., Sweetwater.
Or maybe you meant buying used online vs. new in a shop?

 

[Edgenumber]

You know, when the lockdowns were in place you could understand how the number of instances of people buying online surged up but that's been over quite a while now. It seems like like it became the new normal

Well what did you expect?

Brick and mortar stores have been going out of business before corona. Corona certainly didn't help them.

So if I want to buy a guitar today there are only a few brick and mortar stores left. None of them can match the collection the online store over here offer. The price difference between online and B&M can be huge.

And over here laws protecting online shoppers make it almost a no-brainer to shop online.

Besides that. I don't think a lot of youtube reviewers are helpfull. There are quite a few reviewers that pull a guitar out of a box and start complaining about the action being to high. None of them begin with giveing it a proper setup. So if beginners watch those video's and set their expectations accordingly

 

[Frank Roberts]

I don’t at all disagree with trying a guitar before buying, especially an acoustic. But today’s economic model doesn’t make that possible in many cases.

But grownups complain about all sorts of stuff on the internet. There’s plenty to read into any one complaint.

The owner of Bizarre Guitar is a whiny rich guy — he comes from old money — and had shut his doors in some sort of protest against “the times” (items were only available on Reverb). I guess the shop’s reopened now. Maybe I’ll head that way sometime.

I'm sorry that is your impression about the owner of Bizarre Guitar; it is inconsistent with my experience. Have known him since 1975. He has earned everything he has. He is one of the most energetic, hard working people I have ever known. He has been fair and honest with me in all my dealings with him. I count him as a good friend.

The pandemic and the economic state of the musical instrument industry certainly caused some adjustments to keeping the storefront open and, candidly, I don't know where that currently stands. You may need to call before going.

 

[Wrighty]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I’m curious. Are guitars cheaper online compared to in a shop in the UK? Here in the US real stores like Guitar Center, Sam Ash, and my local George’s Music all have the exact same price and tax as all the online places, e.g., Sweetwater.
Or maybe you meant buying used online vs. new in a shop?

What’s happening here now is that most of the on line businesses also have retail outlets. There are few warehouse only set ups. So, if you have access to, say, Andertons, you can get the best of both worlds. I have a store that works in a similar way around 20 miles away. Same sort of pricing. But, my local shop is smaller, still does on line, but will generally be about 10% up more expensive. The other issue is that they just can’t carry the stock like the bigger players do. So, when I bought my AmPro Tele they ordered it in for me to try, having agreed a ‘meet me in the middle’ price. Got it in, set it up quickly to about where I wanted it, I played it and walked out with it next day after they’d put the finishing touches to tge set up.I paid a little over the odds but suffered no problems. So, to answer your question, the price difference between shop and on line is there but getting less significant. The reason is as I mentioned before, once on line retailers have nothing to beat, they won’t need to bother.