I don't know . . . I walked in with my 310ce for a set up. I walked out with the guitar playing the best it ever had, and also with a new 414e Ltd.
I don't know how it happened, but I'm pretty sure it was through unfair business practices. I mean, first of all he had a nice selection of guitars, far better than what you'd find at the big stores. When I said I'd been thinking about a 414ce, he said sure, he had one, and would I also like to try one of the 414 limiteds?
When I asked him a few "trial" questions (technical things I throw out that I already know the answer to, but I want to see first of all if the salesperson knows the line thoroughly, and more importantly, if he doesn't, whether he's the type of salesperson to lie his way through it in an attempt to make a quick sale). I was kind of disappointed because Ken knew his stuff. And he seemed to know exactly what I was doing.
I kept going back and forth between the standard 414 and the limited. I admitted that I really liked the looks of the walnut with maple wedge. I was admonished to choose a guitar based on it's sound, not it's looks. (I mean, where do they come up with this crap? Don't they know that looking cool is #1?)
Ken's wife was my personal guitar stand. As I kept switching back and forth, she'd hand me one guitar and take the other. Back and forth and back and forth again. I spent at least an hour doing that. She didn't complain. She remained a neutral observer until I specifically asked for her opinion. And although I'd like to say something nice about her, she had the gall to confirm my opinion: that for my playing style, the limited sounded a little fuller and a little nicer.
I do what I can to support the smaller stores, but I won't go so far as to pay them more than I can buy a product for elsewhere. I knew what these guitars sold for at the big stores. I also had a pretty good idea how much further the big stores would come off their advertised price. So I was going to explain it to Ken and let him know the sale was his, if he could give me the price I was looking for. I asked him what they wanted for the limited, fully prepared to laugh in his face and boldly give him my terms.
But these guys cheat at every turn. Ken answered with a price well below what the big guys charge, and it was only a hair over my target discount (which I knew was going to take some serious effort to get). I'm certain he knew what he was doing: by giving me a great price without any kind of haggle, he was keeping that extra $20 or $30 for himself. And he KNEW that I'd feel guilty trying to get him to come down from such a reasonable initial offer.
So I hung my head in shame and quietly bought the guitar.
My advice: Stay away from Tobias Music. They'll just sell you a guitar and you'll walk away bragging about the experience to your friends. Somehow, these guys have got to be stopped.
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