[MrMartyr]

I agree with what a few others have said about some players picking out guitars mostly with their eyes instead of with their ears and hands. Brand loyalty is another one that can quickly land one in dud territory. Every guitar builder makes a certain percentage of duds. This cannot be avoided. Call it a minor inconvenience of living in a less than perfect world. I call it reality.

I'm poor, by the dictionary definition of the word. So poor that I can't afford to let my eyes decide for me. I would rather play an ugly cannon than a polished turd. My poverty makes me fortunate in some ways. With no wiggle room in my budget, I can't make impulse buying decisions. It would be financial suicide, because I like to keep my lights on.

So when I try out guitars, I often close my eyes while I play it to soak in the tone and its nuances. I go during off peak hours. I always let the salesperson know that I'm just looking. This way, the salesperson gives me my space. I do an A/B/C comparison between three guitars without looking at the price tag or the materials used. I figure out what sound and feel I like the best before looking at the price tag. Try it. You'll be surprised. Sometimes its the $3000 guitar, and sometimes its the $600 guitar. I kid you not.

Sometimes they have a sweet sounding guitar that has just been in the store far too long. They often have scratches and minor dings on them. I politely point out that the guitar has some aesthetic issues. The salesperson usually confesses that that the blemishes have made it hard to sell, making it somewhat of a resident guitar. Think of a dog at a no-kill shelter that never gets adopted. Its just kind of sad that nobody wants to take it home because its not pretty and has a few scars. The salespeople often feel the same way about the guitar.

This opens the door for a great opportunity to get a nice guitar for at or below the dealer's cost. Because after all, ugly guitars deserve loving homes too.