Ordering On-line vs Buying Local

[GuitarDogs62]

Thought this was a good topic that does have me wondering at times. You see I have always bought guitars locally from either Sam Ash or GC that are near where I live with-in reasonable driving distance. I feel I keep the local economy going and also feel that if I have any issues with my guitar I can take it in for repair most of the times with no additional cost since I buy a coverage plan with it. The last part of buying a guitar local I can play the guitar before I buy it to see if I really like it or not.
Now I see that ordering on-line I can get almost anything I want, just don't feel right buying something that I have not or want to try. Also what about any issues like a set-up or perhaps a repair or return, is there addidtional charges and so on. Why should I buy on-line vs buying at a local shop? Does buying on line have any advantages other than being able to buy any guitar at I want? Truly would like to know.

Sincerely
Andy

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by GuitarDogs62

...Why should I buy on-line vs buying at a local shop? Does buying on line have any advantages other than being able to buy any guitar at I want? Truly would like to know.

Hi Andy...

Advantages of on/line
Cheaper
More Variety
Quick delivery of hard to find items

Disadvantages of on/line
Cannot play it before buying it, and guitars vary a lot (even same models)

If you are buying a beater and don't care about tone, then by all means buy online. If you care about the tone and are getting a higher end guitar, I suggest play-before-pay is best.

When I bought a Taylor 714ce in 1999, I had 9 to choose from. One was crap, and two others didn't sound that good. Four of them were pretty good, and two stood out as best. One had a mismatched heel wood from the neck, and the other was the best and I bought it and took it home.

I played it till 2005, and my gigging partner bought it when I ordered a hand built. He plays it today and it is really a gem. I get to see it weekly and play it and it's still one of the nicest 714ce Taylors I've played to date.

A friend liked mine so much he ordered one, and honestly it sounds like it's stuffed with socks side-by-side with my gigging partner's after 12 years of regular play.

[Judson]

I agree with more variety and quicker delivery, but disagree on cheaper ... twice lately, my local mom & pop has matched or beaten the best online prices, as well as those advertised by the local big box stores. The downside was that I had to actually try the guitar out at the big box and then wait 9 weeks for delivery from the manufaturer to my store. But, it was worth it to me for a lot of reasons.

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Andy...

Advantages of on/line
Cheaper
More Variety
Quick delivery of hard to find items

Disadvantages of on/line
Cannot play it before buying it, and guitars vary a lot (even same models)

If you are buying a beater and don't care about tone, then by all means buy online. If you care about the tone and are getting a higher end guitar, I suggest play-before-pay is best.

When I bought a Taylor 714ce in 1999, I had 9 to choose from. One was crap, and two others didn't sound that good. Four of them were pretty good, and two stood out as best. One had a mismatched heel wood from the neck, and the other was the best and I bought it and took it home.

I played it till 2005, and my gigging partner bought it when I ordered a hand built. He plays it today and it is really a gem. I get to see it weekly and play it and it's still one of the nicest 714ce Taylors I've played to date.

A friend liked mine so much he ordered one, and honestly it sounds like it's stuffed with socks side-by-side with my gigging partner's after 12 years of regular play.

[michaelhager]

Just for me, I will never buy a guitar before I play it with new strings on it. Other set up I can get by with if I think it;'s fixable but you wood, the tone, the playability you just can't decide if you can't play it. I've played identical models made from the same wood species that were like two separate brands...

[Basalt Beach]

Hi Andy,

One explanation (and I believe there are many) is supporting AGF sponsors as well as the additional choices you already noted. GC and Sam Ash are not AGF sponsors and they do not have the many choices which many "out of area" AGF sponsors and retailers may carry. I use the term "out of area" because many AGF sponsors are not just on-line sellers, but Brick and Mortar stores. Locally, the GC and Sam Ash do not carry very many small body guitars (GC, OM, OOO, OO, or or parlor size), with the exception of the Baby Martin & Taylor and GS Mini.

There are many who prefer certain wood combinations, bracing and other build choices which result in a buyer to have to go to an "out of area" seller or even a custom build.

I have worked with 3 different "out of area" retailers and each one has been "spot on" understanding my likes in an instrument and describing the characteristics of the guitar which I eventually purchased. They each had a trial period for me to make a decision to return it. I actually like this in many ways, as I get to play it at home, in the setting it will be primarily played rather than the store setting.

You ask a good question and one you could also expand it for the many other items we might purchase on Amazon (for example) versus our local Best Buy or Target, etc...

If I lived within a short driving distance of an Elderly, TME, MFG, LA Guitars, Artisan, Wildwood, etc... I would definitely work with them first rather than an "out of area" retailer. I envy the members who are fortunate enough to have that option and I do enjoy their posts on trips to them and their unplanned purchases.

[RP]

I've bought guitars both locally and online. Others have and will give you a good rundown on the pros and cons so I won't repeat those. I'm pretty comfortable purchasing online, but the last guitar I got (my Eastman E8 OM) was a hands-on local purchase because the price was very good and I got the chance to play it first. The only real objection I have to online transactions is that it's just too easy to do for someone who is prone to making such decisions too impulsively at times...

[zabdart]

I think Larry said all that needs to be said.

[akadave]

The only advantages online has over local is usually price and availablitiy. Otherwise I always pick locally first.

[MissouriPicker]

I don't find buying a guitar online as being much (if any) cheaper than local outlets. All this talk about saving hundreds of dollars on a new Taylor, Gibson, etc. is "talk." Those stores do not exist. All the big name dealers mentioned as saving you all this money are all alike. I've contacted dozens and dozens of them. No one is saving you hundreds of dollars. The only thing they can save you (sometimes) is the tax money, and that has to do with state laws, but even that possibility is being wiped-out. The main advantage of buying online is the selection of guitars available. If at all possible, I'll buy the model of guitar I'm interested in from a real brickfront store. I want to play the guitar, see who I'm dealing with, and have a place to go to if there is a problem. Packing and re-packing and re-shipping a guitar you don't want is a real pain. For me, it's best to buy locally. It's not what I've always done, but it is what I would rather do.

[jmjohnson]

For me, a big part of the joy of getting a new guitar is the shopping. I really enjoy getting to try all the different models my local shops have, and the contentment of leaving with the 'right' one.

Unfortunately this may limit the choices involved, but its a bit hard to get excited about some thing I haven't even tried. Plus there is no stress about shipping, returning, follow-up service should something go wrong, hunting down 'the best price', etc.

These local places would likely try to get in something I really wanted anyway if I was so inclined, without requiring an actual committment to buy. I'm lucky enough to have a several really good small shops nearby though.

[Dirk Hofman]

Assume this is all for new guitars? Pretty different set of considerations for used. To me a used high end guitar can be the best choice of all. You don't take the early depreciation and if you find it locally you get to play it first. That's a hard combo to beat, but it assumes you live in an area with a lot of used guitars, which isn't always the case.

[darylcrisp]

due to the area i live, very rural and economically challenged for the past 5 years (dead center in the coal region of southwest virginia), what local shops there are(within 1-2 hours drive) tend to only stock one of a model if its a taylor or martin, and over the past 3 years many have resorted to carry of asian imports under the $300 mark.

these days i simply don't have the time to do a drive and visit a great shop with a large stock-therefore i have become dependant on mail/internet order and i've selected a few shops i do repeat business with. as far as the dollar cost, i'm not sure if i get the lowest price out there, but i do know for fact i get personal first class service-which to me is very important. i have not had to use "service after the sale" from any of the shops i'll list, but i have no doubt all would step up immediately and provide top shelf coverage. what i find with these shops is the act of them getting the said instrument off the wall, looking at it and describing its looks, feel, sound to me over the phone(they will play them over the phone and if i request, send a soundclip via email). they will measure the setup and describe its feel. things of that nature help insure i get an instrument that suits me. sometimes this may be a 20-30 minute call-they take that kind of time with me. for myself, its the next best thing to being there myself.
i've never had to return one to these folks, and i'm a pretty picky guy especially when it comes to sound and how the feel of the instrument plays.

for taylors i go straight to guitarrodeo
for martins i go to trinity guitars

those are the only brands i seem to be interested in these days so thats why they were listed. if i had other high end brands i wanted to investigate i would browse elderlys, gryphons, artisans, and sylvans.
if i were suggesting someone go internet to buy, i would highly say take a look at the sponser list on this forum and check out dealers from that. if you have any question regarding said dealer you have the option of posting a question here and i'm pretty sure you will get a quick response rate. and the classifieds here are terrific, there are deals right now that would have been unheard of 2 years ago.

hope that helps
d

[jwing]

I'm a proponent of buy locally, BUT the 800-pound gorillas are SELECTION and RETURNABILITY. I'm also a proponent of knowing what I want before I buy (I hate shopping) and buying used guitars. When no local stores have what I want, I go online.

Besides selection, every online retailer I know of allows returns. Very few brick-and-mortars do. That's fine if the brick-and-mortar has what you want and you can try it out first, but if they have to order it for you, they will not let you return it. Might as well order it yourself and skip the local middle man.

Here's a special case advantage of online purchasing: Buffalo Brothers has an upgrade in which they give you 100% of the purchase price of a guitar bought from them toward a more expensive instrument. I gotta say that the one guitar I bought from them (used) is so good that I doubt I'll ever take advantage of that program.

[muscmp]

i have shopped and bought guitars directly from big box stores and online. i have found that the big box stores can match the online stores IF the online store advertises the price. unfortunately, most online stores have you call or send an email to get the BEST price which means the big box store won't be able to match it.

as far as small local stores, i've asked them to match prices and they indicate that they cannot. perhaps that has changed but the last guitar i purchased was in january.

just recently i saw a martin 000-15sm for sale on a forum. people were saying that others should jump on this guitar because they paid $400 more than the seller wanted. the seller's price was just barely under what i paid for the guitar thru an online store with a free setup! did i take a chance since i didn't play it first? yes, but it turned out to be a wonderful guitar!

so, it behooves you to educate yourself and do your due diligence in shopping including phone calls and emails to the online stores. then you can make your decision as to buying online or paying more money to play it first in a big box or small local shop. the worst thing to happen with buying online is that you may have to pay for shipping it back if you don't like it.

play music!

[Ghostpicker]

All the opinions and advice stated thus far are good. There are reasons and times when either approach is appropriate. Having said that, I'll add my two cents.

I live within 4 miles of both Sam Ash and Guitar Center. So... I usually go there to check out stuff first hand before purchasing. (Like others have said, I would never buy an expensive guitar without playing it. I have purchased inexpensive guitars online and had very good luck, but almost always have had to pay for a proper setup after they arrived.) Other equipment like accessories, cables, and even amps I've bought online and been very pleased (Fishman SA200).

Here's my grip about SA and GC... at both places, I've had experiences where they have repackaged returned items and sold them as new. I've never had that experience with an online purchase. I once bought an amp that looked like it was in a "new" package but when I opened it, it was obvious that it was used. It had no power cable, no manual and no warranty card, and scuff marks on the fabric. I returned it that day. (I do like GC's return policy.) So... now I go to SA and GC to check stuff out then order it online (usually cheaper) or buy it from a local guitar shop I trust.