Help! Obsession

[Wade Hampton]

Well, you're at a bit of a disadvantage in that you're in one corner of the Lower 48 states and Bourgeois guitars are built at the opposite corner. With small shop operations like Bourgeois there tend to be smaller areas of regional influence, sort of like there are with craft breweries.

Both Sylvan Music and Gryphon are places you should visit before spending any serious money on a guitar. If you can possibly go during a weekday rather than during a weekend you'll have more time and more quiet to assess what it is you're hearing.

If you're open to what they can teach you, both places will further your fine guitar education by a considerable degree.

What I've found is that I can spend two, maybe three hours at a place like Gryphon or Elderly Instruments before my brain goes into information overload, at which point I need to take a break. That's what I did the one time I visited Mandolin Brothers, in Staten Island: I played all sorts of incredible instruments for a few hours, got overloaded, then took a break and ate a good meal at an Italian restaurant down the block. Then after lunch I went back refreshed and played for another hour or so.

So pace yourself, and give yourself some time to think about what you're experiencing.

The chances are that you'll encounter some superb instruments that will completely upend what you think you know about guitars. I know that's happened to me most times I've been in really fine stores like Sylvan or Mass Street Music in Lawrence, Kansas.

Let me suggest one little "triage" method I use when I'm faced with an enormous wall of incredible guitars that I know I don't have time to play all of them: I pluck the open D string of all the guitars that look interesting, and listen to the tone as the note decays. Just one open D string after another.

If you listen to it, that one note alone will speak volumes about the tone of that guitar. Don't do it with the open low E string, as that will actually be misleading, but use the open D.

Once I've done that, I take down the guitars that sounded most promising, and proceed from there.

Just a thought...

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[dhcod]

Originally Posted by crikey

If you're near Atlanta, get thee to Maple Street Guitars. They have decent selection of the brands you're considering.

And they have really nice private little spaces for you to demo them. That's a huge plus for shy guitarists!

[dhcod]

Originally Posted by cabphoto

Thank you so much Wade. I may need to go visit Palo Alto. I have been to LA Guitar Sales and its sort of an appointment only type of place. I think they sell mainly to Guys in the music industry like important people or ones we've heard of. Anyway I felt mainly like I was imposing when I was there, but you are right they are the only place that will have one bourgeois from time to time.

You should give them another chance. My first visit I kinda felt the way you did but that's because I didn't really know them. Second visit was great and everyone there has been super nice every visit since.