How lucky are you???

[Berny]

Been reading threads discussing guitar makes and models and which ones are the best or good value, and I had the thought that you blokes may not know just how lucky you all are??? There must be millions of guitars in the USA, and as a result you have a huge range of makes and models to choose from when looking for your pride and joy. And all this at what we in Oz would consider, very 'comfortable' prices.

Not so here in Australia. There is only a limited quantity to choose from here, unless you are prepared to have something shipped from over-seas, which is always going to be a seriously anxiety filled process.
Not sure what my point is other than reminding just how fortunate you are living in the US! end rant!

[GibbyPrague]

Youre right and most of my Gibsons I bought in the USA, but only one played while three I took a shot on after listening to sound samplesa and asking a lot of questions .... so far I hit a home run in each case.

[picassov7]

As an American living abroad you are correct; we are pretty lucky. However, I gotta say that I can't believe you have it that bad 'Down Under'. You should come up here to China where I am. We have all the problems you described having in Australia, plus you have to be very weary of fake product on the market, many shops are not humidity/temp controlled, you have to pay exorbitant prices for accessory stuff (strings, tools, pins, etc.), and it is tough as nails to find a decent/trustworthy tech. And I live in one of the biggest cities in the world

Now with all of that said, I am sure there are many places even worse off than we are here in Shanghai. I look at it this way...helps with the GAS

[wcap]

I think you are correct, but only if you live in an area with some good guitar shops, or if you are willing to purchase by mail.

If you live in a small town or even small city (vs. a larger urban area), or out away from urban areas, there is a good chance that you won't have much of a selection to try out in person.

I understand what you are saying though that even mail order options are a lot worse for you in Australia than for us in the U.S. Indeed, if you are willing to order without playing first, the selection is very good for anyone anywhere in the U.S.

We are indeed very fortunate.

And those of us in Minneapolis have been amazingly fortunate, with The Podium (no longer what it was, but amazing before it closed, and rising out of the ashes again now), Guitar Rodeo (now the new Podium), Willies, and Hoffman guitars all within a few miles of each other. Not to mention places like Guitar Center (which I have yet to go to), Groth Music, and any number of other such stores. Even places like Music Go-Round can have some decent guitars sometimes.

[wcap]

And regarding the anxiety of shipping guitars overseas.....

I bought a guitar by mail from Dave's Guitar Shop in Wisconsin (the adjacent state) and had it shipped. Even though it was only in the mail for a day, and it did not have to travel very far, I was very nervous until it arrived and I opened it up and found that it was in good shape. And if I had wanted to return it it would not have been hard to return it, or it would have only taken a few hours to drive there!

Having a guitar shipped from another continent would indeed be nerve wracking! (And, I imagine, expensive!)

[wcap]

I will say thought that all these different guitar options in the U.S. can be a mixed blessing though. Having so many possibilities to choose from can make the choosing much more difficult. And I think sometimes folks can end up second guessing their decisions too much rather than just settling down with the instrument they bought (which might well be a very nice instrument) and bonding with it and fully enjoying it.

Ironically, in many different aspects of life, having lots and lots of different options to choose from does not necessarily make a person happier!

[Trevor Gore]

Originally Posted by Berny

...Not so here in Australia. There is only a limited quantity to choose from here...

There's plenty of great guitars made in Australia, both steel string and classical. You just don't see them in main street shops! Try looking here or here.

[Silly Moustache]

I recently replied to someone in the Czech Repub. who said that there was little choice there, and that taxes made stuff far more expensive in the EU than in the USA.

I'm in the UK where guitars are plentiful, unless you require something more exotic than the normal stuff, however we do have one of the finest mandolin dealers in Europe, (TAMCO) who also stocks exotic guitars, and the North American guitar company, and a few other dealers who keep some Collings, Santa Cruz, and such.

There were more specialist dealers prior to 2008, but many have gone to the wall or reduced their stocks to the medium level stuff.

Every time I have to pay 20% more plus import duty, and shipping for something from the USA, I remind myself that I don't have to have Health Insurance or live in a city where people shoot guns.

There are, however, some very good British luthiers, and in Australia, there must be a number of excellent luthiers, and that there mare many American mandolin players who would love to own a Stephen Gilchrist mandolin (made in Aus).

Obviously, whilst we obsess about American made guitars (as do I) we will have to pay the prices in duty, taxes and shipping, whereas local luthiers may be the answer.

Is it not possible to obtain a decent Eastman (Beijing) in Shanghai? Maybe they are all shipped to the USA (I waited two years for my one to arrive in the UK).

Originally Posted by Berny

Not so here in Australia. There is only a limited quantity to choose from here, unless you are prepared to have something shipped from over-seas, which is always going to be a seriously anxiety filled process.
Not sure what my point is other than reminding just how fortunate you are living in the US! end rant!

I don't know, I live here and find...

-Nobody in Australia makes less than 20 bucks an hour
-There are plenty of nice guitars for comparable prices (prices are getting better)
-You can close a deal without the threat of being shot or robbed
-If a string breaks and injures your eye, medicare will cover you

I'll stay here thank you, it's a much better place to live.

[hello people]

To answer your question...I am quite luck...quite luck indeed.

Yes I'm wonderful to have at parties

[fceltia63]

Well I just had to!! Here in Canada we are blessed with having great guitar makers. A couple big company's and a lot of smaller makers. All I have to do is take a 1/2 hour drive along a beautiful highway to the next biggest city and there are no less then 10 guitar shops selling all kinds of eye candy. From Larrivee- Simon and Patrick- Godin- Taylor- Cole Clark- Collings- Martin- Breedlove- Santa Cruz- Washburn- Marc Beneteu- Gibson and a whole sh__load more. I can go in and play for an hour or so in a small acoustic room and just enjoy myself with playing some of the best instruments on the planet!! Yep I'm blessed with living where I do and I know it!!

[Berny]

Yes, I have just seen the 'Luck' blunder in the heading. Maybe a moderator will fix it 4 me.

Guys, my intension was not to start a 'this country that country' competition and I'd appreciate it if we could keep the discussion focused on guitars pls, and acoustic in particular.

Yes I could find an, or a couple of Ozy luthiers and somehow do an assessment...... seems all a bit too difficult given the spread of locations.
Yes we do have Eastman here and at quite reasonable prices, and having tried a few I am quite impressed, but on the other hand, I've never seen a Martin or a Gibson [acoustic] here 'in the flesh' in the 50 odd years I've been around. We do have Mayton, [I own one] and the splinter Cole Clark brand, but neither have that really 'full' sound that the top makers seem to produce. And finding that 'old treasure' is like winning the Lotto.

[harindavid]

Well Berny, you should just come and live here in Sri lanka for awhile, maybe then you will realize how blessed you are For example, the only guitars that are sold here is Yamaha, and even those, its only a few models. So count yourself as a lucky one

[acws]

I think I m considered lucky in Singapore. Setup of guitars and modification is probably half an hour away by public transport, much less by car

Guitar shops can be reached in around the same time too in town ..

Only gripe would be that stores here are very brand-specific, as we have exclusive distributors .. Pretty hard to A/B a good range of taylor/martin/gibson in the same store unless it's a used guitar store ..

[Berny]

Originally Posted by harindavid

Well Berny, you should just come and live here in Sri lanka for awhile, maybe then you will realize how blessed you are For example, the only guitars that are sold here is Yamaha, and even those, its only a few models. So count yourself as a lucky one

Hi mate, I've no doubt there are ppl who are 'far worse off' than you too, but my point is; there are far more guitars in America, than there are here in Oz. It's simply a fact that they have a huge range of reasonably [subjective] priced guitars to choose from. I was just as simply making the point that Americans have a way better range of instruments than I do. I'm not whingeing, just making a point!