It's official: I have a problem. I went cross-country to try guitars and bought one!

[Kh1967]

FWIW, if you are at the shop I think you are at, the owner is one of the most decent, honest, and wonderful people you will find in the business.

If you have found the one that speaks to you, talk with them about having their local repair person take a look? Maybe it is something that can be addressed before shipping the guitar to you?

[Aimelie]

Ack! The tension is palpable in this thread.

I’m looking forward to whatever decision LakewoodM32Fan makes (plus, photos! ).

[Dru Edwards]

Good luck with your visit today. The store should be able to assess the guitar and address your concerns. They will hear the same buzzing you are hearing so they will want to fix the issue prior to selling it to anyone.

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

Duly noted, Brendan, I'll correct my original post to strike out the quickly part. I certainly didn't mean to imply any rashness in your decisions.

One of the reasons I'm even considering this (had someone asked me of the likelihood of me being in this position 48 hours ago I would have laughed heartily) is something I posted either in this or another thread. There is no more "fat" to trim from my arsenal. Nothing in there displeases me in any way, unlike when I moved some Taylors and Martins. But I also realize that with on-site work starting back up for me, and some other changes coming up in my personal life (for the positive) I quite simply will not be able to give the attention to this many great guitars that they deserve. As Duff in this forum has in his signature, I will be a "polisher" to many of my guitars rather than a "player" and that's just not acceptable for these fine instruments that need to be played. Better to trim down to perhaps 3-4 possible "lifers" that cover a broad tonal palette (right now it would be the TD-R for the boomy bass cannon, one OM for the body size comfort, the Taylor Custom for the unique tonal quality of cedar over cocobolo, and this possible "lifer" I'm looking at).

To be frank, though I'd love to keep doing this "travel cross country to try out great guitars" every few years, I'm likely not going to be able to due to those upcoming life changes. This may be my last hurrah for something this, let's just call it what it is, crazy indulgent. While these high-dollar guitars will continue to be made in small amounts, the chances of me actually getting hands-on experience with them prior to buying will be extremely low in the future, and unless financial fortune truly smiles on me, I'll never be in a place where I'd consider spending this kind of money without getting my hands on the instrument first.

I go back to the shop tomorrow (today/Sunday) and still have Monday to return again if I'm still not certain. I won't rush into it, there's a few other guitars in the shop I want to try out as well, including a wood I've never heard of but looks like nothing I've ever seen (I'll post it here once I update the thread with pics once I return home).

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! (though my wallet will probably not agree)

Let me clear up some things that may be causing a little confusion, because I want to keep this thread positive because, quite frankly, I've had nothing but an awesome time while I've been here.

1. The shop owner has been nothing but friendly, helpful, straightforward and communicative leading up to my visit. He unfortunately couldn't be there yesterday for an extremely good reason (family related) but he let me know well in advance and so I knew that going in. The person who did help me was also extremely helpful, knowledgeable, etc. and answered all of my questions. The owner will be there today so obviously we'll go over both the used guitar with the (possible) first fret dressing issue, and obviously to talk about guitars in general as well as my "dream guitar that costs as much as a car". Maybe if I end up buying it, in the spirit of the "do you name your guitars" thread I'll call it "Honda".

2. The dream guitar and the (possible) fret issue guitar are two different guitars.

2a. The dream guitar is new, set up perfectly to my play style straight from the factory, has a neck I'm very familiar with and in all my trials of guitars, the neck I get along with most, and is the one that would immediately replace 3 beloved current guitars (as I spelled out in an earlier post).

2b. The (possible) fret issue guitar is a used, but visually near-mint guitar that shares many commonalities in tone with the the dream guitar. It's a little bit more bass focused whereas the dream is as close to "even across the tonal spectrum" as I've come across. If the fret buzz on the bass strings while open wasn't a thing, and if I'd never heard the dream guitar, chances are I'd already be posting pictures of my trip and this guitar as they'd be prepping it for shipping as I type. But alas, that issue revealed itself which, without it, I'd never have heard/played the dream guitar. So for those who believe that "fate sometimes intervenes in odd ways"...

And finally, an acknowledgement which I've said many times and will reiterate now: my skill doesn't justify either of these guitars. Heck, it doesn't justify any of the guitars I currently own outside of my Lakewood (and that's probably debatable). I do play for friends and family. But I primarily play for myself because it makes me happy. Learning new songs, improving technique, learning music theory, all things that give me an hour or so of happiness in an otherwise hectic work day. I realized last night sitting in this hotel room how much I missed having a guitar within arms' reach.

I will also freely admit that while the overwhelming majority of the joy I get from my playing is from the tone and feel of the guitar, and the sound I'm able to create and hear back in my room, there's a small but not insignificant portion that also appreciates the instruments' beauty, fit and finish, and yes, uniqueness. Most of my guitars outside of the Taylor (which hides some beautiful figuring with a too-dark stain, one of my only complaints of that guitar) have very straight-grained EIR back and sides. All of these guitars I'm auditioning have beautifully figured backs and sides, that's the common theme of this road trip, I just realized.

Both of these guitars will tick off all of those other (non-aesthetic) boxes as well. But the dream guitar just ticks off a little bit more, with the more even tonal spectrum and the more comfortable, for me, neck and slightly shorter scale. It's not a short scale, but my hands can tell and appreciate the difference.

[CarolD]

If you have fallen that hard for the guitar you’ve described, I say get it, since you have others you can sell to make up some of the cost. Why not have just one spectacular guitar that brings you so much joy?

[hifivic]

Why so secretive about the shop? Did you see my comment above that the first fret appears to be higher which would explain the buzzing issue?

[Mr. Paul]

Originally Posted by hifivic

Why so secretive about the shop? Did you see my comment above that the first fret appears to be higher which would explain the buzzing issue?

Not at all uncommon for a forum member to swoop in and buy a guitar that someone posts about, particularly if the OP days they really like the guitar and are considering purchase.

[Scolaguitar]

If you can make it happen, sounds to me like it’s meant to be. Add me to the list of anxiously waiting to hear the outcome.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! (though my wallet will probably not agree)

<<snippet>>
And finally, an acknowledgement which I've said many times and will reiterate now: my skill doesn't justify either of these guitars. Heck, it doesn't justify any of the guitars I currently own outside of my Lakewood (and that's probably debatable). I do play for friends and family. But I primarily play for myself because it makes me happy. Learning new songs, improving technique, learning music theory, all things that give me an hour or so of happiness in an otherwise hectic work day. I realized last night sitting in this hotel room how much I missed having a guitar within arms' reach.
<<snippet>>

Fortunately, no one here on the AGF believes that one's skill level correlates to the price of a guitar that one should buy.

[KevinH]

Reading between the lines of your posts above, it sure sounds like, if you don't buy the one that really caught your eye and ear, you'll be one of the people responding to the ubiquitous posts on "the guitar you wish you'd bought". Given that you won't be able to make these guitar adventure trips in the future, and the cost could be made up by selling a couple existing guitars, I say go for it. And, if for some odd reason, it doesn't work out in the end, you can always reverse it (with a little loss), right?

[brencat]

Selling a big ticket guitar that costs as much as a new Honda (20k+) is not the same as selling 3 guitars for 5k each. Something like that might need to be consigned rather than sold on AGF, as the eventual buyer would probably want to play it first given the price point. One only has to look at how difficult it was for several sellers of those SCGC 1934 OMs in the past year: 12 - 14k asking prices because of the name “Santa Cruz” on the headstock, while countless alternatives exist at 1/3 to 1/2 the price.

We all have different criteria, but one rule I’ve always operated by and has served me well is “never get into a roach motel guitar” which I define as one that is difficult to resell without a massive markdown in price.

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by brencat

Selling a big ticket guitar that costs as much as a new Honda (20k+) is not the same as selling 3 guitars for 5k each. Something like that might need to be consigned rather than sold on AGF...

That's a good point. I would imagine the OP has asked about a return policy. That would limit losses to shipping costs.

[CopyCat]

Excellent points, Brencat.

It’s an issue that goes beyond the return time frame and it’s wise to be sober about it.

[hifivic]

Originally Posted by Mr. Paul

Not at all uncommon for a forum member to swoop in and buy a guitar that someone posts about, particularly if the OP days they really like the guitar and are considering purchase.

Not to doubt your word but really? Has it ever happened?

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Wise words, Brendan and I know better than to never say never (especially in terms of moving guitars on). What I can say is that resale has never factored in to my purchasing decision. Maybe I’m naive in that, but every guitar I’ve purchased has to have moved me in some way. And over time with changing tastes and skill improvement, I may have moved away from what I used to love about an instrument. If I end up moving it on, I do try to “get what I can” for it but I’ve never regretted a decision because of difficulty reselling something.

I will say this. If I ever get to the point where I need to move this guitar on, either something extremely positive has happened in my life or something extremely negative. Either way the ability to resell this guitar isn’t going to be the make/break point.

Going out to dinner with family, I have more to post later. Much more. But for those who were guessing, here’s the 411 on the shop. And yes the fact that I’m posting this means the deal has been done. To answer hifivic, two of the 9 guitars I was interested in trying out were sold in the week leading up to this. I wasn’t taking any chances on letting the cat out of the bag.



And for those who guessed right and talked about how wonderful of a person Steve is, you are 1000% correct. This was one of the easiest purchasing decisions I’ve ever made.