Have you purchased a guitar (without trying it first) just for the brand?

[seannx]

I’ve done that twice, for my Strandberg electric and Emerald X20. In both cases there were no local dealers or places where I could try one. Thorough due diligence reading reviews and watching videos gave me confidence to take the chance, and I’m very satisfied with both instruments.

[Ludere]

Originally Posted by islandguitar

”... Yes, of course! Have not been disappointed....ever, with my choices. I tend to kind of research "whole hog" once I get in place with a possible purchase, exploring all info on line, video and reviews.......reaching out for thoughts/reactions from others, review of AGF and many other sites for past posts and info and builders web sites... “

This is also my approach ... but rather than base my “target” instrument on the brand, I base it on what it is I want the guitar to do well, and then stay within the confines of known brands/makers.
Also, not quite “sight unseen” as I definitely need to see pics and hear sound clips whenever possible... shallow as it may be, the look of a guitar is important to me as well.

And to the OP’s original question, yes I have purchased a number of guitars without playing them first. More often than not these days.

~ Paul

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Have you ever purchased a guitar without trying it first just for the brand / name on headstock?

A few years ago I wanted a Martin. I just thought it would be cool to have one given their history and fame. I ordered an inexpensive Martin online and I'm very happy with it...

I bought it strictly because I wanted a Martin, without even knowing much about them (sound, feel, etc...)

I guess it's like anything else that we may collect.

What are your experiences with this?

I bought a Taylor 4xx series 2nd hand without playing it enough because it's a Taylor. Thankfully I was able to sell it for pretty much what I paid for it and it taught me a good lesson to take the guitar at face value and not kid myself that it will get better over time.

Next time I bought a Taylor GS-8 2nd hand and spent about 15 minutes playing it first to confirm that it was what I hoped it would be. It was an ebay purchase and the seller was reasonably patient. While I no longer have the GS-8, it was a great guitar and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

[EllenGtrGrl]

Yes, I have bought guitars online, without playing them, due to them not being available, to try out in my neck of the woods. It's been a mixed bag. The Gibson J-35s, and the Fender Classic Player Jaguars worked out fine, but 3 of the most recent I bought online, not so much:

1. The PRS SE Seven - I've played 7-string electrics off and on, since 2008. I liked the fact that PRS was making one, and it wasn't of the typical boring Superstrat variety, that most of them are. I tried to get info about the SE Seven's neck profile (I didn't want a 7-string with the mega thin, "shades of an Ibanez Wizard" neck, that many 7-strings have), but the neck info wasn't very clear. I took a gamble, and bought the guitar anyway. It was a flop for me - the neck turned out to be too thin for my tastes, and after spending a couple of months of playing time with it, to try to get used to it, I got rid of it. To add insult to injury, I'd spent almost $400 on a refret job to get rid of its nickel alloy frets (I'm allergic to nickel).

2. Martin DSS-17 - I like slope shouldered 'dreads, and I thought it would be cool to have a Martin slope shouldered 'dread. I hoped the 1.75" nut width would compensate enough for the relatively thin MLO necks Martins have. It just didn't happen. After 3 months of ownership, where I felt like I was fighting the DSS-17, every time I played it, it went bye-bye. Luckily, after getting burned by the added cost of a refret job on the PRS SE Seven, I'd held off on getting a refret job (I can still play guitars with nickel alloy frets - I just have to limit my playing time, to once a day, for only a half hour or so), till I knew for certain that I would hang onto the DSS-17.

3. Waterloo WL12-Mh - I wanted an all hog, 12-fret, 00 sized guitar. I'd seen a few YouTube videos of the WL12-Mh in action, and it sounded very good to me, so I took the plunge and bought one on Reverb, from a guitar shop, at a great price. It had a great neck, but I found out to my chagrin, that it just didn't suit my playing style at all. It sounded best for fingerpicking, or flat picking with a light touch, and as a result, with my playing style (flat picking with the rounded corner of the pick), the WL12-Mh had a tendency to sound blurry, and compressed. So, after about 2 plus months of ownership, I got rid of it. Luckily, like the Martin DSS-17, I'd held off with getting the Waterloo refretted, until I knew for sure that it was a keeper.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Have you ever purchased a guitar without trying it first just for the brand / name on headstock?

A few years ago I wanted a Martin. I just thought it would be cool to have one given their history and fame. I ordered an inexpensive Martin online and I'm very happy with it...

I bought it strictly because I wanted a Martin, without even knowing much about them (sound, feel, etc...)

I guess it's like anything else that we may collect.

What are your experiences with this?

I have a sort of Ovation brand loyalty and I've bought some of them just because they're Ovation.

[Shadowfox]

I bought my custom Furch that way.

I played a number of Furch's that the dealer had, and everyone was amazing. A telling sign is when you play a wood combo you don't like, and think it's good, you know the brand will be a safe bet.

For instance, I'm not a huge Hog guy, but the hog Furch's were incredible. The same thing with Walnut, I just don't jive with it, but the Furch's I played that had it were better than almost anything I had played at Chicago Music Exchange a few hours earlier.

So I knew I was taking a gamble ordering my guitar, but I love the cocobolo (Am definitely a rosewood guy), and the Euro top is a killer addition imho.

So if you can play a great number of guitars from one maker in different sizes and wood combos and generally like all of them, go ahead!

Then the fun of string experimenting happens. I got my guitar and liked it, but didn't love it. But then put some 80/20 strings on it and holy cow!

[Skarsaune]

Similar to other posters, not only because of the brand, but the brand did give me confidence in the purchase.

Voyage Air - you don’t see them in stores, had to order it. Good guitar that happens to have a hinge in the middle. Still here.

Gibson J-15 - couldn’t find one within several hours drive. Found one on AGF at a price that I could recoup my money if it didn’t work out. It’s still here.

Martin D-18VS - they only made about 800 of them. I’d never seen one in person. Another AGF purchase, and it’s still here as well.

[fartamis]

I have never bought a guitar that I have not tried, each guitar of the same model may sound slightly different. I also love seeing the guitar in person to check the finish and wood grain.

[Jim in TC]

Only way to purchase a new Emerald is from the makers (am in the US, they in Ireland). I took delivery of their small X7 about a month ago, and could not be more pleased. But not just because it is Emerald: I was able to special order a custom nut width, the only guitar maker using carbon fiber that offers that option (that I have found, anyway). It made me a bit nervous, but almost everyone loves their Emerald so I was encouraged.

[KevWind]

I always preferred to play first BUT
I have done it twice.
A number of years back I purchased a Breedlove Phoenix Masterclass that was heavily discounted because a finish blemish .

And just this year in March a limited edition Fender Telecaster
Both have worked out well

[mawmow]

Well, I did so while there were no dealer of the brand closer than 300 km (200 mi.) from my home :
It was a Martin D-35, that I got imported from U.S.A. The guitar was great at a good deal of a price !

More recently, a rare Guild F-30 Aragon with a 1 3/4" nut width.
It was a great deal as the lacquer finish was checkered, but the guitar sounds great anyway.

I rarely import anymore as I moved and now benefit from three nearby great brick and mortar dealers and clearly prefer to try...
I did not buy the last three I tried...

But I threw an eye at three or four interesting models this week, and none is available nearby...

[David Shichman]

Kinda... Not an acoustic, but I bought a Ibanez Artcore recently because I had heard amazing things about it, it was beautiful (looks amazing on my wall, as if I bought it as art), and was a great deal. I'm really happy with it for the price i paid especially. But for something expensive, naaa I'd have to try it.

[EllenGtrGrl]

Originally Posted by Skarsaune

Similar to other posters, not only because of the brand, but the brand did give me confidence in the purchase.

Voyage Air - you don’t see them in stores, had to order it. Good guitar that happens to have a hinge in the middle. Still here.

Gibson J-15 - couldn’t find one within several hours drive. Found one on AGF at a price that I could recoup my money if it didn’t work out. It’s still here.

Martin D-18VS - they only made about 800 of them. I’d never seen one in person. Another AGF purchase, and it’s still here as well.

Lucky you with the J-15! I had one of the first year J-15s from several months, shortly after I joined the AGF. It was a great guitar, but it was also the guitar that made me realize, that after decades of playing Gibsons, and dealing with/putting up with their necks, that I just didn't care for the Gibson Slim Taper neck profile, that so many Gibsons have (including the J-15). It's too bad, in many ways my J-15 sounded better to me, than the J-35s (which have nice and chunky necks) I used to have, and hung onto for much longer periods of time (I sold the first J-35 because I was broke, and needed the money, and the second J-35 was traded towards a 12-string, that I desperately needed for the church band I play in [I didn't have the money to outright buy a decent 12-string at the time]).

[Racerbob]

Dispite living in one of the best areas for shops with some of the amazing inventories of builders, I had never encountered a Froggy Bottom in person. So when a very attractive priced P12 appeared in the classifieds I took a chance figuring I wouldn't lose much if any if i didn't want to keep it.

That led to an H12 I love and recovery of my cost on the P12 to another member who loves it but also had no previous in person experience with Froggys.

Some times it's the only way

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Have you ever purchased a guitar without trying it first just for the brand/name on headstock?...What are your experiences with this?

Done a fair number like this over the last 20 years (mostly electrics, mostly low- to mid-price), and with one notable exception - an Epiphone Ultra 339 that sounds great but has a thick, cheeky hard-D neck that must have been designed around the hand anatomy of a chimpanzee - I've been quite successful; trick here is to do your homework as certain models, even within well-respected makers' lines, can be less - or more (Gretsch and Godin come quickly to mind) - than their brand/position would lead you to believe. By the same token I'd never buy a high-end item (other than one built to order) without an extensive test-drive session, preferably with an A/B against an identical one if possible; thanks to the near-universal adoption of as-thin-as-possible kiln-dried woods I've found too much variation in modern factory-produced instruments, on too many points (tone, playability, potential for structural issues, general QC), to take the plunge sight unseen/unheard...