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#31
02-12-2019, 09:28 PM
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I do know immediately whether I want the guitar and will do whatever it takes to get comfortable with it. But to get to the point where I feel that the guitar is entirely mine, and more or less is a companion that fits me perfectly has sometimes taken me a very long time. Six years ago, I bought a Collings CJ35 that I knew immediately I wanted, but also knew the neck and the nut width certainly weren't ideal for me. It took about five years to get to the point that I reached for it all the time. Three years with an OM, just over a year with a slope dread to get to that point, and I'm still waiting with a Dread I bought six months ago.
The exception? A Collings OM2G short scale I bought seven years ago that has been my best friend from the first moment I played it. In all these cases the marriage was about the combination of owning the tone and developing physical comfort. But I loved the tone of each from the beginning. I'd never expect to get comfortable with a sound that didn't move me initially. 
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#32
02-12-2019, 10:07 PM
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First strum usually.
However, I need to gig it to really know if it's going to work for me as a tool. I can love how a guitar sounds on its own, but wether I like how it fits with my voice and what kind of amplified tone I can get with it on a gig is the real deciding factor.
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Current: 1952 Gibson J-45 - Schatten HFN passive / Fishman Matrix Infinity 1983 Washburn Timber Ridge Custom - Fishman Onboard Prefix Premium Blend & - Schatten HFN passive 2016 Gibson J-45 Standard - Fishman Onboard Prefix Premium Blend & - Schatten HFN passive backup Tonedexter & Sunnaudio Stage DI 1990 Yamaha FS-310 Past: 1995 Martin D-28 2015 Eastman E10SS
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#33
02-12-2019, 10:11 PM
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I feel like I know pretty quick once I get it home. It's tough to have a true test in a guitar shop, even in an isolated room. There are so many variables that make a difference in what you hear. You can pick a 'best of the bunch' from a store. But you can't compare one from a store to your baby at home without playing them both in the same conditions. I'd say within an hour or so of playing, I pretty much know if a guitar is a keeper or not.
After further thought, there is one exception. If the strings need to be changed then I need to change them and then play it for a week or so to work the new string sound out. But all things equal, I think it's pretty instantaneous for me.
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1963 Martin F-65 Electric Hollowbody 1992 Guild D4NT 2002 Gibson Advanced Jumbo My YouTube Grooves
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#34
02-13-2019, 07:48 AM
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Quote:
Especially if it’s been shipped to you and it’s either grow to like it or deal with the hassle of returning it. More guitars have been accepted due to that than the owners will admit. You can find them eventually in the Classifieds. I know within one or two chords if a guitar is exceptional or pedestrian. I don’t want one I have to learn to accept.
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McCollum Grand Auditorum Euro Spruce/Brazilian PRS Hollowbody Spruce PRS SC58 Giffin Vikta Gibson Custom Shop ES 335 '59 Historic RI ‘91 Les Paul Standard ‘52 AVRI Tele - Richie Baxt build Fender American Deluxe Tele Fender Fat Strat
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#35
02-13-2019, 07:55 AM
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I bought a Taylor 714ce at the end of 2017. I had buyer's remorse for months. I don't know if I have just gotten used to it or maybe it has opened up or maybe it is the strings I have finally settled on or maybe it was the fact that my other two Taylors had a 1 11/16 nut and the 714 has a 1 2/4 nut and that threw me off but I now find myself playing the 714 90% of the time over my other two Taylors. I also installed a Tonewood Amp on my 714 early last year and that really made it more appealing for me to play so maybe that helped me get a better feel for the guitar and I am used to it now. That is just my experience and may not relate to what you are going through.
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#36
02-13-2019, 10:09 AM
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I think that today's ability to effortlessly buy and sell an unlimited selection of guitars sometimes makes it too easy to move on to others before really getting to know the ones we have. I've been pleasantly surprised by a couple of guitars that didn't initially grab me, but over time revealed their charms.
But when you say that you have to force yourself to play it and then want to put it down after ten minutes, that's a pretty strong indicator that it's time to move on.
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#37
02-13-2019, 10:40 AM
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please identify why not? too loud? too quiet? too much in the overtones? too little overtones? hands hurt? fingers hurt? can't barre properly?
more detail, please. play music!
__________________
2014 Martin 00015M 2009 Martin 0015M 2008 Martin HD28 2007 Martin 000-18GE 2006 Taylor 712 2006 Fender Parlor GDP100 1978 Fender F65 1968 Gibson B25-12N Various Electrics
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#38
02-13-2019, 11:13 AM
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Quote:
Here's the thing (for me anyway); I have bought precisely one guitar online (a MIM Stratocaster about 10 years ago) and I immediately regretted it because it just didn't ring my bell in person AT ALL. It LOOKED beautiful in the photos and was nice enough to see it and had no major flaws really, but playing it was not a great experience from the git-go. Fortunately, I was able to sell it for a relatively small loss to a woman who was buying it for her 13yo son to learn on so I felt better about losing money at all on the whole foolish transaction. When I thought about it, I remembered all the guitars I had played over the decades and was underwhelmed about before finding the ones I have now, and that seems to me to be an excellent reason not to buy one you've never played. I don't care how beautiful it is, or how epic your GAS pains may be, the disappointment after getting such a guitar shipped to you and finding it is not your thing is just worse than suffering through the temporary GAS for free. All, of course, IMHO.
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Yamaha FG365s (1978) Martin 000-28 Taylor 814ce Taylor 458e Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Washburn Timeless Series Celtic Mandolin  Boss DR-01S Rhythm Partner Boss RC-30 Loop Station Fishman Loudbox Mini Shubb capos Bunch of boutique picks (cheap GAS cure)
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#39
02-13-2019, 11:16 AM
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For me? Give me about 2 minutes.
If you are couch musician, give it a couple of weeks. If you gig, wait until you play in at least 2-3 different rooms through different PA systems before you sell it.
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#40
02-13-2019, 01:58 PM
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Quote:
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#42
02-13-2019, 03:07 PM
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I wonder how many thousands of outstanding guitars get passed up because they are sitting in guitar stores or being sold online and have not been properly humidified, were not set up properly or had old strings? The tone of most guitars can be improved by checking out these details and correcting them if necessary.
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#43
02-13-2019, 03:15 PM
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Quote:
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#45
02-13-2019, 04:22 PM
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I always took a long time (IMO) like weeks to months to bond with my guitars. Often it was more the way the initial setup was, so once I had them set up to my specs it made a huge difference. Also switching between the "new" guitar and others you have sitting around at home can be very detrimental to the bonding process. Try to play it exclusively and stop comparing to others.
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