Which guitar purchase disappointed you the most?

[Goodallboy]

That would be any guitar I bought unplayed.

I’d enjoy seeing if what think is true, that the majority of those posting disappointments did so by not playing first.

[ctvolfan]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

That would be any guitar I bought unplayed.

I’d enjoy seeing if what think is true, that the majority of those posting disappointments did so by not playing first.

My disappointments are all after playing them and still buying them. I over think things and am very indecisive. Sometimes they seem to sound better in the store in the moment when you have cash in hand and already made your mind up that you are walking out with a new guitar because darnit, you want a new guitar that day no matter what! (STUPID) I don't think I really know what I am looking for in the end.

My one time committing to a purchase without playing it first ended up being one of my two most surprisingly good purchases. Go figure!

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

That would be any guitar I bought unplayed.

I’d enjoy seeing if what think is true, that the majority of those posting disappointments did so by not playing first.

Well, it is 2019 - the percentage of purchases that fall into that category greatly outnumber those that don't

So you are saying you've never bought a guitar without playing it first that turned out being very nice? Sorry to hear that!

The closest good store is 100 miles from me - it is Elderly, but even they don't handle many guitars I'd be interested in.

Not going to be traveling much farther than that to audition guitars. Don't have that kind of time these days.

[Larry Mal]

Yeah, it gets old around here. It's 2019, online sales of guitars are a thing, people do that. Let's just move past it already.

I also don't have time to go to store after store and play guitars looking for "the one". I'm a busy person, and experience has shown me that almost all guitars I order online are what I think they will be, and returning or dealing with the very few that are not actually saves me a lot of time over driving all around the city hoping they have the guitars I'm looking for so I can play them.

OK? Can that be the end of it?

[DukeX]

Larrivee SD-40.

The guitar was awesome. I loved the feel, the sound, the looks, everything...except the volume. It was just too loud for my tinnitus, and I had to return it.


If you are looking into a Martin Dss-17 or Taylor 317, try a Larrivee SD-40 as well if you can get your hands on one.

[ChrisE]

I bought my first new guitar in 2008, a laminate Alvarez with built in electronics. It played great, and sounded great, and I played it at church, at weddings, and at gigs.

Then I got bitten by the Taylor/Martin bug and traded in the Alvarez.

A few years later I was in a store and saw a used Alvarez just like the one I had traded. I picked it up and played it for a second. Talk about disappointment--let's just say it didn't sound nearly as good as I remembered mine sounding.

[Rev Roy]

Guitar disappoints? Every Taylor I’ve owned...except my current one. Prior to buying my Grand Pacific I owned five Taylors - 814, 812ce 12-fret, 712e 12-fret, 714ce V-braced and a 214. All of them with wonderful playability and craftsmanship. But I just never could make peace with their bright tone. It got to the point that I was sure I’d never own another Taylor.

Thankfully, at the urging of some guitar buddies I gave the new Grand Pacific a try without Elixirs and finally found a Taylor that to me has it’s well established craftsmanship and playability...but also a warm, round, fatter tone. Thanks, Andy, for building a sweet new Taylor that finally hits my tonal sweet spot.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

I bought my first new guitar in 2008, a laminate Alvarez with built in electronics. It played great, and sounded great, and I played it at church, at weddings, and at gigs.

Then I got bitten by the Taylor/Martin bug and traded in the Alvarez.

A few years later I was in a store and saw a used Alvarez just like the one I had traded. I picked it up and played it for a second. Talk about disappointment--let's just say it didn't sound nearly as good as I remembered mine sounding.

I had a similar thing happen. Happy thinking my Yamaha and A&L Sounded pretty good then after a few months of playing the Martins I hear every fault in those guitars now.

[IndyHD28]

2018 K24ce V-Class

I made the mistake of falling in love with the Koa look—I’m a sucker for highly figured wood. And this guitar is gorgeous. It is well built with many custom-type features. It sounds OK in isolation but is hopelessly midrange dominant compared to the balance of spruce/mahogany and scooped midrange of spruce/rosewood. I’m not anti-Taylor but due to this experience I am now anti-hardwood tops and will only consider spruce topped guitars going forward. BTW, the bracing is a non-factor here.

[ctvolfan]

Originally Posted by IndyHD28

2018 K24ce V-Class

I made the mistake of falling in love with the Koa look—I’m a sucker for highly figured wood. And this guitar is gorgeous. It is well built with many custom-type features. It sounds OK in isolation but is hopelessly midrange dominant compared to the balance of spruce/mahogany and scooped midrange of spruce/rosewood. I’m not anti-Taylor but due to this experience I am now anti-hardwood tops and will only consider spruce topped guitars going forward. BTW, the bracing is a non-factor here.

I wanted a K24 after buying my 224ce-k. I fell in love with that koa sound. I went to my local Taylor dealer and tried a K24 out. I was disappointed in it. I was really surprised. I really thought it would be great like my 224ce-k. They just so happened to have a 224ce-k exactly like mine hanging below the K24. I picked up the 224 and it sounded so much better than that K24 and like 2K cheaper! I no longer want a K24 but it is still the pretties guitar ever in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

That would be any guitar I bought unplayed.

I’d enjoy seeing if what think is true, that the majority of those posting disappointments did so by not playing first.

Dunno how you'd go about quantifying your theory, but even if you could, I bet the results wouldn't be as cut-and-dried as you think. I've only been disappointed with one online purchase (a used Epiphone Casino), but I've sold off several store-bought guitars that for whatever reason ended up not making the cut. The three guitars in my signature were all bought online, and all three are lifers.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Larry Mal

Yeah, it gets old around here. It's 2019, online sales of guitars are a thing, people do that. Let's just move past it already.

I also don't have time to go to store after store and play guitars looking for "the one". I'm a busy person, and experience has shown me that almost all guitars I order online are what I think they will be, and returning or dealing with the very few that are not actually saves me a lot of time over driving all around the city hoping they have the guitars I'm looking for so I can play them.

OK? Can that be the end of it?

It is for me...but then, it always was.

[Mbroady]

For me it would have to be a Martin D-28 that I picked up in 2009, it was a long-distance transaction so I bought it unseen. It sounded unresponsive and dead. After that I picked up my first Furch and haven't looked back since. With that said I have played some amazing D28s since then.

[eyesore]

My Larrivee OMV -03. Real dead horse plugged in or unplugged. Always sounds dull!!

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by Larry Mal

Yeah, it gets old around here. It's 2019, online sales of guitars are a thing, people do that. Let's just move past it already.

I also don't have time to go to store after store and play guitars looking for "the one". I'm a busy person, and experience has shown me that almost all guitars I order online are what I think they will be, and returning or dealing with the very few that are not actually saves me a lot of time over driving all around the city hoping they have the guitars I'm looking for so I can play them.

OK? Can that be the end of it?

We all have different standards and different priorities. We're all probably busy.

You do what works for you. I'm pleased you've been successful.

I maintain buying a guitar unplayed results in disappointment more times than buying after being played. That's pretty simple in concept and open for the simple statement, that someone else thinks buying guitars unplayed is more fool proof than playing them first. If that's so, there's more problems than just guitars, it's moved into the measuring the ability to evaluate a guitar.

My position was formed by choosing a Goodall GC, in person, played against several Collings', Martins and other Goodalls. After that, I bought online, (most on this forum) four other Goodalls. They were all sold very quickly because I was measuring them against one of the best guitars I'd ever played. They just didn't measure up and were quickly sold. Had I played them first, those mistakes would not have been made. Not insignificantly, these were all Goodalls, not a hit-and-miss brand in the opinion of most of us.

My requirements were that the guitars I bought online would be as good as the GC. I suspect my requirements aren't yours or perhaps anyone else's, but that doesn't negate the value of my opinion in 2019. If someone else with a similar goal is helped by it, that's the goal.