Stood in Line To play Several Acoustics...My Experience

[CASD57]

Our GC is open but they are only letting in a few at a time..and only with Mask
Hand sanitizer at the door.
They are doing their best and it's nice to have the Acoustic Room to myself LOL

I wanted to try out several guitars I've had my eyes on..

Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst CW QIT
Very Nice.. Felt good...
I would've like to try out more Seagulls but this is all they had

Alvarez AGE910CEAR Artist Elite Grand Auditorium:
Another Nice one...But I preferred the Seagull over this one.. Too much gloss for me.. and the sound was a little constrained compared to the Seagull

Martin D10e...??? I thought these were supposed to be cannons? this was the quietist guitar of the bunch Tone was fine

Breedlove :
Pursuit Concert with Red Cedar Top ... This is a Cannon compared to the rest
Very Nice.... Tone was very nice and it's loud...I liked it the best of the group...

Organic Collection Signature Concert Cutaway CE:
This one had a great tone..I don't think it's as loud as the Cedar-Topped concert but it had a more complex tone.. Either one would be nice to own...

I tried a used Ovation Elite(Leaf Design) I put it back after one strum...Stage guitar mainly

I mainly wanted to try the Breedlove Organic and Seagull but threw in the Martin..well because it's Martin but it was a real disappointment I'm sure it has a place but not in my house, I like a guitar to sing...
Maybe the Martin had old strings? so I might try another one out soon...

Sorry I didn't check out more but I had a goal and didn't want to bogart the acoustic room

[Dru Edwards]

What a great way to spend post-sheltering months. Do anyone tell you that you only had limited time with the guitars (assuming others were waiting for the acoustic room)?

[_zedagive]

Why am I not surprised that you found that a $500 Breedlove outshines an $800 Martin?

[jricc]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Our GC is open but they are only letting in a few at a time..and only with Mask
Hand sanitizer at the door.
They are doing their best and it's nice to have the Acoustic Room to myself LOL

I wanted to try out several guitars I've had my eyes on..

Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst CW QIT
Very Nice.. Felt good...
I would've like to try out more Seagulls but this is all they had

Alvarez AGE910CEAR Artist Elite Grand Auditorium:
Another Nice one...But I preferred the Seagull over this one.. Too much gloss for me.. and the sound was a little constrained compared to the Seagull

Martin D10e...??? I thought these were supposed to be cannons? this was the quietist guitar of the bunch Tone was fine

Breedlove :
Pursuit Concert with Red Cedar Top ... This is a Cannon compared to the rest
Very Nice.... Tone was very nice and it's loud...I liked it the best of the group...

Organic Collection Signature Concert Cutaway CE:
This one had a great tone..I don't think it's as loud as the Cedar-Topped concert but it had a more complex tone.. Either one would be nice to own...

I tried a used Ovation Elite(Leaf Design) I put it back after one strum...Stage guitar mainly

I mainly wanted to try the Breedlove Organic and Seagull but threw in the Martin..well because it's Martin but it was a real disappointment I'm sure it has a place but not in my house, I like a guitar to sing...
Maybe the Martin had old strings? so I might try another one out soon...

Sorry I didn't check out more but I had a goal and didn't want to bogart the acoustic room

Did you come home with anything? Or are still in the try-out stage?

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by _zedagive

Why am I not surprised that you found that a $500 Breedlove outshines an $800 Martin?

At first I thought you were being snarky LOL then I saw your signature

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by jricc

Did you come home with anything? Or are still in the try-out stage?

Ordered Two...

Breedlove Organic Concert Wildwood

and a Seagull Coastline concert hall Momentum HG I might cancel this one due to the HG..I didn't realize that meant High Gloss, plus it's back-ordered and it looks like Seagull discontinued it anyway Which means I won't get it..So I'll change to another Concert Hall

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

What a great way to spend post-sheltering months. Do anyone tell you that you only had limited time with the guitars (assuming others were waiting for the acoustic room)?

I wasn't told there was a time limit... I just didn't want to make others to wait when I knew I was only trying them out and not buying today..

[tbeltrans]

The GC nearest me has opened up under limited conditions. Along with what the OP listed, this GC has a 15 minute per person limit.

This is just me, I realize, however I am not comfortable knowing that whatever I am doing is holding somebody else up. So if I know there is a line of people waiting to get in the shop, I am simply not comfortable relaxing in the acoustic room trying guitars.

But, then, I don't like waiting in lines. It always seemed silly to me that, when working full time prior to retiring, that I would even consider waiting in line on a Friday or Saturday night to get a table in some restaurant. If I worked all week, I would much rather spend my own time doing something I wanted to do, which certainly didn't include waiting in line on somebody else to finish a meal.

So I figure that if I don't like waiting in line for somebody else to finish up whatever it is I am waiting to do, it is at least possible that some of those waiting in line on me feel similarly? Of course, they are free to not wait in line too if that is how they feel.

Some people actually LIKE waiting in lines. Think of those who camp out overnight in a line to get a ticket to some event, or to get in to some Black Friday sale.

So clearly, we are all different in that regard. That is why, instead of simply saying I wouldn't do that, I explain why and keep it focused on my own preferences rather than making a blanket statement that is supposed to state everybody must feel the same way. I could be the only one who feels this way, and that would be perfectly OK.

Tony

[_zedagive]

Originally Posted by CASD57

At first I thought you were being snarky LOL then I saw your signature

Just a little snarky, but I do believe having Martin on the headstock adds about 20% to the cost. I've owned a D-28 and usually try a few Martins when I'm at GC. Never impressed me.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

The GC nearest me has opened up under limited conditions. Along with what the OP listed, this GC has a 15 minute per person limit.

This is just me, I realize, however I am not comfortable knowing that whatever I am doing is holding somebody else up. So if I know there is a line of people waiting to get in the shop, I am simply not comfortable relaxing in the acoustic room trying guitars.

But, then, I don't like waiting in lines. It always seemed silly to me that, when working full time prior to retiring, that I would even consider waiting in line on a Friday or Saturday night to get a table in some restaurant. If I worked all week, I would much rather spend my own time doing something I wanted to do, which certainly didn't include waiting in line on somebody else to finish a meal.

So I figure that if I don't like waiting in line for somebody else to finish up whatever it is I am waiting to do, it is at least possible that some of those waiting in line on me feel similarly? Of course, they are free to not wait in line too if that is how they feel.

Some people actually LIKE waiting in lines. Think of those who camp out overnight in a line to get a ticket to some event, or to get in to some Black Friday sale.

So clearly, we are all different in that regard. That is why, instead of simply saying I wouldn't do that, I explain why and keep it focused on my own preferences rather than making a blanket statement that is supposed to state everybody must feel the same way. I could be the only one who feels this way, and that would be perfectly OK.

Tony

I agree... I'd been trying to buy a new guitar for a while and just needed to try a couple that interested me.. So I kept it short and sweet...
They're some playing techniques I did to make sure the guitars would fit my style of clumsiness LOL... I didn't need to practice there, just some short riffs..
One guy had his kid with him and didn't have a mask so he was going to have him sit outside on a stool but the GC employee went and found a mask for him... Nice!

Had one guy pull up and ask if Pro's (LOL) could get in ahead of the line...Nope was the answer and the idiot stormed off..
Some people's kids LOL

[jricc]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Ordered Two...

Breedlove Organic Concert Wildwood

and a Seagull Coastline concert hall Momentum HG I might cancel this one due to the HG..I didn't realize that meant High Gloss, plus it's back-ordered and it looks like Seagull discontinued it anyway Which means I won't get it..So I'll change to another Concert Hall

Cool! I like the organic Breedlove series, I'm just not sure I could get on with the funky headstock. They do sound nice, though...
Let us know when u receive!

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by CASD57

I agree... I'd been trying to buy a new guitar for a while and just needed to try a couple that interested me.. So I kept it short and sweet...
They're some playing techniques I did to make sure the guitars would fit my style of clumsiness LOL... I didn't need to practice there, just some short riffs..
One guy had his kid with him and didn't have a mask so he was going to have him sit outside on a stool but the GC employee went and found a mask for him... Nice!

Had one guy pull up and ask if Pro's (LOL) could get in ahead of the line...Nope was the answer and the idiot stormed off..
Some people's kids LOL

It is rather difficult to really get to know a guitar with just some playing time in a guitar store, but at least you know if it is something you want to take home. There seem to be many variables that affect the playability of the guitar.

In the carbon fiber sub-forum, I posted about making adjustments to my McPherson Sable. It seemed quite playable in the store, and when I measured it in various ways, comparing it to my 2019 Taylor K14ce Builder's Edition, they were identical in every respect.

What I was looking for was the ability to easily fret at the first fret while having my other fingers free to actively fret other notes. If the nut slots are not deep enough and/or the saddle a bit too high, that can be quite difficult even if the overall feel of the guitar is quite good.

Factory built guitars probably are set up to straddle the needs of both fingerstyle and strummer players, so the string height can be adjusted down a fair amount at both the nut and saddle to make the guitar extremely playable.

I purchased appropriate tools from StewMac and did the work myself. My Sable plays even easier than my Taylor and is ideal for the type of music I like to play.

All that said, I think when we look at a guitar to purchase, we might need to look at it both from the standpoint of how suitable it is now, but also for its potential after some minor adjustments to tweak it for our own unique playing needs. Sometimes, doing both might cause us to keep the guitar rather than looking for something more suitable later on.

Tony

[rllink]

Originally Posted by CASD57

I agree... I'd been trying to buy a new guitar for a while and just needed to try a couple that interested me.. So I kept it short and sweet...
They're some playing techniques I did to make sure the guitars would fit my style of clumsiness LOL... I didn't need to practice there, just some short riffs..
One guy had his kid with him and didn't have a mask so he was going to have him sit outside on a stool but the GC employee went and found a mask for him... Nice!

Had one guy pull up and ask if Pro's (LOL) could get in ahead of the line...Nope was the answer and the idiot stormed off..
Some people's kids LOL

Masks aside, were they cleaning the instruments after people fingered them and then put them back? I wonder about that with music stores. Question though, why did you have to order them? If they have instruments out for people to play, don't they have them in stock so that you can buy one if you like it, or do you have to buy the one everybody and their sister has been playing around with? Honestly, I've been in Guitar Center maybe twice and I didn't buy anything. Fact is, I didn't even try anything, I just looked.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by rllink

Masks aside, were they cleaning the instruments after people fingered them and then put them back? I wonder about that with music stores. Question though, why did you have to order them? If they have instruments out for people to play, don't they have them in stock so that you can buy one if you like it, or do you have to buy the one everybody and their sister has been playing around with? Honestly, I've been in Guitar Center maybe twice and I didn't buy anything. Fact is, I didn't even try anything, I just looked.

They didn't have the exact models I wanted...
Breedlove I wanted a Wildwood Concert
Seagull I wanted a Concert Hall model

They said they did..Clean them but I didn't see anyone waiting to clean after me..but I did use the santizer on the way out....and then again in my truck.where I have more

[Goodallboy]

I’ve never played a guitar in our local GC that I’d stand in line to play.

Have yet to play a Breedlove that interested me. Perhaps I haven’t played their top of the line guitars.