Rolling the dice ordering guitars on line

[kcnbys]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

I called them, but they didn't have the E10M. The guy said he sold one last week? Thanks.

For whatever it's worth - I was in Atlanta a couple weeks ago and went to Atlanta's best guitar shop, Maple Street Guitars. I actually played an E1OM that they had in stock, and the guitar absolutely blew me away. They also had an E20OM, and the E1OM sounded better - the clerk helping me felt the same way. Fit and finish was fabulous, as well. I'd recommend that guitar to anyone.

[Kitkatjoe]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

Just curious how people feel about ordering guitars on line without playing them first. For me I thought I would never do it especially after playing upper end acoustic guitars in the big box stores finding so many what I would call duds, and knowing full well they couldn't/didn't represent the brand accurately at all.

Now, living in the San Diego (large city) area and just looking for an Eastman E1OM 500 buck guitar, and finding that no one (that I could find) carries them. So now I have to order on line and have a few questions from others who have been through this, and what to look out for.

Are some on line dealers better than others etc? Did you keep calling around to find a dealer that had several on hand, and could you ask them to play and choose the best one? Have them personally check the neck/intonation and send you a pic of the one you are buying? This seems to be a bit of a project. Thanks.

I have had a perfect experience in buying on reverb, with a purchases of over 20. EBay went south on me, and I will never spend a dime with them again. My shipping address was changed within their servers so items I purchased never arrived. They were sent to another state to an address where I don't live. I never recovered a cent from eBay but lost several hundred dollars. If that had been a Martin d 18 well you get the picture. So much for buyer protection. 😲

[Ncbandit]

I have bought 14 guitars online over the last 2 years and this is what I have learned:

-Just because it is listed as new doesn't mean it is in pristine condition. If I can find their phone # I call them to get specifics like, how long have they had it, and is it hanging out as a demo. If so, are there any pick marks,or blemishes of any kind. I make sure they know I am expecting a perfect guitar.

-get the serial # if not already available in the description so you can verify the manufacturing date. I was looking at 1 guitar listed as a 2019 when it was actually a 2018.

- Do a Reverb search for the model you are looking for and save it so you get notifications of new listings. Most new guitars just listed are most likely recently received by the dealer.

[gibpicker]

Thanks to all that posted as you have been very helpful! I am going to call "Guitars San Diego" to see if they can get one in for me to try. Otherwise I will have to order on line.

[jpricewood]

I’ve purchased all of my Eastmans from Reverb, and I’ve only sold one that didn’t meet my expectations.

Something I do when buying online is use PayPal credit, specifically their no interest for six months option. Doing so allows me to try everything out without having to use my own cash. Once I decide to keep it, I pay it off.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

Thanks to all that posted as you have been very helpful! I am going to call "Guitars San Diego" to see if they can get one in for me to try. Otherwise I will have to order on line.

Smart move. If we stop using brick-and-mortar guitar shops, pretty soon we won't have any left. That would be a huge loss, as far as I'm concerned.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

Smart move. If we stop using brick-and-mortar guitar shops, pretty soon we won't have any left. That would be a huge loss, as far as I'm concerned.

The problem is the B&Ms near me will barely budge on price. If they were at least competitive I'd buy from them. The best price I could get on a D18 from three stores near me was $2200.

[wrightwrjr]

There is a family owned store here where I live and they will match any online price, so I always purchase from them. I would even if I had to pay a little more because it is worth it to me to support them. I like dealing with people I know.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

LA Guitar Sales has several E10OM guitars in their store. Their phone number is: (310) 246-1933; ask for Ted.

According to Google it's a little over 3-hour drive from San Diego to LA, so it's a driveable distance. I have driven as much as 5 hours each way to try out a guitar.

I have bought four guitars from LA Guitar Sales, all perfectly packaged and arrived to me in perfect condition up in Washington State.

- Glenn

+1 for Ted at LA Guitar Sales.

I've purchased several Eastman guitars from them, and each buying experience has been great. Ted has always been happy to answer my questions, inspect and play the specific guitar I'm looking at, and provide his honest feedback. He's quite knowledgeable, and his insight has helped me purchase with confidence (and avoid surprises).

Nearly all of my other guitar purchases have been made online, as well (over two dozen guitars). I've only had one issue during that time, and that was a guitar that was damaged in-transit and did not match the advertised condition. I filed a claim with Reverb, who took care of it for me.

I think that buying online can depend on the guitar brand and model. Eastman guitars are incredibly consistent in build quality and voicing (despite being handcrafted), so I think your risk is low with ordering online. But give Ted a call and discuss it with him.

[gibpicker]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

+1 for Ted at LA Guitar Sales.

I've purchased several Eastman guitars from them, and each buying experience has been great. Ted has always been happy to answer my questions, inspect and play the specific guitar I'm looking at, and provide his honest feedback. He's quite knowledgeable, and his insight has helped me purchase with confidence (and avoid surprises).

Nearly all of my other guitar purchases have been made online, as well (over two dozen guitars). I've only had one issue during that time, and that was a guitar that was damaged in-transit and did not match the advertised condition. I filed a claim with Reverb, who took care of it for me.

I think that buying online can depend on the guitar brand and model. Eastman guitars are incredibly consistent in build quality and voicing (despite being handcrafted), so I think your risk is low with ordering online. But give Ted a call and discuss it with him.

I'm looking for an E1OM. They don't have one in stock.

[wrightwrjr]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

The problem is the B&Ms near me will barely budge on price. If they were at least competitive I'd buy from them. The best price I could get on a D18 from three stores near me was $2200.

And what do you think that guitar should cost?

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

I'm looking for an E1OM. They don't have one in stock.

It may still be worth a call to see when he's getting one back in stock, as well as discussing how this guitar's sound matches your needs. Good luck!

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by wrightwrjr

And what do you think that guitar should cost?

You can get D-18 from a Forum sponsor for just south of $1900, which includes shipping

[ziapack]

I have bought 3 guitars online and was happy with one of the purchases. For myself, I won't do it again. Sound and feel are too subjective for someone to describe to you, and I think people tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. Returns are not for me as well, the hassle of dealing with the shipping is not worth my time. If I have a guitar interest that I cannot get locally, I plan a long weekend and travel. Gives me an excuse to visit, explore, camp, do what ever I can dream up, and check out a cool guitar while I am at it. I'm not willing to gamble on the roll of the dice. I find more often than not, that what I think I want, and what I actually like, are two very different things.

[brencat]

I've bought lots of guitars long distance. The key is to do it smartly. I choose dealers that will gladly send me sound samples, and in the case of having multiple examples of the same model in stock, will play them and give me their subjective opinion/ranking so we can zero in on the best fit.

Ideally, I'd love to buy in person, and in fact two of my current guitars -- my D-28 Marquis and Bourgeois JOMT Vintage, were purchased that way, and likely would not have been bought without trying first, especially the Bourgeois with their reputation for thin necks (which I intensely dislike!). But based on my history there is no guarantee they will remain as keepers any longer than any other guitar bought long distance that I've loved. Free time is also at a premium in my life, with work and family responsibilities, such that a road trip solely for guitar purchasing is largely out of the question unless it's packaged into vacation or work.

If you've been playing for years, know what you like, then maybe playing and buying in person is the way to go. But if you're still developing as a player, and your tastes keep evolving, I'm not sure it matters.