How far would you or have you driven to pick up a guitar?

[ObiWanSymbian]

I love travelling by train, and it doesn't bother me at all to make a whole-day round trip to a city with a railway station to meet a person who is selling or is willing to buy my instrument.

I've spent an entire day two years ago, when I went to Gdańsk (north of Poland) from where I live.

I took my guitar, met the buyer, he pulled the trigger immediately (pristine conditions of instrument do play a role for some).

The rest of the day we spent with my son, who accompanied me and we had a nice day walking around the picturesque Old Town of Gdańsk.

Ended the day with plenty of memories (including an interesting burger with beans - lovely) and cash for a new instrument.

I don't mind repeating this if I'm ever to buy/sell an instrument.

[Larakitten]

6 hour round trip to get my Taylor. The joys of living in rural Scotland means everything is a massive drive! We do love a road trip though, so it was worth it to see a huge selection and pick the right one for me.

[rule18]

Just came across this thread. 470 miles (round trip) from NY to MD to pick up my '74 Gibson Dove Custom, twelve years ago. It was well worth the trip. Sometimes, you have to just get in the car and go.

[donlyn]

How far would you or have you driven to pick up a guitar?

A two hour bus/train/bus ride and a one mile walk through a half a foot of snow to get from Boston to Lexington, Massachusetts. And back again. With guitar.

Despite my age and some of the ribbing I get, that was in 2014 and not 1775.

1 if by land, 2 if by sea, and 3 if by public transportation.

Don
.

[fazool]

Too many un-discussed details:

Is it only $100 savings?
How much is your time worth to you?
Do you lose work pay to do so?
Can you get the guitar anywhere closer?
Is it your only chance to get it?

Why ask what others would do? Do what feels right to you.


Simple answer: If it saves me nothing and I can get one next door I would only be willing to drive 2 miles.

If its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save a million dollars on a collector's guitar I would drive 2000 miles.

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Originally Posted by fazool

Too many un-discussed details:

Is it only $100 savings?
How much is your time worth to you?
Do you lose work pay to do so?
Can you get the guitar anywhere closer?
Is it your only chance to get it?

Why ask what others would do? Do what feels right to you.


Simple answer: If it saves me nothing and I can get one next door I would only be willing to drive 2 miles.

If its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save a million dollars on a collector's guitar I would drive 2000 miles.

My answer is not predicated on any of those considerations. Because I drive to audition guitars that I've bought, I need to hear and play them to decide if I want to take them home. So I'm not driving to save money on shipping, or because Dealer X has a great price vs. Dealer Y.

I know others have a different take, but to me, any time I'm in the $4K and over range, I need to hear and play it before putting my money down. So I have yet to buy any of my higher value guitars without having seen/played them first. Because I have played many $4K+ guitars during those trips, and all were good to great, but only a few have inspired me to take them home. And often I would go into the dealer's store with Brand X and Body Style Y in mind only to go home with Brand Z and Body Style A.

I don't make the drive for financial savings, I do it to get the best instrument (to my ears and hands) I can at the time. I bring a couple of mine as reference tones for comparison so I'm not just at the mercy of the dealer's showroom without knowing what my guitars would sound like in that same environment. Ever since I've adopted this methodology, I've not experienced buyers' remorse.

[dhodgeh]

Living in a college town, you would think we would have some decent music stores. But no such luck.

The past several guitars that I have bought have come from Pensacola (Blues Angel Music - 5 hours), Orlando (Orlando Guitar Expo - 2 hours), and Nazareth PA (Nazareth Music Center - did not drive to this one.....).

Also, when I go to a music camp or such I am on the lookout for whatever may be on sale. I did pick up a couple of instruments while attending Kaufman Kamp a couple of years ago.

D

[kkrell]

460 miles from Los Angeles to Nevada City, CA area. And back.

[Brucebubs]

It was a 9 hour round trip drive to pick up my Gibson late last year - I was glad my wife shared the driving with me.

[ALBD]

And dah I-would-walk-5-hun-dred miles and uh I-would-walk-five-hundred-more

[jontewright]

Furthest I’ve done was a 350 mile round trip from Yorkshire to London to collect a Waterloo wlk.
Recently drive up to newcastle, about 200 mile round trip, for a Kalamazoo kg-11. Both journeys have proved to be more than worth it.

[Silly Moustache]

I drove 200 miles to Norwich once.
Dangerous place up there!
Very flat you know.
They speak funny there!
Nasty hotel and couldn't get into a restaurant.

Couldn't get back though as the M25 was closed.

[Wolfram]

A couple of weeks ago I drove for four and a half hours to collect a guitar...

The total round trip was 40 miles...

That's London traffic for you - in the middle of a full covid lockdown! It was complete gridlock!


I think it was worth it - not an acoustic this time, but a 2005 PRS 513 with solid Brazilian rosewood neck - but that's a whole afternoon of my life I want back.

Cheers,
David

[Guilty Spark]

I made a 800 mile/11 hour round trip last March to pick up my Taylor 914c. I, too, wanted to lay hands on before dropping the coin.

Thankfully, it was a beautiful day for a drive.

[frances50]

Before the virus shut the world down, I drove 160 miles to Asheville, North Carolina to pick up my 2000 Martin D-21 (Jim Croce) model from Dream Guitars. In fact, that was my last trip anywhere. Loved playing some really unique guitars while I was there and enjoyed visiting the city.