Rolling the dice ordering guitars on line

[JERZEY]

Originally Posted by lowrider

My problem with Eastman is that they're just not in the stores around here in NY. I've tried 4 of them and three of those were trade-ins that didn't impress me at all. I can't buy a guitar from a company that I can't even try any of their guitars live.

Some people are willing to do it, but I'll wait and see if they ever show up around here.

Rudy's music in Soho has a good selection. There are a few in the area that have lots to look at from Eastman on the NJ side of the river. Its hard to find entry level and the 500$ models other then the E1om.

[Brucebubs]

Ordering online.
1. - Know what works for you and what you want.
2. - Do your homework.

[Rosewood99]

I've bought every one of my guitars online, whether from a dealer or from the classifieds and/or reverb.com. Nothing but good experiences.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by Christian Reno

Unless I lived a long way from a major market area, I would never consider buying anything sight-unseen. It would be worth it to me to drive a ways to play/see a guitar before buying and then transport it home myself.

I’m sure there are many who have had great experiences doing this, but the hassle factor can be huge. I fell prey to the lure and bought a $3000 guitar sight-unseen a while ago (against my best judgement). It was destroyed in shipment and the hassle that followed (claim etc.) took 3 months to sort out and hours of debate on the phone about whether it was bad packaging by the shipper, or rough handling in transport.

I never want to have to go through that again.

I'd love to hear this story if you posted it anywhere. I'd assume in that instance that the seller who sent it to you would be the one to deal with all that, not you. You didn't get it in one piece. It is definitely a fear of mine when I've shipped something about how I'm going to deal with it.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by swampyankee

I've bought - and sold - alot of electric guitars online, mostly used though. When it came to buying a used acoustic guitar I was a bit more leary of it. I ordered a used lower-end acoustic from GC's used inventory and when it showed up I was disappointed that it did not come with a case as advertised. But the big disappointment came when I tried tuning it up the try it out and found that someone had lowered the saddle so much that every string buzzed on every fret. It was unplayable.
Fortunately, I had taken delivery in my local GC so I immediately told the clerk I was returning it, and showed him why. He refunded my full purchase, minus the shipping.
Curious as to how someone could miss that flaw when had I called before purchasing and asked specifically about its playing condition, I called the origin store and spoke to the guy in charge of used gear. When he looked into the guitar he noted that the guitar had already been sold and returned because of a "warped neck". They apparently just reactivated the first listing, even though it was not returned with the case it was sold in. He asked if I had gotten my money back and when I told him everything except shipping he said since it was returned for an undisclosed defect, I should have been refunded shipping as well.
So, as far as GC Used Gear, it is very much buyer beware.

On the other hand, I just bought a Gibson J-35 from a private seller on Reverb. It was well illustrated and described, and the seller offered a 7 day return policy. After a asking a number of pointed questions, I pulled the trigger. I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

You should have asked for the shipping fee back. I got a pedal from GC used just last week and it didn't work and I got all my money back including shipping.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Ordering online.
1. - Know what works for you and what you want.
2. - Do your homework.

This eggs - acklee!

[foxo]

I wouldn't do it again personally after seeing how much the same instruments can vary in quality and tone.

[bufflehead]

When I've purchased instruments in a store I've had the opportunity to interview two or three identical guitars, and it seems there's always one that stands out above the others.

That said, I once purchased an open-box guitar online that worked out quite well for me. It's the only online purchase I've made, so nothing awful to report. However, I'd much rather play a guitar before taking it home.

[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

[PetesaHut]

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 pondered this very same question recently, I needed to have worried, my first purchase online was a great experience.

[hairpuller]

I've purchased quite a few guitars online and through this forum without having played them. Haven't had a single bad experience, though I have had guitars I didn't quite jive with. Had nothing to do with the seller or the guitar, simply wasn't a guitar I was going to keep.

Even so, I always enjoy having a different guitar around the house to A/B with the mainstay!

One trick is to buy something in high or relatively high demand and you won't have too much trouble flipping it.

scott

[TBman]

I bought my Avalon online from John at Shoreline Music. He was a sponsor here at the time and knew I played finger style. The guitar was setup perfectly and was even better than I expected tone wise.

[Conomor]

I buy almost all of my guitars online because I can't get what I'm looking for locally or nationally. As I'm shipping internationally, warranties may not apply and returns are pretty much out of the question. For those reasons, I tend to buy used guitars from private sellers rather than dealers. Of course, if I was in the US I would value those warranties and returns policies a lot more.

I do a lot of research before I buy, and I'll usually track sales of similar instruments for a long period of time (months) before buying. When I look at an ad, I want to see lots of clear pictures of the actual instrument from every angle. I want to get a sense of who the current owner is, the age of the instrument and how long they've had it. If I see stock photos or a descriptions that've been lifted verbatim from the manufacturer's website then I'm much less likely to bite.

There's always the risk of getting a dud no matter how cautious you are, so I also consider how easy the guitar will be to sell in my domestic market. High-end stuff doesn't shift very quickly here, so I limit myself to guitars at around USD1300 or under.

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by GroovyException

... There's always the risk of getting a dud no matter how cautious you are...

Was looking for a rosewood parlor. Bought a used Excellent on Reverb but it sounded dead so I resold it, losing a couple of hundred.
Bought different brand used Excellent on Reverb and it was good.

[Dbone]

Not sure if this counts given that carbon fiber guitars are supposedly extremely consistent/predictable...I recently purchased a Rainsong and that worked out perfectly in the end in terms of tone, playability, etc...Lovely instrument...Here in Canada Long and Macquade has exclusivity on RainSong. I was not able to see one before ordering...

The first one that was sent was a disaster cosmetically and had to be replaced. Other than this is was a good purchase in the end.

I am also waiting for an LL56 Yamaha sight unseen, also purchased through L&M. This is the highest spec mainstream guitar that Yamaha makes...They get the “one master luthier” treatment in their Japan custom shop, so in theory it should have the best build Yamaha can deliver, have the best wood selections possible, etc...I am reasonably confident things will work out okay, but I guess we will see. If you want one of these guitars they are built to order with 8 - 10 month lead times...I do want want, and I trust Yamaha at this level of product. I’ve been assured that they are built to their highest standards...Here’s to hoping...

For various reasons these were 2 purchases I was willing to take a chance on. I would not necessarily do this in every situation.