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  #1  
Old 03-19-2019, 12:49 PM
Condition1 Condition1 is offline
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Default Buying from a Sponsor vs Big Chain Store

Something new I learnt today. I was talking to a forum sponsor and asked if the guitar in question was new in the box, his answer was - "no, every guitar we get from the manufacturer we take out of the box/plastic bag and put in the case (or gigbag...) and stack them in the room where we control the humidity. The guitar is NEW but not in the box from the manufacturer."

That made me think about guitars that are bought from the big chains and left in their warehouses for months before shipping to the buyer. I doubt they have the same care as the "small" distributors.

For me, lesson learnt, don't buy guitars from big chain stores ever again

Last edited by Condition1; 03-19-2019 at 12:59 PM.
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Old 03-19-2019, 01:05 PM
Osage Osage is offline
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Smaller stores can't compete with big box stores on a lot of things. Where they can and often exceed the big box stores are on the details like this. If you order from a big box store, they just send you the next box on the pile. If it gets returned, it's not the problem of the person who took your order or the guy who shipped it out. A smaller store can't operate like this. A return for any reason costs them time and money. An unhappy customer will walk away but a happy customer will come back the next time they're buying something.

This isn't to say that all big stores are terrible and you should never buy from one. There's also no guarantee that a smaller retailer is going to take the time to do it right but there's a pretty decent chance if a place has been in business for a long time with piles of happy customers that they're doing something right.
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Old 03-19-2019, 01:24 PM
Matt McGriff Matt McGriff is offline
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I agree. Many of the big national online dealers (Sam Ash, MF, etc) are simply middlemen. They order the product in, warehouse it and move it out when the order is placed. I always go with a dealer that actually touches the guitar while in their care.

I have a friend that is a pretty serious gear head and enjoys messing around with guitar. He decided last year that he wanted a Gibson Les Paul Standard. He ended up buying it from Amazon at MAP! Couldn’t believe he would do that. Of course when he received it, the neck was cracked and he had to initiate a return. I would have strongly advised him not to take that path had he sought my opinion.
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Old 03-19-2019, 01:28 PM
RagtopGT RagtopGT is offline
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I've bought a few Martins from Maury's Music for example. His guitars are in cases and kept in a climate controlled room, unlike some cold big box store warehouse area. He inspects every guitar, makes sure they're tuned and spotless and that all case candy is there prior to shipping. His attention to detail and commitment to customer service is legendary, something that large chain stores generally don't. I understand that several other sponsors here are equally committed to providing that same level of exceptional service.

There has to be a very compelling reason for me to purchase from a chain store. I haven't found one yet.
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Old 03-19-2019, 02:32 PM
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Rev Roy Rev Roy is offline
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I wouldn’t trust something like Amazon to keep track of how a guitar should be stored. But I have no problem with big box music stores like Sweetwater and Musicians Friend. I know folks who have visited Sweetwater’s huge campus...complete with performance venues, a health clinic, coffee shop, racquetball court...and massive climate-controlled distribution center. I suspect they know how to safely store musical instruments. Same for MF, which is owned by GC, right?

I rarely buy from the big boxes because I like working with our AGF sponsors, building personal relationships and, of course, enjoying their great price and CS. But storage issues with the big boxes has never figured into my thinking when I’m in the market for a new guitar...

Here’s a flip through tour of the Sweetwater campus:
https://www.sweetwater.com/tour/
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Old 03-19-2019, 03:36 PM
Napman41 Napman41 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rev Roy View Post
I wouldn’t trust something like Amazon to keep track of how a guitar should be stored. But I have no problem with big box music stores like Sweetwater and Musicians Friend. I know folks who have visited Sweetwater’s huge campus...complete with performance venues, a health clinic, coffee shop, racquetball court...and massive climate-controlled distribution center. I suspect they know how to safely store musical instruments. Same for MF, which is owned by GC, right?

I rarely buy from the big boxes because I like working with our AGF sponsors, building personal relationships and, of course, enjoying their great price and CS. But storage issues with the big boxes has never figured into my thinking when I’m in the market for a new guitar...

Here’s a flip through tour of the Sweetwater campus:
https://www.sweetwater.com/tour/


Keep in mind Amazon doesn’t actually have the guitar(s) in a giant megawarehouse. They are serve as a selling platform for people selling products. There’s a good chance the guitar one buys from amazon comes from a large musical instrument retailer.
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Old 03-19-2019, 03:49 PM
Condition1 Condition1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rev Roy View Post
I wouldn’t trust something like Amazon to keep track of how a guitar should be stored. But I have no problem with big box music stores like Sweetwater and Musicians Friend. I know folks who have visited Sweetwater’s huge campus...complete with performance venues, a health clinic, coffee shop, racquetball court...and massive climate-controlled distribution center. I suspect they know how to safely store musical instruments. Same for MF, which is owned by GC, right?

I rarely buy from the big boxes because I like working with our AGF sponsors, building personal relationships and, of course, enjoying their great price and CS. But storage issues with the big boxes has never figured into my thinking when I’m in the market for a new guitar...

Here’s a flip through tour of the Sweetwater campus:
https://www.sweetwater.com/tour/
Nice, thanks for the info [emoji106]
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Old 03-19-2019, 04:27 PM
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SalFromChatham SalFromChatham is offline
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Sweetwater is the only big box I’d buy online from.

So many great alternatives for us on this forum. Maury’s, CME, and Wildwood are simply fantastic to deal with. Oh... and I forgot Jon at MFG. I ordered my custom Martin D18 though him. Four great choices That have you covered with Martin Gibson and Taylor’s anyway ...
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Old 03-19-2019, 04:30 PM
Dwight Dwight is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Condition1 View Post
For me, lesson learnt, don't buy guitars from big chain stores ever again
Lesson: Don't make blanket statements.
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Last edited by Dwight; 03-20-2019 at 07:44 AM.
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Old 03-19-2019, 05:20 PM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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I guess I got lucky. I bought my J45 off the wall at a GC. It wasnt "right out of the box", from a warehouse so I have no idea how long it had been there.
All I know is it needed no set up, played beautifully, and was a tone monster.
My D18 was an out of the case guitar at Wildwood Music from Don and Marty.
My Eastman came from Ted at LA Guitars. Ted shipped me the one he considered to be the best sounding of the two he had regardless of cosmetics. As it turned out I could find no cosmetic issues and it sounded wonderful.
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  #11  
Old 03-19-2019, 05:24 PM
thomasinaz thomasinaz is offline
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I have no problem buying from big chain guitar stores. They have great prices, great return policies and a lot of choices in the guitars I like. I tried one of the forum sponsors a few months ago, and went there intending to buy one of the two models I'd picked out prior to my contacting them. I don't know if my expectations were too high or they didn't think I was serious, but we couldn't make a deal. I ended up buying what I wanted from one of the big internet dealers instead. I've never received a new guitar from one of them that showed signs of being stored improperly or abused. With millions of $ in inventory I doubt the biggies would store their guitars haphazardly.
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Old 03-19-2019, 05:26 PM
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I've had success and problems with both and, depending on the situation, recommend both.

One thing to remember with a big national store is the return policy, often 45 days. That is worth more to some than others.
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Old 03-19-2019, 05:48 PM
IndyHD28 IndyHD28 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themissal View Post
Sweetwater is the only big box I’d buy online from.

So many great alternatives for us on this forum. Maury’s, CME, and Wildwood are simply fantastic to deal with. Oh... and I forgot Jon at MFG. I ordered my custom Martin D18 though him. Four great choices That have you covered with Martin Gibson and Taylor’s anyway ...
You can add Reno’s Music to the list. Literally a mom and pop, well truthfully a pop and son operation, they do a great job with both Internet and brick and mortar. I feel blessed to be local with them. I get to demo many many guitars you could only dream of finding in a big box store.
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Old 03-19-2019, 11:15 PM
hifivic hifivic is offline
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LOL!!!!!!!! I have a question for the folks who really like the fact that the big box retailers "take returns some as long as 45 days"........where do you think those returned guitars end up? Several years ago I bought a "new" guitar from the local GC in Indianapolis and found a filled out warranty card inside the guitar case so I called the customer listed on the warranty card. He told me he was a collector and always bought two of the same guitar and typically kept them both for a "month or so" and then returned one of them back to GC.
He "mistakenly" filled out the warranty card.
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Old 03-20-2019, 12:30 AM
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I was more than impressed by the Martin D Jr I bought from Sweetwater. The guitar had been out of the two boxes and bag, set up beautifully and wrapped back up. Another plus from Sweetwater are the photos and weights of the next four guitars in line for sale.

So, my experience w/ one particular big box was excellent. I've been happy with buying from sponsors and smaller shops too.
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