ShortScale.org

Ok, here's the deal, how does everyone feel about buying guitars without playing them?

I am a Leftie, and kind of toying with the idea of getting something new. I went to the local PMT last Saturday as it holds the largest stock in Bristol just to see what's about at the moment. Out of 600 - 700 electric guitars in store, the only thing they could offer me to try was a Mexican Strat!

So.....back to my original question, how do you feel about buying without trying? Short of driving arround the country to try a guitar here, a guitar there, I don't seem to have much of an option.

Rant over.

As a fellow lefty, most of my guitars are bought without playing them first. Have been lucky I guess in that I've never got one that I didn't like. If you're after a fender then you really can't go wrong with something MIJ imo.
Not being able to try is frustrating though.

Not a Strat I'm after. Thinking of something along the lines of a Shecter classic range, or a Gretsch Electromatic. Just fancy trying something a bit different. And there in lies my problem!

Not a leftie, but have bought a number of guitars on t'internet with relatively little problems. Have had two get minor damage in the hands of the courier but have got money of because of it.

i have literally played none of my guitars before i bought them and ive loved every single one. in fact, the only one i ever played before buying i ended up not liking later on

Mixed experience for me.

The Dano I got from bassintom and sold to george was great.
as were a mim 60's classic strat and a modded mim fretless jazz bass from ebay. Really wish I kept the latter.

For the price I paid, as good a deal as it was, I do regret buying my rickenbacker from musicians friend. It had some setup issues out of the box and wouldn't have been the one I would have picked out if I got one in a shop.

So yeah sorry that probably doesn't help. But getting mystery guitars in the mail is fun and exciting and sometimes they work out to be keepers.

Rayjaysonic wrote:Not a Strat I'm after. Thinking of something along the lines of a Shecter classic range, or a Gretsch Electromatic. Just fancy trying something a bit different. And there in lies my problem!

Schecter USA? A Van Nuys or even an earlier Redlands Guitar?

Rayjaysonic wrote:
So.....back to my original question, how do you feel about buying without trying? Short of driving arround the country to try a guitar here, a guitar there, I don't seem to have much of an option.

I have purchased at least 30 guitars off the net without any problems, and all the sellers that I've dealt with have offered a satisfaction guarantee. Even most ebay sellers give you 7 days to decide. I have returned tuners, straps and the like, to GC or MF, when I wasn't satisfied. MIM's are great strats by the way. If you decide on a used MIM go 2006 or newer.

Only ever bought two guitars off the internutz. One of them was terrible (second hand) one of them was ex-display (I knew this at the time, though) and it was perfectly fine. Soooo... mixed bag? Remember that even the most scrupulous seller in a shop will happily let you walk out the door with a boxed guitar that hasn't had a sniff of a setup since before it left the doors of its factory of origin unless you ask specifically for it to be done, so I'd say it's as risky as buying face-to-face.

best guitar i ever bought.

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Bought about ten guitars online. Never had problems with these. I always got what i've wanted...

My most played guitar, a squier jaguar, was bought without playing it before.

Buying unseen is usually the only choice.

robroe wrote:best guitar i ever bought.

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lol
reverb handle

Rayjaysonic wrote:So.....back to my original question, how do you feel about buying without trying?

I hate it. I've been disappointed at least 3 out of 4 times.

Although I'll probably do it again.

On the other hand, trying out a guitar in a shop can also lead to disappointment once you get home. The guitar may not feel quite right standing up, even if you play it with a strap in the shop. Really you need to play it at least for an hour or so to know if you really like it. Probably will sound different too if you don't own the same amp.

Also I don't think I've ever bought a guitar that was set up how I like.

I must have bought over 50 guitars through ebay and forums without trying them first.
If you do your homework, most models or brands are consistent across the board imo due to modern QC. You get the odd lemon but the odds are you end up with that guitar are very slim.

Purchasing second hand can be a different ball game due to abuse.
I look at the way a sale is presented, not just the desription. Detailed pics, grammar, username.
An extreme example would be if someone with a username like k0rnFreak2002 was selling an Ibanez guitar, with one blurred picture and the dsecription said 'it sounds awesome. only two strings tho', I wouldn't touch the guitar with a bargepole. You can guarantee its been thrown across the guys room several times and not been cared for.

If I do take a gamble I consider resale first, if I know I can get my money back I'll sometimes take a risk.

If the guitar is new and youre considering why not? But if its second hand or B-stock i would try it first.

And yes its a risk with buying online on ebay and such. But a a trusted site where you get your money back like thomann or those pro sites in usa and such its no risk.

But you should always do what feels best for you.

I bought my Les Paul online and it came with a busted headstock. Kept it, got a crazy discount, fixed it. Wouldn't do it again though.

I've bought about 96 guitars through the internet.I think I had problems with about 5 purchases but the were all resolved(eventually).

You have 14 days to return the guitar for any reason... distance selling laws.

So if you don't like, as long as you're ok paying return shipping... then really there's not a worry.

I'm sure if there was a flaw then you'd even be able to get it back carriage free.

What are you after ? I manage a guitar shop, might be able to 'get' something in that you're interested in, and check it out beforehand.