Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out...

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

Hey Ace, that shop looks pretty cool. Very classy!

[Crankdaddy]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

Cool Bomboras sign. Those guys rule.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

Having been involved in several local stores for decades I agree with Ace 100&!!

Very well said bro!!

[Newc]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

I disagree with Ace's comments. Turn it up loud and long to see how hot it can get and if it's gonna burn out after 30 minutes, and if I'm paying Vintage Money for a Vintage Guitar, I want to make sure it's not gonna fall apart, so play it hard to see if it's worth the money or not [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

Just kidding - I definitely agree with the Ace-man on the amp thing [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] Loud does not equal good - loud makes bad playing sound worse.

But no matter who doesn't like Stairway, or how many times they've heard it, if you can play it correctly, play it if you want. It's an excellent song to test acoustics with (action, frets, comfort, tone, etc etc), though you don't have to play the entire thing, just the first passage, then skip to the next section, then skip ahead to the 12-string part. Play it in a Classical style (tone-wise, lots of double-plucked notes, maybe a Waltz or Swing tempo) [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Also play Smoke On The Water, but do it right [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

[metallicarocks]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

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..... and most important: Watch out that you don't play "Stairway to Heaven"


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If it's so annoying, why must everybody ask me to play it all the time?! Does anybody else get this?

Thanks for the post Ace, that's exactly what I needed to know, from just the kind of person I wanted to hear it from! So far I've kept on the right track. With the volume thing, the amps in the Chesbro's in Idaho Falls seem to have this weird thing that it's either too damned quiet or too damn loud. I guess that'll happen with a 100 watt head. You just look at the volume knob and it turns up, or so it seams in the smaller shops. (They finally got Mesas! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] ) I don't mean to play too loud, but I heard a complaint up front about it. I'm not sure if it was me or somebody else, but in any case I quickly apologized and shut it off.

My worst dealing that I've pulled was I put an amp on layaway and couldn't go back and pay it off. I lost my job, and didn't have the balls to go back and tell them to take it off. It had been a while before I'd made a payment anyway, then to go back and tell them to take it off after they'd extended it seemed like I'd wasted their time. I guess they got to keep what I put down, but I still feel bad about having possibly screwed them. Just how bad of a move was this?

*I did buy my Vandy from them before this though, so I did get them some real money besides just picks, straps, etc.

Again thanks for the replies.

[Newc]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

I get asked to play Stairway all the time. I like the song, so it's no trouble for me.
Of course, when it comes to the solo, you have to choose between keeping the rhythm of trying to play the lead (usually if you pull out an acoustic they ask for Stairway - with an electric they ask about Slurpknob or Chimp Bitchquick or Metallica, then when I give them something Pre-Black they ask what it is [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] get a fkn CLUE people! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] )

I don't do Freebird, though. I always tell them that Skynrd had 3 guitarists for a reason - Freebird is that reason - and I will not play Freebird on one guitar by myself because that song has to be done right [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
That seems to shut them up [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Either that or I'll just bust into the solo and be done with it [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Zerberus]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

[ QUOTE ]
Working in a music store, I deal with this subject all the time. Here's a few guidelines:

If you go in there and try everything out, try to at least buy SOMETHING, especially if it's the first time you've been in there. Some picks, strings, whatever. Let whoever is working there know that you really do want to bring business to their shop.

DO NOT try and use gear that you are not familiar with!! If you have a question about something you've never seen before, ask someone about it before you touch it, especially if it's valuable!! My store stocks some pretty cool vintage stuff, but if you're a 16 year old who is looking to buy a $300 guitar, don't pull down a 1964 SG and start fiddling around with it like it's your buddy's Squier Strat. Likewise, if you are not familiar with vintage tube amps, don't just go turning stuff on, stop and ask.

DO NOT play too loud. You are not going to impress anyone at the shop by butchering Fade To Black with the volume knob at 11 or doing arpeggios . We are working there. We have to awnser the phones, deal with other customers, and be in that store all day. I usually have the amp loud enough so that I can hear myself, and no one else can. If I want to hear the way the power tubes distort, or get an idea of how loud an amp is, I'll ask "Is it okay if I turn this up for half a second?" and if they say yes, I turn the VU up loud, but of course not deafening loud, and play one or two open chords, and then maybe one or two licks, and then turn back down. The MOST annoying thing in the world is someone who comes into the store, acts like they know everything(even if they really do), and plugs in and turns the VU up so loud that we can't talk, then spends 45 minutes jerking off on a fretboard. Like I said, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO IMPRESS ANYONE IN THERE!! We are all musicians, most of us damn good ones, and we've heard it all.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. We work there because we love playing music just as much as you do. I love talking about guitars and other instruments. I have had great hour-long conversations with 4-year-olds about how guitars work and stuff. Go ahead and introduce yourself, don't be intimidated if you don't know what you are talking about, we are there to help you. If someone in a store is rude to you because "You don't know shit", that's their problem, not yours. As long as you are polite and friendly, I will more than happy to help you out. We have people that come into the shop of ALL playing levels, from dads buying their kids their first guitars to famous musicians and 50-year veterans of the business. They are ALL our valued customers.

Music stores should be a fun place to escape to the world of rock 'n roll. They should have a fun vibe and friendly people. Making friends with the guys in your local music store will get you the best prices and free advice on everything from gear to repairs to playing. Asking a question about guitar store etiquette shows that you care and that's a good sign!!!

[img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

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As a former owner of a store: PERFECT post, Ace [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

[ QUOTE ]
Cool Bomboras sign. Those guys rule.

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The owner of the store, my good friend Jake Cavaliere, was the frontman on the Bomboras. There is possibly a reunion in the works, but you didn't hear that from me. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Crankdaddy]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

That's some cool news...I'll keep it under my hat. You ever hear of a surf instrumental group from Ithaca, NY called the Mofos?

www.mofosonline.com

Great band, in a similar vein. We're playing a show with them in a couple months. Can't wait...I love their sound and watching them play.

[Infernal Death]

Re: Guitar shop manners. What is okay to try out.

Yes great post from ace. The only thing i am missing is that as a customer you always should treat the gear right, just like it is your own gear.
I saw some people making scratches into gear and then just walk of. That's not cool. Remember that the people in the shop like to sell the gear and you don't want to buy scratched amps and guitars. So simply don't scratch them while testplaying.

Flo