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Does anyone still buy guitars locally?

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  • #31
    Originally posted by Cleveland Metal View Post
    Seems I can't get ANTHING I want locally anyways... And I live in a pretty big town I like to think.

    No one has equipment on the level I purchase really and I have to find it on Ebay almost entirely...

    Never see ENGL, VHT, CAE, TC Electronics, or much high end stuff at all. They have import Jackson and the occassional USA model that they think is worth its weight in gold.

    Online it is... Even for cables, picks and strings cuz no one carries what I use... I must be one picky mother...
    Hmmm...there seems to be an epidemic of this going around. I would have thought Knoxville would be a big enough town, too, but apparently not. These days, I have a better chance of getting a clear picture of the Loch Ness Monster than finding a new USA Jackson.

    Hey, FMIC. Are you listening?
    Member - National Sarcasm Society

    "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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    • #32
      I'm living out in the backwaters entirely, and there are no music stores worthy to mention within a 90 mile radius. Those that do exist don't have any high-end gear at all. They don't even have Fenders or Gibsons. They sell strat-clones bundled with a cheap guitar stand and a tiny practice amp. You'd be lucky if there is a logo on the headstock. I can't even find GHS strings locally anymore.

      They make their living on repairs, setups, and renting out gear. They are also extremely disinterested about putting in special orders for you. If you ask questions about the stuff they sell, they will feed you bullshit 90% of the time (because they don't really know, and they can't be arsed to look it up).

      I couldn't care less about the local stores around here. I tend to take my business to places that care, and I've generally gotten way better service from internet stores; Good prices, fast and accurate info, speedy deliveries and parcel tracking. Put in an order in one of our local stores, and you will have no idea of WHEN, IF or HOW you will get your item.

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      • #33
        I bought all my guitars from local stores. I bought my 2nd guitar online and it was a nightmare (Music 123 shipping issues). It came chipped 3 times and on the 4th time, the guitar was fine and the case was dented, but I kept it. Plus I worked for a small shop before and I knew the owners from a few years ago, so anything I need I go to him or one of his friends. Hell, I don't even shop where I work now because I want to support the smaller dealers

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        • #34
          Only if I can trade one in IF they have it in stock. If not e-bay...........
          "When a naked man is chasing a woman through an ally with a butcher's knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn't out collecting for the Red Cross"............ Dirty Harry

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          • #35
            Ah, the hog. The only used stuff they seem to have is either vintage name brand and overpriced, or just low end crap from 15-20 years ago. Apparently they expect you to haggle so the sticker price on everything is outrageous. They did quote me a great price on a jsx though.

            The cd store connected to it has great prices and usually a good selection, if you can actually find what you want in the unorganized piles that is.

            Most of my purchases are from walking into Daddys and seeing something cool used.

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            • #36
              Online, about 99% As it has been said, you can't get anything you want locally. Maybe some pics and strings The same is for me on just about everything. For example, at Ace Hardware, I needed some things, so I drove down to one of their "Super Centers". The salesman, said "we don't stock it in our store". "Check our website". Sure enough, I had to order the stuff online. That's just one example. Places like Best Buy have the stuff on the website, but not in the store all the time. Yesterday, I went to get a new camera. They had it at the local store. I told the salesman that the price was lower on the website. "Oh, we honor the website prices". When he went to ring it up, it did not discount the camera to the website price. Damn, and on top of it, they were so busy, it took forever to get a salesperson to open up the locked cabinet just to get the camera I wanted. I almost walked out.
              The same goes for a lot of music stores. For me, online is the way to go and I just take my chances that everything works out.
              Personally, I would like to purchase everything from the Mom & Pop shops, but it just aint' happening.
              Tone is like Art: Your opinion is valid. Listen, learn, have fun, draw your own conclusions.

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              • #37
                You guys that still buy locally how many guitars do you guys usually own at a time 1-3 or over 5 and buying more?

                It seams to me that my friends that still buy locally dont care about collector value or rarity just getting a good guitar they can play but dont mind paying a little more for a guitar they can touch first, but by no means are these guys collectors.

                I have gotten almost 90% of my friends to convert to online shopping usually by showing them stuff they wanted since they were a kid on Ebay since they dont see it locally.

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                • #38
                  I'll usually buy picks, strings, straplocks, etc locally. The last guitar I bought in a store was my 1994 Stealth which I bought brand new from GC. Everything else was ebay or Craigslist. My new MCS guitar was purchased directly from Neal Moser.

                  GC...I don't even talk to the salesmen except to ask them for a cord to try out an axe. Rocker Guitars in SF has a decent staff but after a few NAMM trips I felt like I was better educated than them.

                  A few years ago I was looking for a chorus unit. None of the stores had exactly what I was looking for so I ordered like $900 worth of effects, cables, strings, etc from Musician's Friend. Free shipping, no tax. I played everything, A/B'd them thru my rig, and returned everything but the TC Electronic SCF pedal. Return shipping was $8.50 thru my employer. I figure I rented a ton of stuff for $8.50.

                  Months later I went to GC, bought a TC G-Major, played it for a while, returned it, bought a used one off a JCF'er.

                  I'd buy a new guitar locally if it was clean, set-up, the price was right, and the salesperson wasn't a dick.

                  I once bought 2 padded Levy's straps at Guitar Showcase in San Jose for like $39 each. I went back a month later to buy another. The girl rings it up for the list price of $70. I said, last month I got them for $39 each. She says, no you didn't. I said, don't call me liar, and don't tell me what I did or didn't pay. She says they never sell them for under list. I called her a liar and left.

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                  • #39
                    I am in the bay area also.

                    Its funny you bring up Showcase those guys are hardcore Fender & Gibson.

                    The sales guy was telling me that the only reason Jackson/Charvel was big in the 80's was because Fender or Gibson werent making any real USA guitars...they dont know how to do Kahlers either you think for having techs in their 50's they should be able to do all types of tremolos and bridges at their age...

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                    • #40
                      Mostly online for me but, I have bought a few guitars locally though. I'm sensing a common theme throughout this thread of local stores only carrying the low end stuff from Jackson. I can say it's the same in my neck of the woods. My local store used to have a wall of USA's but, about 4 years ago they just stopped stocking them alltogether. I distinctly remember one of the guys saying (about the 2 USA's on the wall at the time) "that's it, we won't be getting anymore." I can't see the reasoning behind this because they were selling fine. Since then it's been nothing but,the low end crap as far as Jacksons are concerned....to bad Gibson and Fender aren't my choice guitars because there is no shortage of either there....if anything they are grossly overstocked.

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                      • #41
                        AK...Mark Brown in Campbell and Torres in San Mateo can do good setups. Mark Brown is always backed up, Torres is pretty quick. There's a total asswipe at Showcase named Kelly that worked at Guitar Center in the 80s. Looks like he's asleep and doesn't give any deals on anything.

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                        • #42
                          All the GC's 'round here went from awesome,can't do better,to "screw them jagoff's!!"in less than a year! Just long enough to close down all the little ma & pa shops.
                          www.thejimmyhatz.com

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                          • #43
                            Hmm...I bought two of my three guitars locally (one used, one new) and the other from eBay (Charvel 375). Ordered my Avatar cab online, and drove 125 miles each way to buy my THD head in Tucson. If something is where I can get my hands on it without going online for the price I want, I'll go local.

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                            • #44
                              Ive been lucky i guess, but ive only purchased 2 new guitars this year.
                              Before that, i had the same Jackson Dinky since 93'! So now i have
                              2 Charvels, and both were purchased locally. I havent done the internet
                              thing yet, so maybe that will come later, but of the 2 ive purchased locally, i got very good deals! So imo the local guys are aware of the
                              big internet guys, and they try to be close. I just scored a EVH Art
                              series Black/Yellow from Scottsdale GC for $1649 out the door!
                              Thats close to Ebay used prices Booey! :-))

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