Buying advice

[ekkg1]

I have been thinking about purchasing a J-45 for a while now. I have played them at GC and some other local music stores in the area. Is it just me, I don't want the one they have on the wall. Actually, I would prefer that they put in a room by myself with about three brand new ones to choose from. GC tells, me they only have one per store and if I want one, that's my only choice. Then the guy a GC tells me that only one out of twelve are any good and as far as the one they have, well, he has seen better. This is a huge investment for me and it's going to be a guitar that I'm going to use on a daily basis. I really need it to last a lifetime and I certainly do not want any buyer's remorse. What would you suggest, are there any places out there that will hand pick a Gibson for you? I have heard that E.M. Shorts is really good about that.

Thanks in advance.

[stumps]

Hey,

 

Are you in the DC area? There aren't too many good gibson dealers around, but one thing I'd do is check with Gibson on the closest big dealer and check another store. I bought my songwriter deluxe studio from GC in Fairfax. I wasn't looking for a songwriter, I just picked up that guitar and it blew me away and I had to have that one. Since it seems you're honed in on the J-45 but you haven't found the individual you can't live without, one option would be ordering it online if you can't find another local dealer. If you have the credit card room, you could order 3 of them, pick the best of the 3 and then return the other 2. I have heard of folks doing that before. Musiciansfriend.com has a good return policy, but definitely read the policy before ordering. IIRC if you order a stringed instrument over $1000 in value you have a shorter time to return it.

 

As far as what the GC rep told you, I think they're just motivated to clean out their own store inventory, not make sure you're completely happy. I think I just got lucky, FWIW

[Hoss]

THere are some dealers who always pop to the top of the list, when folks mention their favorites. Fullers and Music Villa for certain. If you're a cash buyer these days, you're in good position to bargain.

 

If you really want to play before buying, you might take a roadtrip. I don't know where you are in Maryland, but if you go to the Gibson site and search for dealers, there are certainly must be a number within driving distance.

[pohatu771]

IIRC if you order a stringed instrument over $1000 in value you have a shorter time to return it.

An attempt to keep bands from "borrowing" more expensive instruments for a "big show?" My friend's band borrowed Gibsons to replace their Epiphones when they were shooting a TV special.

 

I'm not a fan of buying the guitar hanging on the wall either - that's not a new instrument, that's a used instrument that ranges from "lightly" to "heavily," depending on location.

 

I imagine Guitar Center doesn't like to stock large quantities of expensive instruments due to storage concerns - their storage area can't be the most guitar-friendly, especially in certain regions, and with the number of $2000 guitars they actually sell, I wouldn't want to risk it.

[brians356]

Do you really need a brand new J-45? There are some large vintage stores on your end of the country. I'm sure some of the big ones will have quite a few J-45s, J-50s, and SJs to play. If you find something made in the early '60s it won't cost an arm and a leg, of course you'll pay more of a collector premium for 40s and 50s. But a '59 something will be less than a '50, all else being equal. I'd be wary of anything from ~'65 - '88, but even then you might find a good one hanging on a wall for less than a new J-45, and they actually did make some good guitars in spite of themselves during the Dark Age.

 

I'd locate a vintage store you can drive to that has a lot of guitars to pick through.

[6stringTom]

I don't have any places to recommend, but I do think you are right to want to compare several new ones head to head. I was able to purchase a guitar at Elderly's that way. They gave me one of their private lesson rooms, and by process of elimination, I narrowed down ten to the one I bought. Although this was not a Gibson buying experience, the approach is certainly brand neutral. It's the way stores should provide for buying an expensive guitar. If that is just not an option for you, the next best thing may be to play several at different stores, although the head to head comparison is gone and store environment can be an influence. Of course, sometimes you hear one and it just sings to you. I tend to rely on that for buying used where comparisons are much harder to make. Although it is possible for a guitar to "grow on you" I wouldn't count on that. If you have no way to get comparisons, at least be sure the one you are about to buy really moves you. Since this is a big purchase, consider dealer reputation for service as well.

 

By the way, I wouldn't put much stock in the "only one out of 12 is any good" advice. I think Gibson is a lot better than that. The differences are more matters of individual preference, although there may be the occasional dud.

[glynsong]

The J45 's i've played in just about all the stores they've been in ,to me ,have been the most consistant sounding of all gibbys next to the advanced jumbos. Sweetwater's always has a few in stock and great customer service as well as a good return policy. If you ask the sales rep to have one of the techs play and pick what he feels is the best , there's a hopefull start, it's worked for me twice. Best to you.

[TWilson]

What glynsong said. I have also heard good things about the people at Sweetwaters. One of their acoustic guys will a/b the J-45's and send you the best of the bunch.