steve167 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I was just curious how many people purchase their LPs without seeing the *exact* guitar they're going to get. Since there's quite a bit of variance in grain and quality of maple "flame" on plus top standards/customs/etc do most just take a chance on it and hope for a "good" looking top. I mean, don't get me wrong, all LPs look really good... but some LPs even not out of the custom shop have pretty close to AAA flame maple tops with nice parallel flames from both sides of the top and little to no top defects. I ordered my 08 LP Standard from Wildwood Guitars out of CO(they have pretty good website and friendly staff that answer the phone without an automated phone system!!!). All their guitars are stored in a climate controlled warehouse and are never played after they receive and photograph them. They have an incredible inventory and amazingly detailed, high quality photos of the *exact* guitar you're getting. If it hadn't been for them I wasn't sure what I was going to do since the LPs at the two local GCs looked like they'd been through a war. Anyone else bought from them? What other online purchase experiences have people had? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil325 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 i would rather be present when i buy one because i personally believe they're not all the same and i'm sure everyone else agrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I've never dealt with Wildwood, but have heard nothing but great things about them. Apparently it's the next best thing to being there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve167 Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 Thanks GJ, I agree. I purchased it from them at Wildwood a few weeks ago and it was a great experience. The guitar arrived promptly with email communication throughout the process. I've been jamming on it ever since with no problems -- even better now that I've got the setup dialed in just right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mick Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 never have never will ! Wildwood is an great store but still if I can't touch it I lived a few miles away from them for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil325 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 see of course there are always exceptions like guitarest not being close to a store to be able to pick up and play some potential gear, but in my case, where there are like 7 stores i can list off the top of my head right now, i'd obviously be a hands on buyer. i wouldnt want to spend $2000+ on something i wouldn't be 100% satisfied with, agreed? i have no problem with buying things off the internet but i want to know what i'm gettin is all i'm sayin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve167 Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 phil... couldn't agree more. Buying products online that have pretty consistent construction and little variation from unit to unit like amps, effects units, etc. is much less risky. If I had a great mom-and-pop guitar shop nearby I'd certainly prefer to do it in person. No matter what though, I always at least *play* the guitar before I buy it. For me it was a wounded 08 LP Standard at a local GC that I checked out before making the leap from Wildwood. The poor LP at GC never had a chance... destined now to be played by 14 year-olds murdering Eruption... ugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar232007 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I learned that buying a guitar without seeing/playing it first, was a BAD idea when I purchased a MIM Stratocaster from a instrument supply company (who shall remain nameless), and when I finally got it I found that the fingerboard was severly deffective (some areas of the board were shaved/cut on too much of an angle), so when ever I tried to do a string bend, the string would pop of the fret, long story short, it ended up costing me like $100 to get a new Fender neck. So IMHO, It's a lot smarter/more cost effective to go to a music store, even if you have to take a drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Rather than see it, I'd rather play and hear the guitar first. These are, to me, far far more important matters. I'd never buy a guitar without trying it out but I do realise many people are not in the fortunate position of living close enough to a dealership where trying out stock is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Rather than see it, I'd rather play and hear the guitar first. These are, to me, far far more important matters. I'd never buy a guitar without trying it out but I do realise many people are not in the fortunate position of living close enough to a dealership where trying out stock is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy60 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 yeah, i rolled the dice and went with ams sight unseen when i bought my '94 lp classic premium plus. i took it out of the box and it looked unbelievable. the nicest top and it played so well. it looked more like an art piece or nice furniture than an instrument. fast forward to now and it's totally beat up and covered with stickers. i know it's a waste of a nice top. but it's a total player's guitar.... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Bought my Studio over the net... It came boxed...Unopened... One of the best sounding Gibsons I have played... Flight959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 If I was buing say an R8 or a Custom I would want to hand pick it personally... Flight959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I learned that buying a guitar without seeing/playing it first' date=' was a BAD idea when I purchased a MIM Stratocaster from a instrument supply company...[/quote']No... What you learned is it's a bad idea to buy a MIM strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Bought my LP sight unseen. I lucked out...it sounds and looks great. That said, I am not sure I would do it again. Too many bad stories out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I've played more Les Pauls that I didn't like than ones that I did like. For that reason, I like to play them before I pay for them. Now having said that...I've only bought one on-line & unseen and that was my R8. Only reason being it was a Guitar Center sale and the price was $2,500 US at the time when the Canadian dollar was worth more than the US. Even unseen, I couldn't pass it up...and glad I didn't. It can't hold a candle to my other reissues but I love playing it. Rather than see it' date=' I'd rather play and hear the guitar first. These are, to me, far far more important matters.[/quote']Couldn't of said it better myself. It seems people are more concerned with how the guitar looks, rather than how it feels & sounds. By the way...steve167, I think that part about the retailer not playing the guitars is a load of crap. Every place has employees that get their hands on as many guitars as possible and every music store has employees that screen through new stock as it arrives and put the nicer guitars aside. The best ones never see the showroom floor, it's true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud N Proud Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I love being able to pick up and touch the guitar before I buy. I have seen guitars in shops before and loved them but once I played them they sounded dead. In fact one time I liked the looks of the guitar so much I asked if their on site luthier could take a look at it just to give a quick once over to see what the problem was. He sat with the guitar for about 20 minutes changed the strings checked the action fiddled with it here and there to set the intonation and even he said is sounded lifeless. After that I have always been a little leery of buying on line. I know most good sites have great return policies but it still worries me a little. BUT, if I saw something I loved and the only place I could find it was on line I would probably go for it and be nervous until it showed up and i was able to play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I bought my Custom off ebay, however the seller lived around the corner so I was able to go round and play it first. It also made me say "whats the lowest you will take for it"...I saved £700 off the seller's original price... Maybe I have just been lucky! Buying online is a mine field..... Be careful Flight959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I bought my Epiphone mail-order (Musician's Friend), and was pleased to get it in one piece from U.P.S., also got my Telecaster from them, again, wasn't disappointed. As for Guitar Center? I'll buy strings, and SOME accessories. I recently bought a 2008 Squier Standard Stratocaster at Guitar Center because the price was right (199 bucks), and I intend to modify a lot of things on it...ANYWAY, this is what I got: 2 broken neck screws bent neck worn strings 4 screws for the scratchplate had monstrous burrs I couldn't believe they put a guitar like that out for sale, even though I was able to resolve all issues, I shouldn't have to. And granted, it's a 200 dollar guitar, it really isn't an excuse to put something like that on the floor. And you should have seen what they offered me because I didn't want the black one, which I eventually settled on, I'm not even gonna get into that. On the other hand, I did buy my Goldtop Classic at the same store, and all that one needed was a good cleaning, and strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 For years I said I would never buy a guitar without playing it first. But I did some research and played a few similar LP's at GC then went on line and bought my LP (see avatar) from First Quality Music. The sales rep e-mailed me about 16 pictures of the guitar I purchased and I saved the sales tax. No shipping costs either. The money saved was worth it to me. Gave it a good set-up and it's the best guitar I've ever owned. I guess since I saw pictures, it was not totally sight unseen, but close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongo Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I buy most of my guitars online. I generally avoid buying guitars from Guitar Center, period, though my exception to that rule came in January, when I picked up a clearanced Variax Acoustic 700 there simply because it was marked down from $1200 to $399 ($1600 MSRP). Typical of Guitar Center, it took them 2 1/2 hours to find the gig bag and associated bits and pieces and then forced me to buy a bag of bridge pins because one was missing from the guitar. It was like watching the Three Stooges make a guitar sale. Even when making a purchase in the GC Platinum Room in March, we ignored the Axcess' on the wall in favor of a sight-unseen Custom Shop version that spent only a few minutes at GC before being re-routed in shipping direct to the house. As it was, the requested Build Sheet never appeared and the invoice/receipt didn't appear for two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenthmed Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Of the four Les Pauls I've bought I've only played one before buying. Got my Studio to learn on (from a music store owned by a family friend) and still love it. Then got an Epi Standard over the internet (FANTASTIC set-up and a really good guitar for the price). Next was an Epi Custom also from the internet (beautiful guitar but sound and set-up was average and ended up ebaying it - sold for more than I paid for it). Last was my Standard 60's neck which I bought from a shop five minutes walk from my house (set-up average, sounds absolutely amazing), tried it against two 50's necks and my Studio. What I'm saying is I've got no problem buying guitars on the internet but when it gets to serious money there's no way I'd part with Gibson-sized cash without playing it first. Just for reference for any Brits reading this, the Epi Standard came from guitarampkeyboard.com (I also bought a Line 6 Variax 300 from them and the set-up was just as great), and the Epi Custom came from coda-music.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xarnon Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 My first LP was a faded-DC with P-90s. I played it at Guitar Center after trying out an SG Classic. I didn't like the SG, but I fell in love with the LP. The LP had better action, mainly due to the satin finish on the neck, and it had slightly better sound - a little brighter tone with a dash of hollowness. If that sounds stupid, it probably is, because I haven't yet found a way to describe the tome. I guess I'm the same way with wine. To me it tastes good or bad, forget all that "hint of lime" BS. Anyhow, I played it after playing 3 other guitars and I bought it at a song. My most recent LP was a gift from my wife. She knew I wanted a LP Studio, so she ordered it from Musicians Friend. The guitar I received was even better than what I could have imagined. I had played other Studios, but this one, a maple-topped faded, looked and played better than any of the other lacquer-topped LPs I had played. That said, I agree with another poster that if I was forking out big bucks for a custom shop model, I would definitely want to play it first. Quite frankly, I wonder how many of the custom shop models are even played on a regular basis. I mean, if I bought a $5,000 guitar, I would consider that an investment and encase it in a shadowbox for display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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