enchong Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Hi Guys, I saw a beautiful(on picture) LP Black Beauty on the sweetwater photo gallery and I would like to ask those in the forum who have had experience buying from sweetwater or other internet guitar stores..... Can I play the guitar in a store where they have the guitars or I will have to trust the guitars are in good condition? Are there any pitfalls I should look out for when you buy on the net? Thanks for your help guys!!! Enchong:d/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 enchong, Sweetwater is a great and trusted musical store, period. I had great buying experiences with them and will continue give them my business where it makes sense. But at the same time, I'm not a firm believer that everything should be bought over the internet. Sweetwater's guitar stock that is sold via internet is not the same stocks in the retail store. This is a good thing. I hate finding the guitar I wanted with dings and scratches from kids that typically hang out at music stores and shred half the morning with no attentions of buying anything. Most stores keep the good stuff high off the floor and out of reach of the teenagers for these reasons. Another thing about buying guitars is not knowing how heavy it is until you feel it in your hands. I bought half of my guitars via from quality internet stores (Sweetwater, Wildwood, Wilcutt and Guitar Gallery) after sampling the used or store stocks first. I use the internet to compare prices only. If you are near the store, that's another good thing. You can check out their floor stock too. Most musicians are not near an internet store. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enchong Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 Thanks JazzGtr, Do you mean sweetwater sells new stocks and they guarrantee quality? I am in Barcelona now and will go to the guitars stores once they open at 5 pm. They close from 1 to 5 pm for siesta or lunchbreak(quite long isnt?!?) hehehe...Thanks for your advise.... will take a look at stocks later and see what available at sweetwater... thanks enchong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col F Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Sweetwater sells new stock guitars and other instruments and equipment. They do have a physical store location as well. They inspect and photograph each guitar that arrives for their stock. When you purchase from Sweetwater the sales "engineer" will ask you how you want it set up (what gauge strings, action preference, etc.) and their own guitar techs will set it up for you prior to shipping. If they find problems with the guitar, those technicians will fix / adjust them prior to shipping. Still, you are buying a guitar that you have not seen or played yourself prior to the purchase. That is the basis for the return and refund policies which are displayed on the vendors web sites. Read all of the disclosure information on web sites (including about whether or not the shipment will be insured (some Internet vendors do not insure the parcel and the buyer is responsible for loss or damage once they turn it over to the shipping company), and ask proper questions of the sales agent on the phone. If its not in writing though, it does not apply! An international return and refund is bound to be complicated. Sweetwater has a good reputation as far as I know. They are the 2nd largest musical instrument dealer next to Guitar Center (whose reputation gets lots of comments on all of the forums). Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 +1 on Sweetwater. I have bought a lot of recording gear from them, and it's always new, in the sealed box, as advertised, and they follow up to make sure you're happy with it. Sweetwater takes the high road on internet sales, unlike some other vendors (although I have never had a problem with returns for any of the more prominent ones --MF, Music123, American Music Supply). The fact that they post photos and serial numbers of the actual guitar is a big plus: you can tell a lot about the quality from their pics. The biggest potential problem you face is the return shipping from Barcelona, but my experience has been that Sweetwater is good about inspecting their wares before shipment. When I'm buying something online I always check out Sweetwater first. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renin74 Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 call Saul at Centre city music, 18885GIBSON. HE will email you pictures and will beat any internet retailer by $500-1000 at least on high end gibsons. I got a LEs Paul 59 reissue lemonburst for under $5000 from him, they are now at $6000 for the gloss model. HE can get you an es-335 for 1/3 less than the major chains.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enchong Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 Dear Guys, Thanks for all your help!!!! I went around 4 to 5 gibson dealer stores here in Barcelona and they dont have stock of the custom models or the new models....they said the stocks will arrive in a month's time...were off to Munich tom and will try our luck there...i want ot be able to try out the guitar first before I put in hard earned money on it. thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyF Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 You can't go wrong with Sweetwater, Centre City Music, or Guitarsale.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enchong Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 thanks so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgytoo Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 can't go wrong with Wildwood Guitars in Boulder ask for Bruce A Gibson Super Dealer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 One thing wildly wrong with internet purchases, is that most on line dealers, can only quote the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) Our local Gibson store, has prices posted on their instruments that are UNDER the MAP already, and in many cases, with negotiation, can go under that price, or sweeten the deal with other equipment. AND you get to TRY OUT THE GUITAR before buying!!!! Can't emphasize how important that is. MAP is ususally 25% to 30% below LIST price. Many stores will go 35% to 40% off of list, especially if a high priced instrument has been hanging around in the store for a long time. An instrument that has been in the store for over a year has had it's first "birthday" and most stored don't EVER want that to happen. So online dealers, that should have the lowest price due to greatest volume of sales, have their hands tied.....All their advertisements of "Guarenteed lowest price!!!" are a sham, because they will only match or beat by one dollar any ADVERTISED price, and of course, they can only advertise MAP.......everyone can only advertise MAP........can you spell anti-trust? Anyway, I say support the mom and pop stores in your area.....play a guitar before buying.....you can play 20 335's and they will all sound a little different, all feel a little different......try out as many as you can before buying....have fun!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Some online merchants state frankly that they post (or publish in catalogs) the MAP and you can call them to get a quote, usually by email. The important point you bring up is that trying out the actual guitar is crucial to a satisfactory purchase. We have become accustomed to instant gratification and the "ooooh, it's pretty, I want it" syndrome that we forget that guitars can be highly individual instruments. One might sing to you while another, seemingly identical one, makes farting noises. Not to say that another person won't reverse your judgment, but this is YOU that's buying an instrument. Another important factor is that the local dealer will, many times, wheel and deal (the more successful he is, the more likely he will!) and I have had great success in winnowing down a large herd of stuff into a few gems that I really want to play without breaking the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enchong Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Youre right!!! the basic thing is to get to play the guitar first and not buy based on the photo on the web...also i was able to buy a les paul custom yesterday for less than $3000 net vs the sweetwater price of $3800+ so its still better to buy in the store only if you can find the guitar that you want there....I think I got a good deal here Munich so even if I have to carry this heavy beauty with me thru 3 countries more in europe then back to asia...its still worth every kilo.. hehehe and of course I get play it when am not busy... cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I maybe missing something, but when I phone MF or Sweetwater, all they will give me is the MAP, so they are not dealing unless they have a cupon, or a scratch and dent..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I maybe missing something' date=' but when I phone MF or Sweetwater, all they will give me is the MAP, so they are not dealing unless they have a cupon, or a scratch and dent.....[/quote'] What I said doesn't apply to all merchants, or to all brands. And I still prefer dealing with the local guys. I want them to be there when I gotta have a set of strings on Saturday afternoon before a gig, and to allow me to trade in old gear on new without skinning me, and just generally so I can go by and dig all the new stuff on the walls and hang out with interesting musicians. And, I don't live in a big city: there's not GC or Best Buy here, and I'm glad for it. I prefer dealing with people I know and who will still be here tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. Our local dealer ain't perfect -- mostly Fender and Peavey -- but he'll find stuff I'm looking for AND he sold my '63 Gretsch for me for a big price. Try that at MF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad masher Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Hi Guys' date=' I saw a beautiful(on picture) LP Black Beauty on the sweetwater photo gallery and I would like to ask those in the forum who have had experience buying from sweetwater or other internet guitar stores..... Can I play the guitar in a store where they have the guitars or I will have to trust the guitars are in good condition? Are there any pitfalls I should look out for when you buy on the net? Thanks for your help guys!!! Enchong:d/ [/quote'] they, sweetwater, have an actual store room inside the headquarters. lots of stuff to look at and try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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