|
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | That you walked out the door of a music store with the guitar you just bought.
AlanM's post got me thinking about this.
I cannot remember when it was for me. At least 15 years, probably more. There's not a single guitar in the house that I walked out the door with (except the ones I've had for 30+ years)
I've bought from retail brick and mortar establishments but from them online, or from ebay or from people.
I buy my strings by the dozen online and for that matter just about every thing else too.
I go to the local music store here on the island too but that's for the hang, and I go to the one in North Carolina for something to do downtown. Sometimes I'll but an interesting CD.
What about you? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | Never.
_____
gh1 |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | +1 --- (I did by my Lyon pseudo-Strat from Target, does that count?)
Everything else online, or used in-person. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Of a "Music Store??"
I'd believe mid-1978 when I bought my Viper. I have found instruments in pawn shops and the like, or at guitar shows, but never in an actual music store.
In the past 10 years, if I did find something in a music store, I'd end up doing research and finding it cheaper online, either new or used.
At least 80% of my guitars came from eBay. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | a Seagull.... in 1989.
EDIT: Not true, I traded my Maple Guild for an Adamas in '94 or '95 at Sam Ash in Cherry Hill |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4817
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Helped a friend buy her guy a guitar for Christmas at the store.
Oh wait! I bought a Squire Telecaster 3 weeks ago! (How quick we forget) The prices will be taking a big leap this month what with the drop in our dollar.
So, yes.
For the most part, I have too many friends here to ever consider buying elsewhere....except for impulse buying like I just did. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | The closest I came to your scenario was in Jan '07. I walked out of a local pawn shop with a 'cherry' Cherry Epi DOT with a Bigsby tremolo and case. Flipped it within a week for $50 profit.
Since then it's been all eBay, CL, cyber-stores and here.
The B&Ms around here don't even have a decent plectrum selection! :( |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Six years ago, a used Gibson archtop from the GC across the street from Boston University during a visit with my daughter. Even then, I didn't walk out with it as it still had a few weeks remaining on a police hold. It was shipped later. As far as walking out the door of a bricks and mortar retail store with a new guitar, 1981 with the Legend Limited. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Adamas I 12 string -- "Big Blue". March 1996. Small music store in Huntington Beach CA that's no longer there...... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | The last new guitar I bought from a music store was an NJ Warlock (Sweetest neck I've ever played) at GC in Manchester Ct. back in 2001 or thereabouts. My ex had bought one to give his daughter for Christmas and brought it over to show me. I went the very next day and bought one for myself.
As the owner of a music store, I hate hearing all this on-line stuff. Mom and Pop stores of every type are being driven out of business because the big dealers like GC and those on-line can buy in such huge quantities there's no way we little dealers can compete. Some of the stuff I stock costs me more from my distributor than if I bought from Musician's Friend and resold it here. I'm not saying I blame you for trying to save money, but there may soon come a time that you won't be ABLE to run down to your local music store for strings and such, because we won't be here. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Beal, I think I walked out of Guitar Store Mike's with a Clarence White. Does that count.
Otherwise I bet the last time was 1996 when I bought a Book Elite at Guitar Center (and just sold it this week). |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | It's been fairly recent compared to the rest of you. I bought a Solid wood Spruce/Maple Jumbo that sold reg. for 749.00 got it on Clearence for $300, then sold it for $375.00 about a year ago. My 1778LX was my first and only New "O" in Aug. of 2007.
Probably never will again unless I'm working and it's clearanced(lol!) I love finding the older "vintage" 'O's Cheap because no one likes plastic guitars! ;) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2005
Posts: 1234
Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | New guitars....My first Adamas II in Honolulu back in '95, store is long gone...still have the 1885 :)
Then the Elite Red Flame in Honolulu in 2005, store is gone and replaced by a Rave teeny-popper outlet store. Prof BB now has the guitar.
Last one was the Ute in Honolulu in late 2005 from a mom & pop guitar shop downtown. That one is now in Povation's collection overseas.
Everything else came from online stores & ebay, other OFCer's or my favorite vendor - Mr. Big. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | I've bought two amps and a bunch of little stuff from my favorite mom and pop guitar store down the street, but they handle Taylors and other "high end" guitars, so I haven't bought a guitar from them. I bought the Classic, used, from a guitar store in Moscow, Idaho.
I bought three used guitars from Guitar Center and will probably buy another in the next day or so, but the only new one I sort of bought from them was Damon's VXT.
I love visiting the classic guitar stores and hope they don't go out of business. I'd much prefer to buy from a local store and would pay more to do so, if I could find the same product in the store that I do on line. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 247
Location: Delaware | 1979, 1612 Balladeer, O hardshell case and a guitar cable included (right angle to straight), $600.00, Super Axe Music Store, Secane, Pa. (south of Philly). Still have all of them. (cable still works!) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | My 2006 G&L ASAT from a B&M. Could I have bought it online for $100 less? Probably. Did I give a rat's ass? Nope. I got to plug it in, play on it for an hour, look it over top to bottom, dicker with the price, and walk out with it. I was completely satisfied. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | 1988: 1758-6p and 1868-5 from Charlottsville Music in C'ville, VA....ebay and on-line retailers ever since...
Of course, there is nothing closer than 50 miles to where I live...except for Wayne Henderson's shop 20 minutes away...no Ovations there...maybe a few Martins...and a Henderson or three or four... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
I'm not saying I blame you for trying to save money For me it's not a matter of cost. It's the lack of selection. I've spent more money on gas (petrol type) searching the local areas than what I've spent on items I've found here.
And when I inquire as to having the local B&Ms ordering a desired item, "Sure! That'll be M$RP + tax and at least three weeks". Then toss in the concessionaire luthier that has 'rape rate$'...  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | +1 on what Iffy said.
It's not so much a matter of "research to find a better deal" but a matter of just finding what I want and variety.
I'm actually surprised more mom'n pop stores don't buy from Musicians Friend and resell, especially on popular items. Granted they can't do more than a store warranty at that point, but it would bring traffic in. Maybe some do.
Although I haven't done it with instruments, I have made purchases of multiple other items from big box stores, kept one for myself, and sold the "extras" at enough profit to pay for the one item I wanted. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | The only guitar I ever bought in a shop was my first O - 1869 CL that I bought new in '95. Other than that, it's always been occasional picks or strings for me. I had to resist the urge to try to justify a REALLY nice PRS Mira in a local shop about a week ago though...
It's funny, but the local "big" shop down here is still a mom&pop business, but it's close to the size of a GC, with way better variety and actual practice rooms for gear. Plus, you don't get strip-searched walking through the door.
So on the original question, other than 2 custom orders (both phone/online), everything since the one in '95 has been ebay/craigslist/friend-of-a-friend/guitar forums. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 747
| About 6 years ago.
Had no intention of buying anything until I picked up a Norman 6 string in a store and liked it so much that I didn't want to put it down in case someone else bought it.
I'm not sure about buying sight unseen. Any time I've been looking for guitars I've gone through quite a few before finding the one I liked.
Tried about 15 LPs once before finding the one - and of course it had to be a plug ugly sunburst but what can you do..lol |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 766
Location: New Hampsha | Last year, Epi Dot 335 from GC.
2005, 6778LX NEB from mom and pop O dealer in Derry;
2004 Epi LP Black Beauty from Daddy's
Still have all of them. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2007
Posts: 75
Location: Portland, OR | Back in '95, my first real guitar, an 1867 Legend. Since then I've bought 3 guitars, 2 on ebay, one from ohklahoma vintage because they had a super price. CanterburyStrings, I hear you.. I love having the mom and pop store to go browse, get strings etc.. But i'm in the business of keeping my family supported, not keeping local stores in business when their price is 20-100% more than I can get online. Sure, if its a few bucks, even a hundred bucks, I'll buy from the local store. But i'm afraid the era of big business is in, and the small buying power of local stores is out.. There is no way for you to compete, and its sad, but its the world we live in now. You can't expect people to hand over hundreds of extra dollars to you because they like you.. I like my friends, but I"m not about to go around giving them money! I also think its a matter of just not having a decent selection. Most local stores I go into have so many low end guitars, and nothing high end.. Understandably, they can't afford to keep that kind of inventory around.. But i'm so not going to have them special order me a guitar at MSRP, as someone else pointed out! If it turns out that I'll have to start ordering my strings online, its just going to have to be that way. If I bought me last 3 guitars at MSRP, i'd be out about $4000.. Thats ALOT of freaking strings.. I wish you the best of luck, in all honesty. I think for mom and pop stores to survive, its going to be about being creative in ways that they don't have to worry about competing with the big guys.. Unfortunatly, I have no idea what that is! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | A PRS Custom from a store in Austin Tx in about '89, and a Lap Steel that Moody picked up for me a a GC a coupla years ago. Otherwise it's been horse-trading, ebay or custom-built ever since |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Apart from the mini Cort I bought late last year for my 6yo son, the only other guitar I've bought in a B&M guitar shop was my first Balladeer (used) in the late '80s. |
|
| |
When was the last time?
