In '22 bought a cosmetically flawed Mexican Tele from Musicians Friend for 280. I figured for the price, if it came super messed up I can return it. It's absolutely beautiful and the flaw was a small dent on the back of the guitar where your belt buckle would sit. It's about the size of a grain of rice. One of my best purchases.
This may be frowned upon here but when I find something on reverb, i always check to see if the shop has a website. If it looks legit, i email them there (not on Reverb) and ask for a deal. Since reverb takes dang near 10% they're usually down for doing a deal on their website instead. They save on the fee and you save on the gear. It's a win win.
Just bought a guitar on Reverb for the first time and it worked out really well. Seller didn’t have many sales or purchases to go on but all communications and demonstrated knowledge of the instrument made it a comfortable decision for me. Thanks for the video!
55 years young and I’ve purchased only one guitar online…and it was from you guys, much to be said for “trust”. Still love that Southern Jumbo, thanks fellas!😁
I've bought two used guitars on line and both of them were excellent. One was a floor model from a guitar shop in Ohio and another was a guy in Illinois who bought it and decided he didn't have time to learn to play it. Both were basically brand new guitars. Not a scratch on either one. You have to be careful, patient, and pay very close attention to the pictures. If anything in the pictures makes you hesitate, pass and look elsewhere.
I like buying online, but I strongly believe in building rapport and shopping locally. With that being said I actually swung into Casino the other day and they were very nice. Wish I could have stayed longer, but the family was grumpy and with 3 grumpy ladies I lost! Thanks for the Vids guys and hope to come back soon... alone!
In Europe Thomann has no competition. I've ordered, played for up to 30 days, a dozen or more guitars and sent back NO QUESTIONS ASKED. ever! A few were lemons because they don't set up or unpack the guitars as they come straight from the factory through their warehouse and straight to the buyer.
As a Lefty in the UK buying online has allowed me to get certain things I could have searched for a lifetime in shops and never found. I’ve bought from Thomann and GuitarGuitar. I’ve looked at Reverb but to be honest there isn’t really that much rare Lefty stuff that comes up on there, or anything that is involves meeting in a car park in Inverness.
I live in Chile and not in the main capital city right now, so my access to guitar shops is almost null. Just one store in a big retailer in a city close by, but of course their selection is not very much. So I have purchased online a lot, including import from the US, from shops, from guys on TGP, reverb, and I do as you say, research everything about them as possible. and with reviews of the shop yeah. I've noticed that as well, normally there is always that weird exaggerated 1 star review lol. And I actually buy and sell a lot of guitars myself, trying different stuff, especially the past couple of years, and when I sell I also try and research the seller as best as possible. And service as you say for me is very important. When I got my Eastman new, I asked in dozens of shop, and was suprised that some of the smaller ones took so long to reply or actually never replied, but a big retailer was by far the best to deal with, both in service, and also in price. Adore the Eastman and was great ordering from them. hope one day can purchase from you!!
Purchased a guitar I found on Reverb yesterday. First, like you said, I researched the store online. Seemed a way legit we site and I was able to read about the owner’s lifelong love for guitars (oh, I’ve read your bio, Broadway Baxter) and see the guitar I wanted. When I didn’t get a response to my offer, I just called the shop and got a way decent deal and they’ll call me tomorrow about strings and setup preferences. Now that’s a plus, available over the phone line, that is worth a lot. And I paid extra for FedEx air so it wouldn’t sit in a hot truck at a stop in Arizona.
Just bought Sharp Dressed Custom Shop Stratocaster from you guys - awesome guitar and great experience - good advice here - have bought a few online Reverb and others - did everything you mentioned and all went well - do your homework - get mote photos - and if you know the shop ask someone to play it and tell you what they think
So here’s the things that I’ve come to realize about buying a guitar. I chill on not move to fast … sit on it for a moment not on the Guitar itself, but I wanna play it. I wanna come back to it. I want to play it again. I really wanna make sure it’s one that you put down. Also, I bought a few guitars online some new and some used biggest challenges the sales guys if they just want to make the sale to make the money, they’ll tell you what you want to hear and then you get it. It’s not at all what you expected it’s gonna online purchases are great, but in reality, it’s how you connect with Guitar and you have to be present to do that
Casino Guitars was one of my first Reverb experiences. You guys had a 2021 PRS CE 24 in a purple smoke burst before it was a standard color, and the real kicker for me is that the neck was dyed black. Three years later it's the guitar I play just about every day. And I still occasionally wear the T-shirt you guys sent along with it. :)
A suggestion for an episode on what expectations should a buyer have for follow-up and touching base from the guitar retailer after the sale of a guitar or amp? Maybe just a call to see if everything is good and you are satisfied. I have purchased four new guitars from four different sellers and none have ever done any follow-up. Three on line and one local. Not sure if this is the norm but would seem like a reasonable thing to help maintain good relations and help with retaining future customers. Thanks
If I want to buy an Ibanez, I will go to my local shop. However, they don’t carry Brian May Guitars (no one in the US really does) so I had to order online from House Music. When I purchased my BMG Special, I half jokingly asked in the order notes for a “pretty one.” Honestly? It’s one of those fabled Wednesday guitars. I didn’t have much to compare it to when I first got it, but now I can genuinely say it’s a really, really great specimen. When I ordered my BMG Arielle, since House Music seemed to listen to my order notes the first time, I dared to ask for “the lightest weight one they have” - and believe it or not, it weighs less than the average weight cited on the spec sheet and it weighs less than my BMG Special. Tiny paint bleed on the binding - not as perfect as the Special, but I really don’t mind because it’s perfect for me otherwise. Sometimes ordering online from overseas works out. Not my favorite thing to do. Would never do it again because if I’m spending the money on a more widely available guitar I REALLY want to try it first. But for the two I had to buy online, it worked out for me!
@@chewy95118 I absolutely adore my BMG Special. No, it’s not identical to Brian May’s real Red Special because that has a neck greater than an inch thick at the first fret. Comfortable large c neck shape, 0.86” at the first fret. 24” short scale. Love the ebony fretboard instead of rosewood. Pickups aren’t my favorite but they can be replaced with Yonderbosks, which are made to Brian May’s spec. The stock pickups are a little darker than Brian’s and really do well with an always on treble boost. If a gloss neck is a dealbreaker, you won’t like it. But if you don’t mind a gloss neck, definitely try it out! They’re super fun. The pickup and phase switches are very intuitive (once you remember that up = off because Brits flip switches up to turn off their lights. Very bizarre.) Lower bout is a bit tall for my 5’3” frame, which is why I prefer the BMG Arielle - more ergonomic all around. But if you’re taller than me, it will feel just fine. Honestly, it’s the best bang for your buck out of all the production guitars with a 24” scale length. Fit and finish are solid. I honestly think they’re super underrated in terms of both quality and versatility. It shoegazes. It does funk. Pop. Not just a Queen guitar by any means. I’ve even seen people play metal on them.
@@chewy95118 Hopefully you won’t mind the gloss neck too much. Sometimes I consider sanding it a bit, but then I come to my senses and remember I don’t like taking risks like that. 😂
@@ItsVictoriaG haha. I feel the same way about the neck on my acoustic. The Home Depot is across the street from guitar center. Two ways to solve this problem. Haha.
I have not purchased a guitar online, but I came very close. I decided to come visit Casino Guitars instead. This was two years ago, almost exactly well worth the time! Two weeks ago I drove to Springfield, Missouri and bought another. My wife suspects a trend (and yes, there are guitars in Kansas City.)
My local guitar store has a great website. They have about ten pictures per guitar. They keep the site updated on the spot. If you buy a guitar it's removed right away. This is how I know what's available because not everything is currently in the showroom. It's how I found a finished damaged guitar that saved me around half the price.
I have bought 6 guitars (4 basses and 2 guitars) sweet water, zzounds, i wanted a yamaha BBNE2 bad, I found one on a site called pitbull audio, i did my due diligence and they are legit, better prices than the others, i just received delivery of my SUHR , great store!
Got a used 40 year old strat 60s re-issue MIJ.....could not get it rite, strings off neck off had a from the factory a 1/64th shim under the neck side scraped it off an low and behold awesome guitar, great price, the 60s MIJ are the only ones I would buy and it all worked out.....Awesome!!!.....................🎸*****
To shops that sell Custom Shop guitars online… If you don’t publish the neck specs width, 1st fret thickness, 12th fret thickness or even a legible photo of the floor traveller document, I won’t even consider buying from you. It amazes me how many dealers don’t do this.
Ahh the taxes...i was so close to buying a vintage amp on reverb. The price was just at the top of my limit and for some reason i thought that there wasn't going to be any tax. Oh wow was i wrong. The tax took it too far above my price range so i had to hold off. By the time i saved up the extra $$ the amp had just been sold. It's hard to estimate the taxes on reverb without going through the purchase process. It also looks like the taxes are higher for items coming from overseas. I'm not totally sure about that but buyer beware.
buying pre-owned guitars is a sure fire way to save $; however, in my personal experience you must be a astute judge of guitar quality and set-up to avoid making a mistake... one time a youth minister sold me a Taylor solid body electric with a hopelessly twisted neck... fortunately for me, Taylor fixed it, but I dodged a major bullet...
I bought a 40th Anniversary Squier Tele in Mocha for $260 off Amazon last summer when they were clearing out their stock. The first Tele I received QC failed their job - it had all kinds of issues. I sent it back and got another one that was just perfect. (Well, as perfect as a Squier can be. The bridge pickup was microphonic, it had a scratchy pot, and the tuners were not great, but I was going to swap all that out anyway. But the neck felt great and I didn't have to level the frets.) So my experience is 50/50.
Bought a Jazzmaster, thought I would try one, internet is my only option in the great white north.. GC took the knobs off and kept my knobs!!! The case was missing two metal feet and a leather latch inside the case and no COA. They threw the guitar in the case no packing. Threw it in a box again with no packing just guitar case and box, no bubble wrap or anything, and yeah I threw a fit got a few hundred bucks off. It still played ok, had a few more dents and rash then shown but played well enough. I took the money. But make sure you call directly and talk to someone and have detailed pics of everything before you buy. And always see if Trogley has a video with the specs.. Never shop GC usd without calling and getting good pics, and asking questions. Turns out. I dont like Jazzmasters at all anyway, so who wants an AVRI 66 JM for cheap?! 😅😂
Man, I would love to buy a guitar from you guys. Love your attitudes, videos etc. Unfortunately the boss (spouse) has told me 35 guitars is enough! But I still am looking for that birth year guitar...just because. I know it's silly, but dang, 1961 anything is exxxxxpennnnnsiive! Would prefer a strat but not picky at this stage. Oh well, the search can be fun too!
I've got some great deals online, and just as many questionable offers for equipment. I would love to try a piece of gear first, but there are so few local choices in my area.
As a somewhat newbie player, I have made one purchase on Reverb and it was fine, but can anyone explain why so many used guitars have comically inflated shipping costs? Are those also negotiable or just people looking to make a buck on the transaction regardless of sale price?
Brick and mortar stores won't carry a decent selection of LH guitars, so I have no choice but to purchase online. I would love to walk in to a store and see at least one Lefty in each brand/style, but it will never happen.
The only mistake to buying on line is the buying on line. I only buy guitars and amps in person now. Bits and bobs I’ll order because there are not many shops around. I’ve never had any real issues I just like to play it not only see it.
You need to Know what you are looking for. This will narrow the field. Know the seller. Knowing what I am looking for has made buying a instrument pretty easy for me. WooF!!🐶🐶
I think buying a factory boxed item with an unbroken seal is fine via online or mail order, but buying a guitar online etc is a absolute no way, I need to play it and see if we like each other person to person face to face physically on our first date.
#1 thing: Ask every question you can without trying to pin down the seller to something unreasonable.. Make sure you ask the right questions, too. If the seller is annoyed by all the questions, move on.
Definitely have to look out for scams out there..they are getting more clever at looking legit. If it seems off it probably is...good rule of thumb. Personally I'd rather shop hands on. It's is the experience that makes your musical purchase journey from the get go. If I walk into a shop and get a negative feeling from sales people then I'm probably going to find somewhere else to purchase a musical product. I don't mind paying a few extra bucks or travel a longer distance for a better experience. I want to feel like the journey of buying musical equipment starts off in a good way. It's the beginning of the story and if I make a purchase that has that negative attachment it tends to stick with me. I want to feel like the shop that sold this to me are my kind of people. We don't have to be friends with salespeople..but it sure helps if they are friendly. I'll come back to that shop with my hard earned money for future purchases just because of that initial positive experience
I wish this was a possibility but not for everyone. I live in the countryside in Ireland. We do not tend to have many shops carrying a lot of bigger brands etc and if they do then they rarely have enough in stock to try what you actually want. The largest shop in this country has a great variety but it's hours away from me which I can't justify unless I know they have THAT ITEM which they rarely have. It's tough as nails to always get what you want to try before you buy. That being said I do when I can, the trip is worth it if you're spending decent money. I have no choice in some instances 🤷
I hate buying guitars online. They just know how to make them look too good in the pictures. Totally misleading. The cheap guitars even have great paint jobs and you don't see the cheap unless you get into it. Then you have strats... YOu can buy vintage necks.. Stick them on cheaper bodies... All almost impossible to see in a photo. Yea.. Really hard move. Now a reputable dealer like you guys sure that's cool.. But used... Man.. Really rough. A used guitar I want to see the thing in person
Number one mistake don’t buy your guitar online period!!! I would never buy a guitar I didn’t try in person first!!!! What happens if you buy it and can’t return it then your screwed!!! I only buy in person!!! Have to try it before buying!!!!! Major risk if you buy before trying!!!
People buy Guitars Online? When did this start? It's like, yeah I want to feel it and play it.... Nahhh I'm good Amazon HAHAHAHAHA No GUITAR PLAYERS BUY ONLINE (Disclaimer: Unless they live in West Virginia and had to share 4 phones for WiFi to Amazpn).... HAHAHAHA
