Guitar shopping ethics

The closest place to me that sells guitars is Guitar Center, which has a large selection. There are a couple of independent shops, not too far away, that have much smaller selections (and each have their own brands in which they specialize). Both of those have good reviews on Yelp and the people there seem to know their stuff. I would prefer to buy from one of the smaller shops, but the Guitar Center would be a great place to first compare a variety of types. But, to be honest, I would feel kind of guilty about going there and doing that when I have no intention of making a purchase there. Am I wrong in this? I realize that there are people that go there to just play the guitars and GC is probably accustomed to this.

Well this is a question that probably everyone that has bought a guitar has thought about. Let me ask this. Have you ever gone to a department store to shop and then find out that the item is cheaper or that there is a better selection either online or in another store? Sure you have. Guitar Center is set up to provide a wide variety of instruments and they command a large portion of the guitar economy. They get buyers, lookers and curious Georges. They don't expect to make a sale each time. It is the saleperson's job to sell merchandise. They know that most people will not buy from them but they do get many that do over time.

You should go to a place where you can find the largest selection of instruments to try out. If you like the price of the instrument and the salesperson and the store in general, buy it there. If you think you can do better some where else, then do so. No hard feelings are brought upon GC. They won't chase you down in the street. This is the sales model that they have chosen. They are the KMart of instruments. Doesn't mean that they are no good. It means that they get a lot of foot traffic. You purchase where you want. It's your guitar that you are buying. Just remember that the purhase is not the end of the game. You may need to have professional hel down the line as well, just like a car. Choose which store or internet site will give you what you need at purchase time and after.

That's a tough question. Ultimately you have to look out for yourself...it's your hard earned money you are investing.

You may very well find what you want at GC and in the end buy there...you can't predict what will happen. 9 times out of 10, when going instrument/gear shopping, I walk out the door with something different than what I expected.

I had an opposite experience to what you are describing...I was browsing a local shop and my experience in there led me to place an order online. The local shop had a guitar I liked but not in the color I wanted. I was wandering around and the sales guy (a friend of mine) put a guitar in my had to try and I was impressed...but it was expensive and not in my first choice of color. Once I decided to buy, he did some research and found it would be up to a 2 month lead time to get the color I wanted...with 1/2 the money up front. I was just not comfortable with this arrangment.

Online, I found the guitar in a color I didn't even know existed and was able to get a better deal money-wise. I was conflicted about it, but in the end I had to do right by me. I came clean to my salesman friend and he was not happy with me, but he'll get over it. When I go in there, it's become a bit of a running joke. I've spent money in that store before and after this "incident" so I don't feel bad.

Originally Posted by: ar_cee_el

The closest place to me that sells guitars is Guitar Center, which has a large selection. There are a couple of independent shops, not too far away, that have much smaller selections (and each have their own brands in which they specialize). Both of those have good reviews on Yelp and the people there seem to know their stuff. I would prefer to buy from one of the smaller shops, but the Guitar Center would be a great place to first compare a variety of types. But, to be honest, I would feel kind of guilty about going there and doing that when I have no intention of making a purchase there. Am I wrong in this? I realize that there are people that go there to just play the guitars and GC is probably accustomed to this.

Remember that your first goal is to get a guitar that meets your wants/desires/needs. This includes configurations of pickups etc to matcfh the kind of music you are playing. Do the small shops have guitars that meet those needs and have quality instruments?

Ok, they're still in the game them.

You also need to have a guitar that is playable to you. Does it feel good? That kind of thing. If the local stores have gear for that, still in the game.

If so, then first shop the small shops. My thought. If you don't find what you want, then move to GC.

The important thing is to be honest with all of them. Every person that has ever worked in a guitar store has been told that the shopper is just looking around and playing equipment to see what sticks. Remember, that person helping you had to buy their forst guitar too and how a guitar feels is subjective and the sales person knows this. Just be honest and let them know you really just want to try stuff for now until you have a sense of what works for you. Still, be honest. If they know that you are 'wasting their time' because you were honest, they're more likely to help anyway.