Originally Posted by: JeffS65

Originally Posted by: mtbkr55

I've been playing 3 years now, ready to purchase a nicer guitar. Been researching a Fender JA-90 Thinline Telecaster Jim Adkins Signature. On paper, it has everything I want: Telecaster thinline body, short scale, P90 pickups. Yet I can't locate a store anywhere to go and actually play one. My only option seems to be mail order and take my chances. Most of the chains offer 30 day returns, but you have to pay return shipping. Is that how most of you buy guitars now?

I've done three guitars this way. I got a nice deal on a now defunct site on a midline Fender acoustic. An Ibanez bass from Sweetwater, whom has a 50-odd point inspection for shipped gear. And a Gretsch Resonator from Chicago Music Exchange. All came well set up right out of the box. The mail order part is never an issue.

Guitars are how it 'feels' in your hands. If you've never played this model, that's really the only risk; will it feel good in your hands?

If you're in the U.S., I highly recommend Chicago Music Exchange. World class store. Actually, if you're ever in Chicago, it is a store dreams are made of....

RMA returns are primarily unfastened (at sellers' expense), and inside the US many etailers offer exchange of thoughts returns free too -inside a time restrict caveat. but do read the first-class print on returns.

The trouble i have with unfastened 'exchange of thoughts' returns is that in conjunction with all of the different attitudes in 2018, a percentile of people do abuse it. So it's as much as the integrity and honesty in buying and selling of the etailer as to whether or not they then provide that again stock for resale as B inventory (e.g. as Thomann do) or indexed as a purchaser go back. The stores i exploit do.