I've had the same dilemma with both guitars and amps. Beginner enough that I needed to buy gear but also inept enough to not be able to play much in the store and discern how each item was different. So, I asked the salesperson to play some stuff. They were happy to do so, didn't have any pushy sales attitudes (majority are mellow guitar dudes), and they've dealt with plenty of people in my situation by trimming the choices down to a few items. Someone helped guide me to the Katana amp this way. I learned enough about guitars to know that I don't know what I like yet so I got the basics - a used HSS Strat and a new but very inexpensive acoustic. I should be set for awhile and can wait till I'm more adept before heading back to the store.