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View Full Version : Ordering Guitars from the net



Bigbear
October 26th, 2005, 08:32 AM
hey... i was wondering the quality of quitars ordered from the internet... i heard stories of bent necks and things... I'm thinking about ordering a vintage style strat from one of these (Musicians Friend) or ebay sites... anybody have any feedback or know how these guitars are?

marnold
October 26th, 2005, 10:45 AM
I don't know about the guitar, but I got my Fender from Musician's Friend. It needed a setup, but other than that, it was great. Hard to beat the return policy.

Nelskie
October 26th, 2005, 03:01 PM
Yeah, marnold is right. Generally, if you order a guitar from the 'net, you'll need to bring it to your friendly local guitar tech, and have him put a good set-up on it for you. If it's a Strat, you'll especially want to do that, as the neck & tremelo system are sometimes a bit "touchy". Not only that, but the packaging from the factory isn't always the most "secure" when it comes to shipping fragile instruments. It'll get banged around a bit in transit, that's for sure!!

Musician's Friend is really good about returns, too. I've ordered stuff from there (both amps & guitars), and if I didn't like it, they took it back no prob. Make sure you keep all of the original packaging materials & paperwork. Most importantly, be very careful w/it.

Also - what type of Strat were you thinking of buying? I have a Classic 60's Fender Stratocaster (Mexican made), and it's awesome. It's got a real vintage look & feel - not to mention a cool retro tone & vibe. Plenty of bling for a reasonable amount of ching. I absolutely dig it!

Justaguyin_nc
October 26th, 2005, 03:55 PM
Ditto on the setups if you buy on the net... other then that the companies dealing with people mailorder are pretty good at exchanges etc... with no questions asked.

Nelskie, I also have a MIM 60's Strat... they did a good job on that model... Im usually playing it or the new squier 51.. only things I have done bad to the MIM myself is chip the heel (cant remember when) and lose the tip on the selector switch. I purchased what was suppose to be aged tip replacements but to small to fit.. ohwell.. will find the right size some day.

good luck on the net purchase BigBear!!

Nelskie
October 26th, 2005, 06:59 PM
NC Guy - Cool that you play a "Classic 60's" model, too. I looked around forever for a "vintage" type Fender Strat, and was really impressed with the quality and authentic "feel" and tone of these MIM instruments. I have the 3TS model with a rosewood fingerboard. It'll be with me for a long time. BTW - don't worry about those "love scratches" - - - adds character!

Robert
October 26th, 2005, 08:00 PM
I bought a Reverend Rocco on eBay, it arrived in one solid piece, no problemo. Us Canadian residents can't buy from Musician's Friend, as they don't ship here. :(

6STRINGS 9LIVES
October 27th, 2005, 08:55 AM
The most important thing to remember about buying on ebay is to have as much prior knowledge about the guitar, amp you are buying. Do your homework and ask questions, look at the posted pictures for the auction with a critical eye for anything that does not look right , good sellers will give full disclosure regarding any modifications or damage but you still need to ask questions. I have bought and sold guitars and amps on ebay and i have yet to be disapointed . It's also a good idea to communicate to the seller your expectations regarding the packing of your purchase , ie. double boxed , styrofoam chips bubble wrap etc . I typically buy used guitars on ebay and you can sortta tell if the seller is a player or not and most times if they are all thats needed is a little tweaking regarding set up . As a matter of fact i recently bought a 2000 crafted in japan 52 reissue tele ( amazing quality) the out of the box setup on this guitar was so good that i called the seller back to see who had done the work , he told me that the guy had spent hours working on the nut alone , the relief that he had dialed in worked so well with the string height that i have used the set up as a benchmark for my other teles.. sometimes you get lucky .. I think that with any tranaction that takes place over distance you have to spell out your expectations as clearly as possible to avoid disapointment .. hope this helps.. cheers

tremoloman
November 3rd, 2005, 05:57 AM
I've bought roughly 8 guitars over the net... not one problem... YET. I hope to continue the good streak!

logen9999
November 6th, 2005, 05:09 PM
I like to play them before buying. especially if you're about to blow some serious cash on one.

although, if you're looking for a simple standard strat or any entree level guitar then ordering them offline is a good idea.