Bargaining for guitars.

[tot_Ou_tard]

What is the collective Fret wisdom about bargaining down guitar prices in:

a) A mega music shop like GC.
b) A small guitar shop.

I've only bought guitars from Ebay. Do you come armed with internet prices & say, well I can buy one of these babies from MF for such n' so.

What's your experience?

[Justaguyin_nc]

I have had the experience with (B).. two shops closest to me (50 miles away) and ofcourse small... just wanting to see what was around... Ofcourse I am not that good at getting discounts.. both places told me about the same thing... if you want to buy a guitar thats not setup sight unseen and do it yourself.. by all means buy online.. we are a personal touch shop.. The problem is... both of these personal touch shops had like 15% off list.. which is far from online and I guess if needed I could still save money and carry it in and have a setup put on it... which again they both offered to do... I think they cater more to the School crowds and the parents cough up the money.. so far all I buy is online.. there is a SamAsh about 80 miles from me.. been there once.. but never tried to get a better price.. was in awwwe of all they had and just sat there and cried... I was so confused...

[tot_Ou_tard]

Yeah, I'd assume you can figure in something extra for the set up & the fact that you were able to play the exact guitar that you are buying & a little sumpin' for the overhead of the store.

Any ideas on usual percentages above online &/or below list?

[oldguy]

In these parts there are two music stores within 30 miles of me. One will pretty much match the big discount chains to the dollar, but their service dept. isn't much to brag about, IMO. I've had to readjust setups when I got home or play the guitar before paying and tell them the action was too high/low, intonation was out, the neck relief was way off , etc.
The other store usually tries to get close pricewise (a $799 retail item may go for $599 @ the mega chains, these guys may go as low as $650), but when you take it home it's ready to play, and when you go back to buy strings for it, you get a free setup every 2nd or 3rd time, so it kinda all balances out, I guess. I usually set my own the way I like anyway, what makes me real nervous on a big purchase is buying without getting my hands on it first. Pack it back up, send it back, try again. Same w/ e-bay stuff. At least the big mega joints will take a return as opposed to private individuals. I've been thinking about as SX (thanks Trem and Robert! ) strat, though. I don't think you could go wrong for the price, even if you just used the neck or body on another project.

[tot_Ou_tard]

In these parts there are two music stores within 30 miles of me. One will pretty much match the big discount chains to the dollar, but their service dept. isn't much to brag about, IMO. I've had to readjust setups when I got home or play the guitar before paying and tell them the action was too high/low, intonation was out, the neck relief was way off , etc.
The other store usually tries to get close pricewise (a $799 retail item may go for $599 @ the mega chains, these guys may go as low as $650), but when you take it home it's ready to play, and when you go back to buy strings for it, you get a free setup every 2nd or 3rd time, so it kinda all balances out, I guess. I usually set my own the way I like anyway, what makes me real nervous on a big purchase is buying without getting my hands on it first. Pack it back up, send it back, try again. Same w/ e-bay stuff. At least the big mega joints will take a return as opposed to private individuals. I've been thinking about as SX (thanks Trem and Robert! ) strat, though. I don't think you could go wrong for the price, even if you just used the neck or body on another project.

It sounds worth the $50 extra for all that personal service.

I bought my guitars on ebay because they were my first (and still only) guitars. Since I had never tried to play an instrument before, I was too nervous to go into a store. Believe it or not, I had never even heard of a single coil nor a humbucker a year ago. Plus I wanted something very inexpensive in case I decided that it was going to be too hard to learn.

I have been going into stores with an eye toward my next purchase. This would be the first where I have some opinions about what I am interested in.

Thanks for the help!

[oldguy]

Tot, I, too, have bought several guitars off e-bay, and sold some as well.
When I sell, I list the good and bad points of the items. Sadly, many don't.
I've gotten some deals, and I've been burned on some. I often look for items that the seller includes detailed pics of, and places a reserve on, which tells me the axe is worth something to them, not just a quick sale to raise some cash. It's usually led me to the better quality instruments. Just my experience. In a store you actually get to handle the item and decide for yourself what it's worth. I pay a little extra if it's well adjusted, the fret edges don't snag your flesh, and a case/strap/goodies are included. Try to be aware of what the particular model is worth both retail and mega-mart pricewise. You can even take a sale catalog from some stores w/ you, leave 'em in the car, and go back out and check prices if you're not comfortable taking them in w/ you. After all it is YOU'RE money, don't feel bad about spending it wisely!

[marnold***]

It all depends on the store. There's one little dirtbag looking place nearby that doesn't look like much but the owner is very friendly and helpful. Surprisingly, he was asking the same amount for my Vox AD30VT that Musician's Friend was. Throw on top of that that he is a Vox repairman, and it was a no-brainer. There's another place in town that is much "shinier" and has a far better selection, but whenever I'm in there I've got the feeling that I'm troubling them.

If the price is even relatively close I'll always buy locally.

[Spudman***]

Old Guy and Marnold make some great points.

Ask yourself if after the sale you could see yourself going back in and doing more business with them? If so then it means you are comfortable with the way you were treated and happy to support them for years to come. If you like the service you got and might continue to get years later then go with that store even if the price isn't exactly what you want. It might benefit you later.

I have a couple of mom and pop shops around the Rocky Mountain region that I have been buying from since 1980. Whenever I am in their town and find something that I like they usually treat me pretty good on the price because of the relationship we have developed over more than 2 decades. I've gotten some very nice semi-collectable guitars for peanuts from them.

I've never built a relationship outside of just good credit with any of the big chain stores. Still, you can get some killer deals at the bigger stores too. Build those relationships and look for deals everywhere. No need to limit your options. After all... it's your money.

[tremoloman***]

I always try to support the mom and pop stores whenever possible. I'll gladly pay a little more to put my money in the hands of a true musician. I've found that my local dealer can match the prices of guitars online and offers support after the sale. That easily is worth the extra $50 to me.

I do use eBay for used pedals as they are much cheaper though...

[Hogfullofblues]

Having just recently made my first purchases, I can say the local Guitar Center was a wheelin-dealin experience. I decided an Ibanez S400 series would be a good first guitar choice, priced it all over on line, then hit the store. They had none in stock, could order it and match the internet pricing, but wait....how about this S520? Hmm.. I dont know - not exactly what I was lookin for, a more expensive guitar, and over my budget. By the time I was sold, I walked out with the guitar, a cable, hard case, and extra set of strings - all for the same best internet price of the S400 alone.
But after a week, I noticed some buzzing, so I brought it back. The salesman kept it for the day, installed a new set of strings and re did the "set up" at no charge. It was improved, although I am not not knowledgable enough to tell if the set up is really optimal.
When I went back for the Vox, again I was able to take it home for less than the best internet price, although just barely, but still the best price.
So at this point, I am pretty happy with this GC and knowing the best internet prices before hand and just mentioning that was all it took to bring out the "let's make a deal" attitude there. I just this continues for future buys.

[duhvoodooman***]

So at this point, I am pretty happy with this GC and knowing the best internet prices before hand and just mentioning that was all it took to bring out the "let's make a deal" attitude there. I just this continues for future buys.

As long as you stick to cash deals, you can make out pretty well at GC. Just don't try to trade in anything--they'll give you a fraction of what you could sell it for yourself.....

[Plank_Spanker]

I've spent well over $20K in GC between the band's purchases and mine. That gives me clout these days and I never pay sticker on anything there now.

GC will bargain with you - to a point. Cash on hand certainly greases the wheels.