When buying online, where do you buy your guitars from?

bingefeller

crunchman said:

bingefeller said:

JezWynd said:

I've used GAK for most recent purchases. They're very efficient (regular email updates, arrives when promised etc.) but their online operation is as a box shifter so it arrives as it left the factory (with whatever setup it received there). Mostly it's good and if there's a problem they're equally efficient in arranging return and prompt refund.

Yeah, I'd prefer somewhere that checks the guitars before they send them out to be honest.  I would have to consider them carefully.

You could always go to the shop and look it over yourself.

I bought my last guitar from Andertons, but I did it in person.  To be honest I would never have bought it online.  The thing I went there thinking about buying was awful, so I tried a PRS Vela Satin.  I would never have bought that in an online purchase.

I live in Northern Ireland, the guitar shops here are useless.  If you want a specific guitar they'll order it in, but you have to pay a deposit, which you loose if you don't buy it.  

blueskunk

Gumtree all day long. Best deals Iv had both buying and selling. 

tampaxboo

gak (guitars and keyboards) online for big new things. always.

totally reliable QC (never received anything bumped or scuffed or missing parts, or lightly used being passed off as new) and dispatch is great as you get notifications so you know when it will arrive to the hour.
if you've every suffered with hermes and similar cheapo delivery firms being hopelessly non-commital about delivery times (who is around and ready to answer the door from 7am to 7pm? doorman at the ritz and no one else) that gak to-the-hour delivery service takes all the stress out of it.

gumtree for local. we also have a great local little vintage and secondhand music shop which i try to support as and when i can.

if i use amazon-ebay i am really picky about feedback. i almost never buy from less than 100 feedback sellers or very new members. and i check to see it's not all 50p from china fidget spinners but proper things.
as to negs, sellers are afraid of geting them but there are genuine negs and stupid negs. so buyers should appreciate that a neg in a seller's feedback can just be an asshole buyer. i do try to establish what kind of neg before dismissing seller (actually that has given me an idea for a thread) .

i am planning to give reverb a spin before the hols, just to have an account ready to go in case. but i have to say prices generally seem way over the odds there. lots of chancers and dreamers, which is why i haven't bothered to date.

xRandomreg

Sound Affects Premier for me - Excellent service and very friendly

Kebabkid

I've only done this once and that was from Thomann but the transaction was smooth and I to personally speak with their International Sales guy, who was very helpful.

The guitar (bass) arrived as stated and was perfect from the get go and was even in tune!

Good returns policy and follow up to ensure all was ok.

bingefeller

Kebabkid said:

I've only done this once and that was from Thomann but the transaction was smooth and I to personally speak with their International Sales guy, who was very helpful.

The guitar (bass) arrived as stated and was perfect from the get go and was even in tune!

Good returns policy and follow up to ensure all was ok.

Do Thomann check their guitars before they go out?  Like do they check intonation, check for scratches etc?

Kebabkid

bingefeller said:

Kebabkid said:

I've only done this once and that was from Thomann but the transaction was smooth and I to personally speak with their International Sales guy, who was very helpful.

The guitar (bass) arrived as stated and was perfect from the get go and was even in tune!

Good returns policy and follow up to ensure all was ok.

Do Thomann check their guitars before they go out?  Like do they check intonation, check for scratches etc?

On the basis of my one interaction, I'd say "Yes" or someone has somewhere along the line but you'd need to see what other people here have to say about multiple transactions and I recall someone here mentioning the poor state of "B" stock items i.e. other issues in addition to the reason they were marked/identified as B Stock in the first place.

bingefeller

Thanks @Kebabkid ;

Rocker

Charlie Chandler. Not the cheapest place in town but quality kit never is.

Philly_Q

In the last few years, Coda, Peach, Guitars4You, World Guitars, Thomann and eBay.  And going back further I've bought from Guitar Village, Merchant City Music, Andertons, Richtone and others.

Some of those would have actually been over the phone but started from seeing things on the websites.

Touch wood, I've got no complaints about anyone, it all went fine including a couple of returns.

ewal

Merchant City Music aka www.guitar.co.uk

bingefeller

Thanks guys, I've emailed a few places to see what they all say...

Phil_aka_Pip

I don't buy guitars online, although I would use a shop's website to see what they'd got.