I took the advice I got from several people in the JG community about going to local shops to check out guitars, play them and see if I liked any. I went to 2 local shops today. First one had very limited stock. I saw two I wanted to try. The owner immediately says that if Iām using picks, do not scratch it. When I picked up the 2nd guitar, he immediately said not to scratch it with the zipper on my sweatshirt. I was careful not to do these things, and Iām not 9 years old. The guy annoyed me, being more worried about his instruments, which I get if someone IS being careless with them, but I was not. 2nd place, well, I should have known better. Itās not my first time in it. The guy has no sales or people skills. If youāre not buying, donāt waste his time looking and trying guitars out, even if it just might end up in a sale. I played without touching a single one. I told him what I was playing, and he just said, without even seeing it, āWe can fix that.ā I asked what fixes he could do to it, and he said, 'Adjustments here and there. $39.50" Ok then.
Should I expect not to be able to use a pick on a guitar when Iām trying it out? Iāll definitely check more out, maybe further away at the nearest Guitar Center, which will have a lot more to choose from, and hopefully a private area where I can play it a bit before deciding if I want it or not. Would appreciate anyone elseās thoughts on their experiences trying out guitars to see if they āfitā.
Donāt want to sound rude but your fitst mistake was wear anything with a zipper on it.
When I go into music stores the first thing I do is take off my jacket and donāt have buttons or zippers on the shirt Iām wearing.
As for picks I donāt use then very ofren so donāt use the when trying out guitars. I have had sales persons ask me if I wanted one to play with.
Youāll find GC doesnāt have as many rules as the last music store you visited.
I have been to four different shops. Surly shopkeepers and friendly ones.
guitar Center - they put out guitars and plan to have them played and will sell them for a reduced price eventually. They get pretty beat up and always feel dirty to me. They generally leave me alone until I ask for something that makes them do work. Then they get unfriendly. Like asking to try something that isnāt out on display (yet).
I go to a large used guitar shop. Sometimes the owner is unfriendly, but it seems to be the case on Sunday after he did a gig and stayed up late. His guitars also feel very dirty. I canāt wait to wash my hands after trying them.
Smaller shop - one time in there they were reasonably friendly. Nothing out of the ordinary I think.
Went into a shop when I was traveling to see a wedding. Every guitar in the place had a ādo not touchā tag on it. I felt pretty uncomfortable just looking at them. After a few minutes the girl behind the cash register asked if I wanted to try something. I asked about the tags, and she told me that recently a teenager was in and dropped one and broke the headstock. That was why the tags were added. She told me not to worry about it and grab whatever I wanted to try.
So, a bit of a mixed bag for me. No comments on using a pick so far for me. I do see some scratches on my guitars where I was sloppy with the pick, and the tester guitars in Git Center are very scratched up. I can see your shop keeper being annoyingly protective if he is having trouble selling āused because of scratchesā goods.
Iām guessing that this probably depends on the store.
Iāve been into a couple smaller local guitar shops plus Guitar Center. GC has several locations near me so Iāve been in there a lot
All of the GCs Iāve been into have never had a problem with picks. In fact, they usually have a dish out with picks in it for people to use. The location closest to me has most of the electric guitars easily accessible to be able to try/play- with the exception of the more expensive ones that are locked up and you need an employee to assist with. The acoustic area in my GC has most of them locked up, but some are available to just take off the wall and play.
Even the smaller shops Iāve been into never had a problem with me using a pick. They offered one to me when I sat down. One of them also set aside a specific guitar I had called about and had it ready for me when I came to the shop. I think Iāve just had really good luck with guitar stores!
This may be a little harder. All the shops Iāve been into have you out in the open trying guitars. Although, it could be different where you live. I realized that most other people in the store donāt really pay attention to you so I pretty quickly got over the fear of playing terribly in public
I agree with you @stitch, but the owner could simply have said the store policy is no clothes with metal, explained why, and asked Jim @jvlynch to remove his sweatshirt. So, perhaps itās not the āwhatā but the āhowā. Regarding picks: Iāve never been asked not to use a pick, indeed many times Iāve been offered one. This includes playing instruments that cost more than $5k (I do not own one of those!). Iāve been to shops that offer practice rooms, and some that donāt. One place didnāt offer (as I recall) until my second visit.
Guitar shops are certainly quirky, often reflecting the ownerās personality. One approach could be to go to Guitar Center and try out lots of stuff. (Even these stores can have very different personalities, so the one near you may not be so bad.) That can help you narrow down what youāre looking for. Then you can decide what shop carries what youāre looking for, and you would like to give your business to. You might find yourself compromising a bit on friendly service vs. getting the instrument you want. Iād not want to compromise on competence outside of interpersonal skills.
Heh - youād think Iād been shopping for guitars all my life, the way Iām writing. Full disclosure, Iām a Grade 3 beginner, playing about 3 years total, 2 years consistently.
Iāve seen quite a variety, too. Some places have made me uncomfortable with excessive rules/signs. Others have been super friendly and willing to let customers do just about whatever to make a purchase decision.
As much as it sucks for small businesses in general, the ones with bad, unwelcoming attitudes donāt tend to last. You see this same kind of thing with any specialty products. Bicycle stores are a big one that has the same kind of dynamic.
Yeah, those shop experiences sound pretty frustratingāsome places just donāt get that trying a guitar properly is part of the buying process! You should absolutely be able to use a pick when testing a guitar, as long as youāre not aggressively scratching it up. A good shop should encourage you to play comfortably, not make you feel like youāre walking on eggshells. Guitar Center or a well-reviewed independent shop might be a better bet, especially if they have private rooms where you can really get a feel for the instrument. Definitely worth checking out places where the staff actually wants to help, not just guard their stock like museum pieces!
Hi Jim,
The seller seems a bit blunt to me, itās all about how you present it, of course.
It does bring back a nice memory, my first time almost exactly 5 years ago ā¦ in the middle of winter Brrrrr I was wearing a thick cardigan with a zipper and the first thing this seller did when he started giving the first guitar was very friendly āWould you please take off your vest because of that zipperā and then I said āOoooo, how stupid that I didnāt think of that.ā
Iāve worn slippers for over 10 years ā¦but yesit really was winter brrr
PS: 2 years later I completely damaged the bottom of my PRS in 2 or 3 weeks due to a zipper in my trouser pocket ā¦ ā¦
PS: another etiquette isā¦I sit and move as little as possible and the seller and my wife bring guitarsā¦whether it is etiquette or an insurance requirement???
Yep, agree on the zipper issue. Donāt wear anything that has it, when trying out new guitars.
My experience with shops and the people working there were almost always positive.
Helpfull, understanding people who play guitar themselves.
Unfortunatly, there arenāt that many shops around anymore.
On one occasion (a shop in Antwerp) is was being lied to by the staff. Iām never going there again. Lucky for me, it was about a guitar strap, so nothing important, but stillā¦
I get it from the shopkeeperās point of view but unfortunately thatās part of the cost of doing business. You canāt treat all customers as if they are criminals or they wonāt come back.
It would be reasonable to ask nicely if a customer could remove a jacket before playing but once you start telling them how to play thatās starting to cross a line Iād say. Let them play and see how they handle it and step in if they look like theyāre being a bit too enthusiastic. I play with a pick so if thereās a problem with that then I might as well buy online. For the record, despite playing with a pick, all of my guitars are still pristine.
Iāve never had a problem in a shop to date though. When I bought my nice Taylor acoustic they put me in a room by myself and left me to play (appreciate not all shops are big enough to do this)
I guess everything is in the tone and the way he said it
" can you please remove your jacket " ==> nice
" dont scratch it ! " ==> not nice !
I remember once being in a waiting room at a doctor 's office
It was hot so I opened a bit the window next to me
the secretary came a few minutes after , slammed the window to shut it and left while saying " the aircon is on "
that was highly impolite and it really shocked me
she could just have said , can you please shut the window since the air con is on
I think these days unfortunately they donāt need to know a great deal about the product they are selling, Just know a lot about how to sell anything, it could be a car a Jar or even a guitar it doesnāt matter to them
Gryt Pipe, yep, the 2nd shopās guy told me to bring in the Yamaha and heād have it playing like a dream. Those āadjustmentsā he mentioned couldnāt be done on mine. It doesnāt have a truss rod(s) so the action canāt be changed/lowered without removing and resetting the neck. Doubtful theyād do that for $39.50.
judi, yeah, it was more in the way he said it, not super impolite, but more of a āduhā gotta remove the zipper, dude approach. I had to double check the guitar Iāve had a year now when I got home. I play with a pick most of the time and it has no scratches on it. I donāt mind playing in an open environment, but a private room would have been nicer to get the same sound, without background noise, as I would get at home in my music room.
I might be wrong here, but the action can be altered with adjustments on the bridge. The neck doesnāt have to be removed /reset as a standard, as far as i know.
Gryt Pipe, no, youāre absolutely right, but I did that after a couple of you tube videos myself. Itās pretty easy to do really, and I wasnāt too worried as itās a cheapie guitar. I got it as low as possible, and it still measures way too high. Thatās mass-produced instruments for you. But thanks for mentioning that. Some things I wouldnāt try and do myself, but that wasnāt one of them.
Sorry to hear you had such a reaction. That guy should not. be in retail. Iāve come across similar experiences and have avoided those shops accordingly. I remember one time I asked if I could try a particular guitar, it wasnāt even near the expensive range, they guy gave me an accusing sort of look and said are you going to buy it? I had the cash to by a guitar 3 times that price in my pocket and while I did play the guitar in question I wasnāt about to reward his snotty attitude.
Iāve had worse experiences with another guitar shop owner, he had a bad reputation as I later found out. Scratches, dings and such are part of the cost of doing retail business. As someone else pointed out, they know a place that eventually sells their demo stock at a lower price.
I think itās better to go shopping without a zippered jacket for sure, but if you are out and about, a retail display of a guitar catches your eye, because thatās what itās supposed to do, then you are well in your rights to try to play that guitar with your jacket on. Or off. Thereās no issue.
Iām aware of and careful about grabbing guitars without checking with staff first. And I slowly and carefully lift the guitar off the wall, but sometimes they have the gear packed in so close to each other the guitar Iām grabbing will bump the one next to it in spite of my careful slow actions. I donāt consider it my fault that they squeeze the guitars that close to each other.
And the store owner is well in his right to ask you to leave.
I own my business and loosing one bad customer isnāt the end of the world. The customer is not always right.
Gotta agree with you here, Tony!
The Guitar Center store near me has their acoustics packed very close together & many are locked so you have to get a clerk to get them down. Last time in, I was looking at an inexpensive folk guitar when another customer came in with a staff member. He wanted to look at a Martin & a Gibson, both priced in the thousands of dollars. The staff guy gets on a step ladder, unlocks both guitars & brings them down at the same time & bangs them against the ladder & each other in the process! At the time, there were 4 customers in the room & we all just cringed! He put a big ding in the top of a beautiful Gibson Dove - I think it was priced at about $4500 or soā¦& the ding was very, very obvious! He just laughedā¦ said āthere ya go man, sorry 'bout that, guess shit just happens sometimes!ā I was pretty much dumbfounded, as were the other customers.
Unfortunately, music shops do pack 'em in close together & most of the demos that day were a bit beat up. If ready to purchase, I always ask for a new, āin-the-boxā guitar or at least a substantial discount on the demo if I see anything damaged. I guess itās often hard to get people to work for you who really care when youāre the store manager!