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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Vernon, CT | Has anyone else dealt with these guys? When getting back into acoustics and Ovations my first new guitar was a Celebrity C026 which looked and played okay for the price but then the salesman tried to sell me the demo. as new. I challenged him by saying it was used since it was obviously scratched and was loaded with fingerprints, therefore it was used just like a new car if you drove it off of the lot. This debate went on for about five minutes when I started to walk....lo and behold they just happened to have a new in the box Celebrity in the back room!!! The box had not been opened and it was new and unplayed.
I don't plan on buying anything except maybe strings, guitar picks and music books there. I should have ordered through Al P. which I'm planning on doing for a new Blue Balladeer LX!! Hindsight is 20/20...anyone else have problems or such with this place or others?? Play on!
John L.
Balladeer
Legend LX
Celebrity C026
Tornado (1970)
Takamine 12 string
Fender Precision (1975) | |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | I don't have a lot of love for the GC's around here. I will make a grazing run to see/feel/touch whats there.
A positive note: Whatever price you see in the Musician's Friend catalog or online can be had at the GC's because they are really the same place. It will involve some Assertive Salesman Speaking (ASS).
I personally support my local Ted Brown Music. It's as close to a Mom/Pop as is survivable and most of their Ovations are kept in tune!! | |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | "Demo" guitars is a tricky one. On one hand, you want a new factory fresh guitar. But at the same time, you don't want to buy a guitar without playing it first. By definition all the guitars hanging in GC (or any store) have been played and are therefor used. But you shoudl expect to pay full price as long as there is no physical damage (scratches, etc.). Any quality shop will automatically offer to clean up the demo guitar and put on new strings for you at the time of purchase. Buying the new one in the box is fine, but maybe it sounds slightly different that the demo one you played? That's the flip side of the story. | |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Dave said "Demo guitars is a tricky one" and made some good points. This is a double-edged sword. We have all seen the frustrated posts where someone can't find one of the new LX's. We want to go out and play it, then get the best price (internet or phone order from a non-store front.) I'm no different.
Guitar stores that actually stock a guitar have overhead and are at risk that their stock will be damaged. At some time, if damaged, the store may not be able to sell it as "new." Good reason to make it a little more difficult to play by restricting contact, especially if it may be the only one of that model that they have - they'll bring it down for someone to play.
If you have a guitar store that provides you the service and earns your business, support it. Make sure the guitar is in new condition or order one. If, as in my case, you can't find a store that you are comfortable with, order from Al or another dealer. I would like to support a local store...been many years since I had a relationship with a guitar store and staff where they earned my support.
Now, when I go into a guitar store, I am either overwhelmed with sensory overload or it is a smaller store with no inventory. Since they haven't earned my loyalty, I have bought from Al - better price and excellent service (4 new ones and 2 "used" - the FD-14 and he's sending me a 2001 Collector's.)
Haven't been able to play the guitars first but, since they are Ovations, I have the confidence that I will like it. So far, new or used, I haven't been disappointed by O's. | |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | I bought a leftover 2003 pickup with 49 miles on it. was it new or used?
you buy a guitar from GC and it is beat on by kids playing korn and limp bizquick riffs on it is it new or used?
I had people get new from the factory guitars out of the box and complain about "wear".
exactly where the demarcation between new and used is a tricky one.
usually it denotes the transfer from the original owner to a second owner, BUT if the store is still the original owner the guitar is still considered NEW.
Many times the managers at GC and other big box stores will make you take the one on the wall because that is the only way they get rid of the ones the kids beat on every saturday. | |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | I dont think the term new and used apply in the same sense as a car. Technically, even if the car was never driven off the lot, but registered to someone, its used. Technically, you could have a zero miles car that is used and a 100 miles (or more) car that is new. But I digress.....
The term is not new or used, but SHOPWORN.
New - never sold at retail. Inter-dealer transactions dont count
Used - previously sold at retail
Demo - items not sold, but given on loan for use for trial, publicity, customer service, (whatever), then offeed for retail sale
Shopworn - items that have recieved some wear as a result of being shown to prospective retail customers
Scratch and Dent - items that have recieved some wear as a result of non-customer handing, ie, in transit, or during preparation for display; OR, items that have recieved and physical damage from the above or through improper customer handling before retail sale
Damaged - is just that, damagaged from whatever reason, but is sometimes denoted as "Damaged/New", "Damaged/Return" etc
Returned merchandise - Items sold at retail, and brought back by the customer for whatever reason
One major beef I have with GC and their ilk, is what they do with "returned" items. These items are, of course, polished up and put back on the shelf for sale as new, and that just stinks. In a future life, I'm going to make a point of spending a few dollars and seeing if I can catch them at this particularly bad tasting practice.
It is possible that a customer could buy the guitar, register the warranty, and return it. I'd like to see what happens when customer #2, or for grins, customer #4 or #5 tries to do the same thing (playing Devil's advocate here) | |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | I bought my brand new 2000 Chevy Silverado - driven in from about 60 miles away. Came with 2200 miles on it!!! The Salesman probably thought he'd lost the deal about then (everything but here's the keys had transpired). Made the decision to get it anyway. Figured it must work.
Theres a brand new 1996 Collector's on the rack at the TB in Tacoma!
It is reletive. What is constant is that the Customer has a choice. Go in as informed as you can. I can say this because I haven't always lived it. | |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 23
Location: Perth Amboy, NJ | Just two observations from my local GC in East Brunswick, NJ.
1 - They tune all the display acoustics down 1/2 step. It's an easy way to make them seem easier to play. Saves them the time and money to ensure the new guitar has a proper setup. In less kind words, it's cheating.
2- There appears to be no humidity control. Honwever, the expensive guitars (over $2k) are in a humidified glass case. So do yourself a favor and buy from them in the summer when the humidity is high. Otherwise you may be seeing fret ends poking out of the fingerboard and worse because the guitar has dried out completely and then absorbed mositure and some later date.
They are good for buying strings a capos and picks however. I know this may sound a bit harsh but ... | |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Not any good here for strings and such.
Picks by the gross, shop the web for em.
Strings, check all the online vendors for what you want. Lol, I got a lifetime supply of Fender 150's on that great auction site. | |
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