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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 112
Location: WV | As soon as the piggy bank is full I will be getting a Adamas....And it will be from Al. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | I would, and have, purchased Ovations without playing them first.
I would NEVER purchase an all wood guitar even Martins, and that other one, without playing first. Too much difference within identical models. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3666
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Every one of my FleaBay O's has been a restoration project, so the issue is somewhat....moot. Actually, Al has provided some carcasses to the cause, also. I expect to put my eyes, ears & fingers on anything new, and over 4 figures- if that day ever comes. |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| I got my '92 1767 on ebay from a collector in phoenix with a 100% positive feedback; he listed it with plenty of quality photos, answered all my questions, i met the reserve, it was mine in a week's time, not a scratch on it, mint...
Steve |
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Joined:
October 2002
Posts: 181
Location: Queens, NY | Waskel, it's no different on the East coast than the West coast. Stores like Sam Ash and GC here carry mostly Celebs and Celeb Deluxes, and only a handful of the higher end ones. Unless a store devoted itself to selling only Ovations, it would be next to impossible to stock them all. Of course, any store that's an Ovation dealer could order one for you, but I could do that myself on the internet and save on the sales tax (unless the place you're ordering from is in the same state where you live).
I've ordered from both MusiciansFriend and Music123, and I've found both to be pretty good about returns. I've never personally ordered anything from Al, but I hear he's "duh man!". |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | Interesting display at GC in Union Square NYC. They have this beautiful Ovation LX "wall" display that you've probably seen in other stores. Very classy and well done. Only problem is that they have built a "mountain" of Fender acoustic guitar boxes with guitars on top of them, right in front of the Ovation wall. If you twist your neck just right and peek between the fenders you can "almost" make out the shape of an Ovation in the background. It is 100% impossible to see, touch or play any of the Ovations. Yes, Ovations get no respect. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Personally, unless there is some crazy speacial on the net (MF, M123, Elderly, etc etc), I've found better deals at the local small stores.
Sorry to say, but all those catalogs and fliers are expensive as hell. Even with co-op ad money, they're a huge expense, and we - the consumer - see it in the price tag.
Go to mom and pop, no fliers, great service, maybe not a huge selection, but if they have what you want, you'll usually get a better deal.
On the other hand... one of my last purchases was an item that was selling used on Ebay for more than I could buy one new at Elderly. I wanted a used one (was hacking it to shreds anyway) but the new ones were cheaper! Go figure. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | I just ordered a Gibson ES-137 from MF. Why? An incredible price, free shipping, hardshell case included, NO TAX (6% in my state), plus a 45 day exchange policy. How can you go wrong?
As much as I love the local shops, I feel like I would be pissing them off if I dickered on the price or returned an item that turned out to be a mistake. I have no such concerns about GC or MF, they are a faceless machine to me. The guys at the local GC actually brag about the no questions asked return policy, they say it's a great way to test drive stuff using your own set up in your own enviroment, and they are right. How can anybody assess something in a GC showroom? Not only is it total bedlam in these places, but nothing is in tune and the setup and strings are usually crappy.
This will be my first guitar from MF, but believe me, if it doesnt meet my expectations I will ship it back guilt-free on day 44 if need be. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Those 137s are a steal at $799 with HSC. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 417
Location: Cicero, NY | That's a point well taken, Charlie - promotion is expensive (and I'm in the advertising biz, so I knows what I is talkin' 'bout there) but that's often countered by the volume discounts the big guys command and the lack of overhead of a corner store stocked with 20 year old Clapton's who are working for cents (sense?) but HAVE to be there nonetheless.
I do agree with Brian in that I'd like to support the local guy - heck, at one point, I dreamed of being the local guy and if I ever hit the lottery, I WILL be the local guy and live my days out hanging in a litle shop that makes no money - but is it inherently wrong to look at value (read: price for the product) too? |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I've bought 3 Ovations and 2 amps this year so far and tried for several more on ebay. It's been a mixed bag, but the best deals have not been on ebay. The 2 I bought were not very good and were top dollar, although I liked them both. The first one I traded for my 99 Collector's (with some cash). I typically get outbid on anything I want and only end up with something I really didn't.
I have a guitar store 2 blocks from work that doesn't carry Ovations, but I bought the 2 amps there. I also was a regular at a small Ovation dealer until he sold a Celebrity to someone else that I told the owner I would buy if he figured out what was wrong with the tuner. He got me started on ebay.
I like going into the little shops, but also go to GC regularly. I usually go right to the acoustic room. Now that I have the Ultra GS, I'll probably walk right by all the shredders every time. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | I have bought and sold a few guitars on Ebay, I think for guitars Ebay works out better for the seller. The guitars I bought were decent but were not real gems either, I wound up selling them. Common sense would ask why is someone selling a guitar if it is a real gem? And also if it was a really nice guitar most people would sell it to a friend or aquaintance. Not to say that there are not some really good buys on guitars on Ebay, it's just that the odds are against you, and when a really sweet guitar shows up, the bidding competition is stiff.
But on things like books, software, shoes, tools, and effects, Ebay has saved me tons of money, I buy these items literally for pennies on the dollar. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | When I got back into playing 2 years ago, I bought the guitar I wanted, an Epiphone Casino, from Music123. It arrived TWO DAYS after I ordered it, setup was perfect, no issues AT ALL. I shopped all the local stores before I ordered it, nobody had it, but they were all happy to order it for me at LIST PRICE(no thank you).
Electrics, I would not be afraid to buy from a store on the web(unless I wanted to get the best possible flame in a finish or something like that). Acoustics, I believe there is too much variability, I won't buy now without seeing and hearing. I've bought two used acoustic guitars from eBay sellers and both had issues that the sellers did not fess up to in the auction listing(and were not obvious). No more eBay guitars.
Roger |
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