I'm going guitar shopping...

tigger123

I'm heading over to the States in the new year for a friends wedding, which got me thinking to buying a new guitar when I'm over there, as guitars generally work out as 2/3 the price that they are over here. I currently play a 1972 reissue Fender Tele, and I'm absolutely in love with it, it's savage.

But I'm wondering... a) have any boardsies brought guitars back through customs? And did ya get any hassle with it?

and b) ... what the hell should I buy over there?! The only other guitar I've played recently that tickled m'fancy was a blacktop Mexican Fender Jaguar. Any recommendations?

ham_n_mustard

a) i brought one back from uk alright, not the states though, had no problems. girl in ryanair even asked me if i wanted to take it on as hand luggage rather than stick it oin the hold. this was back in the day of course, before they turned into c***s

b) depends on how much you have to spend, what sort of music you're into, what style/brand float your boat. If it was me, i'd be looking at pawn stores for something old and collectible. be aware that they sell some dodgy ones too though....

tigger123

ham_n_mustard wrote: »

a) i brought one back from uk alright, not the states though, had no problems. girl in ryanair even asked me if i wanted to take it on as hand luggage rather than stick it oin the hold. this was back in the day of course, before they turned into c***s

b) depends on how much you have to spend, what sort of music you're into, what style/brand float your boat. If it was me, i'd be looking at pawn stores for something old and collectible. be aware that they sell some dodgy ones too though....

In terms of how much to spend I'd be willing to go up to 2 grand ... not cos I have it, but only cos I know how much I'd be willing to spend on a "once in a lifetime" kind of way ... I'll pay it off later and I know how much I'd spend in order to get a great guitar for a knock down price.

I'm playing in an electro indie band (kind of sounds like metric/metronomy) and I'm really interested in the range of sounds available through a guitar, not only tone. I'm going to San Francisco, which seems smaller than Dublin from what I've seen online, if it was New York I'd be all about hitting the pawn stores, it just kind of feels like an opportunity to get summit decent for a discount price... appreciate the reply!

00stiffy

I bought two guitars in the States in 2008. I brought one of them home and had no problem carrying it on as hand luggage. Didn't have any customs problems on the way in.

In terms of what to buy.. I bought a cheap acoustic on my arrival because I was there for a few months. I bought it from a local guitar store (not a chain) and they were really helpful, throwing in strings etc. for my $100 purchase. Not totally relevant to your situation, but I found that the sales guys in the smaller store really knew their stuff and were glad of the business.

When I was leaving, I spent a fortune on a Strat in Guitar Center, but it was still a lot cheaper than buying in Ireland and I've never regretted it. The sales guys here are straight on top of you and can be a little rushed due to the volume in-store. However, I was buying on a tax-free weekend, so it's probably not like that the whole time.

The pawn store idea is a nice thought but if you drop into most music stores over there, you'll find plenty of guitars on display to tinker around with before making a choice.

I wouldn't know if you'd get away with carrying the guitar back as hand luggage any more. I'm sure some other people will be able to fill you in on what the situation is like now.

Happy shopping!

MC Nice Andrew

tigger123 wrote: »

I'm heading over to the States in the new year for a friends wedding, which got me thinking to buying a new guitar when I'm over there, as guitars generally work out as 2/3 the price that they are over here. I currently play a 1972 reissue Fender Tele, and I'm absolutely in love with it, it's savage.

But I'm wondering... a) have any boardsies brought guitars back through customs? And did ya get any hassle with it?

and b) ... what the hell should I buy over there?! The only other guitar I've played recently that tickled m'fancy was a blacktop Mexican Fender Jaguar. Any recommendations?

Bought a "Fender USA Stratocaster Deluxe" in Guitar Center in Houston,TX, a few years ago - natural finish, tortoise shell scratch plate, maple neck - it's beautiful.

I decided what I wanted, rang the nearest Guitar Center to where I was staying, got them to order it in & left deposit. Collected it when I got there.

No issues with customs - you can just say you brought it with you. Just take off the tags, etc.


It was this one, but with maple neck:

Frusciante

I heard a story of a friend of a friend who got a grand hard case before he went to the states, bought a ****ty (think €60 strat off donedeal) guitar and put it in, left it somewhere over in the states, and bought a custom shop strat, as far as they know, you'll have just brought a guitar over and back, same case, shouldn't have any trouble. Of course, i'll be happy to take any customs fee's you think you'll have incurred and hand deliver to their office...

ohigg84

I'm currently in the process of paying off a 1971 Gibson SG Standard with Vibrola. So I was wondering how much I'd be payin through customs, the seller said he would look after me. Guitar is worth nearly 3000 euros!