Playin' for the home team?

fish-head

Am I the only person here that thinks it's better to buy an instrument from a local store? I mean what do you do if you want to get the beautiful Telecaster you got off Thomann fixed? You cant bring it back to the store to fix it or anything..

Maybe I'm missing something, and if I am please smack me in the mouth.

Plus theres the whole thing of supporting the local stores.

Karl Hungus

Well, living in Galway, if I ever brought a guitar into the "Home Team" I'm sure it'd end up in bits. There's only 2 shops here for electric guitars, and they're utter plebs. They hold 100% of the market too, which is ridiculous, a decent shop could put them both out of business.

I'd never give the locals lads my money, or an instrument at all.

feylya

I wouldn't trust any local shop with my guitars. If a guitar needs fixing, I'll fix it myself.

Doctor J

I go through hell to earn my money, so if I can get an instrument abroad for half of what it'd cost here, I think it's a justified move to do so. Plus, when you shop globally, your choice isn't limited to what the shops here think they can fleece you for. For example, Ishibashi sell a number of amazing instruments which are only available in Japan. Why should you not want to try one? When you spend a certain amount of money for new instruments or buy second hand from good people (Chris for example) you can get really fantastic and exotic instruments and not be paying someone's rent expenses (or wherever the vast amount of money goes). The shops here weren't interested in cutting anyone a deal before internet shopping started to take off, some still aren't interested so **** them, I say. So if I can get a Rickenbacker bass from the states for €1500 less (and I can) than it'd cost me to buy it in Waltons or Musician Inc, then I think only an idiot would not save their money. I think you've got to gamble, to take risks and extend yourself, it's part of being human.

fish-head

feylya wrote:

I wouldn't trust any local shop with my guitars. If a guitar needs fixing, I'll fix it myself.

Well, not all of us are qualified to screw about with guitar electronics. I certainly wouldnt go near them for fear of killing myself next time I plug in.

Doctor J

None of us are

You just try stuff and learn. Like if you drive, it pays to know something about the engineering behind your car

fish-head

But it can be pretty dangerous can it not?

Doctor J

Only if your amp goes poo poo. The voltage going into your guitar is teeny, hence why you don't do the electric boogaloo when you touch the lead. You're wired as the earth anyway, so there's not much more physical risk you can expose yourself to, other than if you make an arse of someone else's guitar

Besides, good guitars (which you'd be easily able to afford if you bought from abroad) are usually well wired and constructed. They don't fail frequently enough to justify worrying.

feylya

I'm not dead. As long as you have a brain and make sure to connect everything properly, you'll be fine.

fish-head

How about the set ups on the things?
I'm not in the market for buying anything but I'm just seeing what the real story is since it seems a pretty important aspect of the guitar world nowadays.

Doctor J

There are links in the Instrument Resources sticky to set-up guides. Print them out and read through them before you even touch the guitar. It'll all make sense and you'll be amazed how straightforward it all is. It's easy peasy stuff, just requires a little common sense.

feylya

You get a guitar, you google some stuff, you read, you try it on the guitar. Not perfect? Do it again. And again. And again.

fish-head

Thanks chaps.

kennier

Doctor J wrote:

There are links in the Instrument Resources sticky to set-up guides. Print them out and read through them before you even touch the guitar. It'll all make sense and you'll be amazed how straightforward it all is. It's easy peasy stuff, just requires a little common sense.

Amen to that

NeMiSiS

I'm half thinking of opening a guitar shop.. Gotta talk to the bank about a loan.
TK

-=al=-

id liek to buy guitars here but being a leftie, they just order the guitar in and charge me twice the cost anyways, so i mite aswell jsut get i myself! + theres fxck all choice, + yeah if theres anything needed to be done i usually do it myself