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Chapter 14: Shop Till You Drop: Buying the Right Guitar for You
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Face time makes all the difference
You may wonder why everyone doesn’t buy
online. Purchasing a guitar is a highly personal
endeavor, and music stores are in a better position
to offer you a hands-on experience with an
instrument, and to devote close, personal service
to a new guitar customer. Many stores have
increased their customer service to compete
with the online menace (as the salespeople at
my local store call it). Customer service includes
anything from giving advice to fixing minor problems
to providing periodic setups — making the
necessary adjustments to improve the action
and intonation of your guitar. A music store can
be a great place to just hang out and talk guitars,
and you can learn a lot from knowledgeable
salespeople and a good guitar tech.
From the list price, music stores discount the guitar between 10 and 40
percent — sometimes even more. Large retailers usually offer greater discounts
than smaller (mom-and-pop) stores. Online and mail-order retailers
can often match and even beat these prices, because they don’t have the
overhead of maintaining a storefront or showroom facility.
Protecting Your Guitar
For all the excitement that exists in choosing among all the brightly colored
toys hanging on the wall in front of you, don’t forget a vital element for your
guitar that rarely sees the light of the showroom floor: the case. For most
new guitars, a case is included with the purchase price. Always verify this to
be the, uh, case, when considering your purchase. If the price doesn’t include
a case, you have to add that on top of the guitar’s price. Don’t think for a
second that you can scrimp on this vital piece of guitar equipment. If you
spend hundreds of dollars on a guitar, you want to protect it! In the following
sections are the three types of cases for your guitar, listed in order of best
protection, that shield your prized possession from the elements.
Hard cases
The best protection for your guitar is a hard case, sometimes referred to as a
hardshell case. This enclosure is made of a stiff plastic that you can step on
with your full weight and your guitar will still be protected.
Whenever you put your guitar in the case, either leave the lid open or shut it
and fasten at least one of the latches. Don’t ever simply lower the lid without
latching it. This precaution prevents someone (even you) from grabbing the
closed case by the handle to move it and the guitar falling out.
TEAM LinG