Great video, you managed to get pretty much everything that's wrong with guitar retail. The thing that resonated with me the most is the point about the guitars on display being borderline unplayable. This is important especially for the most affordable stuff. The thing is, and I'm gonna put it in caps, YOU CAN'T TELL IF A BUDGET GUITAR IS ANY GOOD if the setup is bad. First of all, it's not gonna sound like it was made to sound with nasty rusty strings on it. If it's got active pickups and the battery is low you're gonna think it sounds like crap no matter the price. Second, if you're buying your first or second guitar and you don't have a lot of experience, a bad setup is going to completely discourage you from buying it, sometimes maybe even from playing. Happened to me, happened to a lot of people I know. What about expensive guitars? Well, a PRS will mostly come with a decent setup right out the factory. Not the best, but decent enough. Still needs to be looked at and QCed before going up on display. Man, I bought several guitars in store that were kind of a gamble. The build was okay, the guitar was new, but I knew that I'm not really going to be able to judge it before I take it home and set it up properly. So it's kind of like, "okay this guitar is MOST LIKELY going to be good." Doesn't seem right now, does it.
Excellent points! So true I remember as a kid I struggled with guitar so much partly because I was unaware of what a proper setup felt like. Definitely these stores need to cover the setup basics if they want to make sales. The goal should really be to eliminate any irritation that would cause a customer to put a guitar back on the wall. Thanks again for your comment!
I can’t be the only one getting smarter here on knowing what’s a good deal and what’s not.
I love your videos. keep them coming
Appreciate your support! Yes lots more to come!
Great video, you managed to get pretty much everything that's wrong with guitar retail. The thing that resonated with me the most is the point about the guitars on display being borderline unplayable. This is important especially for the most affordable stuff. The thing is, and I'm gonna put it in caps, YOU CAN'T TELL IF A BUDGET GUITAR IS ANY GOOD if the setup is bad. First of all, it's not gonna sound like it was made to sound with nasty rusty strings on it. If it's got active pickups and the battery is low you're gonna think it sounds like crap no matter the price. Second, if you're buying your first or second guitar and you don't have a lot of experience, a bad setup is going to completely discourage you from buying it, sometimes maybe even from playing. Happened to me, happened to a lot of people I know. What about expensive guitars? Well, a PRS will mostly come with a decent setup right out the factory. Not the best, but decent enough. Still needs to be looked at and QCed before going up on display. Man, I bought several guitars in store that were kind of a gamble. The build was okay, the guitar was new, but I knew that I'm not really going to be able to judge it before I take it home and set it up properly. So it's kind of like, "okay this guitar is MOST LIKELY going to be good." Doesn't seem right now, does it.
Excellent points! So true I remember as a kid I struggled with guitar so much partly because I was unaware of what a proper setup felt like. Definitely these stores need to cover the setup basics if they want to make sales. The goal should really be to eliminate any irritation that would cause a customer to put a guitar back on the wall. Thanks again for your comment!
I find when I sell or trade at one GC I find another GC that gives me more money 💰!