 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
When I was buying my own guitars, many years ago both as a beginner and as I grew more experienced, I found that there's an awful lot of different things that go into choosing and buying that next guitar. And I found it many times to be a somewhat intimidating experience. I got to thinking it shouldn’t be like that, it should be a very joyous and entertaining endeavor. But it can be less than satisfying when you run into any of the roadblocks that can crop up. So I tried to visualize a perfect guitar shopping trip and then I put that dream to the test and opened up my own shop. Now I want to share that vision with others interested in the guitar and though we may look for different things when we are searching for our high end dream as opposed to our first guitar, certain things should always ring true.
Let's start with the idea that you already have your first guitar and you want to get something that is a little more like what you see and hear your favorite performer using. (Keep in mind, however, that, whoever that may be, that person has their own preferences regarding size and shape and tone and balance and the exact same instrument may not be just right for you. After all, you are buying your dream, so don't just be a copycat.) When you go into a shop the first thing you want to see are smiling people ready to help you. If they are smiling the chances are that they like their job and probably love guitars, and this will help to insure that you get the guitar you want to buy rather than the guitar they want to sell. Now that you're in the store don't be shy, and try not to be too cool, either, because you are there to talk guitars and to explore the world of sound that guitars make, and you need to let the folks in the shop know what it is you're looking for. Tell them you are thinking of getting into a better guitar than the one you have and ask them if they have a variety of different ones in your price range. (More on this later.) Everyone these days is throwing around the terms "solid top" versus "laminated top" and you want to ask the salesperson to help you understand what this means. Now, you're saying to yourself that you already know the difference, and maybe you do, but you want to find out if this salesperson knows. Can they explain the actual physical properties of the tone wood? Can they plausibly explain to you what happens in the aging process of the top wood? Can they show you the difference between the select grades of spruce or cedar found on better quality instruments and the lower grades found on many guitars that use the idea of "solid top" to sell a lower line instrument? Can they explain the difference between cedar and spruce as far as tonal characteristics and strength and durability? Do they really know between thin tops and guitars with thicker tops. You want to know that they know what they're talking about because if they do then you can sit back and begin to enjoy this experience. Earlier I said that you want to let them know your budget. You aren't really giving them the edge by doing this, you are instead saving yourself some aggravation because this way you can focus on what you really want. If you intend to spend as much as, say, $1,000.00 you don't want to see more than a couple of guitars in the $500.00 range and you don't want to get too involved with guitars up around $1,500 - 2,000.00. You should check out a couple both above and below your price range, because you just never know. You might find something you really love and won't need to spend your entire wad, or you might realize that you really do need to save a couple hundred more to make yourself really happy. (I always recommend that you buy the best guitar you can possibly afford, more on this later.) By zeroing in on just what they have in stock in your range you can get a better idea about the folks you are dealing with. Remember, the net result of this expedition is to find the guitar that is right for you, not for anyone else. If the choice is too narrow in any particular shop you really owe it to yourself to check out more someplace else. If you really fall in love with the first guitar you play make a note of it, ask the salesperson to hold it for you for an hour or two, and try somewhere to find the same brand, but in a different choice of wood, just to make sure that you have found the best one for you. This brings me to one of the most important parts of the puzzle, and the one that brings me, as a guitar salesman, the most pleasure. This is the joy of discovering just which tone woods ring your bell. Many people don't really understand why it is that one guitar sounds one way and another that looks very similar sounds completely different. Why it is, to use the vernacular of Martin guitars, that you really like the sound of a D-18 better than a D-35, for instance, when the D-35 is quite a bit more expensive and shouldn't you like the one better that is more expensive? Well, not necessarily. Because maybe, the sound you really like is mahogany and not rosewood, and you know that is perfectly acceptable. Both Leo Kottke and Doc Watson feel that a guitar can be made of anything as long as it's mahogany. Tony Rice plays and Lester Flat played guitars made of rosewood. Nothing here is right or wrong, the sound of one wood is pleasing to your ears and another to mine, and we both get to be right. Now this is the part that gets to be fun, you want to sit and hear the different tonal responses from different guitars, you want some one else to play them back at you (we never get to hear what our guitars really sound like when we play them because we are in back of them), you want to explore the differences in body shapes and sizes. Find out if your salesperson can explain why the dreadnought body has a different balance than a concert style instrument. Which is better for you, a large guitar or a smaller one, a concert style or a dreadnought? Do you like cedar or spruce for the top? Does the sound of rosewood or mahogany or maple please you more? Which combination? Or maybe something with walnut or koa? And after all, what can be more fun that to spend a couple of afternoons playing on all kinds of different guitars? I mentioned earlier that I feel people should buy the best they can afford and you're thinking, "Sure you say that. That's how you make your living." Well, not exactly, because I make a living cultivating good relationships with our customers over many visits. I suggest the best because the better guitar will give you more playing pleasure, and the more pleasure it gives the more you play, and the more you play the better you get, and the better you get the more pleasure you get. When people tell me that they don't deserve a better guitar. I point out that none of us really deserved our better guitars at first. We all had to grow into our guitars and we do grow into them. I don't say this to be a budget buster, but to point out that you don't necessarily want to buy just at the level you are at presently, if you can afford a little better. Now throughout this process we get to know some very valuable things. We get better acquainted with lots of different kinds of guitars. And, perhaps just as important, we get to know a shop somewhere where we feel comfortable, where we can get to know the people, and find a level of trust. Because for a guitar player a personal place to shop is as important as it is to a golfer or a flyfisherman or to anyone who has a great love for something specialized that helps get them away from the grind that is sometimes our daily life. I’ve been told so many times what a great thing it is to have a guitar shop that is cozy and warm and friendly. and when people want to buy something that is important to them, whether it is a major appliance or a wedding ring, or whatever, a non-chain store offers people the chance to feel they are important as individuals. We hope that is where we fit in. At Acoustic Music Revival guitars have become our way of life. Everyone on our staff is a player, and I mean a good player. Some of us are recording artists, others are teachers, most are both; and we have been developing this love of the instrument for many, many years. We also enjoy the opportunity to share our love and perspective on the instrument with others. We desperately want our customers to buy the guitar that suites them, not the one that suites us. I personally get a bigger kick out of helping some first time buyer get something they love than I do selling a high end guitar to someone who has a bunch of them. But it's all fun, because the guitar is such a great instrument to play. It is so friendly and easy for a novice to begin to enjoy playing, and it is so impossible to completely master the instrument, no matter how long a person has been playing. We hope that whenever the urge comes on you to see what is out there in the world of acoustic and electric guitars that you will find your way to our door and we can smile and say. "Hello, Welcome to Acoustic Music Revival." You have my pledge that your satisfaction is our Number 1 priority. Sincerely, |
|
|