Today's younger generation may have a hard time believing this, but there really was a time when cell phones, PC's, pagers, texting, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the Internet, didn't exist! Back in those pre-historic times, buying a guitar was a much simpler affair. It was also much more limited.
You typically had to go to the local music store to find something you liked, or look for a used guitar in the newspaper classifieds.
Nowadays, a guitar purchase normally begins with a Google search. In an instant, you're faced with a couple million pages of dealers, stats, figures, prices, opinions, reviews, forums and ceaseless babble.
Then the next several hours (days...weeks...months) are spent sifting through this endless mountain of information. Prices are compared, reviews are read, forums are monitored, specs are memorized.
And the fact is, having all this information available to make an informed decision is a really good thing. Back in the day, all we had to go on was the "feel" of the guitar when we put it in our hands, and the sound it made when we played it.
But wait a minute...aren't those pretty important issues when buying a guitar?
Keep in mind that, by nature, every guitar is unique. If you take ten guitars of the same model, made in the same factory, on the same day - each one is going to "feel" a little different. Each one will have its own individual response to your hands as you play it. This simple fact should not be ignored when choosing your new axe.
Here are some things to consider when shopping for a guitar online.
1. Do the research. Exercise some due diligence. Check out the reviews and forums. Compare pricing.
2. Consider the style of music you are playing and look at guitars that are suitable for that style. If you're playing heavy grunge metal, a hollow body ES-335 might not be your best option, even though it "looks" cool.
3. Go to some music stores and actually "lay hands" on the guitar you are leaning toward. There is no substitute for seeing how it feels when you play it.
4. If you do find a guitar in a music store that is a perfect fit, one that feels "just right", remember that you may never find another one of the same model that fits or plays that well.
Consider buying it from the store before it gets away. Music stores have had to become very competitive with their online counterparts, so take some ads from online dealers and see if the store will match or beat, the price. Also, don't neglect the value of in-store service, it may even be worth paying a few more dollars for this one aspect alone.
5. Carefully research the online dealer's return policy. Most have a liberal amount of time to check out a guitar before returning it. But also look closely at any re-stocking fees that may eat into your wallet.
6. Check the guitar out thoroughly when it arrives. Look for scratches, nicks and dings. Yours may very well be a guitar that has already been returned once before. Make sure all the paperwork and warranty info is included.
7. Research the dealer. There are a number of well known, reputable online dealers out there - such as Musicians Friend, Same Day Music, Music123 etc. - but there are some shady characters out there as well. Let the buyer beware!
8. Don't look back. Once you have purchased the guitar of your dreams - the one that melts like butter in your hands - resist the urge to look around for a better deal. You can drive yourself crazy thinking you got screwed because some other dealer ran a sale on your guitar and you could've saved five bucks somewhere else. It's not worth it. Spend your time playing guitar!
Shopping for a guitar today is much more interesting than it was "back in the day" - even though you might get frazzled with information overload.
But keep one important thing in mind. Even though all this information is available at your finger tips, the only way to truly decide on a guitar is with your finger tips!
