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making the right decision


sleewell

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so if you have a lot of money and buy guitars all the time; this thread is not for you. if you plan a guitar purchase months in advance and devour all the research, reviews and go out and play hundreds of different guitars before making your purchase this thread is for you.

 

i wanna hear how you guys finally make the final decision to pull the trigger on a guitar when there are SO many choices out there. it seems like i narrow my list, do research and play them all and then when i am just about to pull the trigger 10-15 other "must have guitars" come to mind. i know most people would say wait until you dont have any second thoughts, and that you will know when you find the right one but if i waited for that feeling i would never buy anything. then the second i actually buy something i think i made a mistake and would enjoy something else more. wtf is wrong with me??

 

i mean its easy to say; well if you dont like it you can sell it and get something else but in this market used gear just isnt selling so unless you are ok with taking a huge loss you better make the right decision the first time.

 

am i just nuts or is anyone else in the same boat??

 

 

Bill

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I have no changce to try everyong . and When I was seraching this so called "right one" , I have confused by everyone . many thing came in my mind , sush as fender , gibson , prs , jackson , ESP , Schecter ,dean .

 

and someone will give you a sugguestion ,that's all the same .it will be "what kind of music do you like " I counted them one by one ,sush as : hard rock ,metal ,bules ,pure giutar play .

 

and then it meas : you have to buy a fender for blues,pop . a gibson for classic rock n' roll ,hard rock . a jackson or Esp for metal .and sometimes when you want play steven vai , you need got a ibanaze .

 

you got money , you got a decision

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I'm a hopeless overanalyzer. My "collection" stays small, so for a guitar to make it home, it has to earn its keep.

This time out, I was looking for something that I didn't have to modify and had decent enough quality that I wouldn't have to worry about it.

It was really just a matter of trying everything I could get my hands on until I started narrowing things down. It took two tries...the first one I liked, but it didn't "wow" me after a week like I thought it did. When I learned I could get a Gibson LP for $600 new with warranty, I tried it out. That's about all it took on that one.

But, really, trying guitars is what worked for me. I can start to rule things out pretty quickly. Like this, not that, etc. Keep trying til the process of elimination takes care of it.

 

EG

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Well about six months ago I got the urge to get an electric again. I read and researched everything I could, but in the end I went to every shop I could find and played every guitar that looked interesting, and I ended up finding my guitar. I originally wanted an SG, then a Tele, then a Strat, then back to a Tele, but I found this Ibanez LP knockoff that was as light as a Strat, had the sustain and playability of a Paul, and the tone of an SG. Bought it the next day.

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Here's something you may find very helpful, or hurtful depending on your perspective. There is no right decision. You are severely over complicating the choice by including too many variables. The addage of being an informed consumer is correct, but when you don't have an initially filtered set of data you will be doing nothing but wasting time (but having fun doing it). This has been proven in a bunch of recent studies. In fact, several studies have shown the more variables one takes into account the worse end decision one makes. For example, if I asked you to pick your favorite color but limited your choice to red or blue...pretty easy choice. If I gave you a pamphlet with 500 different color swatches...a little tougher and would take much longer. What about a1,000 page book of photographs and asked you what your favorite color was in the book. Your brain would be on overload as your trying to process multitudes of photographs of different objects and filter out color information. simply trying to narrow the choice down would be difficult. To add to the problem, if your the type of personality who has trouble making decisions (as you sound like you are, no offense) and/or often fears making the incorrect decision you'll drive your self crazy.

 

My advice is simple. write down all the strengths and weaknesses of your favorite guitar. Now, narrow that to the 3 worst weaknesses. Next set a price range. With those 2 filters, you should be able to narrow selection down significantly. And if not...get what looks coolest! :thu:

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I try and make the decision as easy as possible. If you sweat every little detail about a guitar then it is going to make the decision really stressful when you should be excited you are getting a new guitar! I agree with Will's advice above when looking at guitars. Find a few guitars you are interested in and try them out. Pick the one you like the best and you wont have to worry about choosing the wrong guitar!

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If you change your mind after you find "the right one" you haven't found the right one, you've just found another guitar you would like to add to the collection. For me, when I've decided to get a new guitar, I do the research, play a few and if I'm still interested, I buy it. Worst case scenario is that I end up with a guitar that I don't play much now, but I know at some point I will or I'll trade/sell it off.

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yeah, this is kinda wierd. I woulda thought that with all the guitar manufacturers available, you would be able to find what you want stock on a guitar. But in my experience this is definately not the case. For some reason i cant find any stock guitars that tick ALL the boxes. So i agree with Will Chen, you have to kinda think, ok it doesnt have EVERYTHING i wanted but it's got most of it covered? Or maybe i got the wrong end of the stick will?

 

I wanted an offset semi-hollow Guitar with a maple fretboard. - Doesnt exist

I wanted the Deluxe power strat, BUT! I wanted it with a maple fretboard and 22 frets - Not available

I wanted a Jag style 25.5" guitar with a floyd and a maple fretboard - Doesnt exist, im currently building it.

I also want the new Squier Jazzmaster in sunburst, but i want it with a black pickguard, maple 22frets, and a strat trem - Nope

Squier Vintage Modified Thinline tele in a different finish from the one available just now - meh

 

Ok so some of these are easy fixes, but i thought it would be so much easier to find EVERYTHING you want in a guitar stock these days? Then i have to factor in what i can afford. So no. custom shop is not an option. Surely my tastes arent that wacky and off the wall are they? I mean you can even get a wangcaster!

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thanks for all the replies, lots of good things to think about.

 

its very odd, bc i am not this way about anything else. i pretty quickly picked out the car i wanted to buy and after test driving 4 or 5 i found the best one and have been happy for 3+ years. i looked at 10-20 houses and picked out one in under 2 weeks and am still very happy with my choice 2 years later. so i dont do this with anything else and usually can make a decision and be happy with my choice - which is why this is puzzling me.

 

with guitars though i think part of me enjoys the searching and its really my only hobby that requires such gear choices besides camping and traveling so i tend to endulge a bit on the shopping part i guess. plus i can do it at work to kill time; which helps and hurts i guess. i dont care about clothes, tech gadgets, tv's, video games - i really only shop extensively for guitar gear.

 

so far just recently i have almost bought a JA 90 tele, then it was a hamer special, then a SG classic, then i woke up and remembered that i really want a hollowbody so i started looking at a gretsch 5120 or an ibanez artcore and now i am just totally lost. haha, life is good i guess if this is my biggest problem, i was just wondering if anyone else was the same way or if i am just a lunatic.

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yeah, this is kinda wierd. I woulda thought that with all the guitar manufacturers available, you would be able to find what you want stock on a guitar. But in my experience this is definately not the case. For some reason i cant find any stock guitars that tick ALL the boxes. So i agree with Will Chen, you have to kinda think, ok it doesnt have EVERYTHING i wanted but it's got most of it covered? Or maybe i got the wrong end of the stick will?


I wanted an offset semi-hollow Guitar with a maple fretboard. - Doesnt exist

I wanted the Deluxe power strat, BUT! I wanted it with a maple fretboard and 22 frets - Not available

I wanted a Jag style 25.5" guitar with a floyd and a maple fretboard - Doesnt exist, im currently building it.

I also want the new Squier Jazzmaster in sunburst, but i want it with a black pickguard, maple 22frets, and a strat trem - Nope

Squier Vintage Modified Thinline tele in a different finish from the one available just now - meh


Ok so some of these are easy fixes, but i thought it would be so much easier to find EVERYTHING you want in a guitar stock these days? Then i have to factor in what i can afford. So no. custom shop is not an option. Surely my tastes arent that wacky and off the wall are they? I mean you can even get a wangcaster!

 

 

No, you're actually doing it the right way. You've already made the decision. You know exactly what you want and are filtering out all the millions of additional options which would confuse your decision. If one of those products was readily/easily/affordably available you'd jump on it and be a happy clam. Yours is the classic supply/demand scenario. Your tastes (at the moment) aren't in line with what manufacturers see as the general demand for products. It appears that the OP is having trouble even figuring out what he wants...

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thanks for all the replies, lots of good things to think about.


its very odd, bc i am not this way about anything else. i pretty quickly picked out the car i wanted to buy and after test driving 4 or 5 i found the best one and have been happy for 3+ years. i looked at 10-20 houses and picked out one in under 2 weeks and am still very happy with my choice 2 years later. so i dont do this with anything else and usually can make a decision and be happy with my choice - which is why this is puzzling me.


with guitars though i think part of me enjoys the searching and its really my only hobby that requires such gear choices besides camping and traveling so i tend to endulge a bit on the shopping part i guess. plus i can do it at work to kill time; which helps and hurts i guess. i dont care about clothes, tech gadgets, tv's, video games - i really only shop extensively for guitar gear.


so far just recently i have almost bought a JA 90 tele, then it was a hamer special, then a SG classic, then i woke up and remembered that i really want a hollowbody so i started looking at a gretsch 5120 or an ibanez artcore and now i am just totally lost. haha, life is good i guess if this is my biggest problem, i was just wondering if anyone else was the same way or if i am just a lunatic.

 

 

Ok then Sleewell22 try and answer these questions: That will narrow down your options considerably. (Just imagine you ca build your dream guitar and money is no object)

 

Body shape :

Solid/Hollow/Semi:

Scale length:

Pick up Config: SSS / HSS/ HH etc etc

Frets:

Radius:

Fretboard Material:

Tuners:

Bridge/Trem:

Nut:

PickGuard: Y/N

Finish:

Input:

Controls/pots:

Selector switch:

Gadgets/Gizmos:

Weight:

 

Ok. so there is a lot of factors to consider, some of them wont need answered because either its not 'deal breaker' important/you dont care/ are open to suggestion. See how you get on.

Once you can answer a few of these, im sure some the forumites here can suggest some great options for you.

 

I would suggest a 72RI Fender thinline tele for ya, sounds like you want some hollow features in there, 2 humbuckers ala SG, and they are kick ass. Its hard to get everything you want in one guitar, and unless your totally minted..........

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I frequently suffer from 'analysis paralysis.' When I'm shopping for a 'big ticket item,' I might take months to research and toss around ideas. I'll sleep on it for days, weeks. I typically won't pull the trigger on something until I'm completely comfortable with it. When I make my decisions that way, I rarely make mistakes, and I'm almost always satisfied with what I bought. For me, that process cuts way down on buyer's remorse. I still have it sometimes, but it's really rare.

 

I also feel like it gives me time to get over the honeymoon of gassing for something. I might grow out of it and wonder what I was thinking after a while. Deliberating a purchase also keeps the gas under control.

 

The end justifies the means, in my case. If I'm spending a good bit of money on something, I don't want to hurry any purchase. I literally want to be satisfied with it BEFORE I make the purchase.

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Yes, I agree that you are probably over-analysing it. These are the things I have considered when getting my (three) guitars (one electro-acoustic and two electrics), in this order for the electrics, although 1 and 2 are very close:

 

1. What sounds do I want to achieve/need, for the style of music I play?... key to this is your amp purchase of course too. Includes - type of pickup, solid/semi/hollow, scale length, etc. For me, I wanted a solid bridge pickup tone that could be both jangly but muscular... but not too cliched (ie. strat quack, or Joe Bonamassa/Beano Blues). I realised I preferred single coils to humbuckers though. I wanted a guitar with a decent neck pickup, but preferably a single coil in the neck. I thought it would be good to have one with a Fender scale and a second with a Gibson scale. So far I haven't felt the need to get a semi or hollow.

 

2. What sort of playability do I want? What does the neck need to be like and the fingerboard, weight, access to upper frets etc? For me, upper fret access wasn't that important, and neither was weight particularly. I like fat necks though.

 

3. How much flexibility/versatility do I want, and in what areas? For me, I was less bothered by having a versatile guitar, than in having one or two guitars with powerful core sounds, that could be adjusted with a volume and tone control.

 

4. What sort of 'look' or style do I want, and will it suit me, my playing style and personality? I like the rough and ready look of teles and the simple look of single pickup guitars.

 

And lo and behold, you can see in my sig what I have ended up with... and I am a very happy bunny.

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See I go for "what makes me want to keep playing and playing?" in shopping for a guitar, and then I mod it to get closer to perfection. A lot of the time there were really easy dealbreakers, like a neck that's too fat or string spacing too narrow, a volume knob right where I want my picking hand to be (Stratocaster, I'm looking at you), a guitar that's unbalanced and makes it want to slide off my leg while sitting, etc. The best guitars are really easy to play and the notes kind of jump out of them, so I keep wanting to play. And then there's things like Strats making me always want to play SRV/Mayer licks while say Godins and some LP's make me want to play jazzy chords.

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Here's good article on how too much information renders someone incapable of making a "good" decision...


 

A lot of times I go for things that are fairly new or not very mainstream meaning there isn't much info to hinder my decision.

When I bought my Reverend there was no where local I could test them so my decision was purely based off the demo videos on their site. 4 years later and I still love my Flatroc.

The Vox Virage, well, I made up my mind on that before they were even released. Played one for about 10 minutes a week after they came out then went back 2 months later and bought one. There was only 1 review available at the time and that was Guitar Player.

 

-Kit

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I'm a hopeless overanalyzer. My "collection" stays small, so for a guitar to make it home, it has to earn its keep.

This time out, I was looking for something that I didn't have to modify and had decent enough quality that I wouldn't have to worry about it.

It was really just a matter of trying everything I could get my hands on until I started narrowing things down. It took two tries...the first one I liked, but it didn't "wow" me after a week like I thought it did. When I learned I could get a Gibson LP for $600 new with warranty, I tried it out. That's about all it took on that one.

But, really, trying guitars is what worked for me. I can start to rule things out pretty quickly. Like this, not that, etc. Keep trying til the process of elimination takes care of it.


EG

 

 

This is good advice.

 

I'm looking for something very specific when I buy a guitar so I usually avoid the standard "GAS symptoms". Instead I obsess over the minutia. I built a tele from parts that I thought was going to be perfect because I'd designed the whole thing myself and decided on every feature. Probably cost $1100 all together. I ended up replacing it with a $200 danelectro because it felt better in my hands and I preferred the sound. My point is, you never know which one is going to stick.

 

From looking at your collection, can I suggest some kind of hollow or semi-hollow with p-90's? Seems like a casino or something similar would fill a hole.

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^ yeah thats what i was thinking too, thats what initially pulled me to the JA 90 tele. i :love: teles, i do need a semi hollow and it has p90s. kinda leaning back in that direction but i recently played a SG classic which i could still snag for 650. it was just pure rock and roll and i really bonded well with it. but at least i am back down to a 2 guitar race, i need to hold off on the hollowbody and LP ideas for down the road.

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