Old strings on New guitars...

[Cldplytkmn]

quite a bit of this discussion going on lately, and i just wanted to add my own complaint to the mix.

 

I hear people complain alot that they played a martin in a GC with crappy strings, etc. but taylor is so smart because they ship guitars with elixirs... etc... blah blah...

 

there is a small local shop here that takes such good care of their guitars it makes every other shop i've been in look like monkeys trying to sell wing nuts... they politely enforce a ten minute time limit if you're not seriously considering buying the instrument... and i've never played dead strings on any guitar there, from a $500 yamaha or blueridge, to their extreme high end martins.

 

Another thing that just drives me nuts reading the stuff some of you guys say, is that if you're serious about buying a guitar, i don't know a store that wouldn't put new strings on a guitar if you paid for the strings. If you're looking at buying a nice guitar, whats ten bucks to restring two guitars you're considering?

 

i think people like to hear themselves complain sometimes online.

[knockwood]

There's a lot of things I like about Taylor, but I certainly would not list Elixirs among them. (I find it a little humorous that Doyle Dykes, a major promotor of Taylor gits, endorses GHS strings.) It's not that I think Taylor - and Larrivee - are necessarily "smart" to ship their guitars with Elixirs, but I can certainly forgive them for it, and stupid customers like myself are a primary reason why.

I don't know how many Martins I've tried out and thought, "Damn, another dud" because I am too stupid to remember that the strings on there may have been last changed sometime in the paleolithic era. I am NOT suggesting that Marty should string up with Elixirs... I'd never suggest that kind of sacrilege to anyone.

A 10-minute rule sounds reasonable, but would I want to enforce something like that as a shopkeeper? Probably not. Mandolin Brothers, a pretty good benchmark IMHO, has an extremely open, "Come on in and play whatever the hell you want" policy, and it has worked well for them for decades.

[Cldplytkmn]

The ten minute rule is written on the wall, and nobody there has ever put a stop watch on me... i've only heard them one time say something to someone cause he was wailing on some yamaha A/E for a long time...

I think its a nice reminder that other people need to play the guitar after you.

another nice thing about this joint- although this is OT- every time i walk in and pick up a guitar they turn off the house music and since its never busy there and there's only about 10 electric guitars in the joint, fewer amps, no drums, etc... i can actually listen to what i'm doing as if i'm at home...

[JasmineTea]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn Another thing that just drives me nuts reading the stuff some of you guys say, is that if you're serious about buying a guitar, i don't know a store that wouldn't put new strings on a guitar if you paid for the strings. If you're looking at buying a nice guitar, whats ten bucks to restring two guitars you're considering? i think people like to hear themselves complain sometimes online.

You're one of the few guys on here I'll take an insult from. (Just incase you're refering to me)

 

I just don't think I should have to fork out $5+ to try a guitar. Not that I would'nt if I was seriuose about it.

[Cldplytkmn]

nah man... not referencing you... its kinda hard to remember who has said what after reading three threads in a row and such...

in a perfect world a guitar shop would be changing their strings every other week or so, relative to how much its been played, the wear on the strings, etc...

I myself have had the experience of trying out a new, really nice guitar tainted by crappy strings, a D42 i tried a couple weeks ago comes to mind, but if i was even half serious about spending the money on that guitar, five bucks would have been the least of my worries.

and JT you are a reasonable chap, you won't catch me intentionally insulting you.

[JasmineTea]

I never realy walk into a shop with the idea of buying a guitar.

What happens is, I go in just to see what they have, if I play one that strikes my fancey I'll ask how much, mabey come back a few times to play it some more, and by the time I talk myself into buying it, it's gone. Someone beat me to it.

[JasmineTea]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn five bucks would have been the least of my worries.

I think you're right. What's 5-10 bucks if you're seriouse?

[daklander]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn i don't know a store that wouldn't put new strings on a guitar if you paid for the strings. If you're looking at buying a nice guitar, whats ten bucks to restring two guitars you're considering?

 

 

Well, if I'm looking to spend lots of money on a guitar I don't expect to have to purchase a new set of strings to find out if it sounds good or not. The shop, if it is really interested in selling guitars with good sound will keep good strings on the guitars and do as much as they can to keep them in tune.

If I happen to come across a box I like the feel and looks of but sounds dead I certainly won't pay for a set of strings to see if it will sound better with them. That's for the store to do.

[Cldplytkmn]

Originally posted by daklander Well, if I'm looking to spend lots of money on a guitar I don't expect to have to purchase a new set of strings to find out if it sounds good or not. The shop, if it is really interested in selling guitars with good sound will keep good strings on the guitars and do as much as they can to keep them in tune. If I happen to come across a box I like the feel and looks of but sounds dead I certainly won't pay for a set of strings to see if it will sound better with them. That's for the store to do.

 

 

how's that working out for you?

[daklander]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn how's that working out for you?

 

 

Just fine thank you, but not so well for the stores that wouldn't put on new strings. They lost the sale.