I work for Canada's biggest and oldest music store. Every guitar from $200 to $10000 is hanging there waiting for you to grab it and play it. That's why people visit shops instead of just ordering. You need to play it to know.
This question “ will you buy it?” Is very annoying and they loose customers for a long time and for other items. Two decades ago I was searching for a multi effect pedalboard and I went to a store that had a boss me one out of its box in the store, I asked to try it and the annoying question followed, I told him that I’ll see and maybe and he told me that they don’t let everyone playing those expensive things just like that. I said bye and then went to the next store that let me play on a KORG ax 3000 that I bought from them a month later. Some years ago searching on the net for some pedals and a zoom recording device, I stumbled on that store but I didn’t buy anything from them, I ordered from a different store
When I began playing in the '70s our local music shop only had one serious electric guitar - a sunburst Strat. The staff were so precious about it, they wouldn't let you touch it, but would demo it for you! Needless to say, it stayed unsold until the shop closed down. 🙄
Totally agree. Let's not forget that, no matter how expensive a guitar, watch or car might be, they are just manufactured 'stuff'. It can be made again. Let's not even talk about whether a Gibson or Fender Custom Shop guitar is actually worth what they're asking for it. Nik Huber's guitars are genuinely custom built and high quality. I'd happily give a stool sample for one of those. I know because my guitar dealer let me try one without hesitation or questions and continues to get my business and my trust.
Great rant Mr Henning. Absolutely agree with you, complete common sense. I will however refer to my one and only relevant experience. I went into the Gallery at Andertons, where they keep their higher end guitars. I’m nothing to look at, I don’t appear to be well off. Just an ugly and slightly scruffy old git. I walked in and started looking at the guitars on the wall. I was made welcome. I asked to try one of the guitars, not a problem. Two other similar guitars were offered for comparison. I was treated like a valued customer before it was known that I was going to buy something. All in all it was a special experience. I even saw Danish Pete and got tongue tied 🤣 I would certainly recommend it.
Gotta love the signs saying "Don't touch stuff over here! Call staff if you even want to look at anything!" Most of the time you can't find any staff members on the shop floor, or the one guy to be found is 'demonstrating' entry level guitars to a dad buying their child's first guitar.
My local shop works on appointments basis only, you have to tell them what you'd like to play and then they are next to you watching you play it. Customer service in this shop is not very good, shop itself is amazing and I'd love to just turn up and see what's on the display and maybe buy few if I like them. Now I'll have to take my money elsewhere.
Went to Anderton's the other night they had a Strandberg Evening. Everyone could touch and hold and play the Japanese Strandberg guitars worth 7K+ .. Same thing with the Fender custom shop guitars. There customer service has always been amazing.
Anderton's back room (where all the more expensive guitars are) is appointment only. Never used to be like it and I find it off putting now. Which is why I stick to GuitarGuitar or Coda Music.
I shop in L&M in Canada, never had a problem. I usually ask the store staff to lift down the more expensive instruments and always remove my coat, although I have never been asked to do that.
Get a secret shopper to check this out. Lapel camera. Could be a wake up call to the shops that are lazy or just living with an irrational fear of dings.
I can understand a somewhat restricted policy in stores like the musicstore in cologne. You can see on their floor how people treat their instruments (not very well). Although there should never be a level of arrogance from store staff looking at you to see if you are "worthy"^^ The standout positive example for me is the fellowship of acoustics in the Netherlands. You can grab whatever you want from the wall including vintage pieces from the 19th century. The staff is helpful, but understands that people want to compare stuff, look left and right and up and down the price levels. The first thing they make sure of is that you are supplied with a good coffee. 😊 And yes, when I bought my Collings Dreadnaught I took my time and compared it to every other Dreadnaught including vintage pieces costing multiple times what I spent. Without that option it would have been very hard for me to make that decision since the purchase was a big thing for me. Of course, everyone who visits their store has travelled there specifically for that store or to check out a certain guitar or brand so it is not really a fair comparison with other stores that have much more people moving in and out just to spend a nice afternoon.
In the last 10 years I’ve gotten used to receiving all my new gear box fresh. My dad used to have a music shop and all the gear was unboxed and demoed all the time. I’m all for demos in a shop but i understand why shops have stopped doing it.
I remember many years ago I was at a local store to buy an acoustic guitar that I had already researched and wanted to buy, so I just wanted to try it to make sure and it was out of tune, when I asked the store keeper if I could tune it, he said "if you tune it, you have to buy it because it'll be considered used". I left and never went to that store again, although it was the only proper big music gear store in Jordan back then.
yeah, after you said it I realized that if I don't buy a guitar or anything after I've tried it I usually write some nice comments about it on forums ex. so someone else could get interested
I live in a pretty rough town. They lock the guitars to the hangers and the guy stands next to you when you try them out. Never used to be like that but 2 guys walked in and straight back out with 4 vintage/custom shops. This was about 10 years back. The owner still has to pay the brand off after. So I kind of get it in places. Oh and I suppose you could make them wear an apron to try stuff out to protect from zippers and belts.
Honestly, as sad as it is to say this, that’s why the larger shops are better in this regard. Smaller shops will eyeball you as you’re trying higher end guitars and rightfully so. One ding, drop or gash will strip them of profit. And I can understand that completely too.
I’ve had many negative experiences in various stores, both big and small, when trying out guitars. But once, I was actually free to take any guitar from the room and play it. The only requirement was to wear an apron. A few weeks later, I ended up buying a guitar from this shop for €5,000.
Recently, a guitar on display in a local store sparked my interest. Small, somewhat offset body, translucent red.. I made it clear that I just followed an impulse when I asked about it. The shop owner put it in my hands immediately, and THEN told me that it is a rare Chris Larkin, costing 3500 Swiss Franks 😂 At first, I felt a bit intimidated by this and told him that I'll probably never buy it. He was like, "That's ok, why don't you just try it out! Man, it is such a great guitar!" Long story short: I started to put money aside.... It will take some time, but who wouldn't. It is such a great guitar... 😂
Some boutiques are by appointment only, if you tell them you're a collector they book you in. Celebrities, rock stars and millionaires get top priority. Most places that have the expensive guitars locked behind glass can tell I'm there to buy strings and accessories. Their is definitely a vibe, not sure if I like it.
I never tried an exclusive guitar, but I once visited a prominent Ferrari dealer to take a closer look at a 550. I did not have any signifiers of wealth on me, even the car I came in, while certainly outing me as a severe exclusive car fan had little retail value. And not only was I personally serviced by the owner there (Frey) but after a short conversation about it, where I openly stated that I currently couldn't afford one and was looking more for a goal to aspire to, invited me to do a test drive. But I also heard horror stories regarding other dealers denigrating potential customers and denying them to even take a closer look, and that is what made them wanting exactly the exclusive item in question to the point of being excessive about it. It is that last part that made it truly horrifying to me.
I used to do the same thing... Finally, ONE DAY... a few years back I went in there with some actual CASH... Nobody talked to me I had to find someone, and he was reluctant to show me the best guitars they had. I had to direct him to the "ROOM" LOL I found my guitar I said let me see that one and he looked at me so funny... He said you see the price!... I said yep... let me see it! LOL It was a 4500 dollar guitar on sale for 38 or something. I happened to go in there on a holiday sale too that I didn't even know about and as I was playing it, he actually offered me 30% off of that price man!!! That took the price down to something like 2900. I couldn't believe it really. I took the guitar out in the store where the amps were and started plugging in the amps they had. First was a Marshell... BUT then I turned on this H&K and the first note was a muted top string... I SAID SOLD! He laughed... he didn't think I was serious until I got my wallet out LOL I wound up spending over 5 grand that day and walked out of there with my dream guitar and really this amp I still have it. If you use different speaker IR's it really fills the mix with whatever you need clean to high gain with a tube screamer of course for all the heavy stuff! So, I wound up with a PRS CUSTOM American made guitar so beautiful the craftmanship!!! Used but it didn't have a scratch on it man. I think he said he owned it for 6 months or so before selling it back to them. He wound up being the store manager. So, I bought the PRS and a Huges and Kettner Grandmaster 40 amp and it's all Metal LOL but that's what I was looking for. Got some nice headphones... Chords Picks a grocery list of stuff. LOL... The next week I went back and got this Digital Grand Piano. I still have it all too. I love it. BUT it's like if you don't like RICH Salesman, are going to be salesman. They don't want to talk to window shoppers LOL BUT I DID HAVE MY DAY! LMAO ... Just thought I would add that to this conversation. The only reason I was able to do all that is from a BAD accident I had a settlement with the insurance money and had a big chunk left.
Not custom shop,but went into a PMT music store in Cardiff,Wales with a view to buying a fender Stratocaster,and not one of the 3 staff I saw there were interested in serving/helping me,so I left.I have ordered elsewhere else now,and will never darken their doors again!
I really get it... In Romanian shops it's the same thing with ANY price guitar, and even goes a step further. In many cases physical stores only have a few models on display, one or two of each price range. And those usually are not in a condition you would want to buy, having been out there for so long that the strings are completely rusted. You can test one, and if you think you like it, they will bring you a fresh one in the box to bring home. But you don't get to test the one in the box! They make it clear that they will only open the box if you buy that specific one. Problem is sometimes a guitar can be visually perfect, but just doesn't resonate, or something is off with that specific item in a way that you can't show or make a photo of.
Well that model of business will not age well with the ease you can buy guitars online. So you have a simple choice buy online and get the best deal, or buy in the store for a huge markup just to get it a day or two earlier. I bet it is easier online to exchange a faulty guitar online, than in a shop like you describe too.
So what's the benefit then over a online shop ? There is none,... i would never by a guitar in a place like that...why should I bother... I could rather by online and send it back if I don't like it...
I remember playing a MIM Nashville Tele and the sales rep was so annoying that I went and bought it in a different store. Not a CS, but I was a student and it was a whole lot of money for me.
Ha ha, totally agree. And I would be glad if the staff was kind enough to put nice proper strings on a 5K$ instrument. And check the setting (the intonation). As long as people buy guitars for the look of them and not for the sound, this is not going to change.
I would agree that this is becoming more prevalent. I notice now that most shops have their guitars on locked hangers. Here in the UK shop lifting (theft) is a huge problem for any retail business, and the police place it low on their priorities. So I could see that it may be a requirement of insurance. There is one shop I can think of here, that carries a huge stock of guitars, amps etc a lot of which is very high end and they require that you book an appointment to go there! I have never visited and even less likely to now! Andertons have put all there CS stuff in a separate room that has the air of elitism about it. I am sure that they would counter that with the argument that if you are about to drop upwards of 4K on a guitar you want an elevated experience. Yamaha London, even though they not in the same price bracket, have this look but don't touch mentality now. It certainly wasn't like that a few years back. But I have had positive experiences recently Gibson Garage, both in London and Nashville, want to try something? Not a problem, but most stuff is on locked hangers, but there are plenty of staff around to assist and give info. Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. This is probably an exception now, even worldwide. But you could pick up anything and play it. Carter Vintage as well, although the real expensive stuff you had to ask. I feel that the more a customer can interact with the instrument, amp, pedal etc beforehand the higher chance of a sale, perhaps not instantly, but next week, month, rather than alienating them, and you are building loyalty into your customers through a positive experience even if they are just browsing initially. Wow, that turned into an essay!!
I think you are fully right. But, countering for argument's sake: 1. I worked in a pop and mom store. There's a whole army of petty customers that want a pristine new guitar. So they go to a store, try it and then go home to buy it (as some even call it) in a 'real store', that is, online. They even reason that the trying it out, even by themselves, made it 'used' and it being in the shop 'B-stock'. They also want the unboxing experience they see on YT. 2. What would happen when they would be more customer friendly? How many 13-year olds would come in in groups of three just to take a picture each of them holding a Murphy Lab Gibson? Where is the equilibrium point? I do think a good experienced employee can judge how far the good reasons you mention will hold for a specific shop visitor. 3. Maybe you could go undercover (wig, moustache) for a month in such a store/department and experience what attitude an average employee will develop over time. I do recognize you are very experienced, so not denying you know your way around. It might make a nice video anyway, I think.
It crossed my mind you could ask an entry fee, of say, 5, 10 or 20 bucks (depending on age). I'm afraid, however, that some people will consider this a free pass for bad behavior.
It’s funny you make a video of this topic. Recently Guitar Center here in the US has started leaving their hangers unlocked so you can actually try the high-end guitars. I remember a video from about six months ago where the CEO was saying he wanted to make Guitar Center more high-end guitar shop. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing the Gibson guitars because they’re unlocked now.
In the early 90's I went to The Music & Harmony trade show in Rotterdam. There was this company "Lag" where I saw some visitors were holding and testing the guitars. It was a brand I saw in the Guitar Player magazine which I thought they were very cool designed and I admired . I waited patiently and asked if I could try. No was the answer. F them in the A with their Fing crap guitars!! I own now over 25 guitars from different brands but again even decades later I say F Lag guitars thanks to the D bags reps at the booth..
Back in 2011 I had cash in hand to buy an E-kit for recording midi etc. with the band I was in at the time, we went to our local music store and they refused to let me try any electric kits because they didn't want to turn down the ball game and help me. Needless to say, I left and got an Alesis on ebay instead. I'm in about $180 ish and still need pickups for this jazz bass I am making I doubt I will break $220 in the end.
This vid needs to make its way to the "Play it again Sports" music store in Indy. That Napoleon Dynamite looking boot licker in there single handedly turned me back into a Guitar Center customer within 5 minuets of being in there. That was a solid 3 years ago too, and never went back. Good vid.
I experienced that many times... The worst was House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. They stacked guitars without cases like cordwood. so they were all nicked and scratched but you needed to show them money before they'd let you try anything. Willcutt is also terrible - They've shut down the brick and mortar and all the nice stuff is across the street locked up anyway. I've bought from them a couple times and you have to go through a process of at least an hour and a half determining if you're serious before they go get it. Then they have several people stand over you while you try it. I'm in a different stage of life now and the stores I deal with are cool with letting me play things. Casino will let me try anything... I have a CS Strat on order with them and they've seen me with my CS ES-355. I was recently in Guitar Sanctuary and had no problem getting to play a Collings. When people come over I let them try anything. Plug the Ric 4003FL into the Bassman. Go ahead. Run the CS '66 Strat into the Astoria. That's what it's there for. Wanna strum on the Taylor 612 12-fret? Knock yourself out!
Hi. Really Interesting Topic Henning! Personally i didn't expierenced it at my local Guitar Dealer and his High End Models... but i expierenced it Online in even a much more worse way than just "be aware when touching it"...ok...i get it...thats more risky then trying a Guitar in a Shop with an Employee... but then i think... don't offer it to be shipped Online... so now what happened: I was in a market for a very nice Guitar, which was around 5000,- €... (and can't get it Local because they arent selling the brand)... so i ordered it Online... all went perfect and the Guitar arrived quickly...etc... played it but unfortuanately... wasnt't liking it ...and told the Dealer...I'm Sorry...i have to ship it back to you... and then things startet out...i paid the whole Shipment with Insurance up to 10.000 € i think on my own... but a few Days later after the return... i got a Bill from the Dealer charging me 750,- € Bucks (15%) .... as a refund for just ordering...testing and sending it back... you can't image how pissed i was.... and never ever gonna try to buy a High Ende Guitar Online anymore... what's you opinion on that Hennig? like to hear it.... and this seems to be no individual case... because there are many Companys (especially direct Sellers) who are charging fees when u dont buy the Guitar/their Gear... Have a nice Weekend! and keep on ranting ;-)
I'm gonna guess this might partly be due to the effoŕt of cleaning off the finger prints each time. But you're right, it's very dumb for shops to be arrogant.
What about... you go to your local music store, want to try out ONE guitar that you really wanted to buy, but the owner tells you: "can you come back tomorrow, because I need to attend to something now". He will never see me back ever again. Yep, I buy this guitar online. That is why I became a trusted Thomann customer.
when i started at 16 i got that negative experience at any price level. maybe thats one of the reasons that the Netherlands doenst have any big stores left.
I have worked in 2 different guitar shops and anyone could play anything. I always treated people with respect which I understand is rare in guitar retail.
There is a custom Bass and Guitar shop here in my town in Germany, the instruments seem super cool and are around 1900/2500ish Euros, i was interested in a couple of guitars but the guy does not let you test anything , since it is a small builder there is no other way of experiencing the instrument , i ended up buying a standart model of something else online in Thomman. The builder complains non stop in social media about people buying on amazon and online portals, however i do not comprehend how he is suppossed to sell something without no one ever experiencing the instruments.
Same thing happened to me at a guitar shop. Even for an affinity Strat a fcking 200$ guitar and the shop keeper said its brand new box pay for it then play it. I said I wanna experience it 1st how well its made is it a good one. He simply refused.
Hi, man! Absolutely right…. You have expressed a feeling a lot of us have/had, in a reasonable and polite way and importantly: the cost of doing business is always inherent to doing business (either you like it or not) and to mitigate it at the customer’s experience expense is unacceptable and, as you’ve said, ridiculous. Thank you, man. Much respect for you raising this discussion on your channel. Take care!
I used to be forever coming home with guitars that I'd just picked up off a wall and loved. Then they locked them up just before lockdown and I haven't bothered since. I don't like having to ask for what I want and I hate having my attention directed by salesmen. They can all go bust for all I care - I buy online now on the rare occassion I buy at all.
Would love to take you up on it to try all the guitars you got 😁. On experience here in Thailand they gave me an extra cloth to put on my lap while testing some Duesenberg. Fully acceptable. Thanks for the Sunday runts Henning. Appreciated
I think it was like what you describe in the "old" days.. When I started to play guitars in shops (in germany) the guitar guy was almost always a frustrated guitarist who was a) sure he played better than you and did not try to hide it b) was envious if you wanted to buy an expensive guitar he maybe couldn't afford. The big success of the online music shops in germany is partly due to the guys in the stores you began to hate after some time. 😮. There is a rule for me: If you buy an guitar you have to play and hear and feel. You have to fall in love with the instrument... Nowadays either you buy online and send it back if you don't like it or you go to a local shop where the dealer is nice. If they are nasty just leave🎉.
Well, i could understand the shops. At first, most of the people, who can afford guitars above maybe 4-5.000$, just want a new wallhanger. I guess mostly older men, who are more a collector than a player. So why should they give these expensive guitars to dozens of young musicians without money for collecting scratches, dings and dongs on the guitar, which leads me to the second problem. Just look at a forum relating to cheap Harley-Benton guitars. Every day some guy ist complaining about a tiny scratch or ding and is asking the crowd, if he should send the guitar back. Nobody says "oh, it plays and sounds beautiful and some scratches doesn´t affect it!". No, they all are searching for the tinyest dings and dongs on a guitar for roundabout 200 bucks. So on my opinion, people are the problem. Not the shops.
Once again I’m in total agreement with you Henning. Maybe I want a Custom Shop Frankenstrat. I’ve always wanted one. But if they won’t take it off the wall unless I agree to buy it first how do I know if it’s actually special in any way? IMHO Music Sores themselves are what is killing their own industry.
Another issue is inflated guitar prices. Nobody really knows how much profit they’re making since they don’t release financial reports. It’s starting to feel like LVMH-prices just keep climbing with no end in sight.
I would agree with you henning, Guitars need to be played to see if we as players get on with them. My PRS S2 McCarty 594 Single cut cost me 2k but i had to go through 8 or 9 other including Gibson and ESP to find what i was looking for.
If I’m going to buy a new 5k guitar I dont want it to have been picked up a 100 times by people who arent in the market for it. I want it as fresh as possible with pristine frets and finishing. The stores are protecting legitimate customers. If you are really interested in buying then you will persevere. It really isnt fair to say “so what” if it gets a scratch or two and the store lose money. That kind of easily avoidable damage really isnt the cost of doing business. Remember that online sales have been killing traditional stores - now you want them to accept a loss of profit due to damage. Guitar shows are a different thing entirely - you are trying a guitar that it still in the hands of the builder who can more easily fix a scratch at minimal cost. It’s bs to say we should all have a chance to experience the high end stuff if we know we are never going to want to pay that kind of money.
I hate how even the average guitars are locked now, ive gone into a music shop to look at guitars and ended up in tech or keyboard section as you are free to try items out. I think this is why less people go out and buy a guitar.. what the cause is i dont know, do we just have more idiots in society who cant be careful, or more ppl who steal perhaps? Going into a store is nothing like it used to be. 😢
After one of such expiriance in de..i brought one of my most expensive axes (upper high of 5 figures value) with me. Going directy to custom vintage area with statement. I'm here to compare all of your precious. If I find a good one, i'll buy it. They have been breaking their neck to pretend to be helpful. Then...beeing a ahole as i am...been inviting customers to help me...they are playing and i'm listening....such a hearthwarming seeing people being refused to touch ..actually playing they dream shit.
There's one German store in particular, where I don't really feel welcome and where I can feel that arrogance you're talking about. I'm not gonna say the name, but they've got a red logo and two actual stores in south-west DE. I went there once to look for a guitar. Talked to the staff and told them some of my desired specs. I like big frets and I cannot lie (pun intended). I just don't like touching wood (again pun intended) which is why I prefer big frets. One of the staff members told me I'm just playing wrong, which is (his theory) the reason I don't like playing tiny frets. Needless to day I did not buy anything that day. It was also the pivotal point in time I decided to not come back basically. Which is a bummer because the store is in my city. I only go there to buy strings and emergency things. But guitars? Nope. They also sell Fender CS guitars in their store, but there's a sign that says "talk to staff first". Beat up reliced 80s style HSS strats made to the specs of one of te staff members who also makes youtube videos. What adds to the arrogance is the fact that they keep ordering the same old specs at the custom shop. Not because it's what customers like, but because it's what their staff like.
i totally get the let people play it, not only will spark the need to buy that guitar, but it might spark the love for that brand and their other products and like you said, walk out with another model that fits better in their budget. Its the right thing to do, and will aslo let you come back over and over to that store, which will create $ in you buying other stuff "since you already there"..... But I also get the point on high end stuff not been accesible unless you ask.... You might have a truly interest on it, but majority of the other people just wants to play ti for the sake of it with 0 interest in buying ever... it might spark the love for the brand to some, true, but for not for most specially at those price ranges.... And yes, the guitar might get scratch and ding, the more people try it, the bigger the chance this happens... Problem here is the more expensive the guitar, the more picky the customer gets. You might think its jsut an instrument and its due to happen. But believe me the vast mayority of people will complain about that one small scratch. I worked for a brand dealing with the customers emails. There was always the guy with a macro lens complaining about non-existing issues that werent even visible to the naked eye, and this for mid range guitars. The higher the price the more they will complain "I paid this much it should be 1000% perfect", and if you dont believe me go to sevenstring forum and others alike. The amount of treads of people complainign for extremely minuscule "scratches" and the like for guitars that have been on a store, and every single person is advising to return it, get the money back or exchange it, or at least get a fat discount for a blemish that looks like the guitar has been played twice. This not only upsets people but Ive seen people get turn off by a store and/or brand due to this. And the more expensive the guitar, the bigger the level of complain/dissatisfaction and the bigger the entitlement so yeah, they will ask you if you planing to purchase, becasue they want to minimize the chances of them having to now sell the guitar as a b-stock or deal with a upset customer after it gets shipped out, just becasue a 17yr old kid just were "having a look" and barely had the cash for a set of strings that day I agree, all guitars should be free to play, and any guitar thats locked up it might aswell be a photo in the wall. But I do understand the stores on the why they do this. At the end of the day mayority of the stores will only require a "sorry, can I try that guitar?" question, as the lock is a preventive meassure so the guitar doesnt get knocked out of the stand and/or you hit the guitars next to them So go and ask to try them!
i hope my local shop doesn't close down the owner actually came to my place to fix a guitar for me you know what it wasn't even that expensive treat your customers right you never know they might have a couple million in the future and if you treat them right they're going to go to your store first support your local mom and pop shops ppls my bud was totally ignored at a high end car dealership he went to another shop and bought a 100K car there instead so be nice
Stool sample? Why would a guitar shop want to know what I rest my feet on? 😉😆 It is as if those shops are chasing the 'collector' market where it needs to be pristine, not the actual guitar player market. When it comes to shows if its relic-ed it does not matter, if it is pristine and gets scratched give it to your relic shop to relic it by hand and then charge the custom premium on it!
Hi Pauly: spot on!! Thank you: it often ruins the customer experience: knowing shops have insurance policies makes me hate them more for the stupid rules. Some shops here in Osaka are goofy like that (Japan is already OCD-overrun), and they have those guitars forever🤣 With the weak yen, the guitars have skyrocketed here, and already hard to sell. They should just shut up and people play the damn things!!
🌚💩My first strat,I went to mannys ,a favorite nyc store in the 70s.I said ,I want a white maple strat .Both of us were black,and they handed me one with rosewood,with a sour look on their face. I could see several white strats.I asked and pointed to those, Oh they are reserved.No tags nothing. I played the strat ,and took it. Come to find out, it was Brazilian rosewood 😊😊😊👌🏿
Leslies comment on Thomas Blugs's Strat is hilarious. Guitars have to be played and should look like they are. It could be a David Gilmour Strat or a 100 Euro Harley Benton. Maybe I would like the HB better than the multi million dollar Strat.
in russia this kind of situation can take place but it most shops, small and big ones, they let you try out their goods with no questions asked. In my experience anyway. Maybe I'm just pretty.
Bro, it's already beaten to hell. Lemme play it! 😂 We need to make sure they know that "shop soiled" means it's been on a shops wall. If I don't want a "shop soiled" guitar, I'll go online.
Should’ve recreated the Wayne’s world scene “you’ll never afford it live in the now”. ….I know you don’t do cheezy scenes on your channel. If I didn’t have cheezy scenes I wouldn’t have any content. This is a great topic
Customer: "I'd like to try that guitar". Shop: "Are you going buy it?" Customer: "I'll let you know when I've tried it.". I'd love to be wealthy enough to go to a fancy shop unshaven & in old clothes and ask to try a custom guitar. Then, if they say no, return the next week clean shaven & well dressed & if they say "Certainly Sir", then tell them I'm the same guy they rejected as I wave goodbye.
A seller: opens an insanely expensive irl shop Also a seller: "don't touch it!" By the way I've bought once a new guitar with some dents and after a repair with a considerable discount. Yes, it's a bit sad that my guitar is not perfect. But it was a fair deal.
Thomann is a cash machine and a great one ... they almost never offer anything interesting in their "good deals" (kind of ridiculous most of the time as you find mostly Harley Benton's guitars) ... competitors (some) do, a b-stock or a de-stock is often 30 to 50% cheaper than the market prices elsewhere, that are real good deals ... at Thomann if you get 15 to 30% rarely (the "big" rebate on the small headrush pedal comes from the fact that their new entry level pedal just got released), it is already a miracle, sometimes it is a few buckets only ... nope, Thomann doesn't do any good deal ... but it is a good company to buy from regular prices as the service is good
I just walked into the Gibson Showroom last week and I was able to touch any of the guitars without a problem. Even the super expensive ones. Just saying 😉
Being able to touch and play the damn things before buying, is the reason people go to physical stores in the first place...take that away and online will be the better option in almost all cases.
I cannot fathom out why somebody would want to pay $1000's on a 'relicked' or 'aged' where a prestine one will probably be around half it's price. Madness, They don't make you play any better, so what's the bloody point?
@EytschPi42 🤨 why? I understand stand "because", but at a certain point does playability actually improve? Full disclosure....most expensive guitar I've played is 1500 so nothing crazy. But I play my PRS se over the more expensive purchase because I don't really feel like the "feel" is better on the more expensive one.
For unto them dids’t he proclaimeth: “coveteth not the i struments of the custome shoppe for they art mutton dressed as lamb. Instead shoulds’t thpu searcheth amongst the Harley Benton for thou shalt saveth a packet and enjoyeth playing more than coveting thy neighbours french polishing skills’.
How much is a Nick Huber like that cost? What’s the waiting time? Who the hell is Nick Huber ?? Anyone saying product placement in your videos means nothing didn’t scope you flipping that thing around for 9 seconds, I mean holy shit!
I think it means nothing, and I ain’t bothered if I’m wrong, Henning has to eat too and buy dog food for the animals. But I trust him for his honesty about the things he speaks about.
I’d say a high end guitar is something over around £1000, some say £2000, some say only custom shops. It depends on who you ask. Essentially a very nice guitar made from high quality materials, from factory guitars like American fenders, Suhr, Gibson, Ibanez prestige or Q, Strandberg, Taylor, Martin etc. then a step above is customs designed exactly to your specs, or something rare.
Hi Henning I remember going into a designer shop for fashion with my girlfriend to buy her a birthday present and 18:01 being told that if I had to ask the price that , " I can't afford it" At the end of the day Henning no Guitar ( 2 -3 bits of 🪵 with a few bits of metal added and a bit of copper wire and 🧲 magnets) is worth more than 300 Buck's even if the Lord Almighty made it, It's been proven by Harley Benton. Thank you Mr Hans Thomman for exposing the Bougie brigade. Have fun . John.
Yea, yea Henning, I know what you are doing… you’re trying to wear me out with these irrelevant rants that have zilch to do with dogs. So I am asking you again, very politely, very politely, to show some fuckin dogs in the beginning. Some beautiful fuckin dogs. German shepherds for example…. Is that too much to ask? Not everyone cares about custom shop guitars you know.
I totally get that - at least for smaller shops that make the bulk of their money by ripping off blues lawyers. As you enter the shop, there are usually some bored looking dudes at the counter staring you down already and as you walk around, you can feel their condescending looks pierce right through you. That's instant imposter syndrome for me. I immediately feel like an intruder and not worth their precious time and get too scared to try any of their stock. That's why I actually prefer bigger shops like Thomann in Treppendorf or Music Store in Cologne. Even though they are Conglom-O-style temples of commerce and capitalism, I feel more welcomed there. Yes, there are (slightly) smaller shops where you feel welcomed and appreciated. I love the awesome BTM Guitars in Nürnberg, but they are closing at the end of the year, which is a crying shame.
As a “blues lawyer”, I can tell you I experience the same. But I get where they are coming from having worked in a guitar store myself - I perservere and they let me try it. No, I dont give off money vibes either. The intimidation for me is not so much about whether I can afford the guitar but whether I can justify spending the money. I think that’s what underlies a lot of these complaints - if you are confident that the guitar is the kind of thing you would buy and you are comfortable with that, you will perservere.
@@edwardjons8684 Yes, that's one thing to consider, of course. When I know I really want to buy something, I've usually made my mind up already and enter the store with a different level of determination. My comment was actually targeted more at the general vibe those shops give off. I like to check out guitar stores to just have a look around, browse, see what's on offer, maybe try a guitar or two. Especially when I'm on vacation or visiting another city, I always look for guitar/instrument stores. And quite often I go in, have a walk around the shop and leave after 3 minutes, because it's such an unwelcoming vibe.
I work for Canada's biggest and oldest music store. Every guitar from $200 to $10000 is hanging there waiting for you to grab it and play it. That's why people visit shops instead of just ordering. You need to play it to know.
This question “ will you buy it?” Is very annoying and they loose customers for a long time and for other items.
Two decades ago I was searching for a multi effect pedalboard and I went to a store that had a boss me one out of its box in the store, I asked to try it and the annoying question followed, I told him that I’ll see and maybe and he told me that they don’t let everyone playing those expensive things just like that.
I said bye and then went to the next store that let me play on a KORG ax 3000 that I bought from them a month later.
Some years ago searching on the net for some pedals and a zoom recording device, I stumbled on that store but I didn’t buy anything from them, I ordered from a different store
When I began playing in the '70s our local music shop only had one serious electric guitar - a sunburst Strat. The staff were so precious about it, they wouldn't let you touch it, but would demo it for you! Needless to say, it stayed unsold until the shop closed down. 🙄
The shop in Reading's town centre comes to mind - I touched a reversed price tag in there and got shouted at for touching. Needless to say "No Sale."
That might have been the intention from the start. It was there to draw people in, not to be sold.
Totally agree. Let's not forget that, no matter how expensive a guitar, watch or car might be, they are just manufactured 'stuff'. It can be made again. Let's not even talk about whether a Gibson or Fender Custom Shop guitar is actually worth what they're asking for it. Nik Huber's guitars are genuinely custom built and high quality. I'd happily give a stool sample for one of those. I know because my guitar dealer let me try one without hesitation or questions and continues to get my business and my trust.
Great rant Mr Henning. Absolutely agree with you, complete common sense. I will however refer to my one and only relevant experience. I went into the Gallery at Andertons, where they keep their higher end guitars. I’m nothing to look at, I don’t appear to be well off. Just an ugly and slightly scruffy old git. I walked in and started looking at the guitars on the wall. I was made welcome. I asked to try one of the guitars, not a problem. Two other similar guitars were offered for comparison. I was treated like a valued customer before it was known that I was going to buy something. All in all it was a special experience. I even saw Danish Pete and got tongue tied 🤣 I would certainly recommend it.
Gotta love the signs saying "Don't touch stuff over here! Call staff if you even want to look at anything!"
Most of the time you can't find any staff members on the shop floor, or the one guy to be found is 'demonstrating' entry level guitars to a dad buying their child's first guitar.
My local shop works on appointments basis only, you have to tell them what you'd like to play and then they are next to you watching you play it. Customer service in this shop is not very good, shop itself is amazing and I'd love to just turn up and see what's on the display and maybe buy few if I like them. Now I'll have to take my money elsewhere.
Went to Anderton's the other night they had a Strandberg Evening. Everyone could touch and hold and play the Japanese Strandberg guitars worth 7K+ .. Same thing with the Fender custom shop guitars. There customer service has always been amazing.
Andersons have a room for special customers, did they invite you all there?
Anderton's back room (where all the more expensive guitars are) is appointment only. Never used to be like it and I find it off putting now. Which is why I stick to GuitarGuitar or Coda Music.
I shop in L&M in Canada, never had a problem. I usually ask the store staff to lift down the more expensive instruments and always remove my coat, although I have never been asked to do that.
The same shit, happened almost everywhere in retail at some point. No wonder people now amazon the shit out of ordering online.
Get a secret shopper to check this out. Lapel camera. Could be a wake up call to the shops that are lazy or just living with an irrational fear of dings.
I understand this with a 10,000 guitar… shops need a policy rather than just to appear reluctant or unhelpful.
I can understand a somewhat restricted policy in stores like the musicstore in cologne. You can see on their floor how people treat their instruments (not very well). Although there should never be a level of arrogance from store staff looking at you to see if you are "worthy"^^
The standout positive example for me is the fellowship of acoustics in the Netherlands. You can grab whatever you want from the wall including vintage pieces from the 19th century. The staff is helpful, but understands that people want to compare stuff, look left and right and up and down the price levels. The first thing they make sure of is that you are supplied with a good coffee. 😊 And yes, when I bought my Collings Dreadnaught I took my time and compared it to every other Dreadnaught including vintage pieces costing multiple times what I spent. Without that option it would have been very hard for me to make that decision since the purchase was a big thing for me.
Of course, everyone who visits their store has travelled there specifically for that store or to check out a certain guitar or brand so it is not really a fair comparison with other stores that have much more people moving in and out just to spend a nice afternoon.
In the last 10 years I’ve gotten used to receiving all my new gear box fresh. My dad used to have a music shop and all the gear was unboxed and demoed all the time.
I’m all for demos in a shop but i understand why shops have stopped doing it.
I remember many years ago I was at a local store to buy an acoustic guitar that I had already researched and wanted to buy, so I just wanted to try it to make sure and it was out of tune, when I asked the store keeper if I could tune it, he said "if you tune it, you have to buy it because it'll be considered used". I left and never went to that store again, although it was the only proper big music gear store in Jordan back then.
yeah, after you said it I realized that if I don't buy a guitar or anything after I've tried it I usually write some nice comments about it on forums ex. so someone else could get interested
I live in a pretty rough town. They lock the guitars to the hangers and the guy stands next to you when you try them out. Never used to be like that but 2 guys walked in and straight back out with 4 vintage/custom shops. This was about 10 years back. The owner still has to pay the brand off after. So I kind of get it in places.
Oh and I suppose you could make them wear an apron to try stuff out to protect from zippers and belts.
Honestly, as sad as it is to say this, that’s why the larger shops are better in this regard. Smaller shops will eyeball you as you’re trying higher end guitars and rightfully so. One ding, drop or gash will strip them of profit. And I can understand that completely too.
I’ve had many negative experiences in various stores, both big and small, when trying out guitars. But once, I was actually free to take any guitar from the room and play it. The only requirement was to wear an apron. A few weeks later, I ended up buying a guitar from this shop for €5,000.
Recently, a guitar on display in a local store sparked my interest. Small, somewhat offset body, translucent red.. I made it clear that I just followed an impulse when I asked about it. The shop owner put it in my hands immediately, and THEN told me that it is a rare Chris Larkin, costing 3500 Swiss Franks 😂
At first, I felt a bit intimidated by this and told him that I'll probably never buy it. He was like, "That's ok, why don't you just try it out! Man, it is such a great guitar!"
Long story short: I started to put money aside.... It will take some time, but who wouldn't. It is such a great guitar... 😂
Some boutiques are by appointment only, if you tell them you're a collector they book you in. Celebrities, rock stars and millionaires get top priority. Most places that have the expensive guitars locked behind glass can tell I'm there to buy strings and accessories. Their is definitely a vibe, not sure if I like it.
I never tried an exclusive guitar, but I once visited a prominent Ferrari dealer to take a closer look at a 550. I did not have any signifiers of wealth on me, even the car I came in, while certainly outing me as a severe exclusive car fan had little retail value. And not only was I personally serviced by the owner there (Frey) but after a short conversation about it, where I openly stated that I currently couldn't afford one and was looking more for a goal to aspire to, invited me to do a test drive.
But I also heard horror stories regarding other dealers denigrating potential customers and denying them to even take a closer look, and that is what made them wanting exactly the exclusive item in question to the point of being excessive about it. It is that last part that made it truly horrifying to me.
I used to do the same thing... Finally, ONE DAY... a few years back I went in there with some actual CASH... Nobody talked to me I had to find someone, and he was reluctant to show me the best guitars they had. I had to direct him to the "ROOM" LOL I found my guitar I said let me see that one and he looked at me so funny... He said you see the price!... I said yep... let me see it! LOL It was a 4500 dollar guitar on sale for 38 or something. I happened to go in there on a holiday sale too that I didn't even know about and as I was playing it, he actually offered me 30% off of that price man!!! That took the price down to something like 2900. I couldn't believe it really. I took the guitar out in the store where the amps were and started plugging in the amps they had. First was a Marshell... BUT then I turned on this H&K and the first note was a muted top string... I SAID SOLD! He laughed... he didn't think I was serious until I got my wallet out LOL
I wound up spending over 5 grand that day and walked out of there with my dream guitar and really this amp I still have it. If you use different speaker IR's it really fills the mix with whatever you need clean to high gain with a tube screamer of course for all the heavy stuff! So, I wound up with a PRS CUSTOM American made guitar so beautiful the craftmanship!!! Used but it didn't have a scratch on it man. I think he said he owned it for 6 months or so before selling it back to them. He wound up being the store manager. So, I bought the PRS and a Huges and Kettner Grandmaster 40 amp and it's all Metal LOL but that's what I was looking for.
Got some nice headphones... Chords Picks a grocery list of stuff. LOL... The next week I went back and got this Digital Grand Piano. I still have it all too. I love it. BUT it's like if you don't like RICH Salesman, are going to be salesman. They don't want to talk to window shoppers LOL BUT I DID HAVE MY DAY! LMAO ... Just thought I would add that to this conversation. The only reason I was able to do all that is from a BAD accident I had a settlement with the insurance money and had a big chunk left.
Not custom shop,but went into a PMT music store in Cardiff,Wales with a view to buying a fender Stratocaster,and not one of the 3 staff I saw there were interested in serving/helping me,so I left.I have ordered elsewhere else now,and will never darken their doors again!
I really get it... In Romanian shops it's the same thing with ANY price guitar, and even goes a step further.
In many cases physical stores only have a few models on display, one or two of each price range. And those usually are not in a condition you would want to buy, having been out there for so long that the strings are completely rusted. You can test one, and if you think you like it, they will bring you a fresh one in the box to bring home. But you don't get to test the one in the box! They make it clear that they will only open the box if you buy that specific one.
Problem is sometimes a guitar can be visually perfect, but just doesn't resonate, or something is off with that specific item in a way that you can't show or make a photo of.
Well that model of business will not age well with the ease you can buy guitars online. So you have a simple choice buy online and get the best deal, or buy in the store for a huge markup just to get it a day or two earlier. I bet it is easier online to exchange a faulty guitar online, than in a shop like you describe too.
So what's the benefit then over a online shop ? There is none,... i would never by a guitar in a place like that...why should I bother... I could rather by online and send it back if I don't like it...
I remember playing a MIM Nashville Tele and the sales rep was so annoying that I went and bought it in a different store. Not a CS, but I was a student and it was a whole lot of money for me.
Ha ha, totally agree. And I would be glad if the staff was kind enough to put nice proper strings on a 5K$ instrument. And check the setting (the intonation). As long as people buy guitars for the look of them and not for the sound, this is not going to change.
I would agree that this is becoming more prevalent. I notice now that most shops have their guitars on locked hangers. Here in the UK shop lifting (theft) is a huge problem for any retail business, and the police place it low on their priorities. So I could see that it may be a requirement of insurance.
There is one shop I can think of here, that carries a huge stock of guitars, amps etc a lot of which is very high end and they require that you book an appointment to go there! I have never visited and even less likely to now!
Andertons have put all there CS stuff in a separate room that has the air of elitism about it. I am sure that they would counter that with the argument that if you are about to drop upwards of 4K on a guitar you want an elevated experience.
Yamaha London, even though they not in the same price bracket, have this look but don't touch mentality now. It certainly wasn't like that a few years back.
But I have had positive experiences recently
Gibson Garage, both in London and Nashville, want to try something? Not a problem, but most stuff is on locked hangers, but there are plenty of staff around to assist and give info.
Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. This is probably an exception now, even worldwide. But you could pick up anything and play it.
Carter Vintage as well, although the real expensive stuff you had to ask.
I feel that the more a customer can interact with the instrument, amp, pedal etc beforehand the higher chance of a sale, perhaps not instantly, but next week, month, rather than alienating them, and you are building loyalty into your customers through a positive experience even if they are just browsing initially. Wow, that turned into an essay!!
I totally agree!
I played a Gibson SG 61 Reissue at a guitar store - after that I saved up money to buy one. Now I own 8 SGs.
I think you are fully right. But, countering for argument's sake:
1. I worked in a pop and mom store. There's a whole army of petty customers that want a pristine new guitar. So they go to a store, try it and then go home to buy it (as some even call it) in a 'real store', that is, online. They even reason that the trying it out, even by themselves, made it 'used' and it being in the shop 'B-stock'. They also want the unboxing experience they see on YT.
2. What would happen when they would be more customer friendly? How many 13-year olds would come in in groups of three just to take a picture each of them holding a Murphy Lab Gibson? Where is the equilibrium point? I do think a good experienced employee can judge how far the good reasons you mention will hold for a specific shop visitor.
3. Maybe you could go undercover (wig, moustache) for a month in such a store/department and experience what attitude an average employee will develop over time. I do recognize you are very experienced, so not denying you know your way around. It might make a nice video anyway, I think.
It crossed my mind you could ask an entry fee, of say, 5, 10 or 20 bucks (depending on age). I'm afraid, however, that some people will consider this a free pass for bad behavior.
It’s funny you make a video of this topic. Recently Guitar Center here in the US has started leaving their hangers unlocked so you can actually try the high-end guitars. I remember a video from about six months ago where the CEO was saying he wanted to make Guitar Center more high-end guitar shop. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing the Gibson guitars because they’re unlocked now.
In the early 90's I went to The Music & Harmony trade show in Rotterdam. There was this company "Lag" where I saw some visitors were holding and testing the guitars. It was a brand I saw in the Guitar Player magazine which I thought they were very cool designed and I admired . I waited patiently and asked if I could try. No was the answer. F them in the A with their Fing crap guitars!! I own now over 25 guitars from different brands but again even decades later I say F Lag guitars thanks to the D bags reps at the booth..
Back in 2011 I had cash in hand to buy an E-kit for recording midi etc. with the band I was in at the time, we went to our local music store and they refused to let me try any electric kits because they didn't want to turn down the ball game and help me. Needless to say, I left and got an Alesis on ebay instead. I'm in about $180 ish and still need pickups for this jazz bass I am making I doubt I will break $220 in the end.
This vid needs to make its way to the "Play it again Sports" music store in Indy. That Napoleon Dynamite looking boot licker in there single handedly turned me back into a Guitar Center customer within 5 minuets of being in there. That was a solid 3 years ago too, and never went back. Good vid.
I experienced that many times... The worst was House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. They stacked guitars without cases like cordwood. so they were all nicked and scratched but you needed to show them money before they'd let you try anything. Willcutt is also terrible - They've shut down the brick and mortar and all the nice stuff is across the street locked up anyway. I've bought from them a couple times and you have to go through a process of at least an hour and a half determining if you're serious before they go get it. Then they have several people stand over you while you try it.
I'm in a different stage of life now and the stores I deal with are cool with letting me play things. Casino will let me try anything... I have a CS Strat on order with them and they've seen me with my CS ES-355. I was recently in Guitar Sanctuary and had no problem getting to play a Collings.
When people come over I let them try anything. Plug the Ric 4003FL into the Bassman. Go ahead. Run the CS '66 Strat into the Astoria. That's what it's there for. Wanna strum on the Taylor 612 12-fret? Knock yourself out!
Hi. Really Interesting Topic Henning! Personally i didn't expierenced it at my local Guitar Dealer and his High End Models... but i expierenced it Online in even a much more worse way than just "be aware when touching it"...ok...i get it...thats more risky then trying a Guitar in a Shop with an Employee... but then i think... don't offer it to be shipped Online... so now what happened: I was in a market for a very nice Guitar, which was around 5000,- €... (and can't get it Local because they arent selling the brand)... so i ordered it Online... all went perfect and the Guitar arrived quickly...etc... played it but unfortuanately... wasnt't liking it ...and told the Dealer...I'm Sorry...i have to ship it back to you... and then things startet out...i paid the whole Shipment with Insurance up to 10.000 € i think on my own... but a few Days later after the return... i got a Bill from the Dealer charging me 750,- € Bucks (15%) .... as a refund for just ordering...testing and sending it back... you can't image how pissed i was.... and never ever gonna try to buy a High Ende Guitar Online anymore... what's you opinion on that Hennig? like to hear it.... and this seems to be no individual case... because there are many Companys (especially direct Sellers) who are charging fees when u dont buy the Guitar/their Gear... Have a nice Weekend! and keep on ranting ;-)
I'm gonna guess this might partly be due to the effoŕt of cleaning off the finger prints each time. But you're right, it's very dumb for shops to be arrogant.
What about... you go to your local music store, want to try out ONE guitar that you really wanted to buy, but the owner tells you: "can you come back tomorrow, because I need to attend to something now". He will never see me back ever again. Yep, I buy this guitar online. That is why I became a trusted Thomann customer.
when i started at 16 i got that negative experience at any price level. maybe thats one of the reasons that the Netherlands doenst have any big stores left.
I have worked in 2 different guitar shops and anyone could play anything. I always treated people with respect which I understand is rare in guitar retail.
There is a custom Bass and Guitar shop here in my town in Germany, the instruments seem super cool and are around 1900/2500ish Euros, i was interested in a couple of guitars but the guy does not let you test anything , since it is a small builder there is no other way of experiencing the instrument , i ended up buying a standart model of something else online in Thomman. The builder complains non stop in social media about people buying on amazon and online portals, however i do not comprehend how he is suppossed to sell something without no one ever experiencing the instruments.
youtubers like you are the second best thing happen for guitarists after amp sims ....
Great video. I totally agree with you. Shops need to see this.
Same thing happened to me at a guitar shop. Even for an affinity Strat a fcking 200$ guitar and the shop keeper said its brand new box pay for it then play it. I said I wanna experience it 1st how well its made is it a good one. He simply refused.
Hi, man! Absolutely right…. You have expressed a feeling a lot of us have/had, in a reasonable and polite way and importantly: the cost of doing business is always inherent to doing business (either you like it or not) and to mitigate it at the customer’s experience expense is unacceptable and, as you’ve said, ridiculous. Thank you, man. Much respect for you raising this discussion on your channel. Take care!
I used to be forever coming home with guitars that I'd just picked up off a wall and loved. Then they locked them up just before lockdown and I haven't bothered since. I don't like having to ask for what I want and I hate having my attention directed by salesmen. They can all go bust for all I care - I buy online now on the rare occassion I buy at all.
Would love to take you up on it to try all the guitars you got 😁.
On experience here in Thailand they gave me an extra cloth to put on my lap while testing some Duesenberg. Fully acceptable.
Thanks for the Sunday runts Henning. Appreciated
This is why I have bought almost all of my guitars online, especially the high end ones.
I think it was like what you describe in the "old" days.. When I started to play guitars in shops (in germany) the guitar guy was almost always a frustrated guitarist who was a) sure he played better than you and did not try to hide it b) was envious if you wanted to buy an expensive guitar he maybe couldn't afford. The big success of the online music shops in germany is partly due to the guys in the stores you began to hate after some time. 😮. There is a rule for me: If you buy an guitar you have to play and hear and feel. You have to fall in love with the instrument... Nowadays either you buy online and send it back if you don't like it or you go to a local shop where the dealer is nice. If they are nasty just leave🎉.
Well, i could understand the shops.
At first, most of the people, who can afford guitars above maybe 4-5.000$, just want a new wallhanger. I guess mostly older men, who are more a collector than a player. So why should they give these expensive guitars to dozens of young musicians without money for collecting scratches, dings and dongs on the guitar, which leads me to the second problem. Just look at a forum relating to cheap Harley-Benton guitars. Every day some guy ist complaining about a tiny scratch or ding and is asking the crowd, if he should send the guitar back. Nobody says "oh, it plays and sounds beautiful and some scratches doesn´t affect it!". No, they all are searching for the tinyest dings and dongs on a guitar for roundabout 200 bucks. So on my opinion, people are the problem. Not the shops.
Once again I’m in total agreement with you Henning. Maybe I want a Custom Shop Frankenstrat. I’ve always wanted one. But if they won’t take it off the wall unless I agree to buy it first how do I know if it’s actually special in any way? IMHO Music Sores themselves are what is killing their own industry.
Another issue is inflated guitar prices. Nobody really knows how much profit they’re making since they don’t release financial reports. It’s starting to feel like LVMH-prices just keep climbing with no end in sight.
I would agree with you henning, Guitars need to be played to see if we as players get on with them. My PRS S2 McCarty 594 Single cut cost me 2k but i had to go through 8 or 9 other including Gibson and ESP to find what i was looking for.
If I’m going to buy a new 5k guitar I dont want it to have been picked up a 100 times by people who arent in the market for it. I want it as fresh as possible with pristine frets and finishing. The stores are protecting legitimate customers. If you are really interested in buying then you will persevere. It really isnt fair to say “so what” if it gets a scratch or two and the store lose money. That kind of easily avoidable damage really isnt the cost of doing business. Remember that online sales have been killing traditional stores - now you want them to accept a loss of profit due to damage. Guitar shows are a different thing entirely - you are trying a guitar that it still in the hands of the builder who can more easily fix a scratch at minimal cost.
It’s bs to say we should all have a chance to experience the high end stuff if we know we are never going to want to pay that kind of money.
I hate how even the average guitars are locked now, ive gone into a music shop to look at guitars and ended up in tech or keyboard section as you are free to try items out. I think this is why less people go out and buy a guitar.. what the cause is i dont know, do we just have more idiots in society who cant be careful, or more ppl who steal perhaps? Going into a store is nothing like it used to be. 😢
After one of such expiriance in de..i brought one of my most expensive axes (upper high of 5 figures value) with me. Going directy to custom vintage area with statement. I'm here to compare all of your precious. If I find a good one, i'll buy it. They have been breaking their neck to pretend to be helpful. Then...beeing a ahole as i am...been inviting customers to help me...they are playing and i'm listening....such a hearthwarming seeing people being refused to touch ..actually playing they dream shit.
There's one German store in particular, where I don't really feel welcome and where I can feel that arrogance you're talking about. I'm not gonna say the name, but they've got a red logo and two actual stores in south-west DE. I went there once to look for a guitar. Talked to the staff and told them some of my desired specs. I like big frets and I cannot lie (pun intended). I just don't like touching wood (again pun intended) which is why I prefer big frets. One of the staff members told me I'm just playing wrong, which is (his theory) the reason I don't like playing tiny frets. Needless to day I did not buy anything that day. It was also the pivotal point in time I decided to not come back basically. Which is a bummer because the store is in my city. I only go there to buy strings and emergency things. But guitars? Nope. They also sell Fender CS guitars in their store, but there's a sign that says "talk to staff first". Beat up reliced 80s style HSS strats made to the specs of one of te staff members who also makes youtube videos. What adds to the arrogance is the fact that they keep ordering the same old specs at the custom shop. Not because it's what customers like, but because it's what their staff like.
i totally get the let people play it, not only will spark the need to buy that guitar, but it might spark the love for that brand and their other products and like you said, walk out with another model that fits better in their budget. Its the right thing to do, and will aslo let you come back over and over to that store, which will create $ in you buying other stuff "since you already there"..... But I also get the point on high end stuff not been accesible unless you ask.... You might have a truly interest on it, but majority of the other people just wants to play ti for the sake of it with 0 interest in buying ever... it might spark the love for the brand to some, true, but for not for most specially at those price ranges....
And yes, the guitar might get scratch and ding, the more people try it, the bigger the chance this happens... Problem here is the more expensive the guitar, the more picky the customer gets. You might think its jsut an instrument and its due to happen. But believe me the vast mayority of people will complain about that one small scratch. I worked for a brand dealing with the customers emails. There was always the guy with a macro lens complaining about non-existing issues that werent even visible to the naked eye, and this for mid range guitars. The higher the price the more they will complain "I paid this much it should be 1000% perfect", and if you dont believe me go to sevenstring forum and others alike. The amount of treads of people complainign for extremely minuscule "scratches" and the like for guitars that have been on a store, and every single person is advising to return it, get the money back or exchange it, or at least get a fat discount for a blemish that looks like the guitar has been played twice. This not only upsets people but Ive seen people get turn off by a store and/or brand due to this. And the more expensive the guitar, the bigger the level of complain/dissatisfaction and the bigger the entitlement
so yeah, they will ask you if you planing to purchase, becasue they want to minimize the chances of them having to now sell the guitar as a b-stock or deal with a upset customer after it gets shipped out, just becasue a 17yr old kid just were "having a look" and barely had the cash for a set of strings that day
I agree, all guitars should be free to play, and any guitar thats locked up it might aswell be a photo in the wall. But I do understand the stores on the why they do this. At the end of the day mayority of the stores will only require a "sorry, can I try that guitar?" question, as the lock is a preventive meassure so the guitar doesnt get knocked out of the stand and/or you hit the guitars next to them
So go and ask to try them!
i hope my local shop doesn't close down
the owner actually came to my place to fix a guitar for me
you know what it wasn't even that expensive
treat your customers right
you never know they might have a couple million in the future
and if you treat them right they're going to go to your store first
support your local mom and pop shops ppls
my bud was totally ignored at a high end car dealership
he went to another shop and bought a 100K car there instead
so be nice
Stool sample? Why would a guitar shop want to know what I rest my feet on? 😉😆
It is as if those shops are chasing the 'collector' market where it needs to be pristine, not the actual guitar player market. When it comes to shows if its relic-ed it does not matter, if it is pristine and gets scratched give it to your relic shop to relic it by hand and then charge the custom premium on it!
Hi Pauly: spot on!!
Thank you: it often ruins the customer experience: knowing shops have insurance policies makes me hate them more for the stupid rules.
Some shops here in Osaka are goofy like that (Japan is already OCD-overrun), and they have those guitars forever🤣
With the weak yen, the guitars have skyrocketed here, and already hard to sell.
They should just shut up and people play the damn things!!
I loved Leslie's review/commentary, hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣
"...This guitar has seen some things" 🤣😂😅😆😄
🌚💩My first strat,I went to mannys ,a favorite nyc store in the 70s.I said ,I want a white maple strat .Both of us were black,and they handed me one with rosewood,with a sour look on their face. I could see several white strats.I asked and pointed to those, Oh they are reserved.No tags nothing. I played the strat ,and took it. Come to find out, it was Brazilian rosewood 😊😊😊👌🏿
Leslies comment on Thomas Blugs's Strat is hilarious. Guitars have to be played and should look like they are. It could be a David Gilmour Strat or a 100 Euro Harley Benton. Maybe I would like the HB better than the multi million dollar Strat.
in russia this kind of situation can take place but it most shops, small and big ones, they let you try out their goods with no questions asked. In my experience anyway. Maybe I'm just pretty.
Bro, it's already beaten to hell. Lemme play it!
😂
We need to make sure they know that "shop soiled" means it's been on a shops wall. If I don't want a "shop soiled" guitar, I'll go online.
Should’ve recreated the Wayne’s world scene “you’ll never afford it live in the now”. ….I know you don’t do cheezy scenes on your channel. If I didn’t have cheezy scenes I wouldn’t have any content.
This is a great topic
Imagine if they did this with violins and pianos which cost in average 10, sometimes 20x more a gibson cs.
Customer: "I'd like to try that guitar".
Shop: "Are you going buy it?"
Customer: "I'll let you know when I've tried it.".
I'd love to be wealthy enough to go to a fancy shop unshaven & in old clothes and ask to try a custom guitar. Then, if they say no, return the next week clean shaven & well dressed & if they say "Certainly Sir", then tell them I'm the same guy they rejected as I wave goodbye.
This basically the plot of "Pretty Woman".
A seller: opens an insanely expensive irl shop
Also a seller: "don't touch it!"
By the way I've bought once a new guitar with some dents and after a repair with a considerable discount. Yes, it's a bit sad that my guitar is not perfect. But it was a fair deal.
There’s a few online stores that won’t even show you what guitar you are going to get for your 3/5k
Thomann is a cash machine and a great one ... they almost never offer anything interesting in their "good deals" (kind of ridiculous most of the time as you find mostly Harley Benton's guitars) ... competitors (some) do, a b-stock or a de-stock is often 30 to 50% cheaper than the market prices elsewhere, that are real good deals ... at Thomann if you get 15 to 30% rarely (the "big" rebate on the small headrush pedal comes from the fact that their new entry level pedal just got released), it is already a miracle, sometimes it is a few buckets only ... nope, Thomann doesn't do any good deal ... but it is a good company to buy from regular prices as the service is good
I just walked into the Gibson Showroom last week and I was able to touch any of the guitars without a problem. Even the super expensive ones. Just saying 😉
Being able to touch and play the damn things before buying, is the reason people go to physical stores in the first place...take that away and online will be the better option in almost all cases.
Same attitude here in the Netherlands.
Couldn't agree more with everything that has been said
true words.... thanks henning..
I cannot fathom out why somebody would want to pay $1000's on a 'relicked' or 'aged' where a prestine one will probably be around half it's price. Madness, They don't make you play any better, so what's the bloody point?
I mean...a good relict neck can have a pretty smooth and nice feeling...other than that I'm also notthat much into relict stuff...
Dont spend your money with those type of people. Problem solved.
Is it even worth it? At over 3k, is there really a noticable difference or improvement compared to a normal "high end" guitar?
yes
@EytschPi42 🤨 why? I understand stand "because", but at a certain point does playability actually improve? Full disclosure....most expensive guitar I've played is 1500 so nothing crazy. But I play my PRS se over the more expensive purchase because I don't really feel like the "feel" is better on the more expensive one.
For unto them dids’t he proclaimeth: “coveteth not the i struments of the custome shoppe for they art mutton dressed as lamb. Instead shoulds’t thpu searcheth amongst the Harley Benton for thou shalt saveth a packet and enjoyeth playing more than coveting thy neighbours french polishing skills’.
Must be a German thing. I haven’t had a problem with this in the UK in most stores.
so....when can I visit you :) ?
Good morning? It's still night here.😴
Go to sleep?
HP ich habe die Lösung für deine custom shop Probleme. - Die gute alte Kochschürze.
How much is a Nick Huber like that cost? What’s the waiting time? Who the hell is Nick Huber ?? Anyone saying product placement in your videos means nothing didn’t scope you flipping that thing around for 9 seconds, I mean holy shit!
I think it means nothing, and I ain’t bothered if I’m wrong, Henning has to eat too and buy dog food for the animals. But I trust him for his honesty about the things he speaks about.
Explain to dumb me what a "high end" guitar means. High price?, rare wood?, what?
I’d say a high end guitar is something over around £1000, some say £2000, some say only custom shops. It depends on who you ask. Essentially a very nice guitar made from high quality materials, from factory guitars like American fenders, Suhr, Gibson, Ibanez prestige or Q, Strandberg, Taylor, Martin etc. then a step above is customs designed exactly to your specs, or something rare.
PURE BRAND SNOBBERY !
Its very easy.
1: You say, Guess you dont wanna sell.
2: You leave the shop.
Hi Henning I remember going into a designer shop for fashion with my girlfriend to buy her a birthday present and 18:01 being told that if I had to ask the price that , " I can't afford it" At the end of the day Henning no Guitar ( 2 -3 bits of 🪵 with a few bits of metal added and a bit of copper wire and 🧲 magnets) is worth more than 300 Buck's even if the Lord Almighty made it,
It's been proven by Harley Benton. Thank you Mr Hans Thomman for exposing the Bougie brigade. Have fun . John.
Yea, yea Henning, I know what you are doing… you’re trying to wear me out with these irrelevant rants that have zilch to do with dogs. So I am asking you again, very politely, very politely, to show some fuckin dogs in the beginning. Some beautiful fuckin dogs. German shepherds for example…. Is that too much to ask? Not everyone cares about custom shop guitars you know.
No, you lick things
I totally get that - at least for smaller shops that make the bulk of their money by ripping off blues lawyers. As you enter the shop, there are usually some bored looking dudes at the counter staring you down already and as you walk around, you can feel their condescending looks pierce right through you. That's instant imposter syndrome for me. I immediately feel like an intruder and not worth their precious time and get too scared to try any of their stock.
That's why I actually prefer bigger shops like Thomann in Treppendorf or Music Store in Cologne. Even though they are Conglom-O-style temples of commerce and capitalism, I feel more welcomed there. Yes, there are (slightly) smaller shops where you feel welcomed and appreciated. I love the awesome BTM Guitars in Nürnberg, but they are closing at the end of the year, which is a crying shame.
As a “blues lawyer”, I can tell you I experience the same. But I get where they are coming from having worked in a guitar store myself - I perservere and they let me try it. No, I dont give off money vibes either. The intimidation for me is not so much about whether I can afford the guitar but whether I can justify spending the money. I think that’s what underlies a lot of these complaints - if you are confident that the guitar is the kind of thing you would buy and you are comfortable with that, you will perservere.
@@edwardjons8684 Yes, that's one thing to consider, of course. When I know I really want to buy something, I've usually made my mind up already and enter the store with a different level of determination.
My comment was actually targeted more at the general vibe those shops give off. I like to check out guitar stores to just have a look around, browse, see what's on offer, maybe try a guitar or two. Especially when I'm on vacation or visiting another city, I always look for guitar/instrument stores. And quite often I go in, have a walk around the shop and leave after 3 minutes, because it's such an unwelcoming vibe.
Wenn jeder Tag so lustig wäre wie dieses Video, wäre unsere Beziehung perfek😻