Music shop rule of thumb

Jack-Flash-Jr

I've got a rule of thumb when I try out new guitars... the first thing the sales assistant wants to do is plug me into the best valve amp they have. No thanks buddy, that Custom Vibrolux Reverb will make a Toys R' Us Hondo II sound good. I want to hear and compare guitars on an amp that is similar to what I play live, that way there's no nasty surprise when the Wobblycaster doesn't sound as good as it did in the shop...
Rule of Thumb: make sure the awesome tone, sparkle, warmth and snap you are hearing is the guitar you're thinking of buying and not the amp you're trying it out on.

StephenG

I wanna hear more about the HONDO II..... when did you buy it??? what drugs were you on at the time??? colour?? playability??

Jack-Flash-Jr

Hondo Strat rip-off, headstock sharper that any eye-gouger ever, cherry red (in a bad way) and at least 79kgs. First electric, luckily the amp was worse ?
Barely playable, I was a teenager so that was drug enough...

Hammeron

Jack Flash Jr wrote: I've got a rule of thumb when I try out new guitars... the first thing the sales assistant wants to do is plug me into the best valve amp they have. No thanks buddy, that Custom Vibrolux Reverb will make a Toys R' Us Hondo II sound good. I want to hear and compare guitars on an amp that is similar to what I play live, that way there's no nasty surprise when the Wobblycaster doesn't sound as good as it did in the shop...
Rule of Thumb: make sure the awesome tone, sparkle, warmth and snap you are hearing is the guitar you're thinking of buying and not the amp you're trying it out on.

You make a good point there.
However, doesn't it work the other way round as well ?
Bad amp does not let you appreciate good guitar. :-[

AlanRatcliffe

Hammeron wrote: Bad amp does not let you appreciate good guitar. :-[

Bingo! Ideally you try it through something similar to your own amp so you know what you are getting, but, if you don't have a really great amp, it also pays to then audition through a nice amp too.

Another foolproof way to know you are choosing a better guitar than you already have is to take your guitar along and A/B the two through the same amp.

LooneyAtTheGate

Jack Flash Jr wrote: Hondo Strat rip-off, headstock sharper that any eye-gouger ever, cherry red (in a bad way) and at least 79kgs. First electric, luckily the amp was worse ?
Barely playable, I was a teenager so that was drug enough...

My first guitar too! It gave me a permanent hunchback, and the action was so bad that every other guitar i've played since then has felt like 'butter'. So i suppose thats a good thing.
I lent it to a 'friend' who sold it to pay the rent/buy drugs and now she's disappeared. ???

Malkav

LooneyAtTheGate wrote: I lent it to a 'friend' who sold it to pay the rent/buy drugs and now she's disappeared. ???

That's Cape Town for you :?

singemonkey

You can buy drugs with a Hondo? Man. That dealer got burned.

Keira-WitherKay

singemonkey wrote: You can buy drugs with a Hondo? Man. That dealer got burned.

?

or else the drugs were really bad............

WantzChas

Best is to play it just as it is, without amplification. A guitar that sounds good acoustically (not sure if that is even a word) has all the potential to sound great through an amp. I test all guitars like that first, anything sounds good through a R20k amplifier.

DonovanB

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Another foolproof way to know you are choosing a better guitar than you already have is to take your guitar along and A/B the two through the same amp.

+1, Or your own amp if it's possible. Unless they have an amp like yours in store that you can use.

I've also learned to sleep on it. If I play a guitar or amp in store and like it, I walk away and if I feel the same the next morning I'll get it.