The main things I usually test out are pedals. I usually ask them for a couple of pedals and they set up the nearest line 6 with a 5k Washburn. So It's not like I'm playing with fire. I mean yeah, I can't afford it but its not like a 20k strat through a Fender Twin Reissiue... That's just dangerous... There will be discrepancies... =D

chris77 wrote: Now that was an expensive guitar that, beautiful as it is, isn't on my To Die For list. Heaven knows how I will react to a Prs Singlecut or a Es-335 and a goldtop les paul, and even that will be mild compared to a vintage Tele or Strat. So I don't know how you okes can do it hey - to just walk into a store and jam the crap out of a decent guitar. I will be to poep scared to try.

+1 on the Singlecut! What do those retail for nowadays?

Highway Chile wrote: On a related note.....I just recently bought a Fender Nashville B-Bender Telecaster from the Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks, California. After trying it out and negotiating a price, I said I wanted one.....but a brand new one, in an unopened carton so I was sure it had never been handled by customers or store sales persons.

Wise demand. GC/MF have quite a rep for selling shop-soiled as new. They even have a return policy on the online/mail order stuff that means the guitar you get might have been "tried" by half a dozen people (for a few weeks each) before you.

I've got no problem with people trying out stuff with a view to buying, even if it's not immediately (shop staff won't either), but when it's high price items and the person has no intention of ever buying one, that's just wrong...

singemonkey wrote:

I'm really dieing to play that beat old early '60s SG Custom at Marshall Cape Town though. What a beast.

Playing a beat up 'oldie' is different, if you ding it it looks even better. ?

When I look at some of the brand new guitars in music stores I see circular scratches all over the back, old dried sweat in the tailpiece screws, and all over the body what appears to be the fingerprint records from Pollsmoor Prison. ?

Having said that, I have no problem with someone playing guitars for fun in a music store, as long as they show some respect and care for it...even if they don't plan to buy it.

Kalcium wrote:

singemonkey wrote: I'm really dieing to play that beat old early '60s SG Custom at Marshall Cape Town though. What a beast.

??? theres a '60s SG Custom in a music store in SA!!! How much is it going for? Must be worth ALOT! According to this http://vintage-guitars.blogspot.com/2006/01/gibson-sg-les-paul-standard.html

I'd also love to give it a go!

This is a white and (once upon a time) gold SG custom.

It must be from the first 3 years of production. It has the deep neck joint, the extreme bevels and the sideways vibrato. I think it also has "Les Paul" on the scratchplate but I was too busy checking out the rest of it to notice properly. A bit dinged up and refretted, so not a mint example. But I suspect it's worth muchos dineros nonetheless.

singemonkey wrote:

Kalcium wrote:

singemonkey wrote: I'm really dieing to play that beat old early '60s SG Custom at Marshall Cape Town though. What a beast.

??? theres a '60s SG Custom in a music store in SA!!! How much is it going for? Must be worth ALOT! According to this http://vintage-guitars.blogspot.com/2006/01/gibson-sg-les-paul-standard.html

I'd also love to give it a go!

This is a white and (once upon a time) gold SG custom.

It must be from the first 3 years of production. It has the deep neck joint, the extreme bevels and the sideways vibrato. I think it also has "Les Paul" on the scratchplate but I was too busy checking out the rest of it to notice properly. A bit dinged up and refretted, so not a mint example. But I suspect it's worth muchos dineros nonetheless.

I want!!! hahaha but will never have...but its cool i can always pretend ? plus in 10 years time my guitar will be as old as that one is now...not that its the same thing, but it makes me feel good ?

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: I've got no problem with people trying out stuff with a view to buying, even if it's not immediately (shop staff won't either), but when it's high price items and the person has no intention of ever buying one, that's just wrong...

Wot 'e just said!

Highway Chile wrote: ... I said I wanted one.....but a brand new one, in an unopened carton so I was sure it had never been handled by customers or store sales persons. I said I would not buy it if anyone other than the assembly and QC people at the factory had so much as touched it. So they had one shipped from Fender and called me in when it arrived. I opened the box in front of them, tried it out and went home a happy camper.

I can understand that. But I personally don't go that far. If I like it, and they have cleaned it off (properly), and I don't see a SINGLE mark, (finger-prints or otherwise), I am happy to take it ......

I never play guitars in a shop. If I'm not going to buy it, I will not touch it. If I buy it, I take it home, put it through it's paces, and if I then decide I don't like it, I will just return it. Never had a problem returning a guitar, (including a White Gibson Les Paul Custom, which I had for about 4 days). But then I would never buy a guitar on-line!!! That's just me.

Will I play OP's guitars? Only with the owner present!

My 5 1/2 cents (as an ex salesman/customer, a techie etc for 16 years)

#1 - If you ask to test a guitar politely, I find you usually get a polite "yes" or "no" answer.
#2 - I think we need to see the bigger picture - if you were eg 16 years old,went in to check out a car
dealership & asked a salesman to show you around/educte you to, that's his job.
If you ask him to test drive a Hyundai i10, and you have no intention of buying it/no financial means to do
so, then he is perfectly entitled to say no.
(Incidentally I have seen a PRS for sale asking over 100k retail - I know the buyer and I KNOW he wouldn't
have appreciated other people's pick scratches etc on his purchase, hence the comparison)

The reality is that shops in this country can't afford to have 1 of every display guitar duplicated in a fresh box
on hand - the storage & financial logistics are impractical
Those guitars up on the wall are stock investments - adding up to millions of rands.
This is why I love those "Please Do Not Handle - Ask For Assistance" tags on guitars at Marshall Cape Town.
It's the 1 way to make sure the next axe YOU buy is good as new!
Sadly not all the players out there have been shown how to respect their own possessions, much less other
people's/businesses.
In my time in the business I see people picking across the entire width of the body, leaving lovely mild scratches, people picking up or putting back guitars on hangers & knocking them into walls then quietly sneeking off hoping no-one has spotted the potential chip/ding they have left on the guitar.
Are you wearing a belt with a buckle? Metal jewellery? metal buttons on your shirt? It all adds up ...

That vintage SG/Custom LP in Marshall is 50k - I don't like picking it up, and I work on stock there everyday ...
Not to be the grouch, but it's a touchy subject for everyone in the industry - pedals on the other hand are a lot smaller and easier to look after when demoing ?

One of the most powerful forms of advertising is word of mouth...if you have good products then let people try them...he might not be abel to afford it, sumone he knows might...and there opinion just might get the guy that can afford it into the shop....

If someone is going to import something,there going to import it...you can't do much about that.

My 2c's

I get too depressed putting the Les Paul custom back on the rack. I worked in a shop for a while. An experienced salesman can tell if you're a browser or a serious potential client, and from experience, if someone pushes to stay after shop hours, they're just jerking your chain . The shops in JHB that I've gone past in he last few months seem have had a high turnover of sales staff, and they generally have no clue, conically checking with the other guy, 'I'll check for you' etc. A shop can charge you for damaged goods, but I guess most places have demo models on the floor. Depends where you go as well. A certain disreputable shop owner in JHB would probably slash your tires with a smile while selling stolen gear out the back door.

I had an interesting chat recently with a resident gear-head and he made a fair point - You should play a few things you can't afford right now, because if you're serious, it will give you something to work/aspire towards.
I personally don't test things that are definitely out of my league, but now that i think about it...why shouldn't i (if it's something i'd like to own one day)?

Arjun Menon wrote: I personally don't test things that are definitely out of my league, but now that i think about it...why shouldn't i (if it's something i'd like to own one day)?

personally i find playing on gear thats outa my price range ......and of course if i love the instrument is way too frustrating ......... at the moment i'm lusting after a custom shop jim campilongo signature '59 tele ($4500) in vintage white ,maple neck and so greatful theres none in stock in SA .so no temptation ....and wouldn't want to play one even if i had the chance cos i know right now i can't afford it ...... so i'll wait till the GAS for the tele passes or i have the cash available......so if i play it and like it i can take it home same day ?

on the other hand i get some sort of perverse pleasure when i plug in a boutique guitar and it sounds no better than a mid range instrument .......they normally just prettier .....but i've never been into pretty looks with guitars . ..........................................................................now thats a positive feeling again .....

Arjun Menon wrote: I had an interesting chat recently with a resident gear-head and he made a fair point - You should play a few things you can't afford right now, because if you're serious, it will give you something to work/aspire towards.
I personally don't test things that are definitely out of my league, but now that i think about it...why shouldn't i (if it's something i'd like to own one day)?

I think that makes a lot of sense Arjun. The thing is that they should keep one of each of those for guys who want to check it out, but then when they sell, sell it as a DEMO, just like the car retailers etc do, not wanna charge the same as a brand new unit.

I also hear what another poster said about R100k PRS earlier in this thread. My question then is, if Charlie is gonna spend (or maybe not) that sort of money, does'nt he have an opportunity to "test drive" such a beast, seeing he may be a potential buyer? Or he may not be by the means to afford today, that does not mean he will not be by the means sooner than you think ........ (just a thought)

On the flip side of the same coin, I remember going into a shop (which will remain unnamed) a good few years back to look at a guitar, I think it was when I bought my ESP. I literally had the cash on my, I think it was about R10k, and I asked the sales person if I could look at one of the guitars, at which point, I was told “No, simply because it doesn’t look like you can afford this guitar”. I was so offended, that when I got back to the office, I was fuming, so I called up their manager who did apologise and offered me a full box of strings, I think there was about 10 packets per box. But I never went to collect them out of principle mind you. I really didn’t want anything else to do with that shop, and never have again.

@DemonDave

The worst part about that is how common that is!!! My uncle was a fairly successful doctor and businessman who loved music. He had a music room with a drumkit, PA system, guitars, keyboards, bass etc...so that he could play in bands at his place with friends without anyone having to lug anything around. He also owned a nightclub where he would occasionally jam (early nineties, late eighties I think, before my time). Anyway, he was also one of the most down to earth, unpretentious people you were likely to meet. He went looking at a well known music store that is still around for a new piano, wanting a fairly good new instrument. However, he went into the store in shorts and t-shirt and was treated lke crap by the sales assistant, who went out of his way to imply that he could not afford it and was waisting his time. My uncle decided that he wanted one of the more expensive instruments and the assistant said something to the effect of having to contact the bank to make sure that they would honour a cheque of so large an amount. He went to the back, called the bank and came out beeming with a new attitude as he realised that he was about to make a substantial sale. My uncle asked if he could see the cheque and promptly ripped it up and walked out of the store and took his business elsewhere.

Aphelion7620 wrote: My uncle asked if he could see the cheque and promptly ripped it up and walked out of the store and took his business elsewhere.

10/10 to your uncle! I always suspected of these assistant salesmen is that if they could not afford something, they think neither could you!!

I know that this thread is about stuff you cannot afford, however, again I say, who says your luck won't turn very, very soon!!!

I went into my local shop, and I’m really not trying to punt them or what have you, but I went to Music Mate at Park Meadows on Friday, the ’57 Classic Plus Zebra stripe in my King V died, so, off to get a new one. The one thing I have to say about their staff and their management, is that they are super friendly and very helpful. New pickup ordered, no problem, tried out a few guitars just for the hell of it, and they really don’t mind. But here’s the thing, I think if you have a good report with the shop then they wont mind you trying out the more expensive stuff, but, with that being said, they have a David Gilmore Fender there, the thing is stunning and close to R50k if I’m not mistaken, BUT, I wouldn’t dream of asking them if I could try it out. First off, I know that it’s something that I would never buy, but also, I just wouldn’t feel right doing it, I don’t know, maybe that’s just me I guess?

Demon Dave wrote: they have a David Gilmore Fender there, the thing is stunning and close to R50k if I’m not mistaken, BUT, I wouldn’t dream of asking them if I could try it out. First off, I know that it’s something that I would never buy, but also, I just wouldn’t feel right doing it, I don’t know, maybe that’s just me I guess?

had a price tag of R75K on it at Bothners in plumstead some months ago..i sat merrily on the couch their strumming away on the thing whilst waiting for my R70 packet of strings to be bagged and tagged for me...

salesmen brings me my strings.. asks if I am seriously interested in the Gilmour - as i was showing it to the wife at the time.. i simply said, "not today, i'll pop in next weekend for it if i am not busy'..

Well, there seems to be a lot of the "let's show the sales guy/girl up thing in here". Just sounds like a lot of bullshit braaivleis kakpraat stories to me.