guitar quality control

[JDC]

ok I've had a random thought and this might be a daft question but when you try guitars in shops, is there much difference between the quality in the same models?

like when I got my Jackson RR3 I tried it and a few other guitars in shops first, then spent about a month or 2 trying to make my mind up, then ordered it online to save myself £100

so how much chance would there be of a difference between the RR3s I tried in shops with the RR3 I ordered online

[Blueminerva]

This is a much bigger issue when you're talking about handmade guitars - ones that come off a factory line (like the RR3) are most likely to be pretty damn similar from guitar to guitar (save for the factory setup, but this is a piece of piss to sort out).

When I was buying my gibbo LP standard, I played about 6-7 different guitars before I found the one I was happy with. Handmade guitars inherently vary in tone from guitar to guitar (sometimes massively!) so if you're splashing out it's best to play as many as you can before buying.

[CJ]

i've heard many stories about cr@ppy quality control, even from the best companies. its always best just to buy one in store, but sometimes we can''t afford the extra money. most likely you'll be fine.

nice choice by the way. i want an RR5

[noodleplugerine]

Depends on the price range, and the type of guitars.

In the 500ish zone, you're never gunna get a guitar that feels like it's worth a million dollars, and most of them, although many'll feel different, they'll all usually be around the same quality.

The same thing cannot be said of many guitars upwards of 1000.

Les Pauls are what automatically comes to mind - The average Les Paul standard is really not very good nowadays - Although if you try every one in the shop, normally you can find a much nicer example.

PRSs are also something that comes to mind - My guitar teacher has a Custom 24 which is better than ANY other PRS I've ever tried, 10x better than the other examples from the same model.

[Twinfan]

They're all made from different pieces of wood, so they're all different.

Always try the one you want to buy before you part with your cash if you can.

[WezV]

i think you should always be trying guitars out before you buy - unless its a custom build obviously!!

even on cheap guitars you find the odd one thats just sings better than the others and thats always going to be a better guitar to upgrade.  I like to think its down to the wood since every plank vibrates differently but its possibly as much down to how much focus the worker who put your guitar together had on the day it was built.

Its more important with the big names purely because its more of an investment.

[Jp.]

Given that there is a whole industry based off mail and internet ordering of goods. I would think your going to be fine. If you deal with a reputable shop you, generally speaking, will be fine.

Take this whole webpage for example. I would assume most people are not on a try before you buy priciple. I didnt get Tim to ship a Mule and Irish tour to Australia and then dicide to buy them.

Make sure you pay for insurance and be forcefull with any concerns over shipping dicrepencies and I cant forsee any problems.

[Ted]

ok I've had a random thought and this might be a daft question but when you try guitars in shops, is there much difference between the quality in the same models?

like when I got my Jackson RR3 I tried it and a few other guitars in shops first, then spent about a month or 2 trying to make my mind up, then ordered it online to save myself £100

so how much chance would there be of a difference between the RR3s I tried in shops with the RR3 I ordered online

If its £100 difference then you should probably try a few.

I bought my Gibson LP online (fell for the looks - SUCKER) and have been pretty disappointed with it. I've spent over £250 on making it right though and now its OK, which isn't acceptable really.

[dave_mc]

They're all made from different pieces of wood, so they're all different.

Always try the one you want to buy before you part with your cash if you can.

agreed (and with wez too). Generally, the higher the price, the better QC *should* be (though it's not always the case...).

i guess it also comes down to how much you're saving. If it's a minuscule percentage (say a saving of £20 on a £1000 guitar) I'd pay the extra so I could try the one I was thinking of buying.

But if the guitar was, say, £200 on the internet and £400 in your local shop, it might be worth the risk, especially if there's a decent return policy.

That's how i generally work anyway.

EDIT: also, it's worth mentioning the online price you've found to your local shop. It might not work, but it's worth a try.

[Philly Q]

Generally, the higher the price, the better QC *should* be (though it's not always the case...).

Yeah, should be true, but it seems to me sometimes it's the opposite - mass-produced Korean guitars may not have the greatest timbers or parts, but the quality control seems excellent.  Whereas with Gibson and (less often) Fender the QC can be all over the place.

With anything made of inconsistent organic material like wood it's a gamble to buy blind, but you have to weigh up price vs (expected) quality control.  I'll happily buy a sub-£500 guitar direct from Japan because I'm 95% sure it won't be a turkey, but never again will I buy a (US) Fender or Gibson without trying it first.

[noodleplugerine]

I'll happily buy a sub-£500 guitar direct from Japan because I'm 95% sure it won't be a turkey,

It's a shame we can only say 95% - So many people ordering guitars and receiving Turkeys nowadays - Japanese guitar shops really need to work on their English if they want to ship over here.

[jt]

I'll happily buy a sub-£500 guitar direct from Japan because I'm 95% sure it won't be a turkey,

It's a shame we can only say 95% - So many people ordering guitars and receiving Turkeys nowadays - Japanese guitar shops really need to work on their English if they want to ship over here.

 :D   +1

 :D  8)

[FELINEGUITARS]

like when I got my Jackson RR3 I tried it and a few other guitars in shops first, then spent about a month or 2 trying to make my mind up, then ordered it online to save myself £100

so how much chance would there be of a difference between the RR3s I tried in shops with the RR3 I ordered online

There could be a lot of difference
Many of the guitars in shops have been adjusted and tweaked by shop staff and feel better than a new one out of the box

I agree 100% with what Twinfan, Wez and the others said about all guitars feeling and sounding different.

I hope you got lucky with buying one you hadn't tried.

Maybe you should spend some of the money you saved by having a tech give the guitar a pro set-up
that will make a lot of difference if done well

[Philly Q]

Japanese guitar shops really need to work on their English if they want to ship over here.

Hmmm, or maybe we could work on our Japanese if we want to buy from them...  :roll:

Seriously though, I've had no problems ordering from Ishibashi or from Japanese eBay sellers.  Well actually, Ishibashi did send me the wrong Gotoh tuners... but I'm 100% sure it wasn't the fault of the lady I was dealing with.  And similar errors have occurred with UK dealers, who didn't solve the problem half as efficiently as Ishibashi did.

[noodleplugerine]

Japanese guitar shops really need to work on their English if they want to ship over here.

Hmmm, or maybe we could work on our Japanese if we want to buy from them...  :roll:

Seriously though, I've had no problems ordering from Ishibashi or from Japanese eBay sellers.  Well actually, Ishibashi did send me the wrong Gotoh tuners... but I'm 100% sure it wasn't the fault of the lady I was dealing with.  And similar errors have occurred with UK dealers, who didn't solve the problem half as efficiently as Ishibashi did.

It was a...


Joke :|