Do you bring your guitar when shopping for another?

[Terry]

I have heard of people doing this but have never seen it, although I know some shops will gladly set you up in the back or in a lesson room. I've never felt it was one versus the other, but adding on to what I have and with each one having a unique voice.
Terry

[flaggerphil]

I never really thought of it before, but, no, I've never done that.

[AndyFrank]

I have never felt the need before but I see no problem with it.

[jalbert]

I've done it once, albeit at a shop (Buffalo Bros) that has a 100% upgrade policy. I was able to compare my current Taylor at the time to a Goodall I'd had my ear on.

[M19]

I did it once, and actually recorded two other guitars and my Martin.  I learned that day that a portion of guitar enjoyment is the physical and psychological aspects of the guitar, as I had a very hard time hearing the recorded difference between a 00 mahogany Martin and two GS Rosewood Taylors, even though I "liked" the Taylors very much whilst playing.

Humans have an unbelievable capacity to confirm their preconceived notions!   

[crcr1956]

sure did. then i left my 814ce there and brought a new custom 815ce home.

[michaelw]

sure did. then i left my 814ce there and brought a new custom 815ce home.

nice

hi crcr1956,
good to see you here

your 815ce sounds like it's a special one -
any specs or pics that you'd like to share

please make yourself comfortable &  enjoy the place
WELCOME !

[John429]

I love to stop by my local Guitar Center to see what Taylors are in the acoustic room and then try them out. One day, there was a fellow in there who was interested in getting a guitar and I was able to share with him some of my limited guitar knowledge. It so happened that the store had the exact model of his current guitar so I suggested that he and I both take turns playing his model guitar as well as his various guitars of interest for an A to B comparison. I had never tried this experiment before and was very surprised of the different perspective one gets listening to a guitar -vs- the sound you yourself hear when you play it. I think he found the experiment helpful and ended up with a 310ce. I think it is very useful to do an A to B like this so you can see how the potential new guitar will differ from your current one.

[jjrpilot-admin]

sure did. then i left my 814ce there and brought a new custom 815ce home.

Glad to have you here friend!

[John429]

Good catch, Josh! Wecome crcr196!

[roadbiker]

I've been using DAVA Control picks for a while. They have a textured surface and are a little thinner in the center, so they flex some and have a decent feel, and don't slip. I don't see too many people talking about them, but they work for me.

Jim

[DennisG]

I've been using DAVA Control picks for a while. They have a textured surface and are a little thinner in the center, so they flex some and have a decent feel, and don't slip. I don't see too many people talking about them, but they work for me.

Jim

Did you intend for this to go in thread on picks?

[dcarey]

I mentioned recently that I am going to go take a listen to a 12-fret guitar soon, and someone suggested that I take my current Taylor along so I can compare the familiar sound to the new sound, in that specific setting.
Sounds like a great idea, a little bit of a pain, but a great idea.

Anyone do this?  Have you ever had negative feedback from the storekeeper?
Thanks!

-K

Depends on where I'm shopping. If it's at a boutique guitar store or a local mom & pop, definitely!
If I'm headed to Guitar Center...No Way!

Dan

[Guitar Rodeo]

I welcome outside guitars here. I have a customer who has traveled several times to my shop to try guitars and he usually has his to compare. On more than one occasion, he brought in his PA system and set his whole rig up so he could see what the possibilities were. What a hoot. The last time he did this, he accidentally took the shop guitar and left his here. When he went to the Podium to get new strings (yes, he is a serial guitar shop visitor), he thought someone had stolen his guitar!! Meanwhile, his guitar was contentedly sitting in the showroom right where I thought the shop guitar was-they both have the same type of case...  Both of us were happy that we figured out what had happened. Any shop that is serious about taking care of their customers properly will encourage, not merely tolerate, this type of behavior (comparing guitars-not accidentally taking them ). They will also encourage people to take guitars home on spec to test what the result is in a familiar environment. Usually, I know that this is happening, rather than by surprise like in the instance above...

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

I welcome outside guitars here. I have a customer who has traveled several times to my shop to try guitars and he usually has his to compare. On more than one occasion, he brought in his PA system and set his whole rig up so he could see what the possibilities were. What a hoot. The last time he did this, he accidentally took the shop guitar and left his here. When he went to the Podium to get new strings (yes, he is a serial guitar shop visitor), he thought someone had stolen his guitar!!

That story gave me a chuckle Jim. I've had folks bring their guitars in before to a/b them with ours but I can't say I ever had anyone leave with the wrong guitar. Too funny.