Best Place To Buy New Gear, Regular Music store or internet? Options

[Nels]

Hey guys and/or gals,

Hoping some of you out there will shine a bright light on the subject of buying on-line.

Every piece of gear I own,(guitars, amps, recording gear, etc.) I've gotten at a local music store.(Sound Post, Guitar Center, etc.) I'll be getting some more gear in the near future and so I was wondering.....if anyone could comment on their experiences when ordering on-line.

Can anyone comment on their experiences with the likes of Musiciansfriends.com, ..GuitarVision.com and other such places?

Would it be safe to order a large, fragile and very expensive piece of equipment, like the Triton Studio, for example?(That's a lot of money to be gambling with.) ....And what about the return policy dilemma?

As with most of you, I've had some good and not so good experiences when buying at a regular music store, but the one thing that I just can't knock is that... ...if needed, you can return the piece of gear to the regular music store and not have to wait anxiously for a replacement. ...And generally one can check the gear out before ones buys.

Any thoughts, I'm sure would help others as well.

Thanks,
Nels

[smokinshaman]

This may come too late in this discussion, however i feel it must be stated. I worked for a "mom and pop" music store for over 4 years and believe strongly in supporting your "local" music store. By "local" I am not referring to Guitar Centers or Sam Ash, etc. I was the keyboard/piano manager and gained incredible knowledge working for the store. As a salesman, I was never pushy and truly appreciated helping others find the best fit for their needs. Many of my customers appreciated my straight foward, honest approach and complimented my salesmanship in that regard. They were able to form relationships with me and trusted my advice. When you order online, who can you go to for help...operator #24?

Purchasing gear at your local music store means your money will stay in your community. For example, the store i worked for contributed greatly to local school band programs that were on the brink of collapse. Yes, more than likely the gear is more expensive; however, for the added cost you get service and expertise not found online. It is very disappointing when a shopper comes in and checks out the gear in your store and then goes and purchases it online to save a few bucks!

Personally, i would never buy a guitar over the internet. If you guys only knew how many guitars come directly from the manufacturer poorly produced or setup you'd know what I mean. We had a guitar tech who inspected the guitars and set them up before they were ever put on the floor. Often times, our tech would find a flaw and we would send the guitar back to the manufacturer. Tell me an online vendor is going to do that for you!

Honestly, I have purchased products online that were unavailable to me from my local music store. I understand the draw of the internet; it's easy, convenient, and cheap! I constantly use the internet to check gear out; however, nothing beats seeing the piece of gear close up.

I am not trying to perch myself on a soap box here...only trying to give a different perspective. I have shopped with musiciansfriend, zzsounds and sweetwater and have been satisfied with their service. Nothing, however, quite compares to supporting your community by shopping at the local music store!

Much respect!

KC