Fear and Inadequacy in the Guitar Shop...

[Davo]

I play my own mediocre stuff, that way nobody knows if its being played well or not

[Flash Harry]

If I was Fit enough I'd go in to a shop ask for a guitar pull out my magic brick select one of Greenys blues and rip up a solo ....I bet that would cause mayhem hearing a full scale band coming out of the amp!

Seriously 48, I bought my latest bass doing just that. I had a track to put bass to from Tim I think, he had played it in C# of all keys, which meant that my E tuned 4 stringer just couldn't be dropped and an octave higher just sounded wrong.

I took my MBR in and played a number of basses through it. I chose my Schecter from the ones they had on the racks. It was a great way to choose and no one else heard a thing. No stress at all. Well not until I got out of the shop and realised I was living on beans on toast for the rest of the month.... and I had to tell my wife.....

It's a really great tip of yours 48. I'm glad I followed your advice.....

Mrs Flash isn't quite so sure though! 

[AndyR]

Good thread this.

I personally haven't been worried when trying a guitar for years. I think the fear started leaving me when I started playing my own riffs/licks, but this was 20-odd years ago.

Nowadays, I'll happily start playing Smoke on the Water or Stairway to Heaven just to p1ss people off or make them laugh... (I won't keep playing them though ). If the shop has background music (that I like), I jam along with it if the mood takes me (shops don't seem to like that though... why have you got music on then?!! )

Look at it this way - you're the boss of the situation, you want a guitar. So think about what you want it to do - you are trying it out to see whether it can do what you want it for, and whether it feels good enough for the money. So just play the stuff you are likely to play on it. Ignore everyone else if you can - remember you're not playing for their benefit, they're not paying you to listen , and it's not "show off" time (unless you want it to be).

The only thing that does annoy me - but I feel it's something to put up with - is the amount of noise in a shop sometimes. I try really hard not to be too loud - it's not a rehearsal or a gig - and then there'll be some git torturing some pointy guitar a few yards away so I can't hear the guitar I'm evaluating.

A lot of my evaluation of an electric is with the volume off - partly because I'm likely to replace the pickups anyway, but mainly because if the guitar can't sing/sustain/wotever, how I want it to, when unamplified - it won't be able to do it however good the pickups/amplifier are.

There's also a trick I use if I start to gather a crowd - and I think this could be used by anyone. Usually I stop mid-lick or whatever and start inspecting the bridge, sighting the neck, whatever - this has two effects, first of all tells the watchers that "I know what I'm doing" (even if I don't ) and that I'm not really performing or showing off for them... and secondly, it means I stop playing under my control before I make a mistake!!!

[Migs]

Usually I stop mid-lick or whatever and start inspecting the bridge, sighting the neck, whatever - this has two effects, first of all tells the watchers that "I know what I'm doing" (even if I don't )

I do this when my car breaks down.  Pop the bonnet.  Wiggle a few wires and hoses and pretend I know what I am doing.

With guitars, I get nervous doing anything solo in front of people.  I think it stems back to a situation many years ago when a teacher caught me mucking about on a flute (my brother was learning so I kind of picked up a bit at the same time.  Anyway she volunteered me to play a solo bit in public which didn't go well.  I also hated those exams when some cranky woman who smells funny gives you a B- for theory then tells you your playing sucks and have to repeat 3rd grade piano.

[Greeny]

Since I started this thread, I've been in quite a few different guitar shops. I felt much more comfortable buying an acoustic, because there was less pressure to pull out some fancy licks. I can just about blag being a half-decent player on an acoustic. Just! Lol.

Credit where credit's due: Hobgoblin music in London are very good - they just let you get on with it, and don't peer over your shoulder or look at you with disdain / mistrust. I've been back there a few times just to have a quick play at lunchtime (guitar withdrawal, lol), and never get hassled. The only black mark against them was that they said I'd never get hold of a hard case or gig bag for a 12 string - they were very wrong on that score.

I ended up buying my latest acoustic from Hanks in Denmark Street, who have a very nice, private acoustic practice room.

I've never actually had a BAD experience in a guitar shop. Some just seem to be more helpful than others. I liked the fact that the guy in Hanks was able to negotiate a good price without having to ask the manager (unless he WAS the manager, lol). I got sixty quid off the advertised price, plus a deluxe hard case thrown in. It pays to ask!

I'd say that it's pretty essential these days to do some online research beforehand - if only to know the 'internet' price of something you want to buy. It's a pretty good starting point for negotiation if you say 'I can get this online for £X'.

Andertons in Guildford are also very good. I'll never forget going in there 7  years ago or so, when I knew next to nothing about guitars (I was just starting to get into them in a big way). I could have walked out with a new, cheapish acoustic, but the guy said I should buy a second-hand Takamine that he had there instead. I'd never even heard of Takamine, but it was in my budget. So I trusted him and bought it. I play that guitar to this day - it's like a special friend. I've lost count of the songs I've written on it. So that was a good experience.

Sorry... that went on longer than I expected, lol....

[Bosko Schwartz]

Another awesome thread from Greeny!

Once again, I find myself nodding in agreement with you, Tim.  My sentiments exactly.  I am glad to hear I'm not the only one.  Everyone has heard my guitar playing skills (if you could call them that), so imagine how I must feel when going into a shop.  Much of the guitar I put in my songs is either just accents, simple strumming rhythm, or the occasional very simple but melodic solo.  None of this is even remotely impressive without the aid of the entire recording there to back me up.  I don't have a repertoire of "licks" or "riffs."  Plus, I don't do cover songs, so it's not like I can just pull out something that someone may actually be familiar with.  OK, not true -- I figured out the main riff to Zeppelin's "Black Dog" back in the day and still remember it.  But I wouldn't even attempt it in a music store.  I usually find myself in the acoustic room since there is often a door, and I make sure no one is in there before fiddling about like a mentally challenged infant orangutan.  If I want an electric, I will turn the amp WAY down so no one but me can hear it.  I keep my head down and I'm pretty sure no one even attempts to listen to what I'm doing.

Funny thing is, in terms of overall songwriting and production, I could probably wipe the floor with most of the scrubs that work in those places; but I only say this because so many of them have a holier-than-thou attitude.  But one would NEVER know that, listening to me try out a new guitar.  Once in a while you meet an employee who's actually down-to-earth and cool, but that is rare.  I sometimes wonder how music stores ever sell anything at all, but then I realize that guitars pretty much sell themselves.  No part-time guitar shop clerk has ever influenced my decision.

Now ask me how I shop for keyboards.  Equally embarrassing.

[Greeny]

fiddling about like a mentally challenged infant orangutan...

That line is going to stay with me forever!!!! Lol. Yep... that just about sums it up for me too!

Nice post!

[Ferryman]

I don't have a repertoire of "licks" or "riffs."  Plus, I don't do cover songs, so it's not like I can just pull out something that someone may actually be familiar with.  OK, not true -- I figured out the main riff to Zeppelin's "Black Dog" back in the day and still remember it.  

LOL Bosko, you and I have many similarities! I'm the same - I can't actually "play" much on the guitar because I really only play my own material and that tends to have guitar "parts" rather than things that sound good in a guitar shop, or like guitar solos in the true sense of the word(s). I can never be bothered to work out other people's material, although I did enjoy doing something for Neilfest here.

Having said that, I will probably be buying a new guitar soon so I will be practising some licks. I once worked out half the guitar solo for "Another Girl, Another Planet", so I think that will be my practice piece for the music shop!

Cheers,

Nigel

[hewhoiscalledj]

Here's a tip I've tried a couple of times now... at least when trying out guitars... Bring your MicroBR along with a set of headphones. Confidence goes up thanks to the privacy offered by the headphones. Once you get into your groove, ask to plug into your amp of choice.

then again, i've got a couple of licks that i always warm up with. enough to be noticed as someone who at least knows a little something about guitars. but i agree with the majority of posters who suggested playing your own riffs/songs.

[robsmith]

Hello,

When shopping for a new guitar now, I tend to look for defects rather than trying to "play" something.  Sure, you will wind up playing some chords or riffs or whatever (especially if you like it!), but it is more important to identify possible defects with the instrument. I try to play a note on every fret of the guitar, listening for buzzing.  Other factors include inspecting the neck and bridge for any signs of problems.  It might not be out of the question to bring a small mirror that you can put in the sound hole to inspect bracing, etc.

I purchased a Washburn D52SWCE from a local store a few years ago and found out later it had a pretty bad buzz up around the 8th fret after I got it home.  After several trips back, I wound up having to have the credit card company refund my money.  As it turns out, the neck was improperly set. I wound up buying a Martin D15 after that and all is well.

After getting GAS for another guitar, the Seagull line caught my eye, as they are affordably priced and seem to have a decent reputation.  The one I played in the store (not the same one as above obviously) played terrific and sounded great, then I noticed the crack in the top!  It was not very noticable, but there were actually two, equally spaced.

I pointed them out to the owner and he is cutting me a discount on another shipped from the factory. I will most likely take the new guitar to a luthier to be inspected to make sure that there are no problems.

Bob