Hey folks ....
I don't have the cash right now to buy an American Standard Stratocaster as planned, so I'm going to the local music store tomorrow to "test drive" a MIM Standard.
Prices at this local music store can be a bit ($100.00) higher than other stores further away (a Guitar Center store is 26 miles away) so I am considering buying my MIM online if I like what I hear in the store.
My question is, when buying a (new) guitar online, is it all set up and ready to go, or would I need to take it to a store and have them look it over to see if it needs a set-up at all?

Over the past few weeks, I have been extremely impressed by all the helpful answers I've received from you folks. Thank you all very much!

I have american strats but played a mim standard the other day and was very impressed. If you find a guitar at this shop that feels good to you, show them what you can get it for online, delivered, and have them match price. It's a risk buying a guitar unseen, because there is no way to hear it, and they are not like buying a computers as wood differences so affect tone.

More than likely it will need a minor setup due to the climate changes the guitar will experience during shipping.

More importantly I would not want to buy a guitar unless I played it first. I played several American Specials before I found the one that felt and sounded right to me. Maybe that's just me though.

I find it hard to believe that your local shop won't match or come reasonably close to the price Guitar Center is offering the same guitar for. Don't assume they won't, you have to ask! I do it all the time, the art of the deal can be better than the purchase.

If you decide to order online, make sure they are an authorized dealer and check on their return policy before shelling out the cashola.

Many small to medium size online sellers setup their guitars before sending them out, but not all the big ones, I think just one big one does a setup (Sweetwater, correct me if I am wrong).

The online seller I get my guitars from (American Musical) doesn't do a setup, they ship factory sealed boxes. What keeps me coming back to them is their ez monthly payment plan and their willingness to take back a bad or defective guitar!

I agree; if you try one in the store and it just feels "right", see if they'll price-match. Most places will have a bit of bargaining room, especially if you say this place trends towards the pricey side.

That said - if you get a new MIM Strat from a reputable online source, you should have nothing to worry about. All things considered, Strats are pretty damn forgiving and easy to learn basic setup on, and if you plan on playing out at all and, like most of us, don't have a small army of roadies at your disposal, it will be well-worth it to learn some of that stuff. You could always take it to a shop and watch/ask questions; at least at Guitar Center I know they do the "quick set-ups" right in front of you. And personally, I'm never that impressed by setups on in-store guitars. Last time I was in Guitar Center trying out an amp I ended up buying, every single Fender I picked up had a wicked bow in the neck and sweat-encrusted, rusty strings that wouldn't hold a tuning to save their lives. Gross. We have to remember these are mass-produced guitars to begin with, and then they hang on a wall in a drafty store and get touched by a ton of people before they're bought. Nothing that would stop me from buying the guitar if it was the right one, but I don't think I've ever bought a guitar that I didn't tweak the setup on as soon as I got it home.

If it's only 26 miles then why not go to Guitar Center, they'll have a much larger selection to choose from and you'll save alot more money.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

It has been my experience that every guitar plays and/or sounds a little different, even when comparing apples to apples. With that being said just about every guitar will need some fine tuning coming straight from the manufacturer, some are more noticeable than others. I have a rule when it comes to guitars and amps, I always play before I pay. I like to see if i can bond with said equipment.

Some people have no issues like that, but I have been burned by not test driving first. I would never test drive one car and buy another car just like it.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

+1 for Sweetwater. Great to deal with.

The four closest Guitar Centers to me never seem to have anything but the basic guitars or amps. I was told by one store manager that this was to keep down cost and to move more inventory. You wont find a variety of finishes or an assortment of models for this reason. My last two guitars had to be ordered without even trying them first. Couldn't be happier but don't do it blind.

The four closest Guitar Centers to me never seem to have anything but the basic guitars or amps. I was told by one store manager that this was to keep down cost and to move more inventory. You wont find a variety of finishes or an assortment of models for this reason. My last two guitars had to be ordered without even trying them first. Couldn't be happier but don't do it blind.

I've purchased 3 guitars in the last year. Two on line & one at G.C. both the on line purchases were perfect right out of the hard case, an American Standard Tele first, and an American Standard Strat next. I have no complaints/paid no sales TAX! and I love them both. The one from @#$%* is a MIM HSS Strat. and I had to take it to a shop and have it set up properly. Thats no big deal but the whole @#$%*thing was a bad experience from the get go. First of all there was a 60 mile drive round trip/got a ticket/got into an argument with the salesman, and the guitar had a defect in the finish. Never again. My next guitar will probably come from an on line store. certainly not from @#$%*.
----Danny,

I tried that. Well, actually didn't drive, but I found a couple on their website and called the store on the phone and they said they don't stock those. I mean they didn't have any American Special HSS in the store!

I bought the following guitars (new) online from Musicians Friend:

American Deluxe Strat (Fender)
MIM Fender Strat
'72 Thinline Tele Reissue (Fender)

All three arrived in perfect condition and I was very pleased with the purchases. I have no complaints.

Also was not charged sales tax, as a result of the online purchase.

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"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

Being a Left Handed guitar player finding guitars in stores is often difficult so most of my guitars have been from online stores. I have been very pleased with what I have bought.
As far as setups go I usually do my own setups so that is not a problem.

Online Stores I have bought from recently and recommend:

zZounds http://www.zzounds.com/
Dave's Guitar Shop http://davesguitar.com/
The Guitar Shop http://www.theguitarshop.ca/

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Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Personally, I'd only buy a guitar online if I couldn't find it in a store where I could try it first.

reason being, that no matter how good the maker's quality control is, there is one thing they can't control - the resonant properties of the wood. Even if you build 2 guitars from the same tree, they will not sound identical.

I would rather try out as many guitars as possible in music stores until I found one I really loved than order online and have to deal with the hassle of sending it back and waiting for another if I didn't care for the one they sent me.

When buying online you are basically relying on someone to select the best guitar out of their stock for you. If the online store even bothers to open and test the guitars out before shipping them, what the guy selecting your guitar for you considers a good guitar, might be seen as crap to you. If they just send you a factory sealed box, it's luck of the draw.