Should a guitar store ask if you are serious?

[Cheap Trills]

So... lemee understand... you were babysitting your son, and you asked this guy doing a photo shoot to trade places? You wanted him to stop what he was doing and let you play someone else's guitar while he watched your child?

My kid doesn't need much watching at music stores, actually, he likes listening to me play most of the time. When he was younger though, he did bang on an electric drum kit at guitar center with all his might. The folks there thought it was funny, and I don't think he was strong enough to do damage to it.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I cannot believe that this thread has gone on for 14 pages. The shop owner was 100 percent justified, and there is no evidence of discrimination. His answer was straightforward and reasonable. The OP shouldn't have even asked to play the guitar if he had no real interest.

My feelings exactly. If I were going to look at expensive guitars, I probably would go alone. Whether the OP was offended by the person who had charge of the guitar is of no consequence. Having a young child in tow would suggest that you really weren't serious. The OP saw an opportunity arise to try a guitar that he wasn't looking for to begin with and was turned down.

Someone asked to try my Martin D-18 one time, and the thanks I got for letting him play it was that he jammed it into a table knocking a couple of noticeable dents in it and didn't even acknowledge that he had done it. I saw him do it with my own eyes. The guy happened to be a relative, so I didn't make a comment, but man, I was sorry I let the guy put the Martin in his hands. Maybe the shop owner had similar experiences.

 

[Cheap Trills]

I've worked retail and on-site salesfor decades, and if the store/site is not busy you can spend as much time with a customer as they need. When the store is jumping you owe it to the person paying your wages to PROPERLY qualify the customers. This involves finding out who is ready to take action more immediately, all while being extremely welcoming, tactful, grateful to the others for them to visit you and letting them explore. People will generally appreciate the fact that you are busy and when they see great service extended to purchasers will figure things out. You just have to show everyone as best you can that you care.

My son and I were the only customers in the store

 

[Cheap Trills]

What cracks me up is you can go to Carters Vintage Guitars and play anything you want. They are all out on stands just walk over and pick. Go to Guitar Center and they have all their "high end" (usually the low end Martins etc) all locked up.

I definitely regret not visiting Carter's when I was in Nashville

 

[Cheap Trills]

I had a $4000 Santa Cruz on consignment at a reputable store, and it looked like every single person who entered the store played it just for their sole amusement. It didn't sell after 6 months and when I went to pick it up, the fret wear was very noticeable and the guitar was scratched and dirty. It looked a bit haggered. So, "yes," asking if a customer is serious is a valid question. Whether it's the store or a consignor, somebody owns that guitar and it shouldn't be passed around like a truck stop hussy for everyone's amusement.

I posted this thread as a question to try and understand the situation better. So, I appreciate everyone's comments and thoughts. I will say though, I don't believe my son or I could ever come across as folks looking for "truck stop hussy's".

 

[Cheap Trills]

I cannot believe that this thread has gone on for 14 pages. The shop owner was 100 percent justified, and there is no evidence of discrimination. His answer was straightforward and reasonable. The OP shouldn't have even asked to play the guitar if he had no real interest.

My feelings exactly. If I were going to look at expensive guitars, I probably would go alone. Whether the OP was offended by the person who had charge of the guitar is of no consequence. Having a young child in tow would suggest that you really weren't serious. The OP saw an opportunity arise to try a guitar that he wasn't looking for to begin with and was turned down.

Someone asked to try my Martin D-18 one time, and the thanks I got for letting him play it was that he jammed it into a table knocking a couple of noticeable dents in it and didn't even acknowledge that he had done it. I saw him do it with my own eyes. The guy happened to be a relative, so I didn't make a comment, but man, I was sorry I let the guy put the Martin in his hands. Maybe the shop owner had similar experiences.

I posted this thread as a question to try and understand the situation better because the experience stuck with me. I also didn't understand the consignment process, so wanted to be able to put context to that statement. So, I appreciate everyone's comments, thoughts, explanations. I was not seeking anything more than a better understanding in making this post.

Responding to these two -- It's totally true, I didn't go into the store with the intention to buy a Collings, I didn't even know they had it. I was hanging out with my son. When I saw it though, I was definitely curious. And, if I fell in love with it, I would have bought it. Was there a high percentage I would have fallen in love with it? No. I have two Martins and a custom built classical that have kept me from "seeking" an acoustic for years. But still, I wanted to try it and I don't pull down acoustics often. If I loved it, I probably would have purchased it. I don't know where that leaves opinions or right or wrong or whatever. Just sharing my mindset and responding to the "no real interest" comments or comments comparing me and my son to rowdy teenagers without a care or the types to look for truck stop hussy's.

I think most of the guitars I own have come to me this way because I've never called in advance and scheduled an appointment at a guitar shop or known I was going to buy something at a store before playing it. So, I guess I am someone who has very "un-seriously and in an un-interested way" ended up with a pretty nice guitar collection.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I posted this thread as a question to try and understand the situation better because the experience stuck with me. I also didn't understand the consignment process, so wanted to be able to put context to that statement. So, I appreciate everyone's comments, thoughts, explanations. I was not seeking anything more than a better understanding in making this post.

Responding to these two -- It's totally true, I didn't go into the store with the intention to buy a Collings, I didn't even know they had it. I was hanging out with my son. When I saw it though, I was definitely curious. And, if I fell in love with it, I would have bought it. Was there a high percentage I would have fallen in love with it? No. I have two Martins and a custom built classical that have kept me from "seeking" an acoustic for years. But still, I wanted to try it and I don't pull down acoustics often. If I loved it, I probably would have purchased it. I don't know where that leaves opinions or right or wrong or whatever. Just sharing my mindset and responding to the "no real interest" comments or comments comparing me and my son to rowdy teenagers without a care or the types to look for truck stop hussy's.

I think most of the guitars I own have come to me this way because I've never called in advance and scheduled an appointment at a guitar shop or known I was going to buy something at a store before playing it. So, I guess I am someone who has very "un-seriously and in an un-interested way" ended up with a pretty nice guitar collection.

Fair enough. I've owned a ton of guitars, the most expensive being a D-28 Martin Marquis. I guess we just have a different mindset. When I sold the Marquis, I definitely would not have let just anyone who happened by play it. The D-18 I had damaged was an old guitar, it had some skars on it already, it wasn't for sale at the time. In the end I did part with it though.

NO ONE takes as good of care of YOUR stuff as you do, but more importantly in most cases if someone else knocks a ding in your guitar, the ding is yours to keep absolutely free of charge. You ding an old Martin, people overlook it as being "character" you ding up a pristine Collins, you take five hundred bucks off the price.

I'm not saying you wouldn't have been able to buy the guitar, or that you wouldn't have covered any damages you did to it. I'm saying the guy who refused to let you play it, had every right to do so. I would think that whoever entrusted him with the guitar expected every precaution to be taken to insure it was either sold or returned in the same condition as it was presented to the dealer in.

As far as the other, I won't comment on that because I wasn't there, not saying it didn't happen just as you say it did. Just that to make that kind of judgement, I would need to know both sides of the story.

I offer my apologies for any offense I might offer in this post. No offense was intended or inferred in any way.

 

[telemnemonics]

I posted this thread as a question to try and understand the situation better because the experience stuck with me. I also didn't understand the consignment process, so wanted to be able to put context to that statement. So, I appreciate everyone's comments, thoughts, explanations. I was not seeking anything more than a better understanding in making this post.

Responding to these two -- It's totally true, I didn't go into the store with the intention to buy a Collings, I didn't even know they had it. I was hanging out with my son. When I saw it though, I was definitely curious. And, if I fell in love with it, I would have bought it. Was there a high percentage I would have fallen in love with it? No. I have two Martins and a custom built classical that have kept me from "seeking" an acoustic for years. But still, I wanted to try it and I don't pull down acoustics often. If I loved it, I probably would have purchased it. I don't know where that leaves opinions or right or wrong or whatever. Just sharing my mindset and responding to the "no real interest" comments or comments comparing me and my son to rowdy teenagers without a care or the types to look for truck stop hussy's.

I think most of the guitars I own have come to me this way because I've never called in advance and scheduled an appointment at a guitar shop or known I was going to buy something at a store before playing it. So, I guess I am someone who has very "un-seriously and in an un-interested way" ended up with a pretty nice guitar collection.

Well all that said, is it not fair to ask you why you did not simply answer the shop guy?
Say I have many very fine guitars and seldom see as nice an acoustic in a shop.
"If I fall in love with it I will buy it."

Not that I think you had no reasons, and the ethnic comment may have weighed heavier than we know?
That would suck if it was the reason the shop guy asked if you were serious, but many of us have gotten truly rude bigoted responses from shop guys and are not any sort of "ethnic".

Or we might look "ethnic" visiting China Mexico Morocco or Saudi Arabia!

 

[Cheap Trills]

Well all that said, is it not fair to ask you why you did not simply answer the shop guy?
Say I have many very fine guitars and seldom see as nice an acoustic in a shop.
"If I fall in love with it I will buy it."

Not that I think you had no reasons, and the ethnic comment may have weighed heavier than we know?
That would suck if it was the reason the shop guy asked if you were serious, but many of us have gotten truly rude bigoted responses from shop guys and are not any sort of "ethnic".

Or we might look "ethnic" visiting China Mexico Morocco or Saudi Arabia!

Honestly, I was taken aback by his response. I know when someone looks me up and down and makes a judgement, and it was unexpected and the tone was off to me. I knew he didn't want me to play it. In retrospect, would it have been better to have said some of the clever suggestions that have come up in this thread? For sure, but I've never been that quick I guess.

Also, after learning all this about consignment, I'll say that I understand the "nervous shop owner responsible for the guitar" sentiment. It makes sense to a degree, although I don't think there's any argument he could have handled it better, whatever his reasons. Also, I can't help feeling that if the owner of the guitar was there, he would have wanted me to try it. Who knows? I'll never know.

Ultimately, I have decided not to be a customer there. I pass the shop almost everyday, haven't gone back in, and don't intend to. Whatever right and wrong may be, this seems fair enough.

 

[telemnemonics]

Honestly, I was taken aback by his response. I know when someone looks me up and down and makes a judgement, and it was unexpected and the tone was off to me. I knew he didn't want me to play it. In retrospect, would it have been better to have said some of the clever suggestions that have come up in this thread? For sure, but I've never been that quick I guess.

Also, after learning all this about consignment, I'll say that I understand the "nervous shop owner responsible for the guitar" sentiment. It makes sense to a degree, although I don't think there's any argument he could have handled it better, whatever his reasons. Also, I can't help feeling that if the owner of the guitar was there, he would have wanted me to try it. Who knows? I'll never know.

Ultimately, I have decided not to be a customer there. I pass the shop almost everyday, haven't gone back in, and don't intend to. Whatever right and wrong may be, this seems fair enough.

Well that sucks if the fool did judge you as a customer at least partially that way, looking you up and down.

 

[memorex]

Funny thing is, after I look at the price tag, I usually ask the store clerk, "Are you serious?"

 

[LowerAlabama]

My wife and I were in Carter's Vintage Guitars in Nashville and I was looking at guitars. Several months I prior I had started playing a mandolin. She picked up a mandolin and said, "here's a good looking mandolin". I told her she might want to put that one back, the price is over $12,000. She said, yes, I think you're right. She did offer to let me buy a early 60's J50 one time in a little hole in the wall shop. Should have took her up on it. It was probably one of the best sounding acoustics I've ever played.

 

[Telenator]

I posted this thread as a question to try and understand the situation better. So, I appreciate everyone's comments and thoughts. I will say though, I don't believe my son or I could ever come across as folks looking for "truck stop hussy's".

Whatever dude. You had your experience. I don't really care why you posted this thread. It is open for interpretation. Deal with it.

 

[goonie]

Alrighty then, someone needs a calming nap.

 

[goonie]

I'm saying the guy who refused to let you play it, had every right to do so.

I don't think that's in question - his store, his rules. The nuance is in whether it was a smart business decision. Since he's lost a potentially good customer forever, the answer to that is probably no.

 

[BluesMann]

It’s too bad things went down the way did. I understand both sides of the argument, but if had placed an expensive instrument for sale on consignment I would expect the establishment to take proper care of it. That said, ethnicity should not play a role in that determination.

 

[haggardfan1]

After reading portions of this thread, and observing the direction it has taken, I'll just say that in life I'm hardly ever serious, and I guess music store employees will have to treat me accordingly.

If I want to buy something, that's a whole other issue. It'll happen, or it won't.

 

[Ascension]

Hard to say and the wild card is the consignment issue. If not for that would be very harsh on that shop owner. Being one that has working in both Pawn Shops and music stores can also understand being extra careful with a guitar that is not the shops though.