What’s your online Guild buying success track record?

[lungimsam]

Seems like alotta Guilds bought off reverb and Facebook by people here. So I was wondering do things usually work out? Or do sellers try to foist defective items off on people?
Especially in the vintage market when neck resets, warpage, other structural issues can be a problem.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Never had an issue w Reverb.
I always look on LTG first however, as our community has a lot of Guilds and they come up for sale often and it's great to work with people you've known for a while, even virtually.

 

[Uke]

Bought my 1978 X-175 from a dealer in Iowa about 2-3 years ago -- absolutely no problems. A few years back I bought a Fender Jazzmaster via ebay. The guitar was fine at first, but after a couple of years the electronics really went screwy. I blame Leo Fender for that, not so much the seller. I really don't like buying on-line, but sometimes you see something that really pops for you. My general feeling, though, is that guitars are like shoes; you really ought to wear them before buying them.

 

[gjmalcyon]

Never used Facebook or Reverb - my herd came directly from fellow LTG-ers with a couple via Craigslist. Not issues with any of those transactions.

 

[fronobulax]

I'm optimistic enough to assume a seller (on line or in person) is not deliberately trying to deceive. "Trust, but verify" applies.

When I think of experiences reported on LTG the vast majority of them fall into two categories. Either the potential buyer and seller came to an agreement and understanding about defects and the probability of future repairs and the transaction was completed, or the seller was unwilling or unable to disclose issues and the buyer walked away.

An exception would be The Bonfires Vintage, a seller who swaps parts and makes carefully crafted claims about originality but even then some folks have purchased from them and received what was expected.

 

[GAD]

I’ve bought from damn near everywhere. My success rate is probably 98-99%.

In my experience most people are good but bad experiences and negative feedback holds a LOT of weight so people only remember the horror stories.

You do need to be cognizant of scams and the #1 rule of any negotiation is that you must be willing to walk away. I’ve walked away from a couple of beautiful guitars because the seller gave me weird vibes.

I’ve had some very high end guitars arrive broken and it’s always been due to poor packing. Sure the odd forklift through the box story happens, but it’s really rare. Bad packing is the biggest problem when buying a guitar IMO.

Next would be unrealistic expectations which are sometimes the seller doing the sin of omission. If there is no case in the pics ask if it comes with the original hardshell case in excellent condition. Chances are it does not.

 

[Cougar]

What’s your online Guild buying success track record?​

100%. Three were reverb purchases that were also incredibly good deals. One was a distant craigslist purchase -- also an incredibly good deal. I like great deals, but you typically have to wait a while....

 

[dreadnut]

Bought my D15 from an LTG member.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I think Richard can testify to Reverb overall success.

 

[BradHK]

I have purchased all of my Guilds online and have not had any issues. My recommendation is to ask very specific questions about the guitar you were looking to purchase and request additional photos of the specific areas in question. It helps to have knowledge of the specific make and model as there may be particular areas of focus (for example asking a seller to provide the weight of a 1970’s Guild Starfire IV!). Don’t assume the specs for a particular model of Guild apply to the guitar you are looking to buy. I have seen too many examples of the specs for a particular model and year saying one thing and a guitar of that same model and year being different. Asking a question and requesting additional photos of specific items also shows you the responsiveness of the seller, their knowledge of the guitar (or lack thereof) and additional specific photos can help you verify that they actually have the guitar. I have had some sellers either not respond or couldn’t answer my question or provide additional photos and I have walked away.

And as others have said, my preference would be to buy from an LTG member!

 

[Midnight Toker]

100%. Three were reverb purchases that were also incredibly good deals. One was a distant craigslist purchase -- also an incredibly good deal. I like great deals, but you typically have to wait a while....

Agree. You don't often find deals when actively looking for one....but if you simply have saved searches in your various online accounts, you can wait for the really good deals to fall in your lap, even if it takes years. There are a lot of things I "want", but not enough to ever take away from my vacation slush funds. As it stands, I think I've probably paid around 60% of market value for all my guitars/amps/effects. (Market value at the time of purchase that is...)

 

[Roland]

I didn't buy my Guild online but I did my Taylor GS Mini new from a brick and mortar guitar store in Alabama on Reverb. Everything went fine with the sale, quick and painless. The guitar was new but it looked like it had been hanging on the wall for a while. So I felt a little disappointed as it was my first guitar purchase in decades and my first one online. But it has been a great little guitar that I've really made a connection with, got over it, and now it looks well played.

So several years later I find a new Guild D-20 hanging in a brick and mortar guitar store in the big city. Honestly, very much the same as the Mini, in as far as it looked like it had been on the wall for a while. The only difference is that I mentioned that it looked like it had been hanging there a while and they knocked a hundred bucks off it to make me not feel that way.

All in all, the same thing, just a little sweetener on the one I bought in the store. In the long run it isn't going to make any difference down the road. The Guild is already quickly catching up with the Mini in regards to that played look.

 

[Uke]

I’ve walked away from a couple of beautiful guitars because the seller gave me weird vibes.

Your post reminded me that a few years ago I was dealing on ebay with someone for a classic fender amp. Something didn't feel right, and the "seller" happened to be a guy's girlfriend who was attempting to sell her boyfriend's amp behind his back! I ran like hell from that one when I finally figured out what was going on.

 

[RBSinTo]

My GAD jf30 was purchased from a seller advertising on kijiji.
He was reasonable, and honest and while the guitar had problems, they were clearly spelled out, and I was able to determine what the repair costs would be, and they were factored in when we negotiated a final price. In the end, the repair costs were less than the estimate, the guitar sounds wonderful, and is everything I wanted in a maple jumbo.
Thus my on-line Guild purchase batting average is 1.000.
RBSinTo

 

[Rich Cohen]

Although I've had success with purchases from Reverb, and several other sources, I prefer to buy Guilds from LTGers; particularly Richard Peterson. He has great Guilds, of all stripes, accurately describes and prices them. He posts his guitars on Reverb, but also from time to time on LTG. You can't miss with Richard. I have also bought from other LTGers, and have never had an issue with any of them.

 

[GAD]

Although I've had success with purchases from Reverb, and several other sources, I prefer to buy Guilds from LTGers; particularly Richard Peterson. He has great Guilds, of all stripes, accurately describes and prices them. He posts his guitars on Reverb, but also from time to time on LTG. You can't miss with Richard. I have also bought from other LTGers, and have never had an issue with any of them.

Hey - no Spam!

 

[Boneman]

I feel I’m batting 1000! I have bought guitars sight unseen (aside from the ad photos) from Reverb(F4ce, SFIV), Sweetwater(D1212)and Richard(S100), and have had zero problems. I have bought off Craigslist too(D25), and of course at least on CL, you have the opportunity to meet in person and try it. With the others (not named Richard), sure there is some faith you need to have that what is advertised is what you get. Though as others have stated, if you do your due diligence and have patience, trust your instincts, you’ll do ok. And if Richard is selling something you have your eyes on, just buy it already!

 

[MLBob]

Patience, due diligence, and sometimes a lot of luck has led me to the 3 Guild acoustics I currently own.
The Studio 24 was flat out dumb luck, and the result of sending an note to someone on a mandolin forum who said he owned one. I asked him to let me know if he ever heard of one other than his own coming up for sale. Turned out he was willing to sell his, and gave me first shot at it. Offered to take it back if I wasn't 100% pleased with it.

Traded for the D-46 with GAD. He had actually sold it, but received it back from that buyer. Given the dealings I'd had with Gary prior to that, and the excellent review of the guitar in question on his website, I had no qualms about what I'd be getting. That was a no brainer!

The D-55 popped up in a Facebook marketplace notice. The one time FB's algorithm hit me with the right ad. It was listed by a woman who seemed to be running the world's largest garage sale... everything from lawn tractors to garden gnomes and cabbage patch kids. When I contacted her about whether the D 55 was still available, she said she had added it to her listings for a friend who wasn't on FB. Gave me the info to contact this person directly. To this day, I don't think he really knew what he had, but when he offered to bring from Michigan to Ohio while on a trip to visit his father who resided in a care facility here, I had nothing to lose. Turned out to be a closet queen in immaculate condition. We then took it directly to my luthier who checked it thoroughly and told me : "If you don't buy it; I will!"

I

 

[bobouz]

I’ve got to have a straightforward & painless return policy, or it‘s no deal - so the vast majority of my online purchases have been with Guitar Center, beginning in 2007 when they first started nationwide listings online. Many fine instruments have come into my possession through them, with only a few easily returned clunkers. Then there was a purchase from Elderly, and Rainbow Guitars in Arizona via Reverb - both excellent to work with.

 

[GAD]

Patience, due diligence, and sometimes a lot of luck has led me to the 3 Guild acoustics I currently own.
The Studio 24 was flat out dumb luck, and the result of sending an note to someone on a mandolin forum who said he owned one. I asked him to let me know if he ever heard of one other than his own coming up for sale. Turned out he was willing to sell his, and gave me first shot at it. Offered to take it back if I wasn't 100% pleased with it.

Traded for the D-46 with GAD. He had actually sold it, but received it back from that buyer. Given the dealings I'd had with Gary prior to that, and the excellent review of the guitar in question on his website, I had no qualms about what I'd be getting. That was a no brainer!

The D-55 popped up in a Facebook marketplace notice. The one time FB's algorithm hit me with the right ad. It was listed by a woman who seemed to be running the world's largest garage sale... everything from lawn tractors to garden gnomes and cabbage patch kids. When I contacted her about whether the D 55 was still available, she said she had added it to her listings for a friend who wasn't on FB. Gave me the info to contact this person directly. To this day, I don't think he really knew what he had, but when he offered to bring from Michigan to Ohio while on a trip to visit his father who resided in a care facility here, I had nothing to lose. Turned out to be a closet queen in immaculate condition. We then took it directly to my luthier who checked it thoroughly and told me : "If you don't buy it; I will!"

I

Now trade me for that Studio 24!