So did all of your rare guitars just happen to appear for sale in your hometown? Or did you travel 100s or 1,000s of miles to go try them out? The old aphorism of "play before you pay" is not really feasible when the guitar you're lusting about is in Chicago and you're in the Wild West. Adhering strictly to the old aphorism would seem to ensure that you're missing out on a world full of guitars!
Not sure how you've done it, but you've clearly not missed out on a bunch of fine guitars, and I'm happy for you. On the other hand, most of my guitars were bought online, and after doing the research and selecting carefully, I guess I've been pretty lucky in acquiring some fantastic guitars - without even playing them first!
My luck has not been 100% though. I got real excited and jumped on an underpriced F-412 before really checking out everything about it. Turns out the saddle was pretty low, had no electronics, and it just didn't sound nearly as good as my JF30-12. Wasn't a total loss, though. I had the bridge pin slots ramped and sold it for more than I bought it for.
Anyway, online guitar acquisition opens up a world of guitar possibilities that otherwise would not be there. However, instead of "play before you pay," it's a real good idea to make sure there's a reasonable return policy.