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Is there a 'best vendor'?

sws1

sws1

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The thread is about who provides the best pics...not the best dealer.
 
C

C-4

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I have had good experiences dealing with all of the vendors named in this thread so far.
I spent 3 years looking for another R9, and checked all the possible vendors often.

Sometimes, however, it really gets down to which vendor has the guitar that catches your attention.
For me, it was Kansas City Vintage Guitars.

They had about 30 M2M, and True Historic LP's and it was actually hard to make a decision.
I spoke with the owner, Andrew, who allowed me to choose 5 R9's which had the basic specs I was looking for: weight, ohm reading, neck thickness at the 1st and 12th frets, and then he was kind enough to do a tone test on each one. I was looking for an R9 with the Tele on steroids sound from the bridge pickup, and I got exactly what I desired.

As for pictures, Andrew had about 30 pictures of each guitar taken in about every possible position.

His service was as good as any of the regular vendors mentioned on this site, and so was his assortment of guitars.

While I do enjoy dealing with all the vendors who sponsor this site, in the end the guitar is what really matters to me.
 
Ace139

Ace139

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May 29, 2003
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I have purchased recently from

Music Zoo
Wildwood
Sweetwater

Had great experiences with all of the
 
P

PeteNJ75

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I just bought my 2nd R9 off Curt at House of Guitars. Great guy, super helpful and knowledgeable, fair pricing, and he gets some great tops. All-around a great experience from a consumer POV, so I would definitely recommend him and the store.
 
Bruce R

Bruce R

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If you're looking for used guitars, my vote goes to Mark's Guitar Loft as well.
 
jimmyace2006

jimmyace2006

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Mark's for used or "as new" guitars. House of Guitars for brand new. Biggest selection at Wildwood. But their prices are usually very high and they won't move much on them. I have probably seen more tops that I like from HOG.
 
Phil M

Phil M

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They may not have the best web experience/pics compared to Wildwood, but I love The HOG for pricing. Great tops as well. I've gotten 6 great guitars there since 2000 (back when I still had a "2" in front of my age and you could get a brand new R7 goldtop for $1900!) . :)
 
P

PeteNJ75

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Phil M said:
They may not have the best web experience/pics compared to Wildwood, but I love The HOG for pricing. Great tops as well. I've gotten 6 great guitars there since 2000 (back when I still had a "2" in front of my age and you could get a brand new R7 goldtop for $1900!) . :)
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Yup I totally agree. When I buy a new Les Paul, I usually do a lot of shopping around, getting quotes and comparing pricing, and House of Guitars has always been very fair. Even if they’re not the absolute cheapest, the customer service easily makes up for it. I’ve bought 2 from them so far and will probably stick with them unless there’s a top somewhere else I *have* to have. They usually have some good stuff not on their website so you have to ask. Wildwood is great to deal with and put a lot of effort into their listings, with super detailed specs, great pictures, tone reports, videos... I think it’s clear they take it to another level... BUT, man are they pricey - they definitely charge for it. I would also recommend Dave’s Guitar Shop. They get some really nice tops in sometimes. The last time I bought from them was 2003 but had a good experience and the pricing was great at the time! I love Mark’s Guitar Barn’s pictures - he gets some awesome tops - but he doesn’t budge on pricing. Chicago Music Exchange is super helpful and is usually very willing to negotiate, so I *want* to buy from them, but it just hasn’t worked out yet. Maybe next time.
 
R

RocknRollShakeUp

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PeteNJ75 said:
Yup I totally agree. When I buy a new Les Paul, I usually do a lot of shopping around, getting quotes and comparing pricing, and House of Guitars has always been very fair. Even if they’re not the absolute cheapest, the customer service easily makes up for it. I’ve bought 2 from them so far and will probably stick with them unless there’s a top somewhere else I *have* to have. They usually have some good stuff not on their website so you have to ask. Wildwood is great to deal with and put a lot of effort into their listings, with super detailed specs, great pictures, tone reports, videos... I think it’s clear they take it to another level... BUT, man are they pricey - they definitely charge for it. I would also recommend Dave’s Guitar Shop. They get some really nice tops in sometimes. The last time I bought from them was 2003 but had a good experience and the pricing was great at the time! I love Mark’s Guitar Barn’s pictures - he gets some awesome tops - but he doesn’t budge on pricing. Chicago Music Exchange is super helpful and is usually very willing to negotiate, so I *want* to buy from them, but it just hasn’t worked out yet. Maybe next time.
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I’ve bought 5 guitars from Wildwood, and I was able to negotiate every time. Now I’m working on ordering a CS Duo Jet from them. I’ve always worked with Bruce Beard and I’ve gotten some killer deals. So don’t be afraid to ask for their best price. Just my 2 pennies.

Sweetwater has been great too. It is good to know that the others mentioned are good too!
Haven’t bought from them but I recently visited Rainbow Guitars and they quoted me a pretty good price on a 2019 R8 recently which is a killer guitar. I think it was only 8.1 lbs too. Tempted but I was looking for a CS Duo Jet and needed to keep my powder dry.
 
Truss Rob

Truss Rob

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StevieTX said:
Is there a vendor that really stands out, as far as providing exceptionally good pics, and having nicely figured tops, on a consistent basis?
Of the online sites I've seen so far, Sweetwater is the easiest to navigate. I'd hope that lots of the tops look better in person than what you can tell in the pics online.
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1.) Wildwood, and 2.) Sweetwater. I bought a guitar online from Riff City in Minnesota.. great customer service and they started using actual pictures and serial numbers of the guitar you are viewing . Images were not the highest rez..
 
Albert

Albert

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Jun 28, 2003
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I agree with the others who say Mark's Guitar Loft has the best pictures, and he has lots of great tops, too. Probably taking the photos outdoors gives natural color and good detail.

I've found Wildwood to have very good customer service; their pictures are good, but the cherry perimeter in the Washed Cherry top I bought from them (2017 R0) looked redder "in person" ("in guitar"?) than their photos, which made it look browner. I think this is probably true in general for their photos, unless they've changed their photographic method recently.

As others' comments suggest, I think there is more to picking the "best vendor" than just photos and tops.
 
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