# Advice about buying a guitar online in Canada



## Sheratone (Apr 21, 2020)

Hi everyone!

I am planning to get back into playing electric guitar after a reasonable break. I have bought and sold a few electric guitars over the years (including selling online) but have never _bought_ a guitar online. With circumstances as they are though and with an eye for something specific I am seriously considering biting the bullet and making an online purchase. I have a few questions I was hoping you could help with:

1) Are there any stores specifically recommended for having _good_ online customer service? I have read plenty of horror stories but if I was to use those in a process of elimination I feel like I would have no options left. I am specifically looking for stores that carry (new) Guild electrics.
2) I have found with some non-guitar hardware in the past that stores tend to advertise having stock and then order from their supplier when they have a customer on the hook. I gather this is the way that many stores handle selling their guitars as well? Are people able to contact stores before purchasing to see if they really have stock? Are the stores typically honest about that?
3) For shipping, are guitars safer shipped in the (cardboard?) boxes that they arrive at the stores in? Or is it better to buy a hard case with a guitar and have it shipped in the hard case? I can see arguments either way for what might protect a guitar better in transit.
4) Do stores typically do setup/QA before they ship? How awkward is it to deal with being sent a crappy guitar? Do you have to pay shipping for returns?

Cheers!


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

In response to your queries;

1) i have not had any bad transactions with Canadian dealers and my favorites include the 12th Fret and The Guitar Shop in Toronto.

2) most dealers are very good at indicating available and sold stock but definitely contact the shop to confirm the guitar is available.

3) it greatly depends on the value of the guitar but if a guitar was shipped in a card box with no gig bag, it is typically an offshore instrument with a value under $700 (in my experience). Buying a hard shell case depends on your budget and the relative value of the instrument.

4) I always ask the shop to set up a guitar to my specs and string gauge. Check with the shop’s policies as some shop’s do not accept returns. If you are buying a $400 guitar and expecting it to play and sound like a $4,000 guitar, you may need to set reasonable expectations.

which type of guitar are you considering?

hope this helps


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Re: #2 in the original post, avoid L.A. Music in Mississauga.

Check out The Guitar Shop as I think they were carrying Guild guitars. They’re literally across the street from L.A. Music but are the complete opposite in terms of providing good customer service.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Long & McQuade doesn't sell Guild unfortunately. They have a no hassle 30 day return policy, plus their 1 year lemon law return. I used that for a $1,600 electric that was shipped out 3 times. After about 8-10 months, full refund. It was a dud. They have in house luthiers and a Plek machine.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Cosmo music carries Guild. I bought an AC-15 C2 from them a couple of years ago on a Black Friday sale. They shipped it across the country to me no charge. It is a big heavy amp. It was here in a week. I had no problems with the amp so no idea how they deal with returns or warranty. I had no problems at all dealing with them.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

There are some small shops that I really love dealing with (Folkway!!!) but buying sight unseen Long and McQuade's extremely player-friendly return policy is very appealing.


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

Cosmo gets my vote


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Call ahead. A lot of stores say they have stock and they don't. Also ask what the return policy is, if there is one.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

markxander said:


> There are some small shops that I really love dealing with (Folkway!!!) but buying sight unseen Long and McQuade's extremely player-friendly return policy is very appealing.


Plus payment plans. Get a much better guitar than you deserve.


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## Buzz (May 15, 2008)

Seafoam Guild!


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Sheratone said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I am planning to get back into playing electric guitar after a reasonable break. I have bought and sold a few electric guitars over the years (including selling online) but have never _bought_ a guitar online. With circumstances as they are though and with an eye for something specific I am seriously considering biting the bullet and making an online purchase. I have a few questions I was hoping you could help with:
> 
> ...


Uh I can tell you the new guild electrics are worth the cash. Tundra music , cosmo music and la music has them . Tundra has fast shipping it took 2 days to get from ont to pei but they have crap customer. Real instruments in chtown pei has them . You could give him a call Dennis is a fantastic luthier that owns and operates his own music store . I am sure he would ship and if the guitar is up to his standards he won’t let it out the store till it is. 


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## Sheratone (Apr 21, 2020)

Thank you very much everyone for your informative replies.



Alex said:


> ...
> 
> 3) it greatly depends on the value of the guitar but if a guitar was shipped in a card box with no gig bag, it is typically an offshore instrument with a value under $700 (in my experience). Buying a hard shell case depends on your budget and the relative value of the instrument.
> 
> ...


I am looking at the Guild Polara SG-type. I have favoured a bunch of different models while I've been browsing around. I considered also the G&L Fallout, a Yamaha Pacifica 611, or a Hagstrom Swede/SuperSwede. I've been after an SG style guitar for maybe 20 years though so that swung it.

I am going to want a hardshell case anyway because I'll probably be keeping this guitar under my bed for now. I have noticed that different stores list the Guild Polara as either: i) not coming with a case, ii) coming with a gigbag, iii) coming with a hardshell case. If I can get a case fitted to the guitar I have always preferred those.



silvertonebetty said:


> Uh I can tell you the new guild electrics are worth the cash. Tundra music , cosmo music and la music has them . Tundra has fast shipping it took 2 days to get from ont to pei but they have crap customer. Real instruments in chtown pei has them . You could give him a call Dennis is a fantastic luthier that owns and operates his own music store . I am sure he would ship and if the guitar is up to his standards he won’t let it out the store till it is.


Thank you. My wife and I visited Charlottetown for our honeymoon. Fantastic food there! I sent Denis an e-mail to see if he has what I am after in-stock.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Roryfan said:


> Re: #2 in the original post, avoid L.A. Music in Mississauga.
> 
> Check out The Guitar Shop as I think they were carrying Guild guitars. They’re literally across the street from L.A. Music but are the complete opposite in terms of providing good customer service.


I'd add Tundra to the list of "Don't order from them" Maybe they don't carry Guild but they'll tell you they do. Then 6 months later you'll be trying to get your money back when the guitar doesn't come.


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## Rozz (Aug 1, 2018)

Roryfan said:


> Re: #2 in the original post, avoid *L.A. Music in Mississauga.*
> 
> Check out The Guitar Shop as I think they were carrying Guild guitars. They’re literally across the street from L.A. Music but are the complete opposite in terms of providing good customer service.


.

I agree. I ordered a Sanpera looper/fs from them. It took nearly 6 months to get it and the box it was in was destroyed and wrapped in brown wrapping paper. It was pretty bush league.


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## Sheratone (Apr 21, 2020)

How do people find ordering from Reverb? It's new since I was last buying/selling. There was a local Quebec store I saw on there with good stock but they have shut up shop due to Covid-19 I think.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Sheratone said:


> Thank you very much everyone for your informative replies.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cool

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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Sheratone said:


> How do people find ordering from Reverb? It's new since I was last buying/selling. There was a local Quebec store I saw on there with good stock but they have shut up shop due to Covid-19 I think.


I like reverb I've bought a few thing off it

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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

guitarman2 said:


> I'd add Tundra to the list of "Don't order from them" Maybe they don't carry Guild but they'll tell you they do. Then 6 months later you'll be trying to get your money back when the guitar doesn't come.


So basically I was lucky? With tundra 

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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

@silvertonebetty Tundra gets a pretty bad rap on here.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

sillyak said:


> @silvertonebetty Tundra gets a pretty bad rap on here.


I know customer service is shit 

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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

I've never dealt with them so I have no opinion. 

Their prices on Reverb are ridiculous though.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

I've had encounters with Tundra and would never recommend dealing with that outfit. They're entirely self-serving but, worse than that, they're dishonest and simply lack integrity IMO. AVOID


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

silvertonebetty said:


> So basically I was lucky? With tundra
> 
> Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk


Yeah I'd probably describe it as lucky. I'm sure they deliver more than they don't. 60\40? 70\30? 50\50? Like those odds?


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## 5732 (Jul 30, 2009)

I've bought 3 guitars online from Gerald Musique. Very good communication and packaging. Also willing to haggle on their used stuff.


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## VHTO (Feb 19, 2016)

Kaos Music in Toronto is also very good with online shipping and customer service. I don’t think that they carry Guild, but they usually have some interesting inventory both new and used. www.kaosmusiccentre.com

Another vote for The Guitar Shop in Port Credit as well (along with the ‘beware of LA Music across the street)

Junction Guitars in the west end of Toronto carries Guild, and have been great to deal with in person — I believe that they will ship as well. 

www.junctionguitars.com

As for shipping itself, while a hard shell case is ideal, the factory boxes and packing are quite robust even if the guitar doesn’t have a case or gig bag. 

For the roughly $100 a new, aftermarket hard shell case will cost, it’s cheap insurance/peace of mind, plus you still wind up with a case.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

I've bought a couple guitars from Cosmo online during the past few years. No problems whatsoever.


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## Sheratone (Apr 21, 2020)

VHTO said:


> As for shipping itself, while a hard shell case is ideal, the factory boxes and packing are quite robust even if the guitar doesn’t have a case or gig bag.
> 
> For the roughly $100 a new, aftermarket hard shell case will cost, it’s cheap insurance/peace of mind, plus you still wind up with a case.


I see your point. I do wonder though whether the manufacturer’s cardboard box, being designed and fitted to the guitar, might be more effective protection than a generic hard-case? As I understand it the major danger is neck whiplash, so you want something that stabilises the neck as much as possible.


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