How long do you give a guitar to impress you?

[Jonny D]

When trying something out off the wall, how long do you give it to see if you like it?
When you obtain a new instrument, how long do you give it before you get rid of it?

 

[teleman1]

I can tell by just strumming a guitar hanging if its resonant enough for me to want to play. But, I can basically tell about in in the first few 2nds of trying it.

 

[alexanderplatz]

Yeah if it's a wow! guitar you can pretty much tell from the get go.

 

[Jven]

And if you bought it, it's because it already WOWed you!

 

[12guitdown]

I usually give it a couple gigs. Live performance is where the rubber meets the road for me. Sometimes a change of strings, gauge, pick up heights or even a pick up change are required to get it dialed in. My most resonant guitars aren't always the number ones.

 

[amc]

speaking only for myself,
I can rule out a guitar almost immediately upon holding it
in my hands......

 

[smolder]

Until either does or doesn't prove itself.

 

[guitarmook]

For random guitars off the rack, when I'm not really looking, it has to grab me pretty quickly. For those guitars I've bought without playing them first, I give them a few chances. And I agree, changing strings, action, and pickup heights can often help a guitar that's not quite there.

 

[ModdersAnon]

Pretty much instantly. When I bought my Firebird, there were two identical models on the wall. the first one was kind of "meh" the second one was "WOW" That's the one I bought.

 

[bluesjuke]

Yeah if it's a wow! guitar you can pretty much tell from the get go.

Yes and that's how I buy mine.
That have that or they stay in the store.

 

[Jonny D]

I would agree with most that when I am there in person, I can tell pretty quickly.

The one exception was a G&L ASAT that I handled a few times at a shop. I didn't like it. However, the third time I asked if I could tweak the truss rod and do a little adjustment. They said yes and I worked it and bought it after growing to love it. It is now a treasured member of the collection.

If I buy a guitar, I make a commitment to at least give it 2 months before I sell it off. This is particularly true of ones that I buy without handling first.

 

[Psyfuzz]

I'd agree that if you've bought it it's already wowed you - if not you've got to change your guitar-purchasing process IMO,

It's like buying a house or looking for the right flat, you just know if it's meant to be

 

[bluesjuke]

Good point.

 

[XKnight]

Usually, I will know if I'm impressed with a guitar within a minute of seeing and playing it. However, I have purchased guitars online that arrived and weren't set up to my liking and therefore didn't play well for me. Usually, I can tweak the setup to get it where I want and then reevaluate the guitar. The looks draw me in, but the playability, feel and tone is what makes it a keeper.

 

[alexanderplatz]

As a motivation to buy a guitar on the spot, I find that a guitar that feels already familiar, like I've owned for years already, is a powerful one. Like if it just feels right at home in my hands.

 

[kracdown]

when I strum a powerful "A" chord through a loud amp.

 

[neoprimitive]

Within 45 seconds, unplugged.. I can tell if it needs a new nut of intonation or truss rod adjustment, those things can be remedied easily, but it should feel and sound good before I even plug it in.

 

[oldcanuck]

If it takes more than a couple of minutes..... put it/send it back.

 

[sliberty]

I don't have the stomach for buying guitars sight unseen. If I take a guitar off the wall at a store, I either like the feel or I don't, and can usually tell within 5 minutes. If the reason I don't like it is due to a poor setup, then that is the store's loss. I don't feel a new guitar should be a gamble, and I also don't feel I should have to pay to have a new guitar play properly. (You obviously have the skills do set them up yourself).

When I bought my first Strat (a used early 90's American Std), I liked it OK in the store, but never bonded with it. I took it home even though there was no real love because I figured I would have to get used to a Strat since they are so different from the Gibsons I was used to. But I never did fall in love with it, and ended up selling it.

I really feel that if you don't love the guitar in the store, the odds are very high that you won't love it at home either.

The last guitar that I totally fell for was a Fano RB6. I was just window shopping, and couldn't afford to be spontaneous and drop $3k on it. But I was sure tempted to do just that. The feel, the look, and the sound were all perfect. I knew in 5 minutes that it was cool. After 10, I was getting worried that I might not be able to walk away from it. After 15 minutes, I had already gone over in my head how I could cover it, including considering selling another prized guitar. But after 20 minutes, I had accepted the fact that it wasn't the right time. I still wish I could have swung it.

Thats the way I want to react to a guitar.

 

[Pax]

Within 45 seconds, unplugged.. I can tell if it needs a new nut of intonation or truss rod adjustment, those things can be remedied easily, but it should feel and sound good before I even plug it in.

This, less 15 seconds.