(If you haven't read "So You Need a Classroom Guitar - Part One", read that before this post.)
Making the Purchase
So you have found “the one”.
Now what?
Before you approach a salesperson, know the price of the guitar with a twenty, fifteen, and ten percent discount.
Check on your phone and see if you can find the EXACT same model somewhere else for less. If you can find a lower price, remember what it is and where you saw it.
Tell your helper that if you ask them the question “What do you think?” with your arms folded, they are to slowly respond with something like, “I don’t know, man, it seems a little high.”
Important Consideration
If the sales person has been your friend for some period of time, the following scenario is over-kill. Treat the person with respect no matter what. They are only trying to make a living. They expect savvy customers to try and shave a few points off the price of any guitar. The keyword in how you approach this transaction has to be “respect”.
Closing the Deal
Approach the sales person. Be holding the guitar. Get the salesperson’s first name and use it often.
Don't be afraid to ask if they have teacher discounts or any upcoming sales.
Ask if it come with a case. That will probably be a “no”.
Look sad. Actually, that’s the answer you want. If the salesperson has to say “no”, he will be incentivized to say “yes” to something else – namely a lower price on the guitar. If he says “Yes”, come back with “Do I get a break if I buy it with cash instead of credit?” That will probably be a “no”.
Mention again that you are a music teacher with 1,250 students who are learning guitar with you at _____ Elementary School.
Offer them the ticket price minus twenty percent and don’t blink.
If they balk, ask why. And shut-up and don’t blink.
If there are any minor scratches, flaws in the finish, or severe fret buzz issues, now is the time to use them as leverage in lowering the price.
Calmly bring the problems to your attention, repeat the price minus twenty percent, and say something like, “Come on, man, I’m tryin’ to work with you on this.” Shut up and let them talk.
If they give you fifteen percent of the ticket price, take it.
If they offer something like a five percent discount, offer the price with the twenty percent discount and then offer the price with the fifteen percent discount.
If they give you fifteen percent of the ticket price, take it.
If not, fold your arms and ask your friend, “What do you think?”
They say, “I don’t know, man, it seems a little high.”
Ask if they price match other dealers – as in, if you find it listed lower somewhere else, will they match the price.
No matter what they say, tell them, “I’m gonna play it some more and think about it.”
Go away from the sales person, play it some more, ostensibly to give the sales guy more time to possible check with his manager if he can lower the price. This also gives you time to firm up your decision that this guitar is “the one”.
Take a picture of the guitar and one of its serial number.
Go back out in ten minutes and try to lower the price again.
If you found it cheaper somewhere else, now is the time to tell the sales person.
If you can’t move them at all on the price, ask if there are any guitars in your price range that they can discount.
If he hasn’t moved past a five percent discount, hand the guitar to him in his left hand and shake his right hand as you say, “Thanks for your help.” Turn abruptly to your friend, smile, take out and open your wallet, look at the bills , look at your friend, and say, “Wanna get a beer? It’s on me?”
And leave.
You have to make sure they know you are willing to walk away.
Come back in two days and repeat the process, hopefully with a different sales person.
If the school is paying for the instrument, ask if you pay the ticked price, will they give you a break on a case and extras.
If the school is buying, it doesn’t matter what their answer is. As long as you are getting reimbursed, buy it.
If YOU are paying out-of-pocket, you can continue to go back and forth on the price, continue looking elsewhere, or just buy it.
This process is a learning moment just like trying out the guitars was a learning moment, too.
As soon as you purchase the guitar, make an appointment with the luthier to have him check it out. Do this ASAP.
I bought a guitar once at a retail store and after examining the insides of it with a small mirror, my luthier found several cracks on the guitar top that had been carefully glued together and bonded with chips of wood on the inside. Needless to say, that guitar went back.
All The Accoutrements
You’re going to need a lot of extras once you have a school guitar.
Owning a guitar is a little bit like buying a boat. You're going to need a lot of extra stuff.
A guitar strap - It's a matter of taste but you can't go wrong with a six dollar Ernie Ball nylon strap.
a strap button for the heel of your guitar - Make sure you check with your luthier that he has a button to install on your new guitar if it doesn't already have one. If he doesn't have one, that doesn't bode well. I consider a different luthier. In any case, if you need it, you're going to have to buy it if he doesn't have it.
You can get away without using heal neck strap button by tying the top end of your strap with an old shoe lace to the top of the neck of your guitar. I've never liked this solution because I think it puts unnecessary tension on the neck.
a case - If it's a standard dreadnaught, you're going to have lots of options. Given the rough-and-tumble environment schools presents, I would get a hard case, not a gigbag. You can get the case in store or order one on Ebay or Amazon.
a guitar stand – The more you spend on them, the sturdier they are.
picks - If you drop me a line at [email protected] , I'll be happy to send you a couple of pics. Otherwise, Dunlop Tortex mediums (something .50 or .72 will suffice).
strings - This is where it gets interesting. Strings are a matter of taste as well as finding the best match for your guitar.
Pick up a pack of Martin light phosphorus bronze strings as well as a pack of D’addario phosphorus bronze light strings. I have found that phosphorus bronze tend to last longer than just about anything else out there today. I'll do another post somewhere down the line about the variety of options of strings for the classroom music teacher, especially options found at www.juststrings.com .
a string winder - You want a string winder that has a clipper to trim excess strings after you change your strings as well as an indentation that acts as a peg-puller and will pull out string pegs without damaging the bridge or saddle. D'Addario and Planet Waves make similar options in this category.
Think of your new guitar like a new pair of shoes.
Wear them around the house and be very careful with them so that if you want to return them, there's no issue with wear and tear.
Most big-box music retail stores have their own luthier who are more than willing to set-up your guitar up after you buy it. I would still ask around as to who is the best luthier in your area.
Play your guitar for a good two weeks at home before you take it into school. Get used to it. Be able to stand up and play wearing thee guitar with a strap.
Find the center of balance on the guitar and make sure you know how to take your hands away and not have it nose dive or tail dive. Fine tune your spidey-sense as to where the end of the neck is at all times. You don’t want to suddenly turn and smash the headstock into something or worse, into someone.
The issue of balance is a little tricky because once you put a strap on it, you're going to have to modify the guitar with a heel button and that might negate you returning it should the guitar not have good balance.
Hopefully the price point between and online case and an in-store case will not be too great.
I hate to take a guitar out of a store in a bag or a box. I will usually buy the case in the store or, if I know I'm shopping for a dreadnought, I'll take one of my dreadnought cases to the store and leave it in the car.
It doesn’t matter who is paying – the school or you: get the extended warranty. Even beautiful, melodious tanks breakdown in schools.
After You Start Playing Your Guitar in School
Stuff will happen.
I owned two tanks over the last thirty years of teaching. One was an Ibanez Artwood-100 and the other was an Epiphone.
Both guitars sustained accidents where the headstocks snapped off and were glued back on.
Both guitars required re-fretting after about six years because I simply wore the frets down from playing so much.
Both required new bridges.
By the end of their run, they look pretty battered. But they had earned the deserved title of “Thor's Hammer” because that's what they were: powerful and mighty.
Neither one of them came with pickups - I had them installed.
Most of all, I always look forward to playing those two guitars. They felt good in my hands and never let me down with their tone or response.
Conclusion
I didn’t cover buying a guitar sight-unseen over the net. I’ll do that somewhere down the road.
Have fun! If you’re like me, I love buying a guitar.
If you have question, drop me a line.
Making the Purchase
So you have found “the one”.
Now what?
Before you approach a salesperson, know the price of the guitar with a twenty, fifteen, and ten percent discount.
Check on your phone and see if you can find the EXACT same model somewhere else for less. If you can find a lower price, remember what it is and where you saw it.
Tell your helper that if you ask them the question “What do you think?” with your arms folded, they are to slowly respond with something like, “I don’t know, man, it seems a little high.”
Important Consideration
If the sales person has been your friend for some period of time, the following scenario is over-kill. Treat the person with respect no matter what. They are only trying to make a living. They expect savvy customers to try and shave a few points off the price of any guitar. The keyword in how you approach this transaction has to be “respect”.
Closing the Deal
Approach the sales person. Be holding the guitar. Get the salesperson’s first name and use it often.
Don't be afraid to ask if they have teacher discounts or any upcoming sales.
Ask if it come with a case. That will probably be a “no”.
Look sad. Actually, that’s the answer you want. If the salesperson has to say “no”, he will be incentivized to say “yes” to something else – namely a lower price on the guitar. If he says “Yes”, come back with “Do I get a break if I buy it with cash instead of credit?” That will probably be a “no”.
Mention again that you are a music teacher with 1,250 students who are learning guitar with you at _____ Elementary School.
Offer them the ticket price minus twenty percent and don’t blink.
If they balk, ask why. And shut-up and don’t blink.
If there are any minor scratches, flaws in the finish, or severe fret buzz issues, now is the time to use them as leverage in lowering the price.
Calmly bring the problems to your attention, repeat the price minus twenty percent, and say something like, “Come on, man, I’m tryin’ to work with you on this.” Shut up and let them talk.
If they give you fifteen percent of the ticket price, take it.
If they offer something like a five percent discount, offer the price with the twenty percent discount and then offer the price with the fifteen percent discount.
If they give you fifteen percent of the ticket price, take it.
If not, fold your arms and ask your friend, “What do you think?”
They say, “I don’t know, man, it seems a little high.”
Ask if they price match other dealers – as in, if you find it listed lower somewhere else, will they match the price.
No matter what they say, tell them, “I’m gonna play it some more and think about it.”
Go away from the sales person, play it some more, ostensibly to give the sales guy more time to possible check with his manager if he can lower the price. This also gives you time to firm up your decision that this guitar is “the one”.
Take a picture of the guitar and one of its serial number.
Go back out in ten minutes and try to lower the price again.
If you found it cheaper somewhere else, now is the time to tell the sales person.
If you can’t move them at all on the price, ask if there are any guitars in your price range that they can discount.
If he hasn’t moved past a five percent discount, hand the guitar to him in his left hand and shake his right hand as you say, “Thanks for your help.” Turn abruptly to your friend, smile, take out and open your wallet, look at the bills , look at your friend, and say, “Wanna get a beer? It’s on me?”
And leave.
You have to make sure they know you are willing to walk away.
Come back in two days and repeat the process, hopefully with a different sales person.
If the school is paying for the instrument, ask if you pay the ticked price, will they give you a break on a case and extras.
If the school is buying, it doesn’t matter what their answer is. As long as you are getting reimbursed, buy it.
If YOU are paying out-of-pocket, you can continue to go back and forth on the price, continue looking elsewhere, or just buy it.
This process is a learning moment just like trying out the guitars was a learning moment, too.
As soon as you purchase the guitar, make an appointment with the luthier to have him check it out. Do this ASAP.
I bought a guitar once at a retail store and after examining the insides of it with a small mirror, my luthier found several cracks on the guitar top that had been carefully glued together and bonded with chips of wood on the inside. Needless to say, that guitar went back.
All The Accoutrements
You’re going to need a lot of extras once you have a school guitar.
Owning a guitar is a little bit like buying a boat. You're going to need a lot of extra stuff.
A guitar strap - It's a matter of taste but you can't go wrong with a six dollar Ernie Ball nylon strap.
a strap button for the heel of your guitar - Make sure you check with your luthier that he has a button to install on your new guitar if it doesn't already have one. If he doesn't have one, that doesn't bode well. I consider a different luthier. In any case, if you need it, you're going to have to buy it if he doesn't have it.
You can get away without using heal neck strap button by tying the top end of your strap with an old shoe lace to the top of the neck of your guitar. I've never liked this solution because I think it puts unnecessary tension on the neck.
a case - If it's a standard dreadnaught, you're going to have lots of options. Given the rough-and-tumble environment schools presents, I would get a hard case, not a gigbag. You can get the case in store or order one on Ebay or Amazon.
a guitar stand – The more you spend on them, the sturdier they are.
picks - If you drop me a line at [email protected] , I'll be happy to send you a couple of pics. Otherwise, Dunlop Tortex mediums (something .50 or .72 will suffice).
strings - This is where it gets interesting. Strings are a matter of taste as well as finding the best match for your guitar.
Pick up a pack of Martin light phosphorus bronze strings as well as a pack of D’addario phosphorus bronze light strings. I have found that phosphorus bronze tend to last longer than just about anything else out there today. I'll do another post somewhere down the line about the variety of options of strings for the classroom music teacher, especially options found at www.juststrings.com .
a string winder - You want a string winder that has a clipper to trim excess strings after you change your strings as well as an indentation that acts as a peg-puller and will pull out string pegs without damaging the bridge or saddle. D'Addario and Planet Waves make similar options in this category.
Think of your new guitar like a new pair of shoes.
Wear them around the house and be very careful with them so that if you want to return them, there's no issue with wear and tear.
Most big-box music retail stores have their own luthier who are more than willing to set-up your guitar up after you buy it. I would still ask around as to who is the best luthier in your area.
Play your guitar for a good two weeks at home before you take it into school. Get used to it. Be able to stand up and play wearing thee guitar with a strap.
Find the center of balance on the guitar and make sure you know how to take your hands away and not have it nose dive or tail dive. Fine tune your spidey-sense as to where the end of the neck is at all times. You don’t want to suddenly turn and smash the headstock into something or worse, into someone.
The issue of balance is a little tricky because once you put a strap on it, you're going to have to modify the guitar with a heel button and that might negate you returning it should the guitar not have good balance.
Hopefully the price point between and online case and an in-store case will not be too great.
I hate to take a guitar out of a store in a bag or a box. I will usually buy the case in the store or, if I know I'm shopping for a dreadnought, I'll take one of my dreadnought cases to the store and leave it in the car.
It doesn’t matter who is paying – the school or you: get the extended warranty. Even beautiful, melodious tanks breakdown in schools.
After You Start Playing Your Guitar in School
Stuff will happen.
I owned two tanks over the last thirty years of teaching. One was an Ibanez Artwood-100 and the other was an Epiphone.
Both guitars sustained accidents where the headstocks snapped off and were glued back on.
Both guitars required re-fretting after about six years because I simply wore the frets down from playing so much.
Both required new bridges.
By the end of their run, they look pretty battered. But they had earned the deserved title of “Thor's Hammer” because that's what they were: powerful and mighty.
Neither one of them came with pickups - I had them installed.
Most of all, I always look forward to playing those two guitars. They felt good in my hands and never let me down with their tone or response.
Conclusion
I didn’t cover buying a guitar sight-unseen over the net. I’ll do that somewhere down the road.
Have fun! If you’re like me, I love buying a guitar.
If you have question, drop me a line.
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