Hi Everyone. This post should be pretty long, so bare with it, and please try to give your best idea/opinion/advice on the whole very "caseual" situation.
Ok, Im adding this in (im done typing) this reply is about 6 pages. Be patient please!)
Yngwie Malmsteen. Most people hate him. Others very much like him. I on one hand, consider myself one of his absolute hugest fans. I respect his work, and his talents, and everything he has done. Its pretty sad lol, I spend my daily life "through" yngwie. Well, this sort of guitar god obsession ive got going on, started a few months back, and I found out a few months ago that he has his Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Artist Series Guitar, available. 1,529$ is what it goes for.
Back then, I really just blew it off because I'd never have 1,600$. Well, just recently I decided to find a store that had one in stock a few weeks ago. I played one. :shock: :shock: :shock: I have never in my LIFE. Touched a BETTER instrument. For others, scalloped necks probably arent for everyone, but for me I feel that every single guitar should be. It is truely at a state of pure, heaven. Lets not go on and on, but long story short I became DESPERATE to find a place that would do "layaway" for it. Turns out, NO ONE has them. Guitar center of hollywood, guitar center of ANYWHERE in california, or anything. It is a "special order item." So after trying and trying I finally decided to just ask if they would "order" me a yngwie strat, and let me put it on layaway. Sure they would, but with half down. :x 800$! Well, being 18 I dont have 800$ randomly.
Next step was to find a guitar store that would ORDER me an yngwie strat for like 10-20% down, and then let me do layaway. Thankfully I found one. It just so happens the store less then 2 miles from my HOUSE will do it. Silly me not to check through the little guys.
Well, this is where ALL of this complication, and headaches started. I have my mother, and girlfriend virtually HATING me because of the "vibes" I am putting off over this guitar, and the pure LACK of "solidness" between me and the music stores little "deals". Just listen.
I oringally walked up to this guy Aaron. Told him my situation. "Hey, Is there anyway you guys can order me an Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster with like 10% down?"
He was very caseual, and said sure man let me go talk to "rafael" who was, and is the owner of the store. Rafael never came out of his little office, but aaron came back and said sure, give us 10% down and we will order you one so you can get it on layaway. So I pulled out 160$, and gave it to him. He gave me a "layaway" receipt for the first time for a balance of 1,440$ remaining. He sold me the guitar, nicely for 1,600$ flat. After California tax it actually comes out to like 1,648$, so I got a nice deal on the 16 flat. So, the balance was a clean 1,440. So I walked out happy as can be, I found a store that would take 10% down, and order the guitar of my dreams and let me keep it on layaway!!!!
The next day I came in with more money to put on it. I believe it was something like 40$. Walked around the store, found aaron and threw up like 40$ more on it. I asked him, hey man did you get that guitar ordered?? He said oh no man let me get on the phone with my Fender Rep now. I said ok, and he called his fender rep in front of me. "do you guys have any fender strats, yngwie malmsteen strats left in stock?" Apparently they had 2. He said oh ok, and hung up. Then he told me, that the best way to place orders is over the internet via email. He also made the comment, "Its a blessing they had them in stock its a rare guitar and if they didnt it can take up to 45 days to get one." So we walked to the back, where he sat down at the computer and did some things, I was assuming he was placing the order. Then he said do you want a maple or rosewood neck?? I said maple please. He said ok man, it WILL - key, WILL be ordered up for ya! I said oh thanks man, and with a new balance of 1,400$ I walked out of the store.
So far so good right?
Well, ever since the beginning this whole situation has just been WAY to caseual for me.
I walked in a few days later with 60$ more. Bad news. Aaron walks up to me, and says "hey man, ive got some bad news. Rafael (the owner) came up to me this morning and told me he refuses to place a 1,600$ guitar order until you have half down." I said no way man really? He said yeah he just wont, hes had people before screw him over by just not showing up for the guitar ever.
Respectfully, I agreed and said well I guess theres nothing I can do until I wait until I can get half down on the guitar. He said, yeah sorry man. Walked out with a new balance of 1,340$.
That night, I thought over a few things. BAM. Right before I fell asleep (lol, you always get the BEST ideas when your about to fall asleep lol) why dont I just ask him to trade in some guitars, to lower the price, to get it around half, so he will order the guitar??!! Thinking about the 9 guitars I already have, I decided this yngwie strat is so worth anything.
Next morning I raced down there, and I walked up to rafael (for the first time myself) and said, hey man so I hear you wont order the guitar for me until I have half right? He said "yeah, I just want to make it a secure deal." I said, thats totally understandable. So is there anyway you will take trade ins? He said, sure it depends on what it is though. I said, well the two guitars I will bring in is a Jackson Dinky, and a Fender Highway One Stratocaster w/vintage noiseless. He said he would be interested but wont say anything til he sees them.
So what did I do? Raced back, cleaned em' up quick and ran back to him. He took a good look at them, and said he'd give me 400$ for the highway 1, and 300$ for the jackson Dinky. I cleared a FEW times with him, ok so 700$ total?? He said yeah sure. Then he said, "The only thing I ask is for us to do this trade in after the layaway tab is finished, via gets down to 700$." So basically hes just saying, he will take my two guitars at the end of the layaway, once it gets to 700$ and let me walk out with the yngwie strat. :( Well this sucked. I really didnt want to wait til I got to 700$, I wanted to order that strat now!
So, after he told me he'd give me 700$ for them I left and came home.
Pondering this "trade in, layaway, 700$, 1,340 balance, ect" in my head, I waited about a week. Saved up about 40$ more dollars. But during this week quite a few things happened.
#1 I graduated Highschool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D Officailly completed early, class of 2008! Man Im glad I passed those california exit exams, but man its a great feeling to have a full diploma! :mrgreen:
#2 My birthday is coming up on May 22. Thats why I said I was 18^^^^. So I only have about 2 weeks until I am turning 18. Now, my graduation ceremony and my birthday are in the SAME week. May 22-June3rd. Now, I have been absolutley PACKED with people asking me what I want from graduation, for my birthday, getting my Class Ring Made, Announcements, Cap & Gown Pics, Ect. I have been bouncing back and forth between the school district, and getting my diploma mailed to me, and all these weird little papers and things. Plus.. Making my Bday LIST!!! :P
#3 Chronic Nose Bleeds. I for some reason, have been getting chronic nose bleeds. Ill just be sitting somewhere, and instantly blood will just be everywhere. And its not minmal, it makes me light headed, cold, and exhausted. I bleed for hours, and It wont stop. I went to see the doctor, my ENT (ears, nose & throat) and he said that the combination of living in the desert of cali, transfering from winter to summer, and my consistant stress about graduation, and this guitar along with working up in the mountains are causing bad altitude changes and severe nose dryness so its cracked up bad in there. So he gave me some "lubricating nasal spray" and told me to use vaseline on a Q-tip ect.
Yeah, sounds like alot of crazy things ^^ but it all happened in 1 week. So, after that week I had about 40$ free money. I went back into the music store, and found aaron. I took the 40$ up to him, and said hey man. I REALLY want to be able to get this yngwie strat around my birthday. (may 22.) I would really appreciate it, if you could order it for me now so that way when I come to pay it off at the end of may, It will be ready to be picked up. I just graduated, and its my bday, and I'd really appreciate it if you could order the guitar. I am in fear of fender not having them in stock, and having to wait the "45" day wait. He thought about it quietly for a few mins, and said idk man. I said well, come on man you know Im not gonna screw rafael, or any of you guys over!! For god sakes, I already have close to 300$ put down on it!! He agreed, and hes like yeah... I was like ok how about this. Why dont I just BRING in those two guitars that I want to trade to you guys, and you guys can HOLD them as colateral while you order the yngwie strat. So that way you guys will have 300$ of my money, and TWO of my guitars when you order the yngwie strat. He was like really man you wanna do that?? I was like sure! He said ok, Ill order it for you if you bring in those two guitars. So I raced home, cleaned em up quick and threw them in some soft shell cases. Took them back to him, he pulled out a new "layaway" slip, and the first layaway receipt was for the 40$ I gave him. It took it straight down to 1,300$. So the first receipt says my name, Balance - 1,340 - 40$ as of may 2nd 2008. Then the second receipt he pulled out, he wrote my name, and wrote "Trade in Value of 2 QTY Guitars = 700$
1. Jackson Dinky Serial Number XXXXXXXXXX - $300.00
2. Fender Highway One Serial Number XXXXXXXXXX - $400.00
NEW BALANCE = 1,300 - 700$ = 600$.
I sat there watching him write out all of this on these receipts blown away. I was CONFUSED. I said, wait so did you just take those two guitars and trade them in just now?? He said yeah man. I said oh, well, .... okay.. thinking in my head what rafael had told me about the "no trade ins til the end of the term." Before I decided to open my mouth and ruin everything, I thought in my head, hey why say anything at all he is doing me a massive favor. So I said ok man, can I get a layaway card showing every payment, and these trade-ins too??
He said no problem wrote out every payment, and the final balance of 600$.
I gave him the two guitars in the cases, he put them to the side, handed me my 2 receipts, and my 1 layaway card. 2 Solid Forums of PROOF that my NEW balance is 600$.
Then I said ok man, well since I have over 300$ cash on this guitar, and my two guitars traded in on it, can we finally order it?? He said yes thats what I am about to do. I said ok. Walked to the COMPUTER with him, and PERSONALLY watched him go to his "email" account, and send his Fender Rep the following.
"hey can i get that yngwie strat we've talked about?" "Part number XXXXXXXXXX"
"Bill it to the floor account"
"Thanks aaron."
That was IT. ^ I even commented, wow you can just type something real simple like that ^ and get a 1,600$ guitar shipped out?? He said oh yeah man, email is the best way Ive ordered a 16K guitar that way before. I said oh well if you think so. He said yeah its all good.
Personally witnessing my two guitars in his store, my two receipts and layaway card proving the "trade" and proving my new balance of 600$ flat, also witnessing him order the guitar via fender rep email, I asked him one last question. Anyway to call and see if they actually have one in stock? Sure man he said.
Called his fender rep, and the inevitable happened. Of COURSE it did I thought. None in stock. There is a FOURTY FIVE maximum day wait on it. He said fender judges there "maximum wait time" by how long it took the last time the guitar was at a "stand still." So, with that in mind, I started boggling. I have a receipt in my hand proving that I traded my two guitars for 700$ trade in value with a new balance of 600$, after watching him caseually type a quick email to his "fender rep" and to find out that there could be a 45 day wait on this guitar. Naturally I just started to get concerned. This guy has 2 of my guitars, and over 300$ of my money, and I still have nothing. Not only that, but it could be over a MONTH before fender even SENDS one out! "Being built in corona, CA I feel that it probably wont take the 45 days, thats just what they say maximum, it could be here in 2 weeks.." thats what he told me.
So as he walked to the back to get his keys to head for lunch, I caught him again and said 1 last time, "So thats it right? its a done deal? Can't go back now can we?" He replied "no, its all done man" and I shook his hand and walked out with my receipts, and knowledge of the 45 day wait, along with my two guitars traded into them.
Please forgive this riduclously long thing, but I have pretty much lost half my family over my insane pesimistic attitude towards this. I personally myself have been SCREWED over in like 46 different occasions. So I am already assuming the worst. I very much need someone to just step in, tell me the legal law about some of this stuff, what a receipt is, and how FAR they can really go in court, along with just some common sense.
I am sitting here in my studio, with 2 of my good guitars at that music store, and nothing but a peice of paper saying they traded them in. Now my BIGGEST concern is, if "rafael" hears about this, and decides he DOESNT want to order the yngwie strat for me because I didnt TECHNICALLY have "half" down, how far can he really go? Do I, or do I NOT have a receipt showing that the trade in is a done deal, and my NEW balance is 600$? Can he really "go back on receipts" and "add money to it because his sales associate did a wrong"???
Who is in the wrong here? Should I have stepped up and said, rafael really doesnt want to trade in the guitars until the end man, or should Aaron have known better? Isnt the customer always right?
I know there is truely no REAL reason for this whole post, but sadly I have no one to tell all of this to. I cant get any SOLID advice. I am a SOLID person. Everything has to be THOROUGH, and complete. It has been VERY caseual, and laid back, and I am constantly living in a fear of getting a call from rafael saying I thought we had an understanding that I wont accept the trade ins until the end of the contract? But what does it even matter really, I wont even GET the fender for over 3 weeks as it is!!
What is everyones personal opinion about this?? Can rafael DEMAND me to take the guitars back and ADD the 700$ BACK to my balance? How far will these receipts take me? Has anyone ever had any past experience with fender guitars being backordered? How long roughly does it take? Given the "45 day" option, do you guys think Ill be able to pick up the guitar for my birthday, or my graduation?? (that week between the 22-and the 3rd?)
He placed the email order in front of me, but can he cancel??
I am pretty much just in the dark, 2 guitars less, and about 300$ broker with nothing but some papers.
Please step in, and ram a steel rod down my throat so I can STRAIGHTEN up.
Give it to me, let me know ALL of my options/ideas/opinions of this entire situation...
Also, whats done is done as it is, if any of you guys feel it was a mistake to trade in those two guitars for the 700$, theres nothing I can do to add to the value of them, or anything. The receipts, agreements, and everything was extremely laid out for everyone to read clearly, ^ please just provide your best information about what you think WILL happen, and anything you generally can about the situation between rafael's employee going against what rafeal wished.
Should I type up a contract and have rafael the owner sign it to confirm alot of this?? It is all just way to caseual for me, and my 2 thousand dollars.
Thanks everyone for your INSANE patience, please provide me some input im a wreck... Here comes another nose bleed.. :x
Im gonna go to bed, hopefully I can wake up to a coupla replys.
Thanks guys.
Sing Me A Song Your a Singer, Do me a wrong, your a bringer of evil. - Dio
Well if rafael has a proplem with this then you shoud get your guitars back and the money you put down and try again if you want to. Or you can sell the guitars on craigslist and try to get what the guitars are worth.
I'm not really sure what to tell you other wise, hope it works out for you.
I know how you feel. I hate layaways and will not mess with em. The only advise that I can give you is to visit this guitar shop often and get updates on every visit.
Best of Luck to ya!
My dad would always talk about retirement, and allude to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And I say all you've got at the end of the rainbow is death. You're riding the rainbow right now. - Mark Borchardt
Wow, that was a great story, quite a cliffhanger. I was reading each line & couldn't wait to see what the conclusion was! I feel for you though; I have made similar deals like that, where the shop owners seem to be not taking it seriously enough.
Hindsight is always 20/20; I would have suggested taking an adult, your father, someone along to oversee or witness the deal, just as a precaution, and maybe cinch the deal a little tighter.
I want one of these guitars myself, & I frequently check them out on Musician's Friend, which I just did after reading your post. They say they have every model in stock & ready to ship right now. Personally, at this point, I would be inclined to get my money & guitars back, if possible, & make the purchase from Musician's Friend.
I understand that you don't have all the $$$ available right now; Musician's Friend does have the credit thing, which I use occasionally. Any possibility you can go that route, pay it off as quick as possible, & as crkt246 mentioned, maybe sell the other guitars on craigslist, etc. to generate some quick cash?
I believe that would be MY course of action at this time. You situation is obviously different, not having a job right now, limited funds; guess you have to do what works best for you. But I do agree with your concern; I wasn't there in the store to witness for myself, but I don't like the laid back attitude of the store personnel that you are describing.
I also don't know what the law is in your state, as far as receipts go. Guess a phone call to the local magistrate may yield you some answers.
Good Luck, keep us posted.
Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah, I'd honestly really hate to plunge out of this deal I have with the store, Im so far into it. I just hate this caseual, lack of "solidness" in all of there deals. My mother suggested her going down there and throwing up some stuff, try to get it more solid. Its just so scary giving someone my guitars and money, and watching them barely do anything.
I guess Ill just go in there the next time with some more $ to put down on the guitar, and I'll mention to rafael how long does he think its gonna take for the yngwie strat to get here??? See if he already knows about the order, or if he is shocked and upset that they ordered it. I would love to go through musicians friend I would, but I cant get approved for it. Not 18 yet, and my parents credit isnt so shiney.
So Im just stuck with this deal, I just wish there was something more. I mean does anyone know if he can actually DEMAND me to take my guitars back, and ADD 700$ to my receipt??? I dont think he can. The NEW balance is 600$. Can you ADD to that??
I thought the "customer" was always right. I dont know whats gonna happen :| :|
Sing Me A Song Your a Singer, Do me a wrong, your a bringer of evil. - Dio
dude, get all your money and guitars back, save up the right way, sell the guitars you don't want anymore on craigslist or ebay, and get one at another store on credit. dont' deal with them, they're shady and obviously severely lacking on communications. runnnnnnnn
Please step in, and ram a steel rod down my throat so I can STRAIGHTEN up.
OK, I am going to be blunt. You are completely obsessed with Yngwie and this guitar. That is never healthy. I know Yngwie is a great guitar player, but he is just a normal person like yourself. You should never allow yourself to be obsessed with another person, people can do crazy things when they allow this to happen to themselves, like the lady NASA astronaut who drove a thousand miles from Texas to Florida to attempt to kidnap and possibly even kill another lady who was involved with a male astronaut she liked.
Not saying you are to that degree, but you can feel your obsession in your post. You need to chill out a little and relax.
I hope you take that in a good way, I am not trying to put you down or anything like that. I am just telling you straight out that you come across as a very compulsive and obsessive person. So recognize that and tell yourself not to act that way.
As for your actual deal, the first thing you should do is go down and get a copy of the layaway policy. You should have done that before you even started the deal. It may be printed on your receipts, or maybe there is a poster at the store. Take a photo of the poster if necessary and make sure you understand the policy. If you end up cancelling this layaway, you may be penalized. Not saying that will happen, but you never know.
And of course take special care of those receipts. That is your only proof, if you lose them you are gonna screw yourself. And don't be in such a rush. This guy is not going to order this guitar until he gets his money, would you??
So far everything seems fine, quit working yourself up. Your post sounds like your head is spinning. Just maintain a pleasant and professional relationship with the store. You are doing good on payments, you will have your guitar soon.
I hope I haven't offended you in any way with my answer. You wanted some straight talk and I gave it to you.
And lastly, congrats on Graduation and your 18th Birthday, that is a very special time in anyone's life. Remember how you thought it would take forever to finish school? Well, you finally made it. :D And you will get your guitar soon as well, so be patient.
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
i still think you should get out of that deal and get into one that's healthier, but I agree with Wes on a central point.
Take his advice for what it is and...chill. Try not to be so enamored with one person to this degree. If I recall, this same near-obsession led you to buy a Randy Rhoades guitar...what happened to that one? And what happens after you get the Yngwie strat? Do you fall in love with Satriani and have to have an Ibanez Satriani guitar for upwards of $2000? Or a Vai signature? If you like the scallops so much, take your Jackson and scallop that. It's A LOT cheaper. You could do it yourself if you're handy.
Forge your own sound with your own guitar. Don't follow Yngwie's path, or Randy's path...take the road less travelled and make your own, eh? and remember, it's just a guitar. A guitar shouldn't drive a wedge between you and your family. They're more important than a Malmsteen guitar ever could be.
Wes, that is probably the best advice I could have ever taken. I am sincerly in debt to your advice. That really helped me realize that I got through the four years of high school, lol, waiting a few more months to get the guitar shouldnt be anything. I guess I was just spinning. I have totally calmed down though, I think Im gonna stay in this deal for the store has not actually done ANYTHING wrong to me. I just felt a little shady through it. Im really thankful for everyone's advice here, no one I know would give me any solid advice. I will do my best to keep it all at a friendly/professional status, continue to pay it off, and once I have receipts to prove that it is ACTUALLY paid off, then I can start complaining about where my strat is. :lol: I cant say anything owing this store over 600$ lol.
But thanks for all your help everyone, I will continue to just pay on the guitar. Only 600 to go!
Yeah, however I do not believe I am as obsessed as you think wes, but yes I do have a uncanny ability to truely ATTACH to things. I guess I just let this guitar get over my head. Thanks for straightening me out.
-MM
Sing Me A Song Your a Singer, Do me a wrong, your a bringer of evil. - Dio
MM
Yeah, however I do not believe I am as obsessed as you think wes, but yes I do have a uncanny ability to truely ATTACH to things. I guess I just let this guitar get over my head. Thanks for straightening me out.
I am glad to hear you are not as attached to Yngwie as I got the impression. To tell the truth, this is pretty common. I know a guy that is almost 60 years old, and all he thinks about is Elvis Presley. You go to his home you see pictures of Elvis everywhere, he even has Elvis clothes! He is a pretty good singer, but all he sings is Elvis songs.
And when I was your age I was into Marc Bolan of T. Rex
He was just the coolest guy around. I was always talking about him to my friends and playing his music. Some of my friends really liked the music, but none were as enthusiastic about him as I was. Finally I realized he was just a regular guy. I still like Marc and his music, but I got into many other musicians after that. I don't really understand why people become attached like this, but they do. You can tell that many of the other members here have favorites like this as well.
But as much as I liked Marc, I never felt I needed to copy him in anyway. If I would have done that I would have gotten a little worried myself. :shock:
As I wrote before, never let yourself become too preoccupied with any person. Lots of fellas meet a nice girl and go crazy over them. They break up but then harass the girl and get in lots of trouble, sometimes much worse. So never allow yourself to become obsessed with anyone.
Hang in there and make your payments, it won't take too long.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Do you mean you traded in this Highway 1 guitar - http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38528 ? You've had that for what, just over a month? And you're now selling it for $200 less than the original price. So you've basicaly just spent $200 to hire a guitar for a month. That sounds pretty steep to me.
GAS can be great fun, and if you're GASsing to add to or expand your collection, that can be justified (I do need that Eastwood Tuxedo, I do need that Eastwood Tuxedo....lol), but if you're trading guitars as regularly as this, you're gonna end up losing the cost-price of that Malmsteem strat in omney lost through trade-ins pretty easily.
I did this, but not with guitars. I'm a huge Jeff Beck fan. If he gigs in the UK, I'll do everything I can to be there, I've probably got every recording he's done (give or take a few), and I do try to copy him a lot when practising. I've been into JB since I was a teenager, and my ideal guitar back then was a JB signature strat, but there was no way I could afford one. I saved up for a US Std strat instead, but the JB strat was always at the back of my mind. Now, during my final school years and uni years, I spent a huge amount of cash on cigarettes and alcohol. Looking back on it now, every bit of gear I had major GAS over (JB strat, Martin D15, Mesa Boogie amp, Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion Jazz Box, etc,etc), I could have bought all of them if I hadn't spent the money on crap I've got little to show for now. If you're gonna be trading in your gutiars so quickly, then it is (imho) a pretty similar thing.
I've mellowed a bit. Still loe JB, on electric gutiar he rules, imho. And I still work to learn his tricks and expand my playing that way. But I don't want that guitar anymore, and I don't want to just be like him. I want to learn some of his tricks, but I want to do something different. I heard a great quote once which I think sums the attitude up...
Don't try to be like someone, strive to be better than them.
That requires originality, which copying wont result in.
Anyhow, I think Wes made some great comments above. And I'd seriously consider the financial losses of these music deals you make. Take a look over your thread on your highway 1 and how stoked ou seemed there about that guitar. And yet, a month later it seems easy for you to part with that guitar. Sounds like your GASsing is pretty transient, so be careful or you could get seriously burned. And without wanting to sound like an old nag....mate, you're 18 (nearly), you've got plenty of time to get the right gear. But the fun times and new experiences you'll go through over the next couple of years are a lot harder to get put on layaway. Plus, if you really love this guitar, why not e.g. start a band and use gig money to pay for all/part of it? Or get a job in a music store and get the chance to find out a lot about what gear is available and what you like/dislike without all this cost and stress. I can tell you from experience, there's something about a guitar that has been paid for through music work which makes it way more special thanif it just gets paid off through other revenue.
hth
Congrats on graduating and your birthday!
dude, get all your money and guitars back, save up the right way, sell the guitars you don't want anymore on craigslist or ebay, and get one at another store on credit. dont' deal with them, they're shady and obviously severely lacking on communications. runnnnnnnn
+1
I don't see the point of doing this layaway that you're doing. There's no benefit to you by doing it. Open up a savings account and save up for it there. If the store goes out of business you're screwed. If you lose this little bit of paper or maybe even if the store owner changes his mind/"forgets" about it everything is vapourized (or at least very messy). If you change your mind or you find a good deal on a used Yngwie strat you can't do it.
P.S. "Most people hate him." Actually, most people don't hate him we just don't care for his music. Hate requires active passion.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
I like what Hyperborea (did I get that name right?) said about maybe finding one used. If you can find a used YJM Strat, you'll be saving yourself a ton of cash. look around ebay. right now on ebay there are about 5 selling for the same price you're talking, and a used one sellign for $500 less. If you took the money you gave the store, sold your two (or even 3) guitars, YOU HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY TO BUY IT USED. <--- I'm trying for emphasis there.
There's nothing wrong with a used instrument. I only have 2 guitars of my 7 that I bought new...and it's a Fender Custom Shop guitar, so it's not like it will depreciate.
I just did this with my bass. I sold a few of my lesser-played instruments for some cash on craigslist, and used it to buy a used bass. I could have paid $500 for a new Fender Jazz Bass, but I did my research got a wonderfully appointed, slightly worn early 90s Jazz Bass for $180. Be smart when you're buying instruments and get the good deal. Don't shell out the bucks when you don't have do only because you have to have it now.
I am going to sound like a crusty old goat, but the chips will just have to fall where they may. On 02 April at 13:34 you posted the following:
But american standard, deluxe, or squire this is the best guitar I have ever played. I have never in my life ever FELT a guitar that truley felt like hot butter was poured all over the neck before it was strung. omg just talking about it makes me want to go play it. Ive played 2,000$ custom shop les pauls/eric clapton blackie's, everything. For some odd reason, at 17 years old I have found my dream guitar. Now, you have traded your dream guitar (strat) on a different dream guitar (strat). The guitars aren't that different, only the dream.
I've lived some of the things you are experiencing now, and learned some expensive lessons (cars was my obsession). I will share them, but feel free to accept or reject each of them as you wish.
1. Lay-away is the same as credit. It is a contract with a limited life, there may/may not be fees attached, and if you don't fulfill your part of the contract you can lose your accrued payments.
2. Credit is a tool and just like those silly films they show you in high school shop class, while useful, tools are dangerous when you act stupid around them.
3. The customer is NOT always right. Sometimes the customer is a parent with $1,200 on eBay bidding up Hanna Montana tickets and sometimes the customer is a ten year-old kid wanting to buy the Grand Theft Auto IV and sometimes the customer is a student at Virginia Tech trying to buy ammo online.
4. The vendor/dealer/store/clerk is NOT there to look out for YOUR best interest. They open their doors to put products and services into your hands in return for your cash by whatever legal means possible. It is YOUR job to make that a little more difficult.
5. If you have to use credit to purchase something - You don't need it. No arguments. No discussions. No justifications. Kidney or heart transplant excluded.
And as David Hodge would say, we must take note of the legal disclaimers:
These fundamental truths packaged by weight, not volume. Some settling of contents may have occurred during shipping and handling.
Finally I would like to offer one bit of wisdom from an aging lion who can see his 50th birthday quickly approaching to a young cub who is likewise looking at his impending eighteenth birthday. There are only three things with which you should put this much thought (listed in priority order).
1. Getting into college.
2. Getting into someone's pants.
3. Getting into someone's refrigerator.
Listen to your family. It sounds like they love you. I hope you have a long and healthy youth!
/dwayne
I second dhutson's post. As someone who has paid a lot of stupid tax because of credit, I recommend not using layaway/credit, especially for hobby/fun things. Buying a house or a car is one thing, but when you start financing your hobbies, you are possibly heading down a bad road. I know there a lot of people out there that responsibly use credit all the time and always pay off their balance. I'm not one of those people and, based on the negative savings rate in the U.S., millions of people aren't either.
It doesn't sound like the store is going to rip you off. You worry because they are taking this very lightly, but keep in mind you are making a major purchase and spending $1600. They are just selling one more guitar and probably making $200 (if that) on the deal. Of course you are going to be much more excited and involved in the process. The owner could give your guitars back to you and take that credit off your balance, because it is apparently against their policy. But the question is, would he? He runs the risk of losing the sale (actually 3 sales) if he does. Since you are trading guitars in, he can probably make more on the deal than if you were paying all cash, because he can sell your guitars and make a profit.
A few things I've learned: if you pick out what you want and start saving the money, once you have the money you either a) figure out you actually want something else, b) decide you'd rather buy a cheaper model and that cool amp you've been wanting or c) you do buy it and you feel a sense of accomplishment and reward.
My oldest son is turning 16 tomorrow and I've been boring him with the same lectures for years :D
