I'm not a professional. Can I still buy a Professional gtr?

[Jaguar018]

I tried to buy one at Guitar Center, but there was this questionnaire. I try to be an honest guy. When it asked me about my recent guitar playing experience, I have not had a paid gig in 5+ years, and even before that the gigs I had were not enough to qualify for pro status. "Part time" at best. I was escorted to the non-professional series guitars where I purchased a Squier.

[I was also offered access to "collector" series guitars. While I love dragon inlays as much as the next guy, those were too expensive.]

[jesterpunk68]

You can buy any guitar you want if you can afford it, not sure why they wouldn't let you even look at "professional guitars" to purchase. That just sounds like bad sales people. Also what exactly makes something a "professional guitar"?

[Embenny]

Are you joking?

The only qualification it takes to buy any instrument is money. I've seen people make a living gigging a Squier, and I've seen people struggling to shift from G to C on $6,000 Martins.

[Jaguar018]

Here are Fender's guitars for professionals. I hope that one day I can be a professional.

This may or may not have a serious level of sarcasm/dry humor to it.

[ludobag1]

they refuse to sell you a new professionnal guitar ?

[fever606]

This may or may not have a serious level of sarcasm/dry humor to it.

Still would not have surprised me at the GC in Rockville...

[Embenny]

This may or may not have a serious level of sarcasm/dry humor to it.

Still would not have surprised me at the GC in Rockville...

In Montreal, there's this famous music store called Steve's. I happen to look young for my age, and always have. The first time I showed up there with money burning a hole in my pocket, looking to get my first American Fender, the staff basically ran interference when I tried pulling American Standard guitars off the rack. I asked them why I couldn't try them. They told me they were for "serious customers only."

I have very happily given my business to their competitors ever since.

[leokula]

They told me they were for "serious customers only."

Gees, that's terrible... you should go there again with like 15k usd in cash, and as they say this you just let it slip from your pockets accidentally lol and then walk away.

[rank]

This may or may not have a serious level of sarcasm/dry humor to it.

Still would not have surprised me at the GC in Rockville...

(Don't go back to) Rockville

[Embenny]

They told me they were for "serious customers only."

Gees, that's terrible... you should go there again with like 15k usd in cash, and as they say this you just let it slip from your pockets accidentally lol and then walk away.

Oh, I let them know at the time. I was young and had a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I said, "Who told you I wasn't serious?" and played it anyway. Then, I put it back and thanked him, and told him I was going to go buy one from someone else.

[s_mcsleazy]

does it have tort?

[Squirrel]

Haha! Reminds me of the time I was in a shop which will remain anonymous, called Macari's in Denmark Street, where I was looking for an early '60s Gretsch Double Anniversary. Guy came up to me and asked what I was looking for and before I could even open my mouth he said "we've got this really cool '70s Aria Diamond back there which I think you'd really like". Get fucked.

[Iheartreverb]

This is a really interesting subject as I work in the industry. A questionnaire on entering a store is far from necessary although I do personally greet and ask a few questions, simply to point someone in the right direction and maybe offer some information or advice before they decide what to try. An approach which is standard in most retail.

What has been discussed above is absolutely not ok but is still common place in stores in every single town or city and I hear it from customers (with regards to other retailers) all the time.

The one thing I do have issue with is people helping themselves to guitars off the wall without speaking to anyone. Say for instance this is a custom shop Gibson at 5k and the guy chips the finish against another guitar or on his jacket zips or bent buckle. Would you buy that product next? Stores simply can't be left with premium products with blemishes that hurt their saleability.

This isn't meant to be offensive and suggest that anyone doesn't know how to hold a guitar or anything like that. It would be the same in a car showroom or a shoe shop. You always ask for help.

I've worked in retail at a senior level for nearly 15 years, most of that outside of musical instruments so please don't take my comments out of context or think I'm not in agreeance with everyone here that the old attitude towards customers in guitar shops is not ok at all. I just wanted to throw in another opinion.

[Embenny]

This is a really interesting subject as I work in the industry. A questionnaire on entering a store is far from necessary although I do personally greet and ask a few questions, simply to point someone in the right direction and maybe offer some information or advice before they decide what to try. An approach which is standard in most retail.

What has been discussed above is absolutely not ok but is still common place in stores in every single town or city and I hear it from customers (with regards to other retailers) all the time.

The one thing I do have issue with is people helping themselves to guitars off the wall without speaking to anyone. Say for instance this is a custom shop Gibson at 5k and the guy chips the finish against another guitar or on his jacket zips or bent buckle. Would you buy that product next? Stores simply can't be left with premium products with blemishes that hurt their saleability.

This isn't meant to be offensive and suggest that anyone doesn't know how to hold a guitar or anything like that. It would be the same in a car showroom or a shoe shop. You always ask for help.

I've worked in retail at a senior level for nearly 15 years, most of that outside of musical instruments so please don't take my comments out of context or think I'm not in agreeance with everyone here that the old attitude towards customers in guitar shops is not ok at all. I just wanted to throw in another opinion.

Oh, I 100% agree. I've always shown up to try guitars with a t shirt or zipperless hoodie and no belt buckle, with freshly washed hands, because I don't want to fuck up other people's guitars, and I always ask the clerk if I can try X guitar through Y amp (partly to be polite and partly because I am uninterested in playing a guitar through an amp that sounds nothing like the rig I'll be running it through). That's the irony...they don't seem to recognize an easy customer when they walk through the door.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

This reminds me of another strange story concerning musicshop employees.
So one day when I decided to get myself a new Les Paul and my local shops didn't have the model I was looking for, we went for a 5h car ride to get to Thomann. It was wonderful... like Toys'R'us for grown ups.
Well, we went to try some amps too because the friend who accompanied me was looking for a new one... in that room a sheet of paper kindly asks you ro ask an employee to set up the amp you want to play, so we did... but what the employee did was not what you would expect. Instead of connecting the Tiny Terror to the Cabinet below he connected it to a Marshall head... we decided ignore his council and connect the head to the cab and play the hell out of that Les Paul. Still have it! Was my main guitar 'till I got my Jag!

So even the best employees may have a bad day... and some just won't ever sell me a guitar.
As a beginner you might even be glad if someone shows you the Epiphones and Squiers first... because one day you might want/need more/better stuff - but maybe all of us know that one person with that super expensive vintage equipment who should habe rather spent a few more bucks in lessons than in guitars... so there must be guitar shop employees who don't give a fuck what or whom they sell it to as long as they sell anything!