Buying site unseen. ADVICE NEEDED

[peerless]

I have no local Heritage dealers and I am in a situation to pretty much have to buy sight unseen. This is something I dread. I have 2 Heritages now and I am so pleased with each of them. I pretty much know my way around buying guitars and I know a bit about good tone and what makes a good guitar. However, when I get on the phone with a salesman, I have a hard time getting the info I need. I go blank. This will probably be the last Heritage I buy for a long time. So this is an important purchase to me.

 

What questions do I ask the sales guy on the phone? I am buying a Heritage 150. I know weight is important to me as I find that the lighter ones can be more resonant and in general less weight is cool. I know about hardware and pickups. I guess I'm looking for some real good questions beyond the obvious that one could use to deduce that this is a great vs good guitar.

 

I find myself looking at 2009 models. From my preferred dealers I know to be reputable, I see virtually nothing from 2010. I am afraid that in buying a 2009 model I am buying a guitar that has been passed over many times because it was not one of the picks of the liter. If this is the case I may have to switch gears, but yeah, my preferred dealer who is an great dealer is only offering 2009's online right now, or at least these are all that are left before the 2011 models get in. Those will probably be out of my price range of around 2k.

 

So what do you guys think the best questions to ask on the phone are? What do you think about buying a 2009 Heritage that may have been on the shelf for a long time?

 

I need some insight. Please give me some good advice or info.

[LK155]

Peerless,

Having bought 2 Heritages sight unseen (and been very lucky both times), I think the most important question you can ask is:

"What is your return policy?"

[tulk1]

+1 on Kyle's advice. Plus get as many pictures as you can. You can probably get some smoking deals on old stock.

[MartyGrass]

Another route to take is to buy one from an established HOC member. I have not yet been burned.

[tbonesullivan]

I got one heritage from ebay, and one from Wolfe. Both sight unseen, but with lots of good pictures. You'll pay more buying from a dealer, but they also have a reputation to uphold, as well as things like return policies and such.

 

I haven't had any issues with either heritage, except for the H-535, which has 1 or two loose frets. Otherwise it is golden.

[mars_hall]

Seems like Brent and Guy (MM) had responses of the questions they would ask when buying guitars off of ebay etc. They would probably still apply here.

[Patrick]

If you are, as you say, adept at guitar buying . . . . then the single most important question you will need to ask and fully understand is .. . your dealer's return policy.

[koula901]

I would ask if the neck has ever been broken. I would ask what the neck profile is (if that concerns you); what kind of pickups it has, I'd ask for lots of pictures, if there are any dings and if so, a closeup of that. And, as you mentioned, the weight. Good luck!

[peerless]

I would ask if the neck has ever been broken. I would ask what the neck profile is (if that concerns you); what kind of pickups it has, I'd ask for lots of pictures, if there are any dings and if so, a closeup of that. And, as you mentioned, the weight. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I got a good deal and I can't wait to receive the guitar.

[FredZepp]

Thanks for the advice. I got a good deal and I can't wait to receive the guitar.

It's great to hear that you have one on the way. I've had great luck buying unseen... I've bought 4 that way so far and am thrilled with them all.

 

And don't worry about year of manufacture. The Heritage brand is still "under the radar" for a lot of players, and being around for a while doesn't necessarily mean anything.