Brendan Delumpa is a professional web engineer by day, but his alter ego is GoofyDawg, a singer/ songwriter, webmaster of GuitarGear.org, and self-styled guitar gear freak-o-maniac!
Last week, I was perusing guitars at the local shop near work. I was on a mission to check out Telecasters and Telecaster-like guitars, as I’ve been thinking about adding a Tele to my small collection of guitars. I tried several; some solid-body models, some semi-hollow. They all had great tone, and each had their own unique character. Then I longingly looked over at a G & L Comanche hanging on the rack, and thought to myself, Man, I’d just love to have one of those, but they’re out of my price range. I picked it up anyway, plugged it into an amp, and savored the sweet, rich textures that I’ve come to love with that guitar. After a few minutes, I sadly shook my head, unplugged the guitar, and started putting it back on the rack.
Then I looked at the price, and almost pissed myself. The tag read $799.00! How could that be? A basic Comanche normally sells for $1600! Did G & L guitars become so popular that they decided to drop the price? Then reason took over and I realized that G & L must’ve done the same thing PRS did: They used an overseas production company to provide high-quality, yet more affordable models. This was borne out once I called a sales guy over and he confirmed what I was thinking and said that what I just played was a Tribute Series Comanche, made from the same materials (though different hardware) as the original, but constructed in Korea.
Finally! I could get a Comanche! I’ve played several Comanches in the past, and this one looked, played and sounded like its American counterpart. I was so excited, I almost whipped out my wallet and purchased the guitar right then and there. But thankfully my reason kicked again and, after a longing sigh, I decided not to buy it on impulse. It’s a tough thing not to be impulsive when you “suffer” from a perpetual case of GAS, but in the end, and from past experience of holding back, my patience has been rewarded.
I shared that experience because I wanted to see if I could impart a bit of gear buying wisdom that I’ve learned over the years. We’ve all been through it before: You go into a shop or go online just to browse, then end up walking away with something. A lot of times, it’s a good purchase, but a lot of times you might think to yourself, “Should I really have bought it?” I hate that sinking feeling. But my pride usually takes over and I rationalize my purchase. But why go through any buyer’s remorse at all? And even if you can rationalize the purchase, usually rationalization is just a way to cover up any bad feelings or rants from the wife that you already have “too many friggin’ guitars!”
So here are some things you might consider:
The biggest challenge, but the first thing you must do is: STOP. Do not take action. Don’t reach for your wallet, and step away from the item.
Next, get the facts about the item. If it’s on sale, how long will it be on sale? Will there be other opportunities, like better prices elsewhere?
Then ask yourself: Even if I have the money, is this really what I want? Will I be satisfied with the 90% or even the 95% solution?
I have a much more thorough GAS test on my site here. It’s a really great way to help control your GAS-eous urges.
In any case, let me apply that test to the Tribute Comanche. I’ve wanted a Comanche for a long time. After I played it the first time back in 2007, I started saving for one, but as luck would have it, my finances needed to be directed to other things, and I had to defer my purchase. I’ve built up enough to buy a Tribute Comanche outright, but then the nagging question three above kick in: Is the Tribute Comanche REALLY what I want? And the answer is no. I want the locking tuners and better bridge. I want the G & L hardware. And even though the Tribute probably satisfies about 95% of what I like in the Comanche, it’s still not 100%. I’m willing to save a bit more and wait longer to get what I really want.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed