Dealers that post pictures and weights of guitars in inventory ?

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

Aside from Sweetwater, what dealers post pictures of actual inventory available for purchase on line ?

I'm sure there are others, and I have absolutely no problem with the Sweetwater guys, but I'm trying to get a better idea of what is available in Hollowbody II's ,as the degree of flame seems to vary widely from not hardly any, to "Yeah, That will work " ...

Funny how all the review guitars are really flamed well.... and I know my local Sam Ash guy will accuse me of being "difficult " ... but I'm gonna have to see the degree of flame, as its the pretty stripey as aside from the thin maple top that I'm will top pay the extra $150 bucks for ...

I mean if the flame is not happening, then the Standard comes in cool colors for less ...

 

[Tony M.]

Music Zoo on Long Island.
I'm not sure about weight but they post their actual inventory pictures.

Edit:
I just checked.
They post weight, neck dimensions etc.

 

[Nice F Holes]

I haven't seen many weights and dimensions posted, but Willcutt Guitars is a Signature PRS dealer that posts real photos of the instrument. I got my guitar there and recommend them.

 

[Malloc]

Can’t say enough good things about Brian’s Guitars and they have both.

 

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

Thanks for the feedback guys ! I will be looking at their sites as I get my "market research " together for the buy !

 

[dogrocketp]

The standard has a totally different sound from the ll. Let your ears decide, not your eyes.

 

[Wolfhound]

Wildwood do a nice job with pictures, weights and neck dimensions.

 

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

The standard has a totally different sound from the ll. Let your ears decide, not your eyes.

OK,

How would you describe the differences ? And which one is preferable (I know, a "loaded" question) ... but I'm thinking the tone of either will be killer ...

One goofy review I've read described the "2" ,as brighter ( gotta be that maple) but said turn down the tone, and you got the Standard covered ...

I'm not sure, but I do believe the Piezo sounds different than either probably because of the bridge (in electric mode) ...

 

[CarolD]

Melody Music Shop in Indiana does. They post the actual photos and weights on Reverb. I bought my SE Hollowbody II Piezo from them. Very nice to deal with. I bought the one I wanted when I was away from home and they held it for me for two weeks.

 

[Wakester]

Ish Guitars of Syracuse NY posts weights and their own pictures. All inventory is posted on their website. Most of it can be found on Reverb as well.

 

[docteurseb]

Moore Music, Wildcat Guitars, Dave's Guitars, Rainbow Guitars, Ish Guitars, Brian's Guitars, Wildwood Guitars, Willcutt Guitars, Wildwest Guitars are a 'few' that come to mind. And in most cases it's always worth calling them.

 

[Wolfhound]

Moore Music, Wildcat Guitars, Dave's Guitars, Rainbow Guitars, Ish Guitars, Brian's Guitars, Wildwood Guitars, Willcutt Guitars, Wildwest Guitars are a 'few' that come to mind. And in most cases it's always worth calling them.

Indeed. It has always been very worth my while to call Wildwood Guitars, for example!!

 

[veinbuster]

Guitar Maverick generally has a photo of the guitar on a scale.

 

[WEDGE]

Music Zoo on Long Island.
I'm not sure about weight but they post their actual inventory pictures.

Edit:
I just checked.
They post weight, neck dimensions etc.

Music Zoo is a great shop. I drove down from CT once to buy a custom shop Jackson. Mellow vibe and good people.

 

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

Guys !

Again thanks for all the info !

This will be great "market research" info as I get closer to being able to cop a Hollowbody ...

I'm most interested because the degree of "flame" in the "2 " versions seems to vary so much. It is the 2 version I am most interested in, as yes ... I am motivated by its looks as opposed to any aural differences that might exist between the 3 versions.

See, I think that any of the 3 Hollowbody models , when evaluating their "electric guitar' performance (not considering the Piezo aspect) ... will all produce more than satisfactory guitar tone. No one of them having such a great advantage ,as to compel its choice over the others. But all will be "different" ...

Like I was "advising" a guy that wanted a Hollowbody vs an S2 ... My advise was to "Buy Both " !

Maybe after living with a Hollowbody for awhile, I'll decide it needs a "wingman", and buy the style I did not buy the first time !

Or cop another S2 Thinline !

But the issue will be for my local brick & mortar salesdude, to be able to show the degree of flame in the guitar they offer before closing the deal ! See, to control costs the store wisely limits the inventory on display, but can get anything asked for, delivered to the store within a few days from their central distribution hubs.

But this is a "pig in a poke" situation, because although the SKU and model is correct, we won't know the appearance until the thing get unboxed.

Why put them through this trouble ? Well, it was actually handling the guitar in the flesh, that convinced me that I could handle the neck carve. And this was an in stock Hollowbody Standard. I feel obligated as they invest the money in inventory, and sales help, to go to them first, and even pay more ... Because without this opportunity to actually handle the instrument.....

I probably would not be interested in buying one. I'd still think the neck carve was too chunky ...

Professionally, I think that even with this personal purchase, to "pimp" the brick & mortar store for their inventory and sales help, then to cop from the cheapest on line source, is a bit unethical, and will eventually kill the opportunity to "try before you buy " in the neighborhood guitar store, chain or small proprietor.

 

[jm9239]

I buy only from high quality shops that post the weight, include pictures of the actual guitar, and do inspections and setups before the instrument ever leaves the store. If a store doesn’t do any of these three they are off my list. That said, below are my favorites:

Wildwood
Willcutt
Brian’s
Ish
Dave’s
Wild West
Eddie’s
BCR Music & Sound
Northeast Music Center
Palen Music Center
Humbucker Music
Music Emporium
Music Zoo

 

[Josh W.]

Sound4Less has pictures and weights as well and if you call they may make you a deal.

 

[Wakester]

When I picked up my SEHB2 from Ish last week, they had the guitar on a revolving pedestal when I walked into the showroom. Their shop lighting is like Museum quality and set just right to allow the buyer to see all that the wood has to show. Jesse has gone to great lengths to make sure that the customer is completely satisfied before they leave the showroom. They inspect every guitar that comes in, they redo the set up either to factory or your spec., then they re-inspect it in front of you before putting it in the case and punching the sale into the computer. They do this for every guitar, regardless of price.

EDIT: I would be willing to bet, that if you could not come into the showroom, they would do a video display of a specific guitar in their inventory. It wouldn't hurt to call and ask, if you see something you like.

 

[hord1080]

If you have a specific model in mind, I recommend going on Reverb, searching for the model you want (i.e. "PRS Hollowbody SE") and you can save the search. All of the dealers mentioned above are posting pics of the actual guitars on there often or always with actual weight and specs. It kind of acts as a repository for all the dealer inventory on a certain model, so you can compare wood grains etc and find the perfect axe. If there are none that meet your criteria and you saved the search, every day Reverb emails me updates on my searches. I usually wake up and look at that first while I sip my coffee! Of course I would call the dealer directly or go to their website once you are ready. If you are lucky enough you may live near one of these amazing shops and can play it first - the PRS website has a dealer locator.

 

[jm9239]

Sound4Less has pictures and weights as well and if you call they may make you a deal.

FWIW, I personally didn’t have the best experience when I visited Sound4Less. I felt like the sales people weren’t very knowledgeable, the pricing wasn’t competitive, and I didn’t see an area for doing setups/inspections/etc. I also felt like I wasn’t taken very seriously as a customer. It’s almost as though they wanted to sell at premium pricing to foreigners (they are located in Florida). They will not be getting my business, as I’d rather give it to the stores I mentioned above.