Music shop distortion?

[neil2726]

Why is it that every time I go into a music shop and someones trying out a guitar, its always distortion or overdriven sounds I hear. Cant rember last time I heard a clean sound from someone trying out a guitar!

[Tone]

Hi Neil

If you want to avoid it then don't visit a music shop on Saturdays or school holidays!

Cheers.

Tony

[cockroach]

I agree- most folk immediately use distortion etc and play too loud when trying gear in music shops...

However, I have found that, these days, when I want to try a guitar through an amp,the young blokes working in music shops immediately plug me in, and adjust the amp to the "clean" channel....maybe they automatically correctly guess that, as a near-senior citizen, I want to hear what the guitar itself sounds like....

[Amanda]

Then there's where you go into a shop and someone is
attempting to play Stairway To Heaven!

Amanda

[StuartD]

Or Smoke on the Water!!

[Bluesnote]

I agree- most folk immediately use distortion etc and play too loud when trying gear in music shops...

However, I have found that, these days, when I want to try a guitar through an amp,the young blokes working in music shops immediately plug me in, and adjust the amp to the "clean" channel....maybe they automatically correctly guess that, as a near-senior citizen, I want to hear what the guitar itself sounds like....

Its maybe the Hank Marvin glasses and Geordie accent that gives you away

When you got into some shops to look at guitars at your leasure, sometimes you cant hear yourself think for the racket they make. Christ we can all crank up the volume and with full distortion play the same way, it aint hard, its all effects thats doing it. As said, you have no way of knowing if you have a good guitar or not if you dont clean up the sound a bit.

[Stratpicker]

How A propos! We are up in Manchester this weekend and made a nostagic visit on Saturday afternoon to the music shops of Manchester (YES - some of them are STILL there!!!) proved exactly that point. Guitar - distortion and Smoke On the Water - or worse a steady riff of E, A, B with lots of emphasis on the bottom two strings. How anyone can tell what the guitar actually sounds like beats me.
I wanted to try a Squier Classic Tele (butterscotch body and utterly beautiful and crying Buy Me Buy Me) but attracting the attention of the almost somnolient Assistant was impossible until I tried to get it down off the rack myself where upon he surrounded me. Then he said I'd have to wait until THE demo amp was available to try it. There were at least 4 amps in the shop in use at the time, all clashing horribly at quite decent Club volume outputs. I tried the guitar acoustically and can tell you that they feel great, nice set up etc but after 10 minutes wait with no let-up from the cacophony, 'Er Indoors got fed up and started tapping her feet. She doesnt dance, probably doesnt know the tunes that the kids were playing so I took it as not a good sign - and left.
One Sale not made!!
cheers
Ian

[stratmantd]

There were some music shops that had signs up saying "No Stairway To Heaven". It must have driven some of the staff bonkers.

[ecca]

Go to guitar shops on Monday mornings..... bliss.

[neil2726]

Bliss till Ecca gets there!