Walking into a guitar store can feel like stepping into a musician’s playground—walls lined with shiny axes just waiting to be played. But before you head inside, there are a few unwritten guitar store rules that every guitarist should know.
Whether you’re a seasoned player or a beginner, avoiding these common faux pas can mean the difference between earning the respect of the store staff and becoming that guy no one wants to serve.
Here’s a crash course in guitar store etiquette so you can walk in, test the gear, and leave with your dignity intact.
1. Always Ask Before Touching
If you can reach the guitar without requiring a stool or ladder, then many stores will be fine with you grabbing instruments from the wall. Other stores require a member of staff to handle the equipment to help prevent accidental dings and breakages.
Have a look around for a sign, or err on the side of caution and ask a salesperson for help. It’ll avoid an awkward conversation when you accidentally drop that $5000 Gibson…
And, please don’t try to locate a stool or ladder yourself. If you fall and hurt yourself you could end up causing the store some serious legal issues.
2. Wear Suitable Clothing
I’ve never come across a guitar store with any type of strict dress-code. However, you do need to make sure that your clothes wont potentially damage any gear that you decide to test out.
That means no jackets or tops with exposed zips or buttons, no large belt buckles, and no jewelry that may cause scratches. Give the guitar that white glove treatment until you pull out the credit card and take it home.
3. Wash Your Hands
In a similar vein to wearing suitable clothing, it would also be respectful to clean your hands before trying out any gear.
If your hands are greasy from the McDonald’s you grabbed on the way in, or sweaty from the humidity outside, give them a quick wipe-down. No one wants to play a guitar that you’ve made feel like a sticky dive bar table…
4. Use The Soundbooth
Many stores will have a soundproof room where you can freely crank an amp as loud as you like. This will result in minimal annoyance for the other customers. Ask the salesperson if it is available. If it isn’t, please don’t interrupt the current occupant until they have finished.
If you have to test gear out in the middle of the store, try to be courteous towards the other customers and sales staff. If someone else is also trialing gear, wait for them to finish. Don’t crank the volume too high, and don’t sit there noodling away for half an hour.
5. Volume Off Before Plugging In
One of the most irritating noises in a guitar store is that horrendous popping sound that erupts from an amp when plugging in a guitar.
Show a little common courtesy and turn down the volume before you jack in!
6. Don’t Treat It Like A Private Show
Similarly, no matter what you might think, no one else in the store is silently judging your ability. There’s absolutely no need to play entire gigs when testing out gear, or to go head-to-head with the guy testing the Gretsch in the other room.
So, don’t feel like you need to bust out that crazy Animals As Leaders track you spent years mastering. Play what is necessary for you to quickly decide whether or not the gear is for you.
7. No Stairway!
As far as guitar store rules go, this one is a biggie! The old “Forbidden Riff“! Under absolutely no circumstances should you start jamming out Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’. Doing so might see you getting swiftly ejected from the premises.
Find out more about the other overplayed songs and riffs that guitar stores are sick to death of hearing people play on a daily basis. Learn what songs to avoid!
8. Bring Your Own Amp/Pedalboard
What if the guitar that sounded so amazing through the store’s amp sounds less than inspiring with your own setup when you get it home? That would suck, right?
Depending on what you are buying, consider bringing in your own guitar, amp, or pedalboard to ensure that your new purchase will gel with your personal rig. You don’t want to be that one customer who is constantly returning gear. Bring a few of your favorite picks as well!
9. Bring A Tuner
Testing a guitar that is just slightly out of tune will irritate every ear in the store! Guitars that have been hanging on a wall for weeks or longer may not still be in perfect tuning.
So, consider bringing along a little headstock tuner if you aren’t confident about doing it by ear. Of course, you’re in a guitar store, so it shouldn’t be too much of a task to find someone who can do it for you.
10. Retune Once Finished
Can you change the tuning of a guitar in the store? Of course, you can!
However, if you decide not to buy it, please be courteous and tune it back to standard tuning before returning it to the wall. The next customer most likely won’t want to be playing in some bizarre alternate tuning. You could also ruin the setup of the guitar, creating an additional job for the store tech.
11. Close The Acoustic Room Door
Some stores will have special humidity-controlled rooms for acoustic guitars, as they are more susceptible to the effects of humidity and temperature.
If these rooms have doors, make sure to close them behind you. They’re there for a reason!
12. Ask About Discounts
If you’ve seen the gear cheaper elsewhere or online, don’t be afraid to ask for a price match or discount. After all, the staff would undoubtedly rather lose a small percentage of their sales bonus than the entire thing!
Many retailers will use MAP (minimum advertised price) where the manufacturer has already set the lowest price that retailers can advertise the product for. However, this does not control the final sales price, so try your luck!
13. Get To Know The Staff
The last of our guitar store rules! Sales staff tend to be a rather sociable bunch, so feel free to try and strike up a friendship with the store employees. You’ll be in a better position to potentially score a discount or freebie, or get a little extra cash for your trade-ins.
Where I work, the sales staff will often call their best customers with insider deals and first-refusal offers. I’ve even known some staff to personally deliver gear to top customers.
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