Epiphone es339

Irony

Playing with the idea of getting this guitar(beginner) & wondered if I buy new, on-line, if they are already set-up or do I get that done as an extra. If you guys know of a good/bad on-line shop I'd be grateful of your input.
Thomann £279
Anertons £299 + gig bag
rest same £299
None mention set-up/string brand.
Thanks

£$&*"($£&(

It will come with the factory set up. If you don't like it you'll have to adjust it yourself or take it to a guitar shop to get it done. The main thing that might need doing is the action/string height above the fretboard but that's usually a matter of personal taste.

A._Badger

Buy it from Andertons. If anything goes wrong with Thomann you will have to argue with a company in Germany.

Factory set-ups are not reliable - especially on Chinese-made instruments which are then shipped to depots in Europe, next to a retailer's warehouse and finally to you, the customer in yet another country. Stringed instruments are always under stress and being subject to that amount of humidity, and temperature change plus handling means they can, and frequently do, 'move'.

A decent retailer will check and adjust this before sending out an instrument and if he doesn't it's a lot easier to complain to someone in your own country.

Hope that helps.

Irony

Thanks guys. I thought Thomann would have a dispatch warehouse over here:o. I will make sure I buy from this country, at least it can be returned/remedied easier.
Just to make it clear, this is a guitar we're on about.

InsertWittyName

I bought an Epiphone Les Paul from Andertons about two weeks ago. The guitar was fully setup (and pretty much still in tune!)

They were great, even phoning me to let me know exactly when it would be delivered.

It was packaged very well, I'd recommend them.

one-non-blonde

Do you not have a guitar shop anywhere near you? I think developing a relationship with your local one is priceless in terms of support/advice, convenience or just going in to hang out or try different models -actually handling an instrument before committing to buy can save a lot of time and hassle! They also usually buy and sell second hand guitars so you can trade them in as you improve or decide your current one doesn't suit your playing style.

In terms of online sellers, we've used GuitarGuitar who have a few stores around the country and very good customer service. For strings we tend to use Astrings as they sometimes have really good offers and again, excellent customer service.

We bought an Epiphone Casino online a few years ago but it wasn't made clear that it would be shipped from China - although it arrived quickly, we were stung on import duty.

OurTommy

I've bought loads fo gear from Thomann over the last few years and its all been spot on in terms of service and quality.

Also, they are one of the cheapest places around to buy from if you are buying anything that comes with free delivery.

Irony

Unfortunately Andertons use City Link for deliveries. Looks like I should have ordered from Thomann, still might as I may have to cancel that order.