You've picked your instrument. Now your mission is to bring that guitar home for the lowest possible price! Note that this changes your relationship with your salesperson from teammate to adversary because his mission is to sell it to you for as much money as possible. Your mantra will be “Never pay list price.” Many people assume that if the price tag on the guitar says $599, that's the price they'll be expected to pay. This is not true — music stores expect to sell you the guitar for less than list price. Many stores show both the list price and their own price on the tag in an effort to impress you in advance with the discount you'll be getting. Whatever the price tag says, remember that your salesperson has the power to significantly reduce the price of your guitar from the list price. The trick is to get him to do that for you. To make that happen, remember these tips:

• Keep your salesperson on a need-to-know basis. If you tell him that you're in love with this guitar and have to have it right now, you've tipped your hand, and your discount will be smaller as a result.

• Keep it casual. Mention to your salesperson that you've seen a lot of nice guitars in other stores around town. Also, try out a few other guitars besides the one you've got your eye on, including some that are cheaper so your salesperson will be happy when you “gravitate” toward your beloved selection. And don't appear to be in any hurry to buy a guitar today.

• Know if the price you're being quoted includes a case. If so, ask if the case is a hard-shell case or a soft gig bag. This is a significant difference because a hard-shell case sells for around $100, and a gig bag sells for around $40, on average.

• Never, ever pay list price for a guitar! No music store today could stay in business if it sold its instruments for list price when 30-percent discounts are commonplace.