One more anecdote to back up kazinator here.

I chose to buy from Guitar Center when I made my thousand-dollar purchase. And yes, the sales staff were difficult to work with, but I kept my receipt and when, two days later, I found an obvious defect, I was able to walk back into the store and get a replacement.

I was happy to pay a little extra up front because I was able to take the instrument out and actually use it before buying. (And I was able to bring it right back two days after I bought it.) It was well worth the slight surcharge to be able to inspect it before buying.

I wonder what my "extended warranty" means after the company is out of business? I'm pretty sure it's not worth the paper it was printed on.