A How-To On Buying a Used Guitar

I love used guitars, I love buying used guitars. Why, because not only are used guitars like finely aged wine, in the sense that they get better with time, used guitars also represent the best value-for-money.

I’ve come across some truly fantastic deals over the years when it comes to guitars in the used aisle. I’ve come across vintage, signature, custom and limited-edition models for less than half or one-third their original price! These models would usually set you back by at least a couple grand if bought new, but can be easily picked up on the cheap when bought second-hand.

In short buying used can prove to be a fruitful venture for many different reasons – (a) it allows you to potentially score some fantastic bargains, (b) as the wood ages, the guitar’s sound becomes better, more mature, (c) used guitars are perfect for someone on a budget, (d) used guitars get better with age, (e) some old, vintage guitars might even feature wood types that no longer exist anymore – for instance older guitars with Brazilian Rosewood bodies (which is now extinct), and (f) some older guitars might even be handmade and hence better than machine-manufactured guitars.

Apart from some of the tips that should always be kept in mind when buying a guitar, here is a list of things which should be kept in consideration specifically when going for a used guitar:

1. Overall Condition: Checking the overall condition of the guitar involves an overall inspection, which includes checking the guitar for cracks in the wood, or the edges becoming unglued. Any cracks could severely compromise the guitar’s sound quality and may even require repairs. How does the guitar look? Does it look well taken care of? Is it still in good shape? How is the paintjob and how what shape is the guitar in cosmetically? A bit of wear-and-tear is okay though.

2. Neck: Visual inspection of the neck is important. A slightly-bent neck is actually okay, as the neck of the guitar is exposed to a large amount of spring tension; however it should never be a lot. Bring the guitar up to your face and line it up as if you are looking down the barrel of the gun. There should be a slight twist at around the 4^th to the 6^th frets. But overall, the neck should look straight. Also examine how the neck attaches to the body; the neck socket should be attached to the body like a rock. Speaking of the neck, check if it has a truss rod; a truss rod enables the neck to maintain its shape and straightness.

3. Frets (and the Fretboard): Check if the frets are in place, or sticking out of the fingerboard by running your fingers along the side of the neck. If even a single fret sticks out either one of the sides, it would be advisable to move on, as it would indicate that the neck may be bent. The same applies to frets that might be sticking out of their slots too much. This though is fixable – all that would be needed is a hammer.

4. Headstock: Move your attention to the headstock. Make sure the tuning keys turn freely. If the guitar uses those plastic rollers, make sure they’re in good shape, otherwise the guitar will almost certainly become out of tune easily and frequently. Not an expensive fix, as they are easily replaceable. Also check the nut for any damage or cracks.

5. Rust: Look for rust on the strings, as well as on the body and particularly the pick-ups. Even the smallest bit of rust anywhere on the guitar would make the guitar worthless. But bear in mind that it is pretty easy (if not very cheap) to replace the pickups on some electric guitars.

6. Action: Check the distance between the strings and the fretboard/neck (aka the ‘action’). The less the action (which means the closer the strings are to the neck), the better – because this makes them easier to press down and improves the playability of the guitar considerably. A guitar that has strings close to the neck all the way along, it means that it has a ‘good action’. Guitars with poor action can be fixed, if you’re willing to spend a few of your greens.

7. Play the Guitar: At the end, you would want to play the guitar to see how it sounds, or if you’re a novice player, I recommend bringing someone with along with you who can play the guitar to see how it sounds, and if it sound how it should. Bring a tuner along with you so you can tune the guitar on the spot; a guitar which struggles to get into tune easily would not be a good choice. If it’s an old guitar, there should be no buzzing sounds, and it should actually sound better, warmer than a new guitar. Play every note on every fret of each string, and pay attention to how each fret sounds individually. If it’s an electric guitar, hook it up with an amp to see how it sounds through it. A general rule: if you are in any way unhappy with how the guitar sounds, walk away.

8. Ask the Seller: Ask the seller straight-up if there’s anything that you should know about the guitar, in terms of how (and where) it was used, and about the overall condition of the guitar. An honest seller will tell you about any damage that might have gone unnoticed or one that may even be almost impossible to detect. Also ask how long the guitar’s been used, and if the guitar has underwent any repair and/or maintenance during this period. Use common sense here; if the seller seems like he’s not being honest or not giving you all the information, walk away. 

When buying your next guitar, or looking for a replacement/upgrade, I suggest looking in the used guitars aisle at your local guitar store, or look for good deals online. GuitarCenter for instance has a ton of used guitars in its inventory, as does MusiciansFriend, worth checking out for sure!

Choosing A Guitar Teacher

As a beginner guitar player, one of the decisions that you’ll have to make when you start off is whether you’d like to teach yourself, or whether you want to learn the guitar from a guitar teacher.

While it has now become easier than ever to become a self-taught guitar player – thanks to resources such as magazines, DVDs, books and above all, the internet – I almost always recommend going for a good, competent teacher, especially if you dream of becoming an accomplished and able guitar player. As infamous guitar instructor and musician Tom Hess puts it, you’ll need a teacher to teach you how to understand and apply the correct information.

Apart from this, choosing to learn the guitar from a teacher also has many other advantages. It can save you from a lot of frustration and disappointment, stuff which comes with the process of being a self-taught guitar player. Neither can these resources answer specific question you might have, tell you what exactly it is that you’re doing right and where you might be falling short, or develop and refine your technique.

A good guitar teacher will also be a helpful resource when it comes to choosing the right instrument(s).

Going under the guidance of a good guitar teacher is therefore essential.

However choosing the right guitar teacher can be as difficult a task as choosing your first guitar. For instance choosing someone who isn’t any good will adversely affect your progress, and will end up in money and time wasted.

Here is a list of important questions that you need to ask potential guitar teachers in order to be able to make a more informed decision:

1. Experience in years – the bigger, the better. Someone who, for instance, has 5 or 10 years of experience under the belt actually teaching guitar, would quite obviously be a better instructor than someone who might have a year’s experience. Experienced teachers will not only be better teachers, they will also help the student learn more, learn better and learn smart. They will be better equipped to answer questions, solve problems, and of course develop and refine your technique. It would also be a good idea at this point to ask how many students in total the instructor has taught during this time (even a ball-park figure would do, as it would give you an idea of

2. Number of students – once again, the more the better. The number of students that a guitar teacher has would be a clear indicator of how good (or not good) he is. A teacher who has a class of 30 students would certainly mean that many other students are happy at being taught by this teacher, as opposed to a teacher who is struggling to get a sizable amount of students at any one point in time.

3.  Number of long-term students – this is a tricky one. The number of students is one thing, however it won’t matter one bit if the drop-out rate very high. Because on one hand, having a large percentage of long-term students means that there is a small percentage of drop-outs; a clear indicator that the students are happy with how things are going. However it could also mean that it takes longer for the students to get to the same point with this teacher, is it would have with another one.

4. Musical background – personally, I wouldn’t read too much into this, as a LOT of good musicians and guitarists out there don’t have a musical background, or perhaps even musical education. Hence for some, this might not be a deciding-factor. However credentials might matter to some, and they would want to go for an instructor who has musical background as well as education (such as a Berklee School of Music grad).

5. Musical specialization – an important question to ask your instructor is the genre(s) of music that he or she teaches and the style(s) of music he specializes in. What you would want to stray clear of at this point is someone who claims to be proficient in all music styles - a jack-of-all-trades. Different musical styles require instructors with different skill-sets, or more specifically, instructors who specialize in different styles of music. For instance there’s a vast different in playing hard-rock than, say, playing country or jazz. Choose an instructor who has experience and is well-equipped to teach you the style of music you want to learn.

6. Payment and cancellation policies – Before signing up with a teacher, make sure you are clear on how he/she expects to be paid, through which medium and at what frequency. Also check what sort of cancellation policy they offer (how much advance notice will you need to give if you want to opt-out, any refunds, etc), in case somewhere down the road you decide against continuing. My advice would be to avoid making a long-term commitment, as it is important to be able to use the first few lessons to gauge if this indeed is the right guitar-learning environment for you.  

7. Lastly (but not certainly any less important than the others), there’s the little matter about money – this might very well be the single most important consideration for many out there, as private lessons (online or otherwise) usually cost quite a bit. At the end of the day, it is your hard-earned cash that we are talking about, so make sure that you get the best bang-for-the-buck here. For instance paying more than usual for someone who is an accomplished name and an able instructor is totally justified, but common sense dictates that you wouldn’t want to pay an exorbitant amount of money for someone who’s relatively inexperienced.

Don’t be afraid, shy or hesitant to ask these questions. Remember that this is your hard-earned money that we’re talking about here, and that gives you the right to ask questions.

Plus not to forget the fact that making an informed decision at this point is the stepping stone for you to become a better guitar player.

Hit the yellow pages or check on Craigslist to find good guitar teachers in your area. Alternatively, you could sign up for an online guitar course, such as JamPlay.com, who offer tons of different guitar lessons, as well as live sessions with their instructors.

Choosing a Guitar: Guitar-Type, Cost and Sound Considerations

Whether you’re someone who’s planning on making his first guitar purchase, or a seasoned pro who’s might be looking for an upgrade, buying a guitar can be a lot of fun. However it is important to make the right purchase – something that can be pretty difficult. Buying a guitar can be a daunting prospect for someone buying his very first axe.

In order to make a smart purchase, there are certain factors which need to be kept in consideration:

1. Acoustic vs Electric – One of the first decisions that you’ll be required to make when buying a guitar is choosing between an acoustic and an electric guitar.

Personally, I recommend that new guitar players or newbies start off with an acoustic six-stringer – because acoustic guitar is a bit harder to get use and generally play. The reason behind is simply the fact that steel-stringed acoustic guitar are tougher to hold down, and have a much higher action than electric ones.

Therefore, it is always recommended to start off with the tougher instrument, as it conditions your fingers and your muscles in the long run. Ultimately, when you do decide to switch to an electric, you’ll have a relatively easier time doing so.

Acoustic guitars also produce their own sound, and can be used as stand-alone musical instruments – unlike electric guitars which need to be hooked up with amplifiers and remain close to an electric source. This makes acoustics more portable and gives you the ability to be able to carry them easily and play them any time or anywhere.

Good acoustic guitars include those made by Yamaha (my personal favorite), but you can’t go wrong with a Martin, Takamine, Seagul, Gibson or an Ovation acoustic guitar.

If you are looking to upgrade to an electric, make sure that you pair it up with a good amplifier and maybe even an effects processor. The best, most expensive electric guitar won’t sound any good if it’s hooked up to a cheap amp. Make sure that you have a budget that’s big enough to fit in a good electric guitar and an equally good amp.

Some of the best electric guitars are made by well-known companies like Fender, Ibanez, Jackson and Gibson. Similarly, amps made by Peavey are quite popular and work very well. You can easily pick any one of these up online on stores such as GuitarCenter.

As a newbie, I recommend trusting your instincts when choosing your first guitar, and buy a guitar that sounds the best, because you can always upgrade to something better later on.

2. Never Buy Cheap – Personally, as someone who’s been in the business for a good number of years, and has come across his fair share of guitars, I almost always discourage compromising on the cost, and ending up with something that’s cheap or non-branded.

Because as you’ll soon find out, it is always better to buy a good, branded instrument that sounds good and feels good when playing. A cheap axe might look like a good deal at first – and who knows, you might even get lucky when buying cheap and land a real bargain or a fixer-upper – however in most cases, the guitarist almost always ends up regretting it.

This is due to the simple fact that if a guitar doesn’t play well, sound well or feel well (which cheap guitar almost always don’t), you won’t really play it a lot, would you?

Most of the people end up buying cheap because they’re unsure if they’ll stick with playing the guitar in the long run or not, because if they don’t, that’s money wasted. However that is the wrong approach to take. What if you DO decide to stick with it? What happens then? You’ll be stuck with a cheap guitar that plays bad and sounds worse!

Remember that nay guitar that you buy can be easily sold on Amazon or eBay (or anywhere online) with a minimal loss on investment – if you do decide guitar is not your thing. With a cheap acoustic guitar, expect to sell it for a lot less than what you paid for it.

If budget’s an issue, go for something like a Squier Stratocaster or an Epiphone Les Paul. Both of these are budget-line products, and provide just about the same sound, feel and look as their more expensive counterparts (namely the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul). So in the end, you get more for less!

My advice: go for a cheap branded guitar that fits in your budget.

3. Sound – Last but most certainly not the least, sound is one of the most important considerations when it comes to choosing a guitar.

Different guitars produce different sounds. For instance acoustics and electrics produce totally different sounds. Furthermore, even though all electric guitars are produced from wood, they can end up sounding very different – which depends on the type of wood used to construct the body of the guitar.

Different wood types produce different sounds, so make sure you do your research by asking a friend, getting help from the salesperson and reading up online.

Electric guitars, on the other hand, can produce just about any kind of sound as you’d like them to. For this purpose, it is necessary to pair them up with a powerful effects processor (commonly referred to as an effects pedal).

As mentioned before, electric guitars, unlike acoustics, don’t produce any sound of their own – something to be kept in mind before making the purchase. This is due to the fact the electric guitars are solid-body instruments, that use a set of electronics and electromagnets to produce sound, which is then processed and sent out through the amp. Acoustics, on the other hand, are hollow-body guitars; their body acts as a chamber, through which the sound is produced as a result of string vibration.

Even then, the sound varies when it comes to different electric guitars and electric guitar brands – especially in terms of the genre of music you intend on playing. For instance, it is widely accepted that Gibson’s Les Paul produces a thick, distorted sound that is more suitable for ‘heavier’ music such as the rock and metal genres. Conversely, a Fender Strat is a much more versatile guitar that is known for producing a sharper sound – suitable for genres such as country, jazz, rock and blues, among others.

Additional Read: here are some great guitar buying tips, courtesy our friends over at LearnGuitar.org.