Guitar Buying Tips

Guitars – there are still custom guitar makers around. The video above gives you a bit of history about hand made guitars over the last 40 years. Most of us aren’t in the market for a handmade guitar. Us “regular” folks can still find good guitars at affordable prices from those manufactured by the top guitar makers.

Whether you are a beginner guitar player or an experienced guitarist…

Maybe you need to buy your first guitar, or you possibly want to buy a better guitar than the one you are using. You may be buying an additional guitar (because you need another style of guitar or are staring a collection).

No matter your reason for buying a new guitar, do your research and homework first. The best places to do this research is in guitar shops, guitar magazines and, of course, check what is available online. Through these three sources, you can compare prices and styles of guitars. You can also read many online blogs with great information about guitars and guitar lessons.

Ask guitarist friends for recommendations, look up all the information you can about guitar manufacturers, or read reviews in magazines or on the internet. If there are local music stores in your town, visit those stores and test out their guitars. Don’t worry about whether you play well, you just need to try different styles and brands to see which suits you best. Hold the guitar out straight and look down the fretboard to make sure it is not warped or bowed.

Play it first before you buy a guitar! 

When you play the guitars you are thinking of buying, the strings should not make a buzzing sound. When you try to press the strings down, check to see that they are not too far away from the fretboard.

On an electric guitar, plug it into an amp and check all the electronic parts, such as the volume and tone controls. Make sure the tone and volume controls are all working correctly. Most music stores have a salesperson that can play a guitar – have them play something on a few guitars. Better yet, bring along a friend who is a guitar player for them to give you a second opinion.

Once you have an idea of the range of prices for new guitars, figure out what your budget will be and stick to it when you actually go out to make the purchase. You need to know the current prices and information about guitar brands before you try to negotiate with the guitar store salesperson. They are there to convice you to spend money – and they could possibly persuade you to spend more than you planned to spend. 

If this is your first guitar, you probably should not consider buying your instrument in an online auction.Auctions are a poor choice for buying any musical instrument, due to the fact that you can’t play it and see how it plays and hear how it sounds. The preference of the feel of the guitar as you play it and hold it is going to vary from one individual to another. You’ll be far happier with your new guitar if you do your research, try out guitars, stick to your budget and find a guitar that feels and sounds right.