Guitar Buying Tips

Guitars - custom guitars are still made today. This video shows a man who makes custom guitars, and it tells some interesting history of the guitars he's made. Most of us aren't in the market for a handmade guitar. The good news is that guitar manufacturers have some good guitars at affordable prices for us "regular" folks.

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. Or, you may be wanting a different style of guitar or are just adding another instrument to a collection.

Either way, it's a good idea to do some research before buying a guitar. This research can be done by searching for information you can find on the internet, in guitar magazines, or by visiting guitar stores. With these three ways to research you can find out more about guitars' current prices and the variety of brands and styles. You can also read many online blogs with great information about guitars and guitar lessons.

Read manufacturers information about their guitars, read musician's guitar reviews, and ask friends about which guitars they like. Go test out guitars in more than one shop (if you have guitar stores in your area). Don't worry about whether you play well, you just need to try different styles and brands to see which suits you best. Look carefully at the neck and body and make sure the guitar is not warped (especially check the neck to see that it is straight, not bowed in any way).

Play it first before you buy a guitar! 

There should not be any buzzing sound when you test play a guitar you are interested in buying. Be sure that the distance of the strings from the fretboard is not too high (which makes the guitar much harder to play).

On an electric guitar, plug it into an amp and check all the electronic parts, such as the volume and tone controls. Check the pickups and the tone and volume controls. Music store salespeople may be able to play guitar - ask them to test some of the guitars for you. If you can bring a guitar playing friend along to the store, they can be a resource to test guitars and give you an objective 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.The reason I can't recommend buying through an auction is because you really should play a guitar before you buy it. 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.