How To Buy A Used Guitar

Buying used guitars can be frustrating or rewarding. You can find good deals, or buy an instrument only to discover it has major flaws. This is an article to guide you through what to look for and ideas of where to look for a used guitar

I have purchased lots of used guitars over the years and in looking at instruments walked away without buying about 50% of the time.

For starters, you should NEVER should buy a used guitar from ebay. You need to see the instrument first. I know of a man who purchased a Rameriz Guitar, which is one of the most expensive out there, only to discover the neck was warped and it will never play in tune!

Here is a list of places that are good to check out?

1. Garage Sales
2. Flee Markets
3. Classified Ads in Major Papers
4. Craig’s List – craigslist.com
5. Recycler.com
6. Ads in local papers in your area.
7. Local Music Stores

If you haven’t played the guitar before or have only played for a short time. I recommend getting the help of a guitar-playing friend. It’s also good to visit music stores to get an idea of the current prices for new guitars and get an idea of the type of guitar you would like to buy.

Here are some things to check when you are looking at a guitar.

1. How is the overall condition? Is it cracked? A few dings are OK, but major cracks in the wood may be a problem.
2. Is the guitar neck badly warped? You can look down the side of the neck, like a billiard stick. Try pressing down the 6^th string simultaneously at the 1st and 19^th frets. A tiny gap is OK, but if you see 1/4” space or more between the neck and strings, don’t buy it.
3. Check the bridge. The bride is the piece of wood that the strings attach to and is located next to the sound hole. To check it, take a business card and try to slide it under the bridge. If you can slide you card under it, then it could pop off soon. That will cost you $80 to $150 to fix.
4. Check the frets. Play each note of the guitar on every string to see if there are any buzzes.
5. Check the guitar bracing. Tap the top of the instrument and if the bracing is loose you will hear a sound like a snare drum. It’s expensive to repair.
6. Check the heel. The heel is located on the back of the guitar and usually connects the body and neck of the guitar. Is the neck still connected to the body? It can cost anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars to fix
7. Do you enjoy playing the instrument? Every guitar sounds different and you should buy one that is easy for you to play and has a sound quality that you like.

Don’t forget to look at the music stores. They often sell used instruments or may have good prices on new instruments.

Happy shopping!

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