Public Service Announcement- How to Evaluate a guitar before buying

[onewilyfool]

I just went and saw a guitar that was advertised on Craigslist as "MINT"......lol......By going through this list, it was quite clear that is was NOT mint. Thought I'd post this as a new thread so we can get some good advice added to my list:

 

Here's a few things I do, when GAS attacks happens and I'm thinking of buying a new guitar:

 

1. Bring along your favorite guitar to compare to all potential purchases. If the potential guitar is not as good as the one you own, why get it.

 

2. Bring along a friend to play the guitar TOWARDS you....so you can hear it's projection. Then you play it towards your friend, and get an unbiased (non-saleman) opinion on the sound of the guitar.

 

3. If the guitar is not a 10 out of 10, don't buy it. (my personal GAS rev limiter)

 

4. Try several models of the guitar you want (at other stores, or from the same store, they often have some in back, although they don't want to bring them out until the previous model sells.) All D-28's are NOT created equal.

 

5. If you find a guitar that you like, play it for at least 1/2 hour. This lets it 'warm up' and you can hear the full potential of the guitar before buying.

 

6. Do not let your mind play these tricks on you with 'future-ing' about what the guitar WILL sound like.....

a. This guitar will sound MUCH better with new strings, or Phosphor Bronze strings, or anything like, new nut, new bone saddle. The guitar should sound GOOD period. If not, hoping for improvement is NOT a good reason to get a guitar.

b. When this guitar ages 15 years, it will really sound GOOD!!! While guitars do tend to improve over time (marginally) hoping a guitar will be good in the future is just the mind playing tricks on you. IF a guitar sounds like crap now, it will sound like aged crap in 15 years.

 

7. If you can, bring an electronic tuner so you can easily tune up the guitar (and see if it STAYS in tune) AND check intonation. A guitar with bad intonation is HARD to fix (you can only do so much with compensated nuts and saddles) I have personally seen a new $2.5K guitar at GC with an incorrect scale length!!! I pointed this out to the sales man, and it was still on the wall when I went back 3 weeks later!!!) .

 

8. Do a quick check on setup. Hold down the E string on the first fret and the 14th fret. About halfway between those two points the space between the bottom of the string and the top of the 7th fret should be enough for a playing card to slip in. If it is greater, you will probably need a setup (adding cost to the guitar) and if it is less or touching, you will probably get some buzzing on some of the frets. Maximum action should be 3/32" from bottom of E strings to top of 12th fret. You should have at LEAST 1/8" of saddle showing above the bridge. High action and low saddle almost always mean neck reset. I have seen name brand new guitars at Guitar Center, that need neck resets already, so it is not that uncommon.

 

9. Play each string, from fret 1 to the sounhole and see if there is any buzzing on any of the frets. Buzzing can mean as little as a tweak of the truss rod, to major planing of frets to make the guitar sound good. So this adds to your purchase price.

 

10.Site down the neck. If the neck is bowed up or down, usually this can be adjusted with the neck rod. HOWEVER, if it is over 1 /16" beware. Make sure the store tech adjusts the neck AND that there is more room for adjustment. Beware of this situation. IF the saddle is high on one side and narrow on the other, this is often done to fudge for a twisted neck. Siting down the neck you can see this but if the action is correct and the saddle is lopsided, this could be a problem. I have seen this on one and two year old guitars. A twisted neck is VERY hard to fix. You might get someone to try to STEAM the neck straight (minimal success) or plane the fretboard to compensate (not ideal) or remove the fretboard and try to straighten the neck by regluing, or finally, a new neck. All very expensive alternatives. Best to pass on this type of guitar.

 

I hope this helps. Please add to this list with your own words of advice and words of wisdom.....

[drathbun]

Good list OWF!

 

If I were going to shell out big cash for a guitar from a dealer/store, I'd have them replace the strings for me if they are, as they usually are, dead as doornails. THEN play it for 1/2 and hour or more. The strings on Martins and Gibsons are notoriously cruddy. Taylors and Larrivees not so much.

[zombywoof]

Having someone play the guitar while you sit in front of it and listen is a must. Took me alot of years to figure out that is why my guitars always seem to sound better when they are played by somebody else. On the other hand, I do not really care about anyone else's opinion so I ain't gonna ask.

 

For me a biggie is how well I can fret bass notes with my thumb. This is not as much an issue of neck profile as it is string spacing. Some guitars have more space between the E string and the edge of the neck which means if I choose that guitar it will be going in for a new nut and saddle almost immediately. It ain't a deal breaker but something I consider.

 

I also look at the grain in the top wood. If I am going to spend some serious bucks on a spruce top guitar, I want to see grain that is straight and even and not widely spaced or exhibiting run out.

[onewilyfool]

Having someone play the guitar while you sit in front of it and listen is a must. Took me alot of years to figure out that is why my guitars always seem to sound better when they are played by somebody else. On the other hand' date=' I do not really care about anyone else's opinion so I ain't gonna ask.

 

For me a biggie is how well I can fret bass notes with my thumb. This is not as much an issue of neck profile as it is string spacing. Some guitars have more space between the E string and the edge of the neck which means if I choose that guitar it will be going in for a new nut and saddle almost immediately. It ain't a deal breaker but something I consider.

 

I also look at the grain in the top wood. If I am going to spend some serious bucks on a spruce top guitar, I want to see grain that is straight and even and not widely spaced or exhibiting run out.

 

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I'm with Zomby on this one......some guitars I've played also have the "E" strings slip off the fretboard too easily. This can mean the spacing on the nut is too wide for the fretboard, OR the edge of the fretboard has been "Rounded" to accomodate someone's playing style. But that doesn't work for me. As Zomby said, nut change is easy, the fretboard "rounding" is not that easy to fix....