Help deciding on new guitar | Forums

[shihdo122]

i was playing the game with an couple of cheap guitars and thought yeah sounds good on here but then plugged into an amp i found the cheapness showed itself up so sold the two cheapies and got myself a mid range jackson guitar, I find the action is low and easy to play, the .9 strings sound good and bends are really easy and sound good, the floyd rose takes a bit of setting up correctly but there are plenty of info videos to help with that. One thing I noticed is you say the guitar sounds great in the shop, make sure the shop lets you hear the guitar without any effects or processing on the amp so you get to hear the true sound, I know a couple of shops that can make a donkey sound like a top of the range gibson through the shop set up.
The choice of guitar will always depend on the music you want to play and the feel when on, try the guitar whilst standing and sitting, a great sitting guitar may be a bugger after 10-15 minutes standing up. Find out what strings work best and whether they are comfortable on the fingers and for the style you wish to play. the more guitars you try the better informed your choice will be so try a large shop which will allow you the time you need to test drive a few guitars and explain the benifits and styles for the guitars.

[WickedBadz]

Never buy a guitar new. Guitars are like cars, once they leave the lot/store they instantly devalue by a large chunk.

Really? You want to tell me why my1958 Les Paul that costs around $500 new and is worth over 15k now

Good quality guitars go up in value, poor quality guitars go down.

OP: Buy what you feel good with, it's your instrument and feel is everything, if it doesn't feel right you won't be comfortable with it.

[derek1230066]

for me it was mostly what can i afford, next came what body style do i like, and last but not least how does it feel in your hands? i have no preference on brands myself as the only two guitars i have had have been a fender squier strat and a epiphone G-400 SG. my simple suggestion is explore and see what fits best for you

[Mephit Blue]

I can't give any advice on the that Gretsch, as I have no experience. However, you can get a pretty good playing guitar in that price range. The biggest advice I can give is go into a guitar store and try out as many guitars as you can in your price range. Don't be afraid to check out some used ones if they have them as well. I would look for something where the neck and the action feels really good to you. Some things can be easily fixed or upgraded on a guitar. Putting better tuners on a guitar is dead simple and not that expensive. Better pickups cost some money and takes some soldering skill to do, but can still be done. Problems with the neck and costly to get fixed, so you want to avoid those when you get a guitar.

While it is true that a new guitar can grow in value like the previous poster's Les Paul, most guitars don't go up in value. You never know if you got one of the few guitars that will go up in value when you purchase it, it really is a matter of luck. I've got an 85 PRS that was a present from my parents in 85. We had no idea it would become a collectors item and I doubt anyone in the guitar store thought it would become one either at that time. They just new it was a good guitar.

If you are willing to look at used guitars, you can find some really nice bargains that play great. As great of a guitar the PRS is, it is probably my least favorite guitar to play out of the three I own. The other two are ones I purchased used that had some cosmetic issues, bringing the price down to where I could afford them. My favorite guitar to play is an Epiphone 58 Korina Flying V guitar I got for $320 bucks. The finish was a bit beat up by the previous owner and he had done a couple of upgrades that while improved the sound of the guitar, brought the resale value down as it no longer had that vintage Korina flying V look.

Whatever you end up getting, get the store to set it up for you and have fun playing it.

[Phalaris99504]

never buy a guitar new. Guitars are like cars, once they leave the lot/store they instantly devalue by a large chunk.

really? You want to tell me why my1958 les paul that costs around $500 new and is worth over 15k now :d

good quality guitars go up in value, poor quality guitars go down.

Op: Buy what you feel good with, it's your instrument and feel is everything, if it doesn't feel right you won't be comfortable with it.

It may be true that some guitars lose a lot of value as soon as they leave the shop. But I'm not buying a guitar because I want to resell it sometime in the future. I'm buying it because I like it, and want to play it.

And to WickedBadz. I agree. Good quality guitars go up in value. But I'm sure you didn't buy your LP to sell either. Honestly. It may be valued at $15,000 right now, but if someone walked up to you and said they wanted to buy it for that price, would you sell it? I'm guessing probably not.

Phalaris

[Dizzyg12]

Never buy a guitar new. Guitars are like cars, once they leave the lot/store they instantly devalue by a large chunk.

Thats irrelevant if the person is buying to play and learn and keep the guitar. If you value a guitar as a collectible piece of art, then you have a point. If you value it because it's an instrument that you will learn with, then you are we off base.

[Dizzyg12]

Really? You want to tell me why my1958 Les Paul that costs around $500 new and is worth over 15k now

Good quality guitars go up in value, poor quality guitars go down.

OP: Buy what you feel good with, it's your instrument and feel is everything, if it doesn't feel right you won't be comfortable with it.

Ill give you $600 for it.

[toiviservo]

Never buy a guitar new. Guitars are like cars, once they leave the lot/store they instantly devalue by a large chunk.

Telling someone who is asking for honest opinions while guitar shopping that they should only buy used is probably the worst piece of advice i have ever heard on the topic. If they want help on how to purchase a new guitar theres a good chance they could get screwed over easily on a used guitar purchase. Would the individual know how to check out the guitar for problems like fret wear? Warped neck? Etc? Suddenly what seemed like a great deal could end up being more costly to them. Id say if a newbie is interested in buying a used guitar they should buy it from a friend or reputable store. Or (and this would help no matter what youre buying from where) take a friend more knowledgeable than themselves if at all possible
Edit: forgot to mention that guitars can vary in value tremendously while looking basically identical... anyone that doesnt know what theyre looking at can get screwed on that alone regardless of condition

[Mephit Blue]

Telling someone who is asking for honest opinions while guitar shopping that they should only buy used is probably the worst piece of advice i have ever heard on the topic. If they want help on how to purchase a new guitar theres a good chance they could get screwed over easily on a used guitar purchase. Would the individual know how to check out the guitar for problems like fret wear? Warped neck? Etc? Suddenly what seemed like a great deal could end up being more costly to them. Id say if a newbie is interested in buying a used guitar they should buy it from a friend or reputable store. Or (and this would help no matter what youre buying from where) take a friend more knowledgeable than themselves if at all possible
Edit: forgot to mention that guitars can vary in value tremendously while looking basically identical... anyone that doesnt know what theyre looking at can get screwed on that alone regardless of condition

I'd think buying used can be safe if you are doing it at a reputable music store. The couple of music stores I deal with either wouldn't put a guitar with a badly warped neck on the floor or have the price marked down so low you know that there is something wrong with it. As a beginner, I would not buy a used guitar from a private seller or from a pawn shop.

If you have a friend who plays guitar, you should take them a long when you go out to buy one. They may be able to spot a gem in your price range and help you weed out the ones that are just decent.

[GuitarNub]

While a guitar may go down in price when leaving the store the first time, I don't know of any players that actually take that information directly into account. Sure, more "playable" / "desirable" guitars are going to cost more, but retain value better than others. People are saying, "this is a wise financial investment." What they are saying is, "this guitar will do well for me."

A '58 Les Paul wasn't worth 15k on any day in 58, 59, 60 when it left the store. It's only worth that today because Gibson got their act back in order in the 90's and because of a handful of hero types that use them. Given the state of the market in the 80's, it was anyone's bet that it any of the Superstrats would be ridiculously high valued items today.

Bottom line is, buy a guitar that fits your means and needs. Don't worry what it's going to be worth tomorrow because the worth isn't measured in dollars.