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Tips for Buying a Guitar
Suggestions from guitarist Dale Reagan
General Suggestions for Purchasing a Guitar
some things to consider...
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start with what you can afford (duh!) Sounds familiar, yes? While champagne taste is nice when you can afford it you need to let reason reign when you approach acquiring that first guitar... Your budget and the intended use for the guitar should be your most significant guiding factors since they will determine what price ranges you need to look for.
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if you have a Guitar Teacher/Instructor/Mentor then ask for their help! Most likely they have been working with instruments for quite some time and can provide a good bit of reason to the process
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there is nothing 'wrong' with a factory guitar! The quality and craftsmanship of many factory built guitars will meet the needs of most players at the beginning levels; I have two such guitars one of which I use when traveling and the other is used for in-house 'sharing'.
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there is nothing wrong with buying a guitar online as long as you are dealing with a reputable company. In many cases it is not possible for you to have a hands on experience before making a purchase. For lower priced instruments this approach may not be as acceptable as when working with a remote company that handles higher end instruments...
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play as many guitars as possible before making that purchase! You need to experience as many different builders work in order to measure the instrument that you actually purchase.
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unless you live in a large metropolitan it is unlikely that you will have a guitar shop or music store nearby that carries the full range of quality, craftsmanship and price ranges of instruments that are available. Shops with an online web site can help guide your search.
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Attend music festivals that include instrument makers; they love to have folks try out their instruments (provided that you do so in a responsible manner!)
What to Look For when Buying a Guitar
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does the guitar feel right? Too heavy? Too Light? Is the shape awkward?
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do your fingers fit on the fingerboard? Is the fingerboard too small? Is the fingerboard too wide?
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how does the guitar sound? Does the sound fill the room? Can you feel the sound? Is the sound too bright? Is the sound too dark?
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does the guitar look well made? Are all of the joints connecting pieces smooth or do they look rough? Are there any loose parts?
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how well do the string connected components work? Are the tuners easy to work? Do the tuners slip?
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what is the general condition of the guitar? Is it being displayed with old strings? Is it clean?
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if you really admire the work of a particular guitar builder then contact them - they will custom build an instrument for you including: a custom fret board, custom wood selections (combine different woods for side, back, soundboard, etc.) custom inlays, custom tuners, and pretty much anything you want (I have even seen really fine guitars with art work painted on the instrument...)
What about guitar strings?
Each brand of guitar string seems to be targeted to a particular type of sound - keep this in mind since the type of string on the guitar that you are trying out will impact the sound significantly. Also make note of the condition of strings on any guitar that you try - old strings will make any guitar sound 'bad' and new ones can significantly 'improve' the sound as well. Some builders prefer a specific brand of string on their guitars - ask them and I am sure you will get feedback about string brands and types that are best suited for their instruments. While I have settled on a particular brand I still experiment with new brands when they come out - at this time I use one brand for bass strings and another for trebles; I encourage you to try different combinations. I think that you will find that deciding on the right string set balance for each guitar may be a bit different (whether mixing brands or styles within brands; i.e. some brands offer both 'high' and 'low' tension strings - there is a difference in sound as well as overall string performance.)
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