Often less expensive than a new guitar and just as ready to rock out, a secondhand guitar may be the perfect addition to your collection or the perfect thing to start you off, but how does one know that your potential purchase isnt a potential dud?
The reality is that some wonderful guitars, while pricey when new, are comparatively inexpensive secondhand. Sometimes you’ll find a custom or a restricted limited edition guitar that someone is selling quickly for the money and you can often get a serious deal if you know what you’re looking for. It really pays to do the study before thinking about purchasing a second hand guitar as some sellers will push their price up to make a profit, particularly if they know they are selling to a newb who may not know anything about guitars.
So, as a beginner who may not know much about guitars, what should you be on the lookout for inspecting a secondhand guitar?
Lets just say that you have found a secondhand guitar in the musical instrument section of the weekly classifieds and you are quite ardent to go and have a look at it. Below is a list of hints which will help you when checking the guitar and speaking to the vendor :
When speaking to the seller, ask them the following :
1. The make and model of the guitar it is best if you can perform some research on the guitar model to discover the asking price somewhere else, both new and used, and whether people are experiencing Problems with it. You can find reviews for just about any guitar submitted at www.harmony-central.com / Guitar or you can go and ask at your local music store.
2. About the condition of the guitar If theyare honest, the seller may tell you about any damage that’s undetectable on rough inspection.
3. How long they had the guitar If they have had it for a long time, they should have a good awareness of its history of use, repairs and maintenance for example. If they don’t seem to be forthcoming with that type of info, they could be attempting to pull one over you.
When checking the guitar, check the following :
1. The condition Look the guitar over and make note of any plain damage guitars often take a bit of damage and if its just tiny scrapes and scratches then the guitar will often be fine. Look for rust also, not on the strings, but on the hardware that’s holding the strings and the pickups. If there’s any rust in these places run! It’s not worthwhile. What good is a guitar that will fall apart on you in the near future? Trust me leave it alone.
2. The neck of the guitar the neck is really important. Here are some areas to have a look at :
three. Ensure that the neck is not warped or unfit in any way.
Check the area where the neck joins to the body of the guitar look for cracks where it could have been broken in the past.
In the same fashion, check the area where the neck joins the head of the guitar.
Continue reading Hints for Buying a Second Hand Guitar
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