How to buy a Used guitar like a pro
Congratulations! if you’re reading this it means that you’re currently in the market for a used guitar, It should be fun and exciting but in today’s market theres so much crappy gear and misinformation it’s getting hard to know what you should be looking for. Well folks I’m sick and tired of responding to all your DMs so heres my Buyers guide.
This guide is meant to help you understand what you should be looking for and potentially Help you negotiate a better deal. This applies to Online purchases as well, once you RECEIVE the instrument just follow the same steps and then decide if you should keep the instrument or not. lastly, Never buy a guitar because it has a built in tuner in it. #dasit
Helpful Lingo
Action- The distance between the strings and the fretboard
Feel- Comfort, aka the setup
Setup- a series of adjustments that ensure proper playability and helps keep your instrument in good health
Fret sprout- condition where the ends of the frets stick out from the edges of the fingerboard. Super uncomfortable.
Nitro- stands for nitrocellulose and its environmentally unfriendly but super sought after. Most Vintage gear has this.
Poly- polyester or polyurethane finish that you see on most newer instruments, If its made overseas it probably has this. ALSO, WONT RELIC EVER! Don’t even try, It always looks like amateur shit.
ACOUSTIC STUFF:
Laminate Top- thin layers of wood glued together. Found in lower priced guitars and not necessarily bad
Veneer Top- thin layers of wood that are only 1 or 2mm thick. They're paper thin and are strictly for aesthetic purposes. Think of it as a sticker that makes your guitar look expensive. I.e. Epiphones, Schecters and other overseas stuff use this.
Pickups Stuff:
Passive- means the pickups and has no electronics in it, No built-in amplification circuitry sensitive to feedback when pushed hard. Can be noisy.
Active- Built-in amplification circuitry, less susceptible to electrical interference compared to passive pickups. Requires additional power, generally by 9-volt battery.
Tools to Use
1. Tuner
2. Feeler Gauge
3. Allen Wrenches/Truss Rod Wrenches
4. Mirror and Flashlight
5. Screw drivers
6. Volt Meter
7. A good sober set of eyes.
Step 1: Tune and Play it
First thing you should do is tune it up to pitch, we wanna make sure the neck has proper tension for measurement purposes. Now a days, a lot of sellers tend to detune instruments before shipping because they think it’s safer. This is half true but thats a whole discussion on its own. Its also a good way to make sure the tuners work smoothly and proper.
Your time to shine! Just don’t play ‘wonderwall’ and call it a day, play it up the neck, play all your favorite licks. We’re looking for feel (Comfort) and listening for dead spots or buzzy notes which may be a sign of high or uneven frets.
Step 2: All about the Neck, Frets and Nut
Sight the neck- looking from the nut towards the bridge and using the string as a reference you wanna compare the angle of the neck to the string. Sighting your neck will give you a quick idea of how much relief is in your neck. Your neck needs at least a slight amount of relief so that the strings don't buzz against the frets.
Frets:
Look for divets, flat or sharp fret ends (some call it fret spout). Could mean shrinking fretboard and easily fixable but ask for a better price.
High frets- If the guitar frets out in certain spots it might need a fret level. Totally normal on used guitars.
On cheap guitars- frets ends will literally be sticking out where you can actually push down on the fret ends. Avoid guitar or negotiate.
Nut:
Check the quality- look for cracks or prior fills.
Check Nut height- Using your feeler gauge measure the height at the first fret. There should be at least .017 on there. If there is only 1 or 2 cents off you might still be alright.
If only 1 or 2 nut slots are too low you’re still alright but if more than 3 then it’ll need a new nut as well.
You know the drill, NEGOTIATE!
Step 3: Truss Rod
if there’s an issue with the truss rod it’s going to be a tough and expensive road ahead (assuming its fixable). Make sure it’s working! ALWAYS CHECK AND ADJUST BEFORE BUYING!!!
Tip: (righty tighty & lefty loosey)
If its a Fender style bolt-on and the only way to adjust the neck is to take it off then go ahead and do so or ask the seller to do it for you. These are designed to do this and it’s totally fine.
Tip: you don’t have to remove the strings completely, just loosen the strings and capo at the first fret. The capo acts as a clamp.
Check for shims underneath the neck and for now leave them in the same place.
Step 4: Structure and Integrity
Structure/Body- We’re Looking for cracks, dings and old repairs. If its an acoustic use a mirror to look inside for lose braces
Joints- Look at joints like where the neck meets the body, the headstock etc. Look for cracks and separation
Headstock integrity- look for old headstock repairs (especially on a Les Paul) be wary of dark finishes that don’t match the original color. Usually a sign of a repair. If possible, ask them to run a black light to see any hidden repairs.
Step 5: Hardware and Electronics
Electronic stuff:
Plug it in to an Amp
Try all pickup positions, make sure everything is working fine. If its a Jazzmaster its got like 10 million switches so don’t be lazy and check em all.
Listen for dirty pots and noisy switches. No biggie if there’s some noise, a quick little electronic cleaner spray usually does the trick. If it doesn’t go away after a dab of cleaner it might need that part replaced.
Shake the cable by the output jack, listen for Intermittent signal (cuts in and out).
Volt Meter:
I highly recommend that on all Vintage Gear you test the output of the pickups. This is the best way to get the exact output for each pickup and to catch a weak and dying pickup. Magnets either die or lose their magnetism and wires sometimes do break
Hardware:
Look for Loose Knobs or rattly hardware
Literally shake the instrument, listen for hardware rattle (please dont drop it!)
For Vintage Guitars- On Vintage Gear, always have them confirm the pickups are original by taking them out of the guitar. This is a pain in the ass so its usually customary on more expensive gear. So if its an 1993 epiphone its probably not important. I’ve had a few clients buy vintage guitars with unoriginal pickups and completely devalued the instruments. Its not always malicious either, sometimes it happened during the life of that instrument and no one ever cared.
Finally, Original Documentation
As a final note If you’re buying a ‘Custom Shop’ anything please make sure they include all the original certificates. It’ll cost you to have the manufacture certify the instrument and send you new ones and its not cheap either. When possible, check the serial number with the manufacturer. There’s a few good sites online that are pretty damn accurate that can be helpful as well.
Reverb is killing it with all the free resources they offer!
Gibson- https://reverb.com/news/how-to-date-a-gibson-using-serial-numbers-fons-and-logos
Fender- https://reverb.com/news/how-to-date-a-fender
FINAL THOUGHTS, ALWAYS BUY FROM A REPUTABLE SELLER LIKE REVERB.COM, GUITAR CENTER OR A GOOD LOCAL SHOP AND JUST MAKE SURE THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF RETURN POLICY. IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY FROM CRAIGSLIST I’D RECOMMEND USING PAYPAL JUST TO COVER YOUR BUTT INCASE SOMETHING GOES WRONG. ALSO, FOR THOSE THAT WANNA DIG IN A LITTLE MORE INTO LEARNING THE INNER WORKINGS OF A GUITAR I DO HAVE A FREE SETUP GUIDE HERE. FEEL FREE TO SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE. GOOD LUCK AND HOPE YOU FIND A KILLER DEAL!