Used Guitars?

[NewKid]

I've been wanting a guitar for awhile now but haven't had any funds for it, but now I'm starting to get some more expendable income in and am looking into them again. So, for you guitar nuts, just a few questions:

I'm a complete beginner, any type/brand that you would recommend?

What's the average price for a decent used guitar (as I am looking to go the cheap route for now)?

When looking at a used guitar, anything major I should be looking for?

Obviously I'm talking about some sort of acoustic guitar until an electric falls into my lap. I've been looking into it a bit, but would like to hear some opinions from the great minds of SVTP.

Thanks in advance. :rockon:

Oh, and for kicks, post yours up!

 

[thomas91169]

hell, i dunno what price range you are looking for, but i found a Yamaha electric (pretty much like a cheapie Fender) for $100 at GuitarCenter, brand new. Problem with an acoustic is if you live with others, they have to hear you learn how to play, and its usually a horrible experience. An electric that isnt hooked to an amp still makes sound by itself, you can play it as hard as you want, and unless someone is standing at your door, they wont be bothered by it.

Then once you get into it and figure out if you want to still pursue it, get a nice acoustic (i have an Epiphone) or hollow body electric (Ibanez Artcore for me) that sounds great both plugged in or not.

Alot of people go all out and realize they dont even like playing, and then waste their money. Its good you are doing it the right way.

Craigslist.com always has used instruments for uber cheap.

 

[PureStang]

My first guitar was a Fender Stratocaster knock off. bought it and the amp for $125. best 125 invested lol.

my roommate has 2 really nice Ibanez electric guitars and 1 Dean Acoustic that i use.

i also have a really really nice Ibanez bass guitar. though playing guitar/bass is fun...i really like drums the most. when im mad i just pound shit lol

 

[Njc0las]

Anything man. My favorite acoustic is from 1969 and was given to me for free. It's so easy to find a guitar for dirt cheap or free. My advice is if you like how it plays, get it. If you do a search, you'll see that this has been discussed a million times on here already.

 

[NewKid]

Thanks for the responses guys!:beer:

hell, i dunno what price range you are looking for, but i found a Yamaha electric (pretty much like a cheapie Fender) for $100 at GuitarCenter, brand new. Problem with an acoustic is if you live with others, they have to hear you learn how to play, and its usually a horrible experience. An electric that isnt hooked to an amp still makes sound by itself, you can play it as hard as you want, and unless someone is standing at your door, they wont be bothered by it.

Then once you get into it and figure out if you want to still pursue it, get a nice acoustic (i have an Epiphone) or hollow body electric (Ibanez Artcore for me) that sounds great both plugged in or not.

Alot of people go all out and realize they dont even like playing, and then waste their money. Its good you are doing it the right way.

Craigslist.com always has used instruments for uber cheap.

Hahaha, yeah I have 2 roomies, and did think about them hearing it. Some sound advice though; I didn't realize you could get some so cheap. Thanks.

My first guitar was a Fender Stratocaster knock off. bought it and the amp for $125. best 125 invested lol.

my roommate has 2 really nice Ibanez electric guitars and 1 Dean Acoustic that i use.

i also have a really really nice Ibanez bass guitar. though playing guitar/bass is fun...i really like drums the most. when im mad i just pound shit lol

I was thinking about throwing around $100-$200 at this, and from what you guys are saying, that's a perfect amount of money for a beginner.

I WISH I had a drum set!

Anything man. My favorite acoustic is from 1969 and was given to me for free. It's so easy to find a guitar for dirt cheap or free. My advice is if you like how it plays, get it. If you do a search, you'll see that this has been discussed a million times on here already.

Hmmmm, nub moment. I didn't bother searching because I hadn't seen it before. I shall search then!

 

[gt90_hatch]

Go to youtube type in cheap guitar there is a good video on what to check for i tried to post it but it would not let me.

 

[HYBRED]

I got a cheap Fender and amp for my bro for $100 used off my hometown forum, he loves the guitar but is at the point where he should probably upgrade the amp. I'd say check pawn shops and Craigslist.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Ibanez Blazer re-issue. They can be gotten on the cheap (as in 200 bucks or less), are not to hard to find, and play great. The sound from them is only so-so, as they tried to get to many different sounds from one guitar (you know, jack of all trades, master of none) but the neck feels fantastic and the action is very nice if setup properly. I just picked up a 97 blazer BL1025 for 200 dollars from a friend, but there were two of them on ebay at the same time for a similar price.

Then go spend 25 bucks or so on a headphone jack for the guitar, and your in business. You'll be able to hear yourself loud and clear, but anyone farther than 10 feet away won't even know you are practicing. Plus, you'll get started with a guitar that plays easy, and sounds fairly decent.

 

[prs97]

I'd recommend going to a Guitar Center or a place like that with someone who plays and try a few of them out.

Hopefully you'll find one that's comfortable to start with and maybe pick up a starter book and then after that, you can develop GAS like some of us.

Gear
Acquisition
Syndrome.

I'm up to 10 or 11 of them now...

Good luck and have fun

 

[CosworthRS]

Ibanez makes a beginner pack that comes with an amp. I got it when I was a kid. It pretty inexpensive, and a decent guitar. I always found that buying cheaper is better for beginning. Do you really know its something you are going to fully enjoy?

I have 3 guitars, and I've started slacking on playing them due to too much work. Only buy expensive if its something you know you will be doing for a long long time.

 

[FISHTAIL]

One of the reasons I like the blazer is because of what cosworthRS just said. I've been playing on and off since 92 (mostly off) due to work/school/whatever. I just recently started back up in earnest, and I plan on sticking with it this time. Anyway, the re-issued blazer 1025 model was originally a 1000 dollar guitar that can now be had for the 200 dollar range. So you get the feel of a good instrument, without paying the price for one.

You can get some brand new in-expensive guitars that play very well (the ESP LTD series comes to mind), but if you do go new, try to find one with a fixed bridge on it. Anything in the 200 dollar range with a tremelo on it will basically go instantly out of tune as soon as you use it. Besides, when you are first learning you'll never use the trem anyway, so you might as well get something that puts the dollars saved into something else (like the pickups).

No matter what you do, try to get something that you like the look/feel/and sound of as much as possible. The more you like it, the more likely you are to want to play it.

 

[ThrottleJunkie]

There's beginner packs that you can get for a reasonable amount. Guitar, amp, gig bag, input cable, picks, strings, etc. Not sure what they go for but that would be a pretty safe route to go. I got a Peavey kit when I first started.

 

[Mayo5]

I'm going to go ahead and be the opposition. Do not buy those pre-packaged stuff. They sound horrible, and if you do not like the guitar after trying it out for a while, then their resell is even worse than the product.

I would try to borrow a guitar if I was you, and sit down and learn the basics and see how you feel about that. If you are enjoying it and legitmately want to get better, then buy a decent low-midrange guitar. For acoustics you can find some awesome deals for 300-800 dollar range. My favorite guitar and one of the best acoustics I've ever played is my 1969 Yamaha. I picked it up inside that range, and it blows away guitars that cost three times as much as this.(Alot of people makes these kind of statements, but it honestly does for fingerpicking.)

Now Electrics can be a whole different ball game. I found out the hard way, but buy a good amp and lessor guitar if you do not have the money. You can buy a 5,000$ guitar and play it through a 500$ solid state amp, and it will still sound like crap and it will sound like a 500$ guitar.

I'd suggest looking into a cheap solid state amp for the first time user, or maybe a micro tube amp. You can find these for 200-800 in that broad range, depending on components and the company/person that makes it.

Make sure to play any guitar before you buy it. Every guitar is different and they will all "fit" you differently. You play better and longer when you are using a guitar that feels comfortable to you.

Good luck, it's alot of fun and an amazing stress relief.

And as someone else already mentioned, welcome to the world of GAS.

 

[oxw01svt]

I would agree to try and borrow someones guitar first. Also some people might disagree with me on this one but for a beginner i would recommend getting an electric guitar. They tend to be easier to bar chords, bend notes, and they're easier to setup for most people. The other plus is unless its a semi hollow or jazz box an electric can be used with head phones and really only you will hear the guitar. And if you do go to somewhere like guitar center and try out a guitar on the wall make sure that you get the one from the wall you played. If they bring a guitar out from the back i promise you it will feel different. Im lucky enough to work for a jazz guitar company and sometimes i play over 30 of the same model and i can tell you that everyone has a little something different to offer.

 

[Mayo5]

I would agree to try and borrow someones guitar first. Also some people might disagree with me on this one but for a beginner i would recommend getting an electric guitar. They tend to be easier to bar chords, bend notes, and they're easier to setup for most people. The other plus is unless its a semi hollow or jazz box an electric can be used with head phones and really only you will hear the guitar. And if you do go to somewhere like guitar center and try out a guitar on the wall make sure that you get the one from the wall you played. If they bring a guitar out from the back i promise you it will feel different. Im lucky enough to work for a jazz guitar company and sometimes i play over 30 of the same model and i can tell you that everyone has a little something different to offer.

Bingo. And try to support your local shops and not GC. If you do go to GC, then HAGGLE!

 

[Volatile]

I started with a starter pack from Fender like 7 years ago when I started playing. If I had to do it over again I would probably do what these guys are saying and try and borrow something first. If you don't like the way you sound, it's going to be less appealing, so if you borrowed someone's half decent rig, it might be a better incentive.

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

i've been trying to sell my guitar/amp lately and havn't had any luck locally. here is the info on it(yes, it's worded like an advert, i know, lol)...
Guitar, amp, tuner, perfect to learn on or for a gig
i have about $350-$360 wrapped up in it total and am trying to get $300 for it. it sounds amazing and plays great(so says my friend who has a $700 les paul and is an amazing player). if your interested i could probably drop it down to $270 to make room for shipping(not sure how much it would be). don't judge it by its name, google it and read the reviews on these guitars. quality pieces!
i'm selling it because i can legitimatly bang around on drums, while i can't play guitar in the least. only a few hours of(attempted) playing on it.

send me a PM if your interested!

 

[NewKid]

Thanks a ton for the advice guys, this is helping a lot.

I know a chick with an electric guitar, I'll try and get my hands on it for a bit before taking a dive into something.

Thanks again guys, great advice.

i've been trying to sell my guitar/amp lately and havn't had any luck locally. here is the info on it(yes, it's worded like an advert, i know, lol)...
Guitar, amp, tuner, perfect to learn on or for a gig
i have about $350-$360 wrapped up in it total and am trying to get $300 for it. it sounds amazing and plays great(so says my friend who has a $700 les paul and is an amazing player). if your interested i could probably drop it down to $270 to make room for shipping(not sure how much it would be). don't judge it by its name, google it and read the reviews on these guitars. quality pieces!
i'm selling it because i can legitimatly bang around on drums, while i can't play guitar in the least. only a few hours of(attempted) playing on it.

send me a PM if your interested!

Haha, I love the wording of the ad. I've got it bookmarked; once I try out some and borrow my friends, I may just hit you up. That's right at the price I'm willing to spend too. If it sells, let me know (not to bid higher, just so I know).

:beer:

 

[CPViolation]

I would buy a used cheap used Yamaha or equivalent acoustic guitar. That way if you decide the guitar isn't for you the $$ loss is minimal. If you look hard enough you can probably find an old Yamaha FG-180 or similar guitar as a starter.

When purchasing bring somebody with you who is familiar with the guitars condition, if it will tune, stay tuned and have decent intonation. Intonation checks to see if the guitar stays in tune up and down the neck. Another words play a basic E chord then baring it up and down the neck making sure it sounds tuned all the way up and down.

Hope this helps.
Jeff