Guitar buying advice

[woodjer]

Mods, this might be in the wrong forum...feel free to move as needed.

My kids got ukuleles this summer from my parents and that got me motivated to pick up my old Alvarez acoustic guitar and give it a go again. I've done lessons and tried some software on my old computer but never found a good commitment to it until recently. I've started using the Fender Play app though and get an hour's worth of practice in on most days...some days as much as 2-3. Honestly, it's the best I've felt about my abilities and I'm starting to think about getting an electric and/or a bass.

I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some suggestions. I don't want to drop a ton of money on something like this right now but I know that you can definitely get what you pay for. I'm into all kinds of music...rock, pop, country, blues, etc. so I'm looking for a good all-around option.

Scenario 1: I've found some starter kits on Amazon for under $100 that include a practice amp. I know that they're not likely to be great instruments but I'm not going out on tour any time soon. I generally like the sound of acoustic guitars better but would enjoy the option to get an electric sound sometimes. If it's at least somewhat durable, I could always pass it down to my kids if/when I move on to something better. Is the quality on these kits likely to be so bad that it's money wasted?

Scenario 2: I checked craigslist and found several under $100. One that looked great in photos was only $45 (SX Stratocaster). Seems like a reasonable alternative to the kits above but I also don't have a clue what I'd be looking for to avoid getting ripped off. Any tips on what to look for to avoid getting scammed? If I were to drop $45 on something that's not great, how expensive could it get to make it worthwhile?

Appreciate any insight that people might have on this.

[KingV2k3]

Re: Guitar buying advice

There may be something of use to you in here:

https://forums.operationsports.com/f...ts-thread.html

Because I play lefty, I never really became much of a gear guy, but I do know this:

1) A lot of people stop playing guitar because cheap guitars are quite simply harder to play than good ones...it doesn't mean you have to overspend, it just means you're better off trying to hit a sweet spot, between cost and quality...

2) The reason cheap guitars are harder to play is because the intonation (ability to hold tuning across the entire fret board) can be unreliable and the "action" (string height in relation to fret board / neck) is usually high...

So:

No matter how much or little you spend, have an experienced guitar tech put some quality strings on the thing and do a full set up for the above referenced issues...

You can usually find a guitar tech at a retail outlet, if you don't know any independent operators in you area...

Quality setups and strings will make an affordable / starter instrument play and sound well above it's "weight class"...

3) Be wary of used / Craiglist stuff unless you KNOW what you're looking at or can find a somewhat experienced friend to help vett the sale...like anything else, used stuff is often getting dumped for a reason that's not always apparent to the untrained eye...

Good luck!

[woodjer]

Re: Guitar buying advice

Thanks man. Oddly enough, I assumed there was a thread like that so just typed guitar into the Title line but nothing popped up for me. I'll post more questions there.

In reference to the craigslist comment, I typically agree but when I'm looking at a few hundred for a good new one, $45 seemed like a fairly "risk-free" option, even if I assumed that I'd need to spend a little more to get it fixed up. But you're right...if I don't know what I'm talking about, it's easy to get ripped off.

I went into a local music shop the other night. It was weird...first time I've ever been in that type of store and felt completely ignored. I think there was maybe one other customer there and I saw three people behind the counter. One guy even ditched a phone call because they were "really busy and needed to help customers" but still never said anything to me. I guess I could have said something too but one guy that I think was a worker completely left the room when I went into the acoustic space. Just really strange...

[KingV2k3]

Re: Guitar buying advice

Guitar stores can be like indi record stores, unfortunately...

It's all about the attitude, etc...



And yeah, sometimes a guitar will end up on something like CL at a great price, because the current owner has no idea what it's worth and just wants to unload it...

#crapshoot

Pawn shops can be hit or miss that way too...

GL!