What to Look for When Buying a Used Acoustic Guitar

You might want to buy an acoustic guitar, but you’re short on cash. You’re therefore left with one option, to purchase a second-hand acoustic guitar. One thing to know is that the quality of a second-hand guitar will not be in par with a new one, but it can be almost as good if the right factors are considered. Before going to grab a used guitar instead of a new one, you should know what to look for when buying a used acoustic guitar.

10 Things to Look for When Buying a Used Acoustic Guitar

If you don’t know what to look for in a second-hand guitar, worry not. We’ve got you covered. Our article looks at what to look for when buying best used guitars. Here are the guidelines to follow when buying a used guitar:

1. Age and condition of the guitar

The first thing to check out the age and condition of the guitar. Inquire whether the guitar has had any repairs of late. The seller should be honest with you and reveal any maintenance or problems the acoustic guitar has had of late. By doing so, you should be aware of any problems likely to be faced by the guitar in the future.

2. Testing the Guitar

Back in the days, you would only find guitars in music stores or flea markets or from people who were in search of quick cash. Nowadays, there are online sites coming with the option of buying a used guitar online. Such sites include Amazon, eBay, and Craiglist. Whereas from the music stores you can test them out, this isn’t the case with online buying sites.

If it is possible, you should avail yourself to the store and test the guitar out yourself. This will give you a good knowledge of what you are looking for and settling for.

3. Giving the guitar a once-over

We all fall in love with what we see. The appearance of the guitar will tell if it has been taken good care of. Ensure that the guitar is in good shape.

Since it is used, it will probably show some little signs of wear and tear or small scratches and scrapes. The performance should, however, be relatively good. A used guitar that is well cared for is easily noticeable.

4. Playing It

Try to play the acoustic guitar. Bend the strings and check out the sound. Listen to the spectrum of sounds produced. Try out and pay attention to all the frets and not just the ones you are playing, especially the ones at the hole end of the fret. Disregard these strings as they’re probably older than you. Listen for the rattling and ringing of the strings.

The advantage of playing the guitar is that it gives you a clue about the performance of the guitar. The fact that it is a used acoustic guitar doesn’t mean that its performance should be compromised.

5. The Comfort of the Guitar

Guitars come in different shapes and sizes and also vary in neck widths and depths. A good guitar gives you the privilege of holding it properly in that each hand and arm can perform the required movement comfortably and correctly. The guitar should ‘fit’ you.

When testing it out, look for signs of finger strains and hand fatigue. Guitars that come with very wide fretboards will be too wide for your hand. This will lead to extra stretching leading to tendinitis. It goes without saying that comfort is essential.

6. Dings and Cracks

Ensure that you check for any cracks, chips, and scratches that come off the guitar. Since the guitar is second hand, there is no problem if it comes with little cracks.

The problem lies with deep cracks that go down the wood through the finish. Such a crack is a sign of separating seams. Avoid such guitars at all costs. It can be very expensive to fix a guitar with structural damages.

7. Rust

8. Checking the Action

9. Neck Test

10. Cost

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Originally published at https://guitartopreview.com on January 28, 2020.