Buying A "New To Me" Guitar In The Next Few Days, Feedback Please

buzz_187
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Sun May 09, 2010 10:40 pm

haoli25 wrote:
including birthday gifts, Father's Day gift, etc. :) Good luck in your search my friend.
Yeah, this IS gonna be my Father's Day gift, just early as heck cuz im such "a big baby about it" -Tabitha (my wife)

and THANKS for all the feedback, keep it coming please....already established im gona take my $200 cap and save on top of it, lol, might as well, if its worth buying, its worth waiting to buy right?!?!

-Brad


BigBear
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Mon May 10, 2010 2:31 am

wrench wrote:
You ask the unanswerable question, Brad. But my 2 cents goes like this.

Brad, I can't emphasize enough how hard selecting a guitar can be. I have an envelope filled with enough cash to buy ANY guitar I could possibly want. I traveled to 8 states with that envelope over the last 5 months playing guitars. I still have the envelope, 3 Yamahas, and no clue other than I am certainly not good enough to play a Martin, Taylor, or Gibson.

Good luck, buddy!

Dan- forgive me but yes you are good enough to play any guitar you want to play! Who are you kidding?! lol! And any guitar by those manufacturuers will make youi a better guitarist!


BigBear
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Mon May 10, 2010 2:46 am

Brad- you've received some great advice so far and I'll throw mine in for what it's worth.

At $200 to $250 you are at the very low end of buying an instrument that will serve you for a long time. In my opinion it is too low to get a quality instrument that will allow you to grow as a musician. Since you have joined the TARGET program and made that commitment it stands to reason that you are serious about learning to play.

I would strongly lobby you to save your money until you can gather $400-500. At this price point your options really open up. I would also strongly suggest buying a good used guitar. You'll get a better guitar for much less money. The market is flooded with people in financial distress that simply have to unload their guitars. It's a real shame but someone is going to buy them. A good used guitar will sell for half or less of a new one in the lower price range. The higher the intial value, the higher the resale- generally!

Finally, whatever you buy make sure the guitar has an adjustable truss rod. If it doesn't, DO NOT BUY IT! An adjustable truss rod lets you change the shape of the neck and allows a repair shop or luthier to do a good setup so that the guitar is as easy to play as possible. At the $200 range not all guitars have adjustable rods which will be a very limiting factor. If the neck warps pver time, which is almost guaranteed, your repair shop won't be able to fix it and your guitar becomes kindling!

Good luck and have fun! :cheer:


wiley
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Mon May 10, 2010 8:59 am

Brad, I have to go with Bear here! With all the study you have done on Wood and such, you are probably looking for just that right sound, and it's worth it. Yet 'not good enough'? Whoa there big fella, if I'm good enough, you certainly are!

Here's the problem you, Buzz, are going to face;

I'll give you a story, of sorts, but a true one. I have a Granddaughter who is about to turn 11 tomorrow. She's been a member of a Music Academy for the last few years, plays Piano and 'sight reads' simplistic (to her) sheet music (Sonata's and Sonatina's now bore her). She's amazed several Teachers by her ability to sit down, look at a piece, and play it. She also has a remarkable ability to remember a piece she has played only a few times.

This last October her Christmas gift was a studio session where we recorded a four track Christmas CD, one track of which I posted here around Christmas. In other words, she has talent, natural talent. She is usually here, with the wife and I , on weekends. Her favorite place to go with Me is Guitar Center. She likes to visit each and every division, drums, keyboards, bass, recording, PA, and guitar. She is the one who has the Yamaha.

Problem is, or better yet, is going to be, she doesn't really care for the 'front room' in the Acoustic Guitar section. She has already learned the Guitars with the best Tone and such are in that 'special' little room, the $1,500 > $3,500 room. Not because they are 'prettier' than the others, some really are not and are fairly plain, but that sound, that tone, that certain difference. She knows, and you probably will also. Now when she is ready to 'step up' from the $100 beginner Yamaha, that next step will be past the 'mid-level' range. She already knows there is a difference however quaint it may be. I bet (and I do make wagers) once you Buzz have played something along the lines of a Taylor 600 or 800 series, or a Martin D28 or an OM, or a Gibson Hummingbird or Elvis Jumbo you will be stuck there also. Something 'in-between' just won't cut it.

Now you will have a new problem. You'll be 'Jonesing' that Taylor, nothing else will do. Just not the same. Yet sitting around playing that %$2,000 and up guitar will bug you, what if it gets 'bumped' what if that darling little child decides she can play it while Dad sits it down to get a beer (or other refreshment)? That first little knick, that first time it gets dirty, they will happen and they will be devastating. Not life changing devastating, but you know, a chink in the armor.

A lot of us here, and a lot who play, have a 'beater'. A mid level that as such, those upcoming dings and scrapes don't really matter all too much. I own a Gibson Starburst myself, one of 300 ever made. It's not the best sounding acoustic made, perhaps one of the better ones, but it is a bit of a collectors item. I do play it, and I am very protective of it, it usually stays in it's case, with a humidifier, in the closet. My 'beater' is a Seagull S6+CW folk, around a $550 investment. It sits beside the desk, ready to play, on a stand or hanging on the wall. Still 'serious' money, but not that $3,500 serious the Gibson is.

So, in a nut shell, once you have goofed around with that Taylor, Gibson, Martin, etc. there will be a 'new' problem. You'll then be in a search for that 'beater'. That close enough sound that doesn't hold the same 'value' for the dollar. That's really the hardest axe to find.

Bear, normally your point is well worth it, lots of guitars on E-Bay, Craigslist, even the Pawn Shops and 'trade ins' at the Local shops. I'm not sure what effect the recent floods in Nashville will have on the market though, lots and lots of really great pieces are now kindling, I hear Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and others lost big.

Buzz, most shops, even Guitar Center and Music-Go-Round take trade ins. Most of those trade-ins are 'trade-ups' and I have done so myself, traded a Seagull S6 original (I gave $320 for it) for the Seagull S6+CW folk (also used,valued at $600 retail, gave an additional $150 and got a case in the deal)so that's something you may keep in mind. Your problem would be your current piece was a gift. Bad idea doing something with a gift the wife gave you! Those words "A Happy Wife makes a Happy Home" are all too true. After 33 years with the same woman, I can guarantee that.

I'll end with a question. Did you ever do the 'setup' as was discussed in an earlier post?


buzz_187
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Mon May 10, 2010 10:15 am

wiley wrote:
I'll end with a question. Did you ever do the 'setup' as was discussed in an earlier post?
Guitly as charged, no i have not. But the private lessons im about to start are at a guitar shop and they have a couple of luthiers so im gona get one to look at my Spencer! And yeah, i realized when im being nudged (so it must be pretty important), lol, so it will be done this week!

and wow!!! im even more distraught now than when i wrote the thread, lmao!! im gona save as long as my burning pockets will let me.... :woohoo:

goin to some pawn shops today also, and oh yeah, one more thing, YES a bunch of musicians had millions of dollars of instruments and equipment ruinedlost during the floods, i live like 15 mins from downtown Nashville, and have witnessed this devastation 1st hand, not pretty!!


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Music Junkie
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Mon May 10, 2010 10:21 am

wrench wrote:
I have an envelope filled with enough cash to buy ANY guitar I could possibly want. I traveled to 8 states with that envelope over the last 5 months playing guitars. I still have the envelope, 3 Yamahas, and no clue other than I am certainly not good enough to play a Martin, Taylor, or Gibson.

Good luck, buddy!
Dan:

I would have to agree with Bear on this one. You are certainly qualified to play any instrument you can (or to be more precise, want to buy). It sounds like you are somewhat like me. I have a very hard time spending my money....Takes too damn long to earn it....lol. That being said, you just want to make sure you don't get that infamous "Buyer's Remorse"...... I have had that feeling in the past, and really would like to avoid that at all costs. It took me a while to make my decision, and I am feeling very confident in my choice, but time will tell.... B)

Also, someone mentioned Takamine Jasmine as a good "beater" guitar. That was my very first acoustic, and it was actually pretty decent. It had a better sound for $200.00 than did some other brands at about $400.00 - $500.00. Best advice is what has already been said several times. Take your time and test drive AS MANY AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! Find the sound the YOU like, and not what everyone else tells you that you should like..... :)

J


buzz_187
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Mon May 10, 2010 10:33 am

ok, so what are some VERY IMPORTANT things/defects i should look for in a pawn shop guitar, like cracks in the neck and such are obvious, but anything that could be hidden or hard to see for the untrained eyes?


BigBear
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Mon May 10, 2010 2:08 pm

buzz_187 wrote:
ok, so what are some VERY IMPORTANT things/defects i should look for in a pawn shop guitar, like cracks in the neck and such are obvious, but anything that could be hidden or hard to see for the untrained eyes?

Brad- bring an extendable mirror with you, the kind a dentist might use except it's extendable. You can get them at any auto shop ie. Napa, Shucks etc. And a good flashlight.

Make sure it has the truss rod, which you can find at the headstock just above the nut and usually has a little plastic cover over it with three screws in it. Or can be seen inside the guitar where the neck meets the body. Almost all guitars have them nowadays but make sure.

Check for cosmetic repairs inside the guitar. Look for hairline cracks and other cosmetic damage.

Here's a biggie, look carefully at the bridge and make sure the bridge hasn't lifted up and rotated toward the nut. It will look like a bugle at the bridge. It is caused by poor construction and the tension of the strings being more than the guitar can resist. If the guitar has even a touch of it-run! You will never be able to keep your guitar set-up properly and it will be more frustration than it is worth.

Check the neck, make sure the fretboard isn't worn down and that the frets aren't worn or flat. The frets can be fixed but with an inexpensive guitar, why bother?

Check the strings. If they are old and oxidized the guitar will sound dead and flat. But it still could be a great guitar. New strings can make a world of difference so even though the sound of a guitar is critical you can't fully trust the sound of a guitar hanging in a pawn shop with three year old strings on it!

Good luck Brad and have fun on your hunt! :cheer:

p.s. I heard that one warehouse in Nashville was where all the stars stored their instruments and it was basically a total loss. Brad Paisley lost all but two guitars. Gibson will be laughing all the way to the bank when the big boys re-buy all their stuff with their insurance money!


buzz_187
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Mon May 10, 2010 6:01 pm

Hey thanks!!! Saw a Fender DG-60 today at a pawnshop for $75. Looked and sounded okay, but they also had a Gibson for $2500 cant remember what model, but i played it and i see what yall are talkin about now, difference is crystal clear, not the least bit hazy lol!


BigBear
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Mon May 10, 2010 7:34 pm

buzz_187 wrote:
Hey thanks!!! Saw a Fender DG-60 today at a pawnshop for $75. Looked and sounded okay, but they also had a Gibson for $2500 cant remember what model, but i played it and i see what yall are talkin about now, difference is crystal clear, not the least bit hazy lol!

The problem, or perhaps trap, is that if you play all those $2,500 guitars you will quickly fall in love like we all have! lol! It will be really hard to move back to a $200 guitar after playing a Gibson, Martin or Taylor! They just sound and play so nicely.

I waited a long time to buy a really nice guitar. I went in to the shop to buy a Martin D-28 and walked out with a Taylor 710. Wish I still had it! I think there is real merit buying a guitar way better than you are and then growing into it. We all have enough problems learning this crazy instrument but having a really nice one makes it much easier. When I play like crap I can't blame the instrument, only the operator! lol!

Since I bought my first Taylor 15 years ago I've practiced more, played more and enjoyed more than at any time in my life! And then along came this site and now I don't have any free time. I catch myself daydreaming about getting home to play some more. I am a serious addict! lol! But it beats all the other things I could be doing with my spare time!

Cheers! :cheer:


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