Making a Guitar Purchase Vol II
In the last issue, we talked about the bare essentials for making a guitar purchase, focusing on how to evaluate a guitar prior to buying it. I made the assertion that both inexpensive and expensive guitars can play equally great. Some of you asked for more information on that topic, particularly requesting advice regarding what level of investment to make on a new instrument.
The question of what guitar to buy, or how much to spend, is not something that anyone can make general comments on. It is a personal thing, not unlike purchasing a car. But after reading some of the comments and questions, I felt that I could at least offer my opinion on what that extra money can buy you.
First, back to my original claim that both inexpensive and expensive guitars can play great, the dynamics of a guitar are such a tech can take just about any reasonable instrument and make the appropriate adjustments and modifications to make the guitar play great. But, that doesn’t mean that more expensive guitars are not worth every penny that you pay for them. Just because the two guitars may play equally well, that doesn’t mean they are of the same value.
There are tons of factors that dictate guitar pricing but let’s focus on the very basics. As the price tag of a new guitar (we’ll address used guitars later) increases, there should be three primary differences: better components, better materials, and better craftsmanship.
With acoustic guitars, evaluating the value of more expensive guitars is considerably easier because better wood and better craftsmanship should result in an instrument that provides better tone and playability. Therefore, if you shop for the acoustic guitar that provides the tone you’re looking for and it feels great in your hands, then the only question left is whether or not it is in your budget. My only advice here is related to acoustics that have built-in pickups. For these guitars, focus on evaluating the sound when they are NOT plugged in. The amplified sound can be controlled thru your amplifier and, if necessary, by swapping out the pickup for a better one. There’s not much you can reasonably do to affect the native acoustic sound, so make sure you are happy with the guitar “unplugged”.
With electric guitars, the differences aren’t necessarily as noticeable as everyone would like to believe, because the electronics have such a large impact on the sound. Each guitar is designed for a particular market segment and decisions are made when building it to allow the manufacturer to sell it in a target price range. Things that drive up the price of electric guitars are the quality of the wood (back, neck, top and fingerboard), the quality of the electronics (pickups, switches, pots, etc.), and the quality of the assembly (assembly line versus hand made). Your goal is to find the best blend of these parameters that fit your budget. Here are some considerations that may be helpful:
1. Playability – It is generally true that more expensive electric guitars play better than cheaper ones, but it is far from a rule. With mass production guitars, the gap between higher priced and economical guitars is closing rapidly as foreign manufacturers begin to produce truly fine instruments. For instance, I stopped in a guitar shop yesterday and tried out the Minarik Lotus that Ronnie North mentioned in one of his earlier articles (What? A cool guitar that I haven’t tried? Where can I find one?). Priced in the range of an Epiphone, this guitar played as well as most Gibsons that I take off the rack (thanks Ronnie!). So, if I were evaluating playability between the Lotus and an average Les Paul, I’d have to put them right about even. Remember not to let the price and reputation of the guitar sway your evaluation. It’s very difficult and takes practice to be “brand-neutral” when testing a new guitar, but it is absolutely essential that you develop this discipline.
If after all of your tests, you find more than one guitar that you like, remember that you can almost always improve on the playability. If you find yourself saying “I really love this guitar, but if the action were just a little lower”, then you just need to make sure that you have some money left in your budget to do exactly that. If only a truss rod and bridge adjustment are needed, then the shop should do that for you at no cost. If not, it is a very simple mod and one that many techs will do for free or for a low price. If more severe work is necessary, such as leveling the finger board, then you need to budget several hundred dollars.
2. Sound – Really work the guitar out to evaluate its sound. If possible, test it using the same amp that you use at home, or find one that closely resembles it. Put the guitar through its paces. Run thru each pickup combination and evaluate the tone that you get up and down the neck. Make sure that it gives you the sound you are looking for. The pickups on less expensive guitars often sound thin or muddy. They may also hum more than better pickups. Turn the amp up loud to make the latter evaluation. Remember that this is the sound you are going to hear for as long as you own the instrument. It should sound great to you and it should make you want to play more often.
As with the playability, remember that you can radically change the sound of the guitar by changing its pickups after purchase. If you absolutely love every aspect of the guitar but it doesn’t have the “bite” that you want, or it doesn’t have the “blues tone” that you want, etc., then perhaps this is the guitar for you, but with different pickups. On average, new pickups can cost between $100 and $400, installed, depending upon the model you choose.
3. Appearance – There’s no advice I can give to you on appearance, except to say that if the guitar is natural or translucent, more expensive woods look better because of the grain quality. If you compare a “AAAAA” or “Ten Top” to a standard guitar, it is easy to see. Similarly, if you compare an exotic wood to a standard maple topped guitar, you’ll notice a huge difference. The decision really is whether the appearance of the wood makes a difference to you or not. The rest of the guitar look, such as shape and color is completely arbitrary, except to the extent that shape can affect playability. To that point, remember to put a strap on and play the guitar standing up, if that’s the way you normally play it. Some guitars feel fine sitting down but just don’t hang right on me and I find them awkward. You want to find this out before you take the instrument home.
4. Resale Value – Is this something you care about? Is part of your consideration for purchasing a guitar that it will be a good investment? If so, then my general advice is to stay in the higher price range and focus on quality materials, craftsmanship, and even better known brands. A Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster will hold value better than an unknown brand. More importantly, cheaper materials and craftsmanship will erode faster than their better counterparts. If you plan on holding on to the guitar for a long time and you care about the resale value, then this is a significant point. The cheaper guitars may have things come loose, fade, crackle, and pop much earlier, and the act of repairing or modifying them will often reduce the resale value.
5. Esteem / Brand Recognition – This is another point that is completely arbitrary but sometimes an important consideration. You have to ask yourself, very sincerely, how important it is to you that others recognize the guitar and how much motivation you get by knowing that you are playing a particular type of instrument. I realize this sounds like it shouldn’t be a consideration, but when you consider that the primary result of purchasing a new guitar should be that you have a desire to play more often, the psychology of the purchase becomes a legitimate thing to consider. If you are playing in a band, the image that you want to present as a guitarist becomes a valid concern. No matter what choice you make, you absolutely need to feel like you a playing a “cool” guitar, so don’t dismiss this as a factor that shouldn’t be part of the equation.
Once you consider each of these factors, you should prioritize them in your mind and keep them in focus as you evaluate various instruments. I recommend trying out as many guitars as you possibly can across a wide price range. Even if your budget is $500, try out some $1000+ guitars just to gain some perspective. Something you like may pop out on the expensive guitar and then you can look for that feature on a cheaper model, or perhaps consider purchasing a used guitar. I also recommend never buying a new guitar the first time you play it. I have personally broken this rule more times than I care to admit but I always fight the urge to make a quick purchase. Often, a particular guitar will feel and sound good to you on a particular day, especially if you’ve tried out a dozen or two in an afternoon. But, when you go back the next day and take that guitar off the rack first, it may not excite you as much as it did the previously. You should want it just as badly the second time you play it as you did the first time. Otherwise, keep searching.
Again, these are only some basic considerations to make when choosing a guitar, but if you follow these guidelines, you should end up with an instrument that you enjoy for a long time.
by Jim Basara – Guitar Affair
