Try Before You Buy – Each guitar has its own personality and ‘feel’, and the more experience you have playing the more this becomes apparent. You may save a couple of bucks shopping online, but my advice is to head to your local music store and try the guitar(s) you are interested in to see how it feels. Stores will usually set up the instrument so it’ll play well, so you’ll have a good picture of how it plays, feels, and sounds – things that aren’t possible with online shopping. I’ve made the mistake of purchasing an expensive guitar online that I thought I would love, but in reality I never did like how it played.
Shop Used – There is nothing at all wrong with purchasing a quality used instrument from a reputable shop. It may come with a couple of nicks or dings, but you’ll save a lot of money (maybe up to half off!) and in the end you’ll add more nicks and dings yourself! If you’re fortunate enough to have a music store nearby there’s a good chance there are a lot of used instruments there, so shop around. In the end, it’s much better to get a better quality used instrument than a new one of inferior quality.
We hope these three essential guitar buying tips will help you to make the best choice when shopping for your new instrument.
