Jump to content

Quality Issues To Look For When Buying A New Guitar


hammerthehammer

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Hi,

 

I've been looking at the forum for a while without actually joining. Anyway, I've decided to get my first electric and constantly hear people saying about checking guitars prior to buyng them. this obviously makes complete sense. My problem is that i don't really know what i'd be looking for and don't really know a guitarist I could go with who'd do this for me. What's more, my experience of guitar shop workers so far dhasn't exactly inspired me to really trust their opinion either.

 

So what I'm basically asking is what kind of things I should be looking out for when testing a new guitar in terms of build quality.

 

On another note, are there any guitar brands that tend to have a better rep than others when it comes to this kind of thing? I know people often complain about Gibson's poor quality control (not that I could afford a Gibson at this point - or really need one at this stage in my newbieness).

 

I'd be really grateful for any help you might give me in these areas. And hopefully this thread might be of use to some others in the same situation as me.

 

Sorry for the long-winded post.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You may want to think about what kind of sound you want first. ie a single coil sound or humbucker.

 

From there I would say neck is one of the most important things. Pick it up and make sure you like how it feels. How it fits in your hand how the frets feel to you, what kind of board you like the feel of and all the rest....

 

If you find one with a neck that feels great in your hand then play it unplugged sitting down. My theory is the body should resonate nicely and you should feel it in your mid section. Listen to the notes coming off it. Do they sustain and stay true for a reasonable amount of time or do they die off quick? Listen to the tone of the guitar unplugged. Can you hear a nice balance of frequencies? Lows mids and hi's? Or is one tone dominating the others? All this stuff can't be changed with a pickup swap so make sure you get a good one.

 

Next plug it in and see how you like it. Check for basically the same things above.

 

If it passes all these tests then you can move on to cosmetics and make sure the finish is well done etc and decide if you can live with any imperfections it might have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

As far as quality and not tone/style or other subjective traits...here are the things I look for:

 

Intonation - if the guitar is engineered and set up properly it should not go out of tune while you play notes up the neck. This can be ajusted of course, but some poor quality guitars just never accomplish this.

 

Craftsmanship - run your hand along the edge of the fretboard. It should not feel like you are dragging your hand along the business edge of a hand saw. Should be smooth and polished.

 

Just a couple things - there are many more

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

thanks. those are really useful.

 

Regarding the type of guitar I'm looking for, I tend to like quite hard punk stuff mostly which I think would probably be best covered by humbuckers, although not the ultra-hi gain kind that would push things into extreme metal territory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

What do you play now? How long have you been playing?

 

If you haven't been playing long.. do a lot or research. Do you know someone locally who has been playing for a long time? Can they go with you to help you look in the right direction. Many salespeople don't know nearly enough info to help you with your decisions, although they will answer you anyway.

 

Some things to look/listen for... The feel of the neck and frets. Are the volume and tone knobs smooth/scratchy? Any obvious flaws in the finish? Are you looking at a guitar with a tremolo? that opens up a whole OTHER ball of wax...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

For your first electric, don't kill yourself trying to get something perfect. We could tell you about necks, fret buzz, nuts, etc, but in time, you'll figure it all out yourself. Get a brand name, play, have fun, and as time goes on, you'll figure out what is good and bad about it. In essence, you won't learn anything unless there are some issues with it.

 

Good luck and enjoy - welcome to the fold!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Make sure the bridge is aligned properly--I've seen a few guitars (and by big-name makers) where the bridge is incorrectly aligned, so that the strings are almost falling off the fretboard on one side. Sight down the neck to check for a warp or twist. Check to see that the inlays are flush, and that there are no splits or cracks in the fretboard wood.

 

If you're looking at a bolt-on, check to see that the neck is correctly aligned within the pocket, and that the fit is tight. A sloppy pocket may be fine in the lunch line, but you don't want it on your guitar. If it's a set-neck, check for small finish cracks at the neck/body joint--these can be a sign that the neck isn't well set and has a bit of wiggle.

 

Check to make sure that all the pots and switches are working correctly, that they move smoothly and don't produce static through the amp. Make sure the tuners move smoothly and don't have too much play in them. Using a tuner, get the B and high E in tune, then do a few bends on them. See how much they're out of tune. If it's a lot, that may mean the nut is binding and will need some work, or even replacement. This isn't necessarily a reason not to buy a particular guitar, but it is something that's worth knowing going in.

 

All this may sound a little obsessive, but I'm quite an inexperienced player, and I've seen guitars hanging on the wall at guitar stores that have all sorts of problems. A few brands turn out consistently top-quality instruments; with the others, it's worth taking some time to give the guitar a thorough inspection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Again, thanks for all of your help. I'm writing a list of all your points so i can memorise them before next going to a guitar shop.

 

to the person who asked me how experienced i was on guitar, i have some but not much experience playing acoustic guitars. This was when i was very young though, so I'd basically say I'm about as close to being an absolute beginner as it's possible to be.

 

 

A few brands turn out consistently top-quality instruments; with the others, it's worth taking some time to give the guitar a thorough inspection.

 

 

I'm not expecting anyone to say one brand is always good or one is always bad, but do you know of any which have a particular reputation in either direction?

 

Again, thanks for your help so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

First off, welcome to the forum. I'm a fan of your user name.

 

IMO, comfort is your primary consideration when choosing a guitar, especially your first one. Make sure that the neck feels good in your hand. If it feels too fat or too thin, try something else out. Also, even though you may not be able to play standing up yet, grab a strap and see how it feels when you're standing. Make sure you like the weight, and make sure you like how it balances. I can't stand heavy guitars, and I can't stand guitars that neck dive, so check all that out before you plug in. I've said it on here a thousand times, but it doesn't matter how good it sounds if you don't enjoy playing it.

 

Once you find a few that are comfy, plug 'em in and see what you like. You may wind up liking something that you hadn't expected. Most flaws, unless it's a significant construction flaw, can be fixed over time to your liking. Generally speaking, inexpensive guitars won't have top of the line pickups, electronics, or hardware, but you can always upgrade as needed.

 

What's your budget like? There are a few guitar lines that I think represent a significant value. I'd say that my top three bang for the buck brands out there are Godin, PRS SE, and Schecter.

 

Also, check out the used section. Sometimes you can find a great score if it's not new. If you do buy used, I think the most important thing to look at is the frets. Check to make sure that the first few frets (near the nut) aren't worn down and badly grooved. Refretting is a costly process...

 

Also, don't think that, because it's your first guitar, it has to be super cheap. A guitar that is constructed poorly, or sounds bad, won't make you want to keep playing. So, don't worry that you're getting something you don't deserve. If you work hard for your money, then you deserve any guitar you can afford.

 

Most importantly, when you choose the one that's right for you, make sure to post some pics!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

All the common name brands, Squire, Epiphone,Ibanez,Schecter,are made with CNC machines to pretty decent tolerances nowadays, so its rare to find a new one with any issues that cant be fixed fairly easily by a decent tech.

You could go 2 routes:

1. real cheap, under $200, till you get some experience and learn what you really like in a guitar.

Either of these will most likely meet your needs for a while.

humbuckers: Epi Les Paul Special II

single coil: Squire Affinity Butterscotch blonde Tele

2.Spendier, but likely to be more pleasing to you 2 years from now, IF, you still want that syle of guitar at that time.

humbuckers: Hard to beat an Epi SG400 for the styles you mentioned.

Single coils: Mexican Fender Tele or Strat

I picked these cause you can find em everywhere and can cherry pick individual guitars within the same model.

 

Another very important question is, Amp?

How soon will you be out of the bedroom and playing with others?

If I had the funds and I expected to be jammin with drums and bass within 2 yrs, Id go the cheap route and spend more money on an adequate amp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Don't worry too much about getting THE guitar your first time around. Think of it as your training wheels. Your first guitar will teach you you like and don't like about guitars. I recommend getting something simple your first time around. With a hard tail. An Epi LP or SG, maybe a Telecaster. Hard to go wrong with those and then you'll start to develop a reference about what you like and don't like.

 

The more time you can spend at the store playing guitars before you buy, the better informed your choice will be.

 

Don't forget an amp. Get a decent one. Vox Valvetronix or a Roland Cube is a pretty good way to go if you want to experience lots of different sounds. A Fender Champ 600 is only a couple hundred now if you know you want tubes.

 

Good luck and happy jamming.

 

EG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I second the valvetronix. Really nice amp, not too heavy so you can transport it easily, and sounds great. Also a great value. If you want all tube, check the market for a used Traynor YCV20WR.

 

If my first amp had been worth a damn, I would be a lot better today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

For your first electric, don't kill yourself trying to get something perfect. We could tell you about necks, fret buzz, nuts, etc, but in time, you'll figure it all out yourself. Get a brand name, play, have fun, and as time goes on, you'll figure out what is good and bad about it. In essence, you won't learn anything unless there are some issues with it.


Good luck and enjoy - welcome to the fold!

 

 

This.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

There's lots of great advice here. One approach you can take is to get something inexpensive (ex. used Squier or Xaviere) and play it for a while to get a feel for what you like and don't like before stepping up to the next level, if you even need to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

For me the perfect first guitar is the one everyone else goes for, and it's for good reason: Squier Affinity Strat.

 

People bitch about them but try one in a shop; they're a good price, if you quit then you won't be too hurt in the wallet, get one with an amp and it'll do for a starter, and the Strat can handle a ton of different sounds.

 

As you can see from my PM I moved far to the Telecaster side, but for me a Strat always feels right and for the price and that Squier's build quality is damn good for a guitar that cheap (no I'm not being sarcastic, it really is true) I recommend going for one if you're happy with the feel.

 

Feel is everything as others said before.

 

Oh and get a local guitar shop none of this chain store crap. Get one with a guy you like, and keep buying your stuff from there. Big discounts in the long run, better service etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Think about used. A first guitar is often not the right guitar. You thought it was when you bought it but six months later you realize what you really need is X instead of the Y you got. If you buy used you have a good chance of getting nearly all your money out of it if you decide to sell or trade down the road.

 

EG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Problems that can be fixed quite easily with relatively little extra investment:

 

Crappy nut. I've got various guitars and all of them have needed nut work. In fact I'd say that a poorly cut nut is to be expected. If the strings are getting caught in the nut when tuning (resulting in a "ping" sound and tuning changing abruptly) get the store to fix it. Most tuning problems are caused by the nut, not tuners or bridge saddles.

 

Poor electronics and pickups. Many manufacturers skimp on these especially in the lower priced guitars. I've made a few of mine into great axes just by putting in some good pickups, pots and caps. If something doesn't work, ask the store to fix it or give you a discount. The fix might be simply resoldering a few wires.

 

Poor setup. So don't judge a guitar just because it doesn't play exactly like you want it in the store. Besides, every guitar needs at least a fresh set of strings and a proper setup right away.

 

Poor fretwork. While a tech can easily fix this, you shouldn't have to deal with this when buying a new guitar. If the frets aren't planed and rounded properly, don't buy the guitar.Problems that are hard or impossible to fix:

 

Finish flaws. Color leaking over binding, uneven sunburst or whatever. These can be used to get the price of the guitar down.

 

Poor neck angle. This is more typical on guitars with set necks and tune-o-matic bridges. You can notice this by looking at the bridge, tailpiece and pickups. If they seem to be really high off the top of the guitar, it most likely has too much neck angle. This can't be fixed without refitting the neck and can reduce sustain and hurt tone. I'd pass on guitars with this problem completely.

 

Rubber neck. This means that the neck wood is way too flexible, tuning will change in regular playing as you grip the neck. This is pretty rare though.

 

Dead spots. This is an annoying problem. On some frets you may notice that the note dies much quicker than on the next or previous fret. This means that there's a resonance at the frequency of the note that cancels it partially, resulting in poor sustain on that particular fret. There is very little you can do to fix this so don't buy guitars with dead spots. This is more common on basses than guitars though. Because of this I painstakingly play every single note on the fretboard when really considering buying a particular guitar.There's more, some already mentioned in this thread. Not all flaws are deal breakers either. Very few of my guitars are 100% perfect.

 

I do recommend getting as good a guitar you can afford. This doesn't mean that you should buy the most expensive guitar you can find, but the guitar that just feels right. If it's going to be your only guitar, I'd suggest avoiding the ones with really out there shapes (Vs, X shape guitars etc) because many of them aren't particularly comfortable to play sitting down, as cool as they do look. Remember to try the guitar both sitting and standing with a strap to see if it's comfortable to play when sitting, but also balanced when standing. Neck heavy guitars are annoying to work with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Most of my new buying experience is with Gibson.

 

The most difficult thing I have done is trying to find a Les Paul I liked.

 

It took me a long time, but as people are moaning that I shouldn't mind the problems that a lot of newer Gibsons had when I was checking 'em out, and should stop being a whiny little bitch, if you want me to let you know some of the specific problems I had with finding a QUALITY new Gibson, let me know.

 

Meanwhile, the one new Fender I have bought, an American Series Tele, was flawless.

 

:thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It'd be nice to have the problem of worrying about quality issues about Gibson guitars but I don't think I'm quite ready yet to think about a brand like that, never mind the fact that I wouldn't be able to afford one anyway. Maybe in ten years time ... maybe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It'd be nice to have the problem of worrying about quality issues about Gibson guitars but I don't think I'm quite ready yet to think about a brand like that, never mind the fact that I wouldn't be able to afford one anyway. Maybe in ten years time ... maybe.

 

I can't afford 'em either. :D

 

If you are not buying a Gibson, then, in all honesty, you probably dont have to worry overly about quality control.

 

All the new Squiers, Epis, Ibanez, That I regularly see in my local shop all seem that after a setup, they'll be good to go.

 

The budget, poly finished (Nitro seems to be harder to apply judging by how crappy the finish seems on a lot of them compared to budget rivals) all seem to have pretty good consistency. Some play better than others off the rack, but they all seem capable of being set up to play well.

 

I dont know what your budget is, but I picked up a mid range MIJ Tokai Love Rock, and it is a seriously Fine Les Paul for less than I would have had to pay for a new Melody Maker.

 

I know what I'd rather have.

 

Unless you are on a hugely tight budget, the only guitars I might be a bit wary of were like the off brand budget budget guitars...Westfield, Westbury, Fortissimo etc.

 

But if you can check 'em out in person, some of them are fine.

 

I very rarely encounter any really bad guitars anymore, unless they are old.

 

:thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Cort guitars are said to have a good reputation for good quality for the price. I believe that the Cort company actually manufactures the Schecter guitars. The UK forum http://www.guitars.co.uk/forum is hosted by a Cort dealer, so lots of info there.

 

In deciding which style of pickups you'd prefer, it might help to head over to a pickup site and check out their sound samples. E.g. http://www.irongear.co.uk/irongear_011.htm This will give you a better idea of the basic sounds made by the different pickup types (humbucker, single coil, and P90 single coil). There are both clean and dirty samples for each pickup.

 

If you can't play yourself, get a shop assistant to play the guitar for you as part of your tryout. And if it's a punk sound you're looking for, get them to demonstrate that it can make that sound.

 

Not that I'm an expert, but I woud strongly advise you not to buy a guitar if "for whatever reason [you] can't get excited about". As people told me, you want the guitar to sit there saying "play me".

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...