How do you spot a 'good' guitar?

Magical Muffin · #1 10-01-2009, 10:35 AM

As the title says, In relation to guitar shops, I'd like to know how to tell between a guitar that is set up decently but can't get much better than it already is, and a guitar that might of been my dream guitar but is so poorly set up it is probably collecting dust in the corner of the shop.

A while ago when I went to a guitar shop to test out guitars, I was very confused. I tried out most of the guitars, and the most comfortable guitar I found was a -$1000 Schecter (C-1 I think). Now, I didn't try out or pay as much attention to the ibanez's as I should of (they were all RGs with a similar price tag, and took up nearly half the wall

), I also tested out a $4000 Washburn and a MAB dragonflame model, and found those slightly lacking and awkward compared to the Schecter.

How can you tell between what really feels good to you and what is simply set up better than most of the other guitars? Not saying that Schecter doesn't make good guitars, but I would have thought I'd be blown away by the MAB model or something. Keep in mind that this was a while ago, and I've made big leaps in my playing recently. I more or less sucked when I went to the store

Sickbean · #2 10-01-2009, 10:45 AM

Tough one.

A few simple things you can do are:

Check the neck relief - hold down the low E on the 1st and whatever fret the neck joins the guitar and look at the distance between the string and the neck. If this is more than a few 64ths of an inch then there is possibly an issue with neck which adjusting the truss rod can fix.

Next play all frets on all strings. Hit the strings reasonably hard. Are there any dead spots? Excessive fret buzz?

If the action is high and yet there is still fret buzzing, you're probably just looking at a bad apple, however if not, there is potential room for improvement.

Does the store have an on-site tech? If so, ask the salesperson if the tech can give the guitar a once over for you. I know guitar shops can be a bit stuffy about things like that, but honestly if they aren't willing to do it then they don't deserve your cash. A good guitar is a serious investment for us mere mortals.

The last guitar I bought the shop was happy to restring the guitar with a different gauge for me (floyd rose too so not that simple).

The rest is just stuff you pick up - general quality of the finish, fret ends etc.

Emericavox · #3 10-01-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sickbean

Does the store have an on-site tech? If so, ask the salesperson if the tech can give the guitar a once over for you. I know guitar shops can be a bit stuffy about things like that, but honestly if they aren't willing to do it then they don't deserve your cash. A good guitar is a serious investment for us mere mortals.

The folks at S** A** were real jerks about giving a "once over" for me when i was considering buying a guitar from them. Also, the folks at GC were never really to friendly as well IMO. =/

smooth55 · #4 10-01-2009, 12:15 PM

+1 on all of that. I'll just add that in most cases, once you get above the $3-500 guitar range, you're really looking at quality instruments across the board. Sure, some will have cosmetic things that make them more appealing and drive up the price, others will have fancy electronics but for the most part, you're looking at quality.
Between $3-500 or so and you can find some real gems (pun intended) by doing what is above. I usually don't worry too much about getting a shop to set something up unless it's obviously way out of whack. There's just too many other guitars out there to pick from. But if it's something that is really appealing, for one reason or another, I've asked them to correct trem angle or neck relief to let me get a better feel for it. At the end of the day, you go with what's the most comfortable in your hand and to your ear and it does sometimes involve some balancing. Some guitars, even if they're junk just have soul.

markg5150 · #5 10-01-2009, 12:15 PM

Hey sick - it did help you were buying a 2 grand suhr!!! The guys at sounds great are very helpful

Sickbean · #6 10-01-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markg5150

Hey sick - it did help you were buying a 2 grand suhr!!! The guys at sounds great are very helpful

Yep - and that's exactly as it should be.

Sickbean · #7 10-01-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smooth55

+1 on all of that. I'll just add that in most cases, once you get above the $3-500 guitar range, you're really looking at quality instruments across the board.

True of instruments like my Suhr

, but for Gibsons etc I'd still be carful.

Homebake · #8 10-01-2009, 12:45 PM

uh, i dunno man. i guess i'm pretty familiar with a lot of the big brands so i know what i'm looking for and what to expect.

when i look at ibanez's, especially RGs, check the locking not for cracks, check the neck for warping, see how the trem and the posts are etc.

the biggest thing i guess is the neck and how it feels.

as for set ups, most guitars that are functioning as a guitar should with a decent set up will feel pretty good, even my squier feels good. i'm so used to playing my RG for hours a day that it feels pretty much perfect to me, not much i would change at all to make it feel or play better.

rob777vdy · #9 10-01-2009, 02:01 PM

how to spot a good guitar eh,just make sure it has jem on the headstock lol

Magical Muffin · #10 10-01-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob777vdy

how to spot a good guitar eh,just make sure it has jem on the headstock lol

*CoughchinajemCough*

Sickbean · #11 10-01-2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob777vdy

how to spot a good guitar eh,just make sure it has jem on the headstock lol

Problem is, Ibanez are one of the brands notorious for sometimes leaving the factory with shocking set ups and/or badly finished fret ends.

nickcoumbe · #12 10-01-2009, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sickbean

Yep - and that's exactly as it should be.

Which is why in general I tend to use one shop. They give the same service to everyone, whether they are spending £100 or £2000

The feel of the guitar is really important and whilst set up is crucial to playing well I still take more notice of the things that aren't easy to change like fret ends and other hardware issues.

The feel of the neck is really important, as well as the quality of the materials. I take a lot of interest over what it is made of and how it is made.

The best thing I can say to anyone is, trust your instincts. If it feels bad, no amount of speil or high price tag should convince you it is a good guitar. I have played £1000+ guitars that were honestly rubbish, and £200 that played great.

IamFastEddie · #13 10-03-2009, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emericavox

The folks at S** A** were real jerks about giving a "once over" for me when i was considering buying a guitar from them. Also, the folks at GC were never really to friendly as well IMO. =/

While there are exceptions, most of the guys who work in those places are pretentious lamers who THINK they know about guitars and often dupe people into buying the absolutely worst guitar for the style they actually play.