HOw do u test guitars?

[Mr_X]

I start of by playing unplugged. See the neck if i love it, the weight, the tuning, resonance of the body, not fret buzz, then i plug into the amp. And then i start off with clean on both pickups or all 3, with neutral EQ. Figure out what it is lacking(bass or mids or treble) then i adjust then play with OD or Distortion.

How do u test them?

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

I rarely if ever plug a guitar in at the store. I look for the way it sounds unplugged, and the way the neck feels, along with the overall feel of the guitar. Pickups usually need to be changed and a new nut is also almost always needed. Those change the tone of a guitar greatly.

 

[tfb1990]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

play things... if i can make it sound good and it feels good then i like it, doesnt mean ill buy it, but i like it

 

[Nite_Maresz_25]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

play it unplugged and looks for the things that Jeff pointed out. I would only plug in if they have and amp the same model as mine there. You get alot out of playing the guitar unplugged in a test drive.

 

[Hellion]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

I don't remember the last time I actually plugged in a guitar that I was thinking of buying in the store. I usually play unplugged and figure that if there's an electronic problem, I can fix it later. They always get new frets & nut anyway. Not a complicated thing to redo the electronics.

 

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

i feel the neck, if it´s confortabe enough to buy it.. see the position of the pots , pickups and bridge... if it fits what i´m looking for... and then i play it unplugged.
and then i plug it and play my stuff... and see how high, mid and bassy it sounds.. to the ones i have at home.
and then i buy it

 

[Tux789]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

i feel the neck, if it´s confortabe enough to buy it.. see the position of the pots , pickups and bridge... if it fits what i´m looking for... and then i play it unplugged.
and then i plug it and play my stuff... and see how high, mid and bassy it sounds.. to the ones i have at home.
and then i buy it

+1 sept for some reason i get kicked out once the sales people find out im flat broke

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

1st I look at the Shape/Color, then I check out the Neck to make sure it's not too thick and then I make sure I can trill fast enough, if it passes these then it's worthy.

After I've tried all of the nicest looking ones I'll try the rest of them anyway; except for strats and ibanezes I usually play every guitar in the store if I get to.

 

[Tux789]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

40 seconds or twenty feet which ever comes first

 

[Nathan]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

how can you guys actually purchase a guitar without plugging it in??? i totally understand playing it unplugged first and then checking it out plugged in after, but buying without plugging it in at all just seems crazy unless you're so loaded you wipe your ass with $20 bills or the guitar is dirt cheap.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

I set it on fire and check how the wood smells.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

how can you guys actually purchase a guitar without plugging it in??? i totally understand playing it unplugged first and then checking it out plugged in after, but buying without plugging it in at all just seems crazy unless you're so loaded you wipe your ass with $20 bills or the guitar is dirt cheap.

I usually only plug in an acoustic.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

You can't fairly evaluate an electric guitar thru an amp you don't own, thru a cab you don't own, in a room that has no acoustic properties similar to where you play. Also, normally you can't turn up loud enough to make a difference anyhow.

There are too many variables in the tone of an amplified guitar to adequately evaluate it over 20 minutes in a loud guitar store. A guitar with a great unplugged sound can be made to sound great through almost any amp setup you own....but an average to weak sounding guitar unplugged will always be average...IMO.

Everyone has their own way of doing things....no way is right or wrong, just personal preference.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

Normally I'll hold it about waist height then drop it to the floor. If it survives I'll think about considering maybe to buy one.

 

[fusion101]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

Jeff I understand where your coming from with playing unplugged and hell everything else u said, but I personally just cant tell the suttle diffrences in tone of guitars (expecially when i'm tring to distingush between like models)with out pluging in, what do u look for to try and hear which guitar is better then another( I know tone is subjective) but i cant till much at all?

 

[proxy]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

Normally I'll hold it about waist height then drop it to the floor. If it survives I'll think about considering maybe to buy one.

I do a similar thing, holding the guitar at waist height. However I usually wear my leather pants and take my shirt off and then look in the mirror and try to see if the guitar compliments my look. :laugh2:

 

[FretFire]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

I rarely if ever plug a guitar in at the store. I look for the way it sounds unplugged, and the way the neck feels, along with the overall feel of the guitar. Pickups usually need to be changed and a new nut is also almost always needed. Those change the tone of a guitar greatly.

Yep, same here. Pickups and electronics can be swapped out. If you have a dead plank of wood or a neck you can't stand to play on... those are much harder to replace . The only time I plug in at a guitar store is to try out an amp.

 

[FretFire]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

how can you guys actually purchase a guitar without plugging it in??? i totally understand playing it unplugged first and then checking it out plugged in after, but buying without plugging it in at all just seems crazy unless you're so loaded you wipe your ass with $20 bills or the guitar is dirt cheap.

Electric guitars are IMO first and foremost acoustic guitars. They need to resonate well to sound their best. No electronics (or what allows it to be amplified in other words) you can possibly install in the guitar will turn a junky piece of wood into a good one. When it rings out loudly unplugged and you can feel the body/neck vibrating you know you've got a good one. Pickups and guts can be changed to work with the guitar's natural tonal tendencies from there (you can easily hear if the axe is naturally bassy, bright, etc. when it resonates well)

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

Jeff I understand where your coming from with playing unplugged and hell everything else u said, but I personally just cant tell the suttle diffrences in tone of guitars (expecially when i'm tring to distingush between like models)with out pluging in, what do u look for to try and hear which guitar is better then another( I know tone is subjective) but i cant till much at all?

It is subtle, but the more you do it, the more you can tell. For instance:

Is the guitar loud acoustically or soft?
Do the chords ring out, or do they sound flat?
Can you hear individule notes resonating within the chords?
Is there an abundance of bass, mid or treble within the tones?

You know a good sound, or a sound you like when you hear it. What I want to hear in a guitar may not be what you want to hear, but you know. Next time you go to GC or any other store, strum a few low end Ibanez or Jackson guitars unplugged, and the compare that sound to an American Fender or Gibson. I'll bet you can tell an immediate difference in the quality of the sound. Now compare 5 Fenders to each other. Pretty soon you'll notice the small differences....it's all just experience and training your ear.

If that doesn't work, use Proxy's or Xeromus's method.....they're both cool.

 

[fusion101]

Re: HOw do u test guitars?

Thanks for the advise Jeff