New vs Used Guitar?
- Thread starter UTGrad
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Thundermtn
New member
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
Well for the price people shouldn't settle for a middle of the bell curve Gibson. I'll play 30+ and go back and buy the best one. I'm looking for seriously b@d@ss stuff, and I find them.
Well for the price people shouldn't settle for a middle of the bell curve Gibson. I'll play 30+ and go back and buy the best one. I'm looking for seriously b@d@ss stuff, and I find them.
Jeff_H
Dean Hardtail Fanologist
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
Like Ace said, a very good Gibson isn't hard to find. I've owned several over the years and have never seen some of the quality issues many talk about.....other than some fret finishing issues.... which is minor to me. You have a better chance of getting a "good" Gibson buying online than you do a "bad one". I even bought my 57' RI online and not only is it the best Gibson I've ever played, it may be the best guitar I've ever played.
And the comment about buying a 57' RI earlier is very accurate. They are the best bang for the buck in the RI series and the quality is a substantial step up from the other lines. They are very affordable for a historic RI in the $2200-$2700 range and they are worth the extras $$. MAYBE 2-3 out of 100 would be considered "not great players" and then you have to look at who is evaluating them. Is is a room full of corksniffers that own a dozen real bursts, is it a room full of working musicians or is it a room full of every day Joe's like us? It does matter who's evaluating an instrument.
Just buy knowing there is a small possibility that you won't like the guitar or that it won't meet your standards and will need to go back. Even if you bought it from somewhere with no returns, you can usually sell it for minimal loss.... although I admit it's a pain. That's just part of buying used anything. Overall it's a small price to pay for finding a guitar that's great for you, especially when you don't have a ready supply of guitars to play locally.
And what is a good supply or number to be able to choose from anyhow? How many stores even have 10 examples of each model for comparison? Very few. I've never been to a big box that had that kind of selection available, and I've lived in some large cities around the country. If you go into a store and they have, say 3 standards, 2 traditional, a Classic and a Studio..... is that a large enough sample size to judge the overall quality of a single guitar, let alone an entire brand? I doubt there are very many stores that have 10 of each line available to try.
I think you can buy online just fine. It's not much more of a crapshoot vs. buying online, and the selection you have when buying online is mindboggling compared to your local GC.
Like Ace said, a very good Gibson isn't hard to find. I've owned several over the years and have never seen some of the quality issues many talk about.....other than some fret finishing issues.... which is minor to me. You have a better chance of getting a "good" Gibson buying online than you do a "bad one". I even bought my 57' RI online and not only is it the best Gibson I've ever played, it may be the best guitar I've ever played.
And the comment about buying a 57' RI earlier is very accurate. They are the best bang for the buck in the RI series and the quality is a substantial step up from the other lines. They are very affordable for a historic RI in the $2200-$2700 range and they are worth the extras $$. MAYBE 2-3 out of 100 would be considered "not great players" and then you have to look at who is evaluating them. Is is a room full of corksniffers that own a dozen real bursts, is it a room full of working musicians or is it a room full of every day Joe's like us? It does matter who's evaluating an instrument.
Just buy knowing there is a small possibility that you won't like the guitar or that it won't meet your standards and will need to go back. Even if you bought it from somewhere with no returns, you can usually sell it for minimal loss.... although I admit it's a pain. That's just part of buying used anything. Overall it's a small price to pay for finding a guitar that's great for you, especially when you don't have a ready supply of guitars to play locally.
And what is a good supply or number to be able to choose from anyhow? How many stores even have 10 examples of each model for comparison? Very few. I've never been to a big box that had that kind of selection available, and I've lived in some large cities around the country. If you go into a store and they have, say 3 standards, 2 traditional, a Classic and a Studio..... is that a large enough sample size to judge the overall quality of a single guitar, let alone an entire brand? I doubt there are very many stores that have 10 of each line available to try.
I think you can buy online just fine. It's not much more of a crapshoot vs. buying online, and the selection you have when buying online is mindboggling compared to your local GC.
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YeRedHouseOverYonder
New member
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
$1800 is the lowest I've seen a RI go for and it was modified for 3 p'ups running dimarzios. If you can find one for $2000, I would take it, but your chances are low. Better odds of finding a nice traditional for that much coin.
Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk
$1800 is the lowest I've seen a RI go for and it was modified for 3 p'ups running dimarzios. If you can find one for $2000, I would take it, but your chances are low. Better odds of finding a nice traditional for that much coin.
Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
Interesting point- I have a buddy who can wail on anything and he doesn't care that much about setup, feel, radius or even neck width and scale length. Maybe with enough natural skill the guitar doesn't matter- we've all talked about Clapton sounding like Clapton on SG, LP, 335 or Strat
Interesting point- I have a buddy who can wail on anything and he doesn't care that much about setup, feel, radius or even neck width and scale length. Maybe with enough natural skill the guitar doesn't matter- we've all talked about Clapton sounding like Clapton on SG, LP, 335 or Strat
B
Ben1962
Guest
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
My buddy is like that. I talk about pickups and blah blah and he just starts playing. He could care less about all this stuff, he just plays and sounds so good and relaxed. Excellent musician, drums, bass, guitar. I cant stand that guy
My buddy is like that. I talk about pickups and blah blah and he just starts playing. He could care less about all this stuff, he just plays and sounds so good and relaxed. Excellent musician, drums, bass, guitar. I cant stand that guy
stratguy23
New member
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
I've gotten a little gun-shy about ordering Gibsons online because they are fragile and people may or may not know how to pack them.
One guy sent me an LP in a case - no box, no padding.
Another guy sent me an SG - reasonably well packaged with padding, even around the headstock - and it arrived with broken headstock.
So I would advise that online Gibson purchases be done from reputable sellers who know how to ship Gibsons.
Used Gibsons are an interesting proposition, b/c the seller may have already done the cherrypicking out of the store. Or seller might have had the guitar set up well or problems corrected by a good luthier. Or maybe it's just a good piece of wood that's broken in and has both sonic and tactile mojo. The opposite may be desirable - you might find a closet classic from someone who bought a good guitar but never had time to play it.
I look for indicators like that to help increase the chances of a good purchase. Gibsons aren't all the same, whether in person or online.
I've gotten a little gun-shy about ordering Gibsons online because they are fragile and people may or may not know how to pack them.
One guy sent me an LP in a case - no box, no padding.
Another guy sent me an SG - reasonably well packaged with padding, even around the headstock - and it arrived with broken headstock.
So I would advise that online Gibson purchases be done from reputable sellers who know how to ship Gibsons.
Used Gibsons are an interesting proposition, b/c the seller may have already done the cherrypicking out of the store. Or seller might have had the guitar set up well or problems corrected by a good luthier. Or maybe it's just a good piece of wood that's broken in and has both sonic and tactile mojo. The opposite may be desirable - you might find a closet classic from someone who bought a good guitar but never had time to play it.
I look for indicators like that to help increase the chances of a good purchase. Gibsons aren't all the same, whether in person or online.
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L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
B
Ben1962
Guest
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
I wouldnt hesitate to buy a Gibson online, as long as the seller accepts returns and if you aren't 100% confident in your knowledge, you take it to get a set up right away. I know, another 75 bux but there are some dishonest people out there. I would also buy it with Paypal or dare I say, Ebay. That way you have 2 parties that almost always side with the buyer. If you want to check for imperfections with an electron microscope and find some flaw the size of a fly dropping, you may be disappointed. But if you want a great guitar. the odds are pretty good you will.
I wouldnt hesitate to buy a Gibson online, as long as the seller accepts returns and if you aren't 100% confident in your knowledge, you take it to get a set up right away. I know, another 75 bux but there are some dishonest people out there. I would also buy it with Paypal or dare I say, Ebay. That way you have 2 parties that almost always side with the buyer. If you want to check for imperfections with an electron microscope and find some flaw the size of a fly dropping, you may be disappointed. But if you want a great guitar. the odds are pretty good you will.
Thundermtn
New member
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
I had a bass fall off the top of a stack directly onto the headstock of my LP in a stand, then both of them onto the stage. A few serious dents but no broken anything. They are pretty tough, maybe not always UPS gorilla proof though.
I had a bass fall off the top of a stack directly onto the headstock of my LP in a stand, then both of them onto the stage. A few serious dents but no broken anything. They are pretty tough, maybe not always UPS gorilla proof though.
Condemnedsoul
Active member
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
Don't downplay the necks of those SG's. The guitarist for this band had to switch to Strats because the SG's he was using wouldn't break apart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6FbPhsh0ys
Don't downplay the necks of those SG's. The guitarist for this band had to switch to Strats because the SG's he was using wouldn't break apart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6FbPhsh0ys
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
Pete Townsend is one of my heroes, but why smash a perfectly good guitar lol. Give it to a poor kid.
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Pete Townsend is one of my heroes, but why smash a perfectly good guitar lol. Give it to a poor kid.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: New vs Used Guitar?
^^^ This
I recently bought a guitar off Reverb. It wasn't a Les Paul, but it still applies. 7-day return window, the guy had lots of photos, (and even sent more when i messaged him, before the sale), and he even had a link to a YouTube of him playing the actual guitar! Not to mention, the original owner will often have a set-up done, which it had. The guitar was in mint condition, was a couple hundred bucks less than buying new, and i absolutely love it! Buying used can be a very good option.
^^^ This
I recently bought a guitar off Reverb. It wasn't a Les Paul, but it still applies. 7-day return window, the guy had lots of photos, (and even sent more when i messaged him, before the sale), and he even had a link to a YouTube of him playing the actual guitar! Not to mention, the original owner will often have a set-up done, which it had. The guitar was in mint condition, was a couple hundred bucks less than buying new, and i absolutely love it! Buying used can be a very good option.
