[quote](I recently picked up a 2007 Martin 000C-16GTE ($1900 msrp) for $600 that still had the film on the pick guard!! ) [/quote]

SOB! How come whenever I find a cheap guitar at a boot sale it’s a no-name or a Woolworths Winfield.

Nice One!

🙂

I wrote this for another site….I thought I’d add it here. Hopefully you’ll find it helpful

I’m not an expert, however, I do have several guitars. The things you would want to look for are, solid wood top, a nice smooth fretboard, a nice angle from the nut to the tuners, low action and a truss rod in the neck.

It’s best to go to your music store to try out a few, and ask lots of questions, then armed with your experience go shopping around.

Solid wood guitars can be expensive but if you are savvy and frugal you can poke around some pawn shops, garage sales (boot sales for my UK friends) and other sources to find some decent deals.

However watch for things like bowed necks, warped woods, cracks in the wood, raised saddles, chipped or cracked nuts or bridges, check the saddle and bridge around the bridge pins for cracks and make sure the tuning mechanisms are not loose or at least can be tightened via a nut. (I’ve managed some great deals by pointing out this “flaw” for a discount, then went home and whipped out my wrench and fixed the problem)

Is it solid wood? Take a good look around the sound hole of natural wood or stained guitars, if it’s solid or laminate you’ll see it there. The lines of the wood grain will go all the way through the edge of the sound hole. If it stops half way or you can’t can’t tell if it goes all the way through… it’s probably a laminate, haggle accordingly.

Always haggle over the price! Pawn shops especially are notorious for buying for $25 and selling for $250 or more! If they won’t come down low enough… ask for extra sets of strings, cases and accessories.

(I recently picked up a 2007 Martin 000C-16GTE ($1900 msrp) for $600 that still had the film on the pick guard!! )

Sylvia

Go to grandmas, and grandmas friends, and mow their lawns. In 2 weeks you will have enough for an acoustic guitar.

Babysit aunt Jackies kids. The guys will laugh at you until YOUR the one with the guitar.

Where are you from? In any first world country, it isn’t that hard to make a few bucks. Even if your 14.

1 month at tops for an acoustic. Most places you go you will find a cheap s/h epi or something that will do the trick.

All I can add to that is: Buy second-hand.
IMO, instruments are the exception to the rule, at any level, second hand ones are better than new ones. Whilst Ebay is a great tool, people on there know what they’re doing, I pop my head in the local pawn-brokers probably 3 times a week, if I was really searching I’d be doing charity shops (thrift-stores?) as well it takes 30secs to scope a shop out if you know what you want. A few mins a day plus some patience and you could get a decent rig quite cheap.
Maybe not applicable to cutom-builds but you don’t need to worry about that yet, most guitarists never do.

There is a thread in the guitar category about cigar-box guitars but, really, the only advice is to try and save up. There are quite good acoustics at affordable prices. Unfortunately, cheaper electrics are easier to make so cheap acoustics do sound and play worse than pricier models. Make enquiries at music schools or guitar teachers to see if you can loan a guitar while learning.