Remember to always ask your seller if the guitar is a Reissue or a true vintage. There is no harm in asking, but paying vintage ‘57 price for a ‘57 RI is a costly mistake. The downright truth of it is that people are deceptive. When holding auctions they may try to skim over the truth, and try to lead you into believing that the guitar you’re looking at is straight out of the 50’s, when in fact it’s a relic. Be wary of a guitar in pristine condition that is supposed to be from the 60’s, because chances are, it’s a 60’s RI.

How to tell what if you’re paying for is real? Don’t get me wrong, RI and relics are gems in their own respect, and are priced accordingly so you will come across prices a cut above the most expensive modern models out there from mass production. For instance, a ‘57 relic Fender Strat is going to cost at least a good $1,000 more than an American Strat from ‘08. Reissues are brand new versions that are supposed to replicate a guitar and how it was made back in the day. A relic is a guitar that has beat up, dinged, worn down, and rusted over, so that it will not only sound quite like a vintage, but it will look like one too. However, if you see an auction on a supposed rare vintage guitar, do your research first, as well as look at the obvious signs.

Some things to consider:

• Are other people bidding on it? - You can’t always trust this to prove a guitar’s legitimacy, but chances are buyers of expensive guitars will also do their research.
• Does it look like a relic? - Check out some pictures from guitar shops online of the relic version of the guitar you wish to buy. They won’t all be exactly the same, but may be dangerously similar. Also check to see if the color of the guitar is no longer being produced.
• Check the serial number - You can always ask for a serial number, and contact the manufacturer of the guitar in question. They know a lot about their own guitars, and might even give you some tips on spotting an impostor.
• Check the details - Sometimes guitars that reissues or relics are just plain fakes. People may try to relic a guitar themselves and sell it, so pay close attention to the headstock designs and hardware type. These are details that are hard for swindlers to replicate.
• Does the seller deal with expensive guitars? - Vintage guitar resellers will probably be a more reliable source than someone who sells other goods, or has never sold one before.

Above all, when you’re dishing out a lot of money to buy an expensive guitar, be careful. If you buy the real thing, you may hold in your hands a gem from a guitar era long passed, but if you’re not, you might be duped into buying something almost as good, but for too much money. If you keep your wits about you and spot look-a-likes before hand, you can save yourself a lot of frustration and plenty of money

Note: Vintage Guitars

• Vintage guitars are their own special breed. Good old guitars are hard to come by, and those that you do find are often very valuable since a lot of the manufacturing properties of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s just aren’t in existence today. Because of this, a good vintage guitar is generally going to be worth the repairs you will need to have done. The price of repairs won’t exceed the $2000 price tag on an old Strat, but wouldn’t be worth it on a newer model that is worth a fraction of the vintage price tag. We aren’t saying every vintage guitar is valuable, or that every repair is worth it, but age and quality of a used guitar are important factors in determining whether or not you want to fix it up. Also, please note that replacing parts on a vintage guitar may lower their value.

Scratches and Dents

• Again, in this aspect, guitars are like cars. A scratch or a ding in the body is not desirable, but is not the end of the world. A guitar can be repainted just like a car, and dings and holes can be filled to the point where they are nearly undetectable if done by professional. A used guitar should be expected to have some scratches on it, as players are almost never perfectly careful with their guitar. We are, after all, only guitarists. For this reason, minor scratches or dents in the body should be expected, and while they cause a guitar to lose a bit of their value compared to a brand new one, they can be repaired and should not deter you from buying the guitar, and should only cause you to bump the price of a guitar down by a little bit. Larger scratches or dents, like a chunk missing from a body or such, are a different story. A guitar plays only as good as it is constructed, and if a large part of it is damaged, you might want to consider looking elsewhere.

Cracks on the neck or fretboard

• If you find cracks on the neck or fretboard, consider a few things before making a purchase. First off, if you plan on playing the guitar, will you have enough money to have a crack professionally repaired. A crack will most likely hinder playability, and is generally a fatal flaw to those without the pocketbook to repair it. Second, think about how you plan to use the guitar. Will you keep it and play it for yourself, or do you plan on reselling it? If you plan on keeping the guitar, it might be a better option to just have the neck replaced with one of your choice. This way fractures are not a problem and you can choose to tailor your sounds. On acoustic guitars, this option is not so plausible, since necks aren’t bolted on like electric necks. If you are planning on reselling the guitar, consider the impact of replacing a neck on the guitar. On one hand, the guitar will be playable, and on the other, it will lose its authenticity if you replace a stock part with a different one, unless it is of the same model guitar and year.

Routing

• Routing can be an issue with purchasing a used guitar as well. If the previous owner has routed a guitar to accommodate different pickups than the stock ones, you want to make sure it was worth it, and fits the style of guitar. You might not want a guitar that used to have a SSS set up that has been rerouted to fit dual humbuckers. Generally, guitars with swimming pool routes are flexible, and allow you to change your mind on the pickup style, and leave little damage behind when you do, but aren’t as desirable as a guitar that came routed for a good style and brand of pickup that will last. Always check underneath a guitar’s pick guard if the previous owner has modified anything, since a mistake in routing can mean either costly repairs, or sacrifice of tone.

Wiring

• Bad wiring in guitars is a common problem. Cheaper guitars aren’t assembled with the best equipment or care, and often times wires can come loose or need replacement. This is not a big problem, and can be done inexpensively by a professional, or yourself if you are willing to take a chance. Bad wiring in a guitar can cause an owner to think it is broken, so take a look inside of a guitar for the wiring and see if you can spot a problem before you buy it. If you do see something that might be a bad connection, solder, or wire, you can probably replace it after you purchase the guitar, and get the guitar for a steal.

Strings

• Broken or missing strings should not even be classified as damage. They are a fact of guitar playing, and occur often. What you do want to look out for however, are strings that slide from side to side because of a damaged nut or bridge, and make sure that the strings are aligned and angled properly. These could potential be signs of a bigger problem, but don’t sweat the small stuff like a break.

Nut

• The nut makes sure that your strings stay in place and a damaged one can mean tuning problems or loose strings. Replacing this however is not a terribly complicated repair in most cases, and you can purchase a new nut for relatively cheap, depending on the material. If this is all that is wrong with your used guitar, don’t hesitate to simply take it into the local guitar shop for repair.

Bridge

• A damaged bridge is generally a small problem as well. In the grand scheme of guitars, a bridge is relatively inexpensive, and should not keep you from purchasing a used guitar if all it requires is a replacement bridge. Often times you can upgrade your bridge while you’re at it, and it will give your guitar better action or intonation. However, one thing to watch for is where the damaged bridge is installed. A bridge with a tremolo will likely have an impact on the body, and can leave marks, dents, scratches, or holes behind should you need to replace it.

Tuners

• Replacing a tuner on a guitar is typically an inexpensive option. Don’t let it stop you from buying a guitar, since you can take it in to your local shop and they can order you some new tuners that will match your old ones. Tuners, like bridges, can often times be upgraded, but there is a small possibility that an oddly constructed tuner can leave an imprint or damage behind on replacement.

Knobs

• Knobs getting dirty and needing cleaning or replacement are a fairly common problem as well. Knobs are inexpensive and can be customized if you want to give your guitar a cooler look. However, if you are going for a purity factor because you want to keep it as a collector’s item, it will be relatively inexpensive to replace the knobs of your guitar with those of the same model if you find someone selling them on eBay.

Pickups

• Pickups are replaceable on most guitars, and aren’t often damaged. This is because contact with pickups is minimal if any, and without them a guitar would be useless, so they would likely be replaced upon failure by a previous owner. Keep in mind though that you can always switch out pickups or upgrade them, but you might want to get them installed professionally in order to preserve the integrity of your guitar. Don’t let the pickup damage keep you from buying a used guitar if it is newer, but if it is vintage, they might be one of the major attractive points of buying a vintage guitar in the first place.

Input Jack

• As a guitar ages, the input jack normally wears out first. Why? You constantly plug and unplug cables into it every time you play through an amp. For this reason, damage on an input jack is a minor deal, and can be replaced cheaply and easily. Often times people will even sell a guitar for cheap because they deem the input jack broken when really the culprit is a loose wire or nut holding the jack together. If this is the only concern in buying a used guitar, go for it, and replace it afterwards.

• Ebay - Ebay is a common place to search for guitars, but you won’t necessarily be able to find the best hands on deals here. One of the most important factors in buying a guitar is knowing how it sounds, and Ebay gives you the ability to see a guitar, but not to play it. On Ebay your best finds will be in middle ranged guitars, like say your cheaper Fender Strats, like MIM (Made in Mexico ones) because the collectors aren’t bidding on these, and neither are the cheap-o’s. If you’re a cheap-o, Ebay is crawling with imitation guitars which may look like more expensive guitars, but sound like a box of cereal with strings on it. You won’t find any knock out guitars at super cheap prices most likely, because the people bidding on Limited Edition Les Pauls, are probably collectors or high roller players. So… Ebay is a good place for beginners to look for a cheap beginner guitar, or for collectors to find expensive guitars for decent deals, but as for the middle ranged player, you can snag a guitar at a better price than a local store, but won’t be able to tell the quality until you’ve paid for it.

• Craig’s List or Classifieds- If you’re into deal searching, search no further. You can find a lot of deals on guitars, but with a catch. You may have to go pick up the guitar from someone, or you may not get the full description of an item. A lot of guitar’s from Craig’s List are imitations that dishonest people try to pass off as the real thing, so make sure you do you’re reading on the guitar, and ask to see and play the guitar before you purchase it. So… Craig’s List or any local classified might be a good chance to get lucky, and find someone selling a guitar when they don’t know what it is really worth, or you may stumble across someone trying to trick you out of your money. This is a good option if you have the ability to check out the guitar before buying it, and can recognize a fake when you see one.

• Local Shops - Local shops are always a great stop in your search for a used guitar. Sometimes people will sell guitars to shops when they don’t want to list them privately, or don’t use services like Ebay. Guitar shops will typically only accept playable guitars to resell, so you know you’re getting something intact, and chances are you will be allowed to play it before making your decision. So… Shops are a good choice for all buyers, but may not be preferable for super-budget buyers. Shops don’t tend to mark down guitars very much, and you may find a better deal from an auction or classified, but at least at the shop you will have the reassurance that you aren’t purchasing a complete disaster. Also, most times you can leave your number with a guitar shop, and tell them to give you a call if they happen to acquire something rare. This way, you know you’re buying a real high end rarity that was already purchased by a store that knows what they were doing when they bought it.

• Yard Sales - Yard sales are a good option for budget buyers or beginners, since you will find a lot of guitars from people that bought cheap guitars, lost the will to learn, and want to get rid of them. Sometimes the guitars are worse for wear, but often you’ll find that they were gently cared for, and you can inspect them on spot. You probably won’t have the option to play it in most cases, but if you’re shopping through yard sales and don’t know what guitar is high end, then you are probably most concerned with the price tag. So… Only go yard sale hunting if you have a budget or have spare time. Most of what you will find (if anything) is going to be entry level guitars at cheap prices. You may occasionally find a guitar being sold by someone ignorant of it’s value, but this is unlikely.

• Pawn Shops - Pawn shops are a luck of the draw selection. You might find a pawn broker who purchased a guitar from someone who needed some cash, and is selling a ridiculously valuable guitar for just a few hundred bucks. Then again, they might know what they’re doing and price it accordingly, so deals will be unpredictable from store to store. Sometimes people will pawn expensive guitars, and sometimes they will pawn cheap guitars, but keeping an eye out on local stores from time to time isn’t a bad idea. So… Pawn shops are a good idea for a collector or player who likes to hunt for guitar deals, but not for a person who is trying to find a quality guitar for certain in a few days.

• Body - The body is probably the most important part of your guitar. After all, your guitar is basically a chunk of wood with some strings attached to it and electronics in it. So why should you care what wood it’s made out of? The wood controls how the vibrations from your strings sustain and sound. Certain woods give dark warm tones, while other woods are brighter. We will talk about the types of guitar woods comprehensively in the future, but for now, just understand that bodies of electric guitars normally are fabricated from Alder, Basswood, Ash, Swamp Ash, or Mahogany. There are certain other types of rare woods that sound better than these, but if you are unable to figure out what kind of wood a body is made out of, it’s best to stay away. Cheap woods produce cheap sounding tones, leaving your pickups to struggle with picking up tones and making you sound like you’re playing a cardboard guitar.

• Neck - The neck is another extremely important piece of equipment, seeing as how it is the other part of the wood that makes up a guitar. The neck can be attached to the body with screws (Bolt-on) or can be attached to the body in one piece of wood (Neck-through). The most common of these two variations is the bolt on neck, like the strat pictured above has. On top of the neck there is a lot going on, with the Fretboard. The fretboard is literally a board (usually rosewood which is dark, or maple which is light) that has metal Frets embedded into it. Rosewood fretboards are associated with darker tones and a firm feel, where maple is brighter and smoother. The type of fretboard you want on your guitar is almost entirely personal preference, and you must take into account the effect it has on the sound of your guitar overall. Sometimes the choice of a fretboard comes down to preference in looks, but in most cases, guitars will already have a neck on them, and you won’t have much choice in fretboard anyway unless you replace the neck. Another important point to notice when you pick up a guitar is the Thickness and Shape of the neck. The way a neck is formed can give mass to the guitar, changing its sound, but ultimately, you want to choose a neck that is comfortable to your hand, and allows you easy access to the frets. Depending on the size of your hands, some guitars with fat necks might not be as easily playable as thin ones.

• Frets - There are a few different sizes of frets you can have. Most guitars come with jumbo sized frets, or medium-jumbo. Make sure you pick up a guitar before you buy it, and look at the frets to make sure they aren’t falling off, super worn, or damaged, because this could be cause for repair. Play the instrument a bit to make sure the frets feel good, and they aren’t too big or small for your playing style.

• Headstock - The headstock is the top end of the neck, where the Tuners are located. The headstock primarily is a matter of visual appeal, but certain companies try to enlarge headstock in order to give a good balance or add extra mass to your guitar. When you pick up a guitar, see how it feels, and see if the headstock is too heavy to hold the guitar comfortably, or too light to balance it when you don’t have a good grip on the neck.

• Tuners - Also referred to as tuning pegs and machine heads, the tuners are where your strings get wrapped and turned to change the tuning. When picking up a used guitar, make sure to check the integrity of the tuners. Jiggle the knobs lightly without turning them and see if any of them move. Tuners that aren’t in place securely can cause buzzing problems when you play, or can come loose and pull your guitar out of tune. If you can, try tuning the guitar to find out how sensitive the tuners are. You don’t want them too sensitive, but then again, you don’t want to turn them three times to tune a half step away.

• Truss Rod - The opening for the truss rod is usually on the headstock of a guitar and is sometimes covered with a metal plate, but if it’s not, there’s a good chance it is on the opposite end of the neck where it meets the body. What the truss rod does is adjusts the curve of your entire neck, to counter the bending that the tight strings cause. We will cover more on adjusting the truss rod in later articles, but for now, it’s good to make sure that the neck has a truss rod, and there is no visible damage. Also, check the top of the rod to make sure the notches inside aren’t stripped. This could cause major problems in your neck, but would be a very rare problem to encounter, so don’t insist on taking the plate off if the seller swears it’s still intact.

• Nut - The nut is a small but very important part of your guitar. The nut is a piece of plastic or bone that holds the strings in place. If the grooves in the nut are damaged or poorly cut, your strings could move, causing tuning problems and playability issues, so give it a quick glance to make sure it looks and feels secure. However, a nut can be replaced more easily than an entire fretboard or neck, so if it is the only problem with the neck, the guitar could be a quick fix at a local shop.

• Pickguard - The function of the pickguard varies based on the kind of guitar you own. On some guitars, the purpose is quite literally to guard the finish from stray picking. On some guitars, like the Fender Stratocaster and other Fender models, a pickguard is what holds the Pickups, and conceals the routing and wiring done in your guitar. If a guitar is missing a pickguard, a new one can be purchased for around $15 or less, but make sure you aren’t getting a guitar with no pickups that would normally be in a pickguard. A lot of places that part out guitars sell “loaded pickguards” which are loaded with pickups in them.

• Pickups - Pickups are the most important electronic equipment on your guitar in terms of tone. They quite literally pick up the sound that resonates from your strings and the body of the guitar, and send it to the Input Jack so it can be amplified. Pickups can be replaced and upgraded to better ones, but even a great pickup cannot mask a bad tone from a poorly crafted guitar or poor quality wood. Pickups can be raised and lowered as well to maximize tone. There are two types of pickups that fall into two different categories. The first, Single Coil pickups, look like the ones pictured above, and are wrapped by themselves. Single coil pickups are generally brighter, crisper, and more jazzier/bluesier than the other kind of pickups, Humbuckers. Humbuckers are wrapped in pairs, and can sometimes function as single coils when controlled via a Pickup Selector Switch. A guitar with humbuckers will sound darker and muddier than one with single coils, and give you a heavier metal sort of sound. Some guitars feature a mixture of the two pickups, and allow for different versatility. Just make sure you play the guitar before purchasing it and see if you can get the style you want out of it. Pickups come in Passive or Active categories as well. Passive pickups use magnets that require no electricity, while active pickups are powered by batteries, and are generally louder, and more powerful. The choice between these two kinds are a matter of preference in most cases. More on pickups will come in later articles.

• Pickup Selector Switch - A selector switch allows you to switch between the pickups you are using. On some guitars this is a 5 position switch, on others, a 3 position. Some guitars don’t even feature a selector switch but use knobs to allow you to adjust the EQ of your guitar. This feature probably isn’t a deciding factor in whether a guitar is right for you, but rather a necessity to control the factors that are important.

• Tone and Volume Knobs - The tone and volume knobs are standard on most guitars, and may not always be clearly labeled. The knobs do what they are named after, and control the volume of the output from your guitar, or the EQ of the tone coming out of your guitar before it reaches the amplifier. Some guitars have on-board preamps, which can be useful in adjusting tone, and will come with knobs to control EQ that way. Ask the seller about these features to find out more.

• Input Jack - The input jack is where you would plug your guitar cable into your guitar, and is either located on the front like in the picture above, or on the side of the guitar. Before buying a guitar, make sure the input jack is firmly in place and is wired correctly, or else your pickups won’t be giving off any sound to your amplifier.

• Strap Locks - There should be strap locks on the arm and bottom of the guitar, and hold your strap securely to the guitar while you play. Poor strap locks could risk dropping your guitar, but they are inexpensive and easy to replace, so don’t sweat too much over them.

• Bridge - The bridge of the guitar holds the strings in place and controls intonation through the Saddles that the strings rest on. Adjusting the saddles can allow you to fix intonation by controlling the length of the strings, or allowing you to adjust the height of the strings, known as the Action, which governs how hard you have to press to fret a note. Some bridges contain Tremolos which are basically a pivot point, allowing the strings to be temporarily stretched or slackened, changing their tuning. A good bridge is important in keeping your intonation good throughout your whole fretboard, but can be replaced if it is low-end.

• Whammy Bar - A whammy bar, or tremolo arm is what controls your tremolo by pulling it up or down. Don’t panic if a guitar doesn’t have a whammy bar, this just means it probably doesn’t have a tremolo bridge, or the owner has removed it. The whammy bar is easily removable if you don’t like it, and a certain degree of sounds produced by tremolos can be accomplished by bending strings.

• Strings - Last but not least, strings are the heart and soul of the sound from your guitar. Don’t base your decision on the strings on the guitar when you buy it, or the absence of them, because they will need to be replaced eventually anyway. They come in a wide variety of thicknesses and styles that will allow you to shape your tone to how you like.

Parts of a Guitar

• We’re going to show you the different parts of a guitar, what they do, and why it matters that you get good ones.

Where to Buy a Guitar

• Learn the best and cheapest places to buy a used guitar, and avoid the hassle of taking back a pawn shop reject if you’re no guitar technician.

Guitar Brands

• What kind of brand gives you that sound you’re looking for? And what kind of brand was better back then than they are now? We’ll explore those questions and get you rocking with any vintage or modern sound you want.

Guitar Parts

• Where can you buy guitar parts? What do I need to upgrade my guitar? We’ll show you comprehensively what you need to give your used guitar a better sound, and how to install it yourself and save money.