If you don't know what you're looking for then finding the right guitar can be a really stressful ordeal. When buying their first guitar, most beginners opt for a used one, mainly because it's cheaper. But did you know there are many professional guitar players who, if given a choice, would prefer a used guitar instead of a new one?

A lower price is not the only reason why you should buy an old guitar. In fact, you are making a mistake if you go for a used guitar only because of its cheap price. That's because high quality used guitars may be priced much higher than a brand new guitar, although that usually applies to so-called 'vintage guitars'.

Do you want to know why? You often get a richer and deeper tone from a used guitar. As the wood of the guitar gets seasoned, it produces the matured tones that you just don't find in a newly constructed instrument. The woods used in a new guitar are not completely cured. That's the reason you have to take extra care with a new guitar so they don't get too moist or too dry.

Proper curing of the wood to be used in a guitar is very important. That's why the instruments made by the famous Stradivarius sound so sweet. He took great care in getting his woods properly seasoned so that the moisture in the wood fibers reduced at a consistent pace. A good quality used guitar can provide you with a similar sweet sound.

It is not easy to find an impeccable vintage guitar and the high price is simply determined by the rules of supply and demand. These are the most expensive used guitars. They are like fine wines that increase in value with age and are probably out of your price range. At the other end are what I call trash guitars. Cheap wood and hardware that will not improve with age, let alone increase in value. They're like a $7.99 gallon of Gallo red.

But, in between, you may come across a good quality used guitar that has seasoned well and can be had for a reasonable price. The problem is you will only be able to tell by playing it. You can get good new guitars on the Internet but you have to listen to a used guitar. It's like buying what you think may be a fine wine... you can only tell by tasting it.

The first thing you need to do is some research on your prospective used guitar. What country was it manufactured in? American made guitars are generally better than Mexican made. Japan was turning out trash for a while, then got there act together and turned out some fine guitars until the South Koreans could make them cheaper. What wood was used? For example, Brazilian Rosewood is now very rare. If you find it on an older guitar that increases its value.

You should use a used guitar price guide. I have a page with links to Blue Books (price guides) for used electric and acoustic guitars. They're less than 20 bucks, which I have found to be more than worth the money.

Then check for condition. Is the neck warped? Make sure each note up and down the neck sounds clean. If the string rubs on the fret in front of the one you are playing then the neck is warped or the action is set too low. Check the harmonics, the sustain and the tone. Make sure all the knobs work and the tuning machines operate smoothly. If anything has to be replaced you need to know how much it will cost.

Ideally, you want a guitar from someone who's upgraded to a new guitar or else someone too ignorant to know what he's got and that you can get for a bargain. You should know what style of music you will be playing and therefore what basic type of guitar you are looking for to narrow it down. Not just acoustic or electric but, for example, the smooth sound of a Gibson, the crisp, bright sound of a Fender or the hard driving sound of an Ibanez? Then do more research, focusing in on that style of guitar.

The Internet is great for that. Check out the manufacturer's site. Search the web for other used guitars similar to the one you are considering. Check out the forums for that type of guitar. The more you know the better chance you have of getting what you want at a good price.

You may even find you can afford an older, hand-crafted guitar that has mellowed nicely with age if it's not one of the more "popular" (i.e. high demand) vintage guitar models. The old handmade guitars are renowned for their hand picked parts that underwent rigorous examination by the craftsman. Then modern process of laser cutting the wood can rob much of the sweetness from the wood versus when the wood was cut by hand.

The point is, it's not just a choice between a used guitar and a new guitar. It's also a choice between a vintage guitar, a good quality used guitar and a cheap used guitar. Never go for a used guitar which is not in a playable condition as you may spend more bucks to fix it than the piece originally cost and then find out it sounds like crap. An antique or vintage guitar will be a valuable investment that will appreciate and be appreciated by generations to come, but only if you can afford it. A quality used guitar will be the best bang for your buck.

About The Author

Jim Russell started out as a drummer before moving on to bass guitar. He now dispenses information he learned the hard way during his 30 year career and is webmaster at guitar-galaxy.com