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A good, modestly priced guitar is likely to sell for under $200.00 new. Most guitars under $200.00 are not actually good nor are they expected to be. However, you will occasionally find one out of several from one of the better under $200.00 lines that turns out good. We will assume you are looking for one of these and also used but in good condition, bringing the price under $100.00. The instrument should tune well and easily, stay in tune, finger easily and sound good.
The best way to really be sure is to take an acquaintance, associate or friend along to examine the instrument. They should check the neck for bowing as with bad wood. They should tune it up fairly quickly. It should stay in tune without re-tuning. It should sound good or at least passable for the money both to you and to your guitarist friend.
Some names you may want to look for among manufacturers include Yamaha, Ovation and Fender who are all known for making at least some instruments that have sold for under $200.00 new in the past 5 or more years. Even Gibson and other more expensive names can be picked up cheaply if the seller is in a bind or doesn’t know what they have. As crazy as it may sound, artists are fickle. You may find someone who will sell a guitar for a fraction of what they paid for it just to raise the last few dollars needed to buy the next instrument that has caught their eyes and ears. Some lesser-known but well made handmade guitars can also be acquired because the owner doesn’t have the background to assess the value of what they have. Make sure that guitarist friend you take along is as good an expert as you can reasonably get.
Finding guitars to consider.
Classified ads, trader type ads, buy and sells, garage and yard sales, flea markets and anywhere you would expect to find second hand items are good places to find a guitar. Word of mouth from friends and family is an excellent path to follow. A guitar teacher who may have the motivation of one day charging you for lessons is a good lead for used guitars. Artistic folks who have personal websites may have a clue or even an old guitar of their own collecting dust in a closet somewhere. Music schools, guitar lesson dropouts and college students in need of money are also good sources for a good instrument. Listen to radio swap shops or ask the DJ him/herself if they have an old guitar they might part with. Many of these folks started out with a desire to make it as a performing artist. Now, they might just be glad to get enough money out of that old piece to help pay a bill or two.
Remember that it’s a beginner guitar.
It simply has to get you through the process of learning to play a little and deciding if this is something you really want to pursue. If it isn’t so much work to re-tune, so hard on the ears or so hard to play that it drives you away before you can make up your mind, it’s probably good enough for now.
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