Buying second hand guitar checklist available somewhere?

allen

Anyone know of a good checklist for buying a used guitar when going to buy in person from a private seller?

I've done a bit of thinking and here's my list

Seller/ownership:
Meet at their home address or a dodgy location?
Can they show you an original receipt? In their name?
Do a google search to see if it's stolen (tricky?)
If it's vintage and/or a common model check for fakery
Agree a price (or wiggle room) in advance
Agree a payment method in advance e.g. is cash acceptable?
Do your homework on market price etc.

Guitar condition:
Look in obvious places for damage - all round edge of body and neck/top of headstock/back of body
Check all switches for function/noise
Check all knobs for function/noise
Check trem function and loss of tune
Check straightness/relief of neck by sighting down it from the bridge and the headstock using the strings as a straight line reference
Check fret buzz by playing each note on neck
Check for choking on high frets by bending 2 steps on each note (depends on neck radius though)
Look for fretwear

Accessories etc:
Does it have the trem bar?
Does it have the COA/original manual/etc?
Does it have the original tools
Is the case or bag included? Strap?

I've left out the part of deciding whether or not you like it obviously.
e.g. neck profile, switch locations, etc.
and can you afford and do you actually need it

andy1839

Just been burned by this exact thing. 


Bought what I thought was a bargain in a rush on the way to somewhere. 
Later found the floyd style trem fine tuner holes were threaded. 

Top of my list now is not to buy anything with a trem/floyd and stick to hardtails.  A replacement Trem is going to cost more than I paid for the guitar. 

I doubt a checklist would have helped me, as one that prevents a person from being a twonk can't possibly exist. 

But I don't think it's a bad idea. 

Time spent with the instrument before you commit to buying is the most important thing imo. 

guitarfishbay

Pretty comprehensive list.

Agreeing a payment method in advance is probably a good idea too.  Some people like using bank transfers even on collections, so they don't have to carry the cash.

musicman100

allen said:

Anyone know of a good checklist for buying a used guitar when going to buy in person from a private seller?

I've done a bit of thinking and here's my list

Seller/ownership:
Meet at their home address or a dodgy location?
Can they show you an original receipt? In their name?
Do a google search to see if it's stolen (tricky?)
If it's vintage and/or a common model check for fakery

Guitar condition:
Look in obvious places for damage - all round edge of body and neck/top of headstock/back of body
Check all switches for function/noise
Check all knobs for function/noise
Check trem function and loss of tune
Check straightness/relief of neck by sighting down it from the bridge using the strings as a straight line reference
Check fret buzz by playing each note on neck
Check for choking on high frets by bending 2 steps on each note (depends on neck radius though)

Accessories etc:
Does it have the trem bar?
Does it have the COA/original manual/etc?
Does it have the original tools
Is the case or bag included? Strap?

I've left out the part of deciding whether or not you like it obviously.

Your over thinking things.
Just use ur common sense.
If you've got half a brain you can sense if something isn't right. 

guitarfishbay

andy1839 said:

Just been burned by this exact thing. 


Bought what I thought was a bargain in a rush on the way to somewhere. 
Later found the floyd style trem fine tuner holes were threaded. 

Top of my list now is not to buy anything with a trem/floyd and stick to hardtails.  A replacement Trem is going to cost more than I paid for the guitar. 

I doubt a checklist would have helped me, as one that prevents a person from being a twonk can't possibly exist. 

But I don't think it's a bad idea. 

Time spent with the instrument before you commit to buying is the most important thing imo. 

Experience is a big part of this.

I'd be happy to buy a guitar I really liked, if the price was right, if the only issues were electrical, as I'd either fix them or fit some of the spares I already have.  If the issues were fretwork related I'd have to factor that in as I don't feel confident with that... hardware can be expensive on some instruments too. 

Sassafras

Check straightness/relief of neck by sighting down it from the headstock.
Not sure why but it does make a difference.

Lebarque

Has it got a Floyd Rose? If so, avoid.

lustycourtier

I don't want strangers in my house so I tend to meet atservices/ pubs. If something doesn't feel right deals off. 

fretfinder

guitarfishbay said:

Pretty comprehensive list.

Agreeing a payment method in advance is probably a good idea too.  Some people like using bank transfers even on collections, so they don't have to carry the cash.

I also try to agree the price in advance, especially before making a big journey. I think that provides clarity and certainty for both sides. I've known sellers to say they're open to offers but then when you get there they refuse to negotiate, so I won't play that game any more. If I know the price I'm going to pay, and the guitar is as described and as expected, then I'll happily pay it and wouldn't try to negotiate further once I'm on the premises.

It's the same when I'm selling. If someone asks me my best price I'll tell them. If they then come to view the guitar and offer me a lower price, I'll just say very politely that we agreed the price and if they don't want to pay it they've made a wasted journey. That doesn't happen often though, to be fair.

Maynehead

Add to the list:

Check frets for fretwear. Do some double stop bends around the neck and make sure the frets are high enough to allow you to bend comfortably.

Personally I have only very few things on my list. A lot of issue can be easily fixed with a set up / rewire, but there are some issues that would not be worth the hassle. E.g. Worn frets, bent/twisted neck, dents on the neck, cracks in the body to name a few.

Another non-technical issue that is also very important is the neck profile. If you find the neck too thick or too thin, the guitar will never feel good to play and you'll eventually stop playing it. Same for the layout of the controls. I've rejected guitars in the past purely because the volume control got in the way while I was strumming.

guitarfishbay

.musicman100 said:

allen said:

Anyone know of a good checklist for buying a used guitar when going to buy in person from a private seller?

I've done a bit of thinking and here's my list

Your over thinking things.
Just use ur common sense.
If you've got half a brain you can sense if something isn't right. 

Right - but if you've been playing and buying/selling for a long time you've got a lot more experience than someone who is new, generally less confident, or has less knowledge about instruments.

Sassafras

lustycourtier said:

I don't want strangers in my house so I tend to meet atservices/ pubs. If something doesn't feel right deals off. 

Sounds like an episode of Breaking Bad.

musicman100

guitarfishbay said:

.musicman100 said:

allen said:

Anyone know of a good checklist for buying a used guitar when going to buy in person from a private seller?

I've done a bit of thinking and here's my list

Your over thinking things.
Just use ur common sense.
If you've got half a brain you can sense if something isn't right. 

Right - but if you've been playing and buying/selling for a long time you've got a lot more experience than someone who is new, generally less confident, or has less knowledge about instruments.

yeah but I had to start as a novice.
do your homework on anything ur looking at buying and try to get a realistic idea of price first.  

Rave

1: Make sure your shoelaces are tied before you leave the house
2: Fill your car with the right amount of fuel
3: Check in rear view mirror for any white heads that might have appeared during the journey
4: Lock car and arm alarm before knocking on seller's door
5: Knock on door and introduce yourself

rlw

You also missed out two very important points.

1. Can I afford it?
2. Do I actually need it?
   

Neckwringer

rlw said:

You also missed out two very important points.

1. Can I afford it?
2. Do I actually need it?
   

Since when has that ever stopped anyone...............

rlw

Neckwringer said:

rlw said:

You also missed out two very important points.

1. Can I afford it?
2. Do I actually need it?
   

Since when has that ever stopped anyone...............

..just sayin'.....

digitalscream

rlw said:

You also missed out two very important points.

1. Can I afford it?
2. Do I actually need it?
   

I'm not convinced that #2 has ever applied in this particular context.

musicman100

digitalscream said:

rlw said:

You also missed out two very important points.

1. Can I afford it?
2. Do I actually need it?
   

I'm not convinced that #2 has ever applied in this particular context.



neither does #1 going by all adds on here. 

axisus

1 - is it a guitar?


I can have a fair crack at fixing any other problems.

allen

musicman100 said:

allen said:

Anyone know of a good checklist for buying a used guitar when going to buy in person from a private seller?

Your over thinking things.
Just use ur common sense.
If you've got half a brain you can sense if something isn't right. 

Fair point, but anyone can get carried away with the emotion of it all...which doesn't only apply to guitars.