My friends are always amazed at my wife’s and my ability to find deals.
One of our favorite activities is to drive over to Value Village and look for deals. Then later, something will come up in a conversation and we’ll say, “Oh, yeah, I got [that thing worth $50 new] from the thrift store for $5.”
People think we’re just lucky. It is true that luck may play a part in our ability to find bargains, but I would argue the truth is we put ourselves in a position to take advantage of luck when it happens.
The same goes for my ability to score deals on guitars. Today, I’d like to share with you some of my secrets, in the hopes that one or more of these tips can save you a little extra cash the next time you are in the market for more gear.
Research, research, research
There is simply no substitute for research.
Only once in my life have I gone to a guitar store with the intent to make a purchase without having a good idea of what I was looking for. That was special — it was my fortieth birthday. (I ended up with a very nice Ibanez semi-hollow body, by the way.)
In every other instance, I spend a lot of time researching before getting serious about buying. What kind of guitars are out there? Which type of guitars would complement my collection, rather than duplicating an instrument I already own? What are the quality brands that fly under the radar?
I spend a lot of time researching before getting serious about buying.
When I bought my SX earlier in the year, I knew exactly what I was looking for: a Strat-style guitar with a natural finish and a maple fretboard. I’d been on the lookout for months, and so when I stumbled across the SX — a brand I knew was good despite the low price — that matched my specs exactly, it was an absolute no-brainer.
Understand the law of diminishing returns
Based on years of experience, I am firmly convinced that you can buy an incredible electric guitar without breaking the bank.
In fact, I’ve found over the years that the sweet spot is between $400–600. Up to that amount, you are generally paying for higher quality as the price goes up in a nice, linear fashion. In other words, it’s reasonable to assume my $400 used Epiphone SG is “twice as good” as my Epiphone Les Paul Special — and this bears out in playing the instruments.
I am firmly convinced that you can buy an incredible electric guitar without breaking the bank.
Once you start inching your way towards four figures, however, the relationship between quality and price significantly diminishes. I recently tried out a US-made PRS Custom 24 at a guitar shop. To my fingers, it felt and played identically to my import SE Custom 24. It was in no way “worth” paying an extra grand — or more — from a quality standpoint. (That’s not to say it isn’t worth the extra money for other reasons, by the way. But I personally don’t value those reasons as much as the quality factor.)
Look for “new” used guitars
In my current collection of around a dozen instruments, I only purchased two of them brand-new. The rest were used. In almost every instance, however, those “used” guitars had almost no wear and tear. Several of them, in fact, still had the clear plastic protective wrap on the pickguard. And for the last two guitars I purchased, I had to double-check with a store employee that they were in fact used — because they were flawless.
For the last two guitars I purchased, I had to double-check with a store employee that they were in fact used — because they were flawless.
The fact is, people buy guitars with the intent to learn to play all the time, but instead they end up leaving the instruments in their closet for years. Eventually, those guitars end up in a place like Guitar Center, which legally must sell them as “used” even though it’s likely they’ve never encountered so much as a guitar pick.
And, of course, being used, they are cheaper. It’s these kinds of deals where you can get a whole lot of guitar for $500 or less.
Be patient
Once you’ve dialed in the kind of guitar you want and your price range, and you have the mindset of buying a “new” used instrument, it’s time to wait.
Being patient is by far the most important aspect of finding any deal.
Ultimately, being patient is by far the most important aspect of finding any deal. You’ve lived your entire life without whichever guitar it is you’re dreaming about at the moment— you can wait a few more months (or a decade, in my case). If you patiently search online sites and local guitar stores, one of two things will happen:
- You will find a deal on the guitar you are looking for.
- You will realize you didn’t want the guitar as much as you think you did.
In the first case, you’ll be happy because you scored a good deal on something you wanted. In the second instance, you’ll be happy because you didn’t spend a bunch of money on a guitar that wasn’t right for you.
Either way, you’ve won.
I hope these four tips will help you the next time you are in the market for a new guitar. What additional tips would you give someone looking for gear? Let us know in the comments!
Leave a Reply