Hello fellow Metal tabbers how you guys been today, I noticed some are posting threads on which guitar/amp to buy, well I have compiled a list of need to know elements of buying an Guitar/Amp.

First: You always check your price range!

You never want to go into a store and let a person show you the "good" amps and guitars you must declare your price range, and ask him to show you the ones in that catagory.

Second: Try many!

You must always try many of the items shown to you! I know your thinking "That will take so much time!" Well always try alot of the choices out, You don't want to go home unhappy with your purchase. Also if trying a guitar, use on an amp that is just like yours, and if one is not available, try to try the one closest to your amp, unless its acoustic. and for an amp try the guitar closest to yours.

Third: Make sure you are satisfied with the customer assistant!

You never wanna get the guy who takes you to all the nice Fenders and Gibsons etc/Marshalls, Fenders etc. (Or what you prefer! Not preferablly gibs or Fends.) You will get really taken by those and if you have the cash, they can and will try to suck you into the really expensive guitars/amps. If you don't like the person helping you just kindly ask for another assistant, even if the guy gets pissed off, who cares its not like he's your friend! (If he is he wouldent treat you like a common person!)

Fourth: Have a guitar expert or friend who knows a little about guitar/amps! (Optional)

Your friends or Guitar teacher (Or whomever) know guitar, especially if your a beginner bring someone experianced, the sales people can pull you into those "Really Nice!" Cheap guitars. Your friends/Expert can give you good advice.

Sixth and most of all: Check for Quality!


Most guitar stores can tell you the materials used to make the guitar/ or amps (Like speakers, tubes etc.) Do a little reserch on the best Guitar materials, Pickups/ Amp speakers, tubes. and then if the specs match the finest for less, I think you should still try them, different guitars have different feels.


I am happy I helped you (Or if I didnt, well can't please anyone...)


Any Questions or Comments please post them, flaming is ok.


This maybe should be in Beginners forums but....I hate those Forums, Thanks a bunch for viewing,


Nick

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well that could be helpfull for noobs.

Don't forget to check out the used market too, if you know what you want that is! I've bough heaps of used gear and never had any problems (all ace stuff though, which I could barely afford, even used..)

Most people don't like to buy used equipment, but I respect your opinion

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most people don't like to buy used equipment because:

A. they don't know what the fuck they should be buying or haven't made choices yet

B. they buy crappy shit which breaks down.

I've played shitloads of amps and guitars, and thats the only way that I got to know what I really like. I bought all my gear used and I had great deals, if I'de had bought all my gear new it would have costed me 5.000+ bucks.

it still wasn't cheap, but definetly worth the hard cash, if you buy QUALITY products used, nothing can go wrong, you can see for yourself if it has been abused or altered in any way, if you know a bit about gear that is. buying used is not something for noobs unless they've got someone that knows his shit to go and check out the gear with them.

yeah used is a very good option. you just gotta watch out. and like it's been said you gotta know what to look for. hey Def maybe you could list some stuff to wary of if you're shopping in the used gear.

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not to bad, only wrong fucking forum

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sure,

1. watch out with buying stuff on the net, never get stuff sent to you by package and shit, theres a risk of the post damaging your gear and theres the risk that the seller is fucking with you (selling broken gear and saying that the postguy broke it during freight) (-so go check out the gear YOURSELF!)

2. look out for abused gear, if you see a nice guitar for a good price, do take a closer look at the fretwork, hardware etc... abused guitars or worn out guitars can be identified easily. (lots of fretwear, rusty hardware, BENT NECK, broken trussrod, loads of scratches, bumps etc..)
Worn out guitars don't have to be bad, but stuff like a new fretjob definetly set you back. I've bought a '89 Ibanez RG 750 prestige which was used, it has some minor dinks but that was all, plays like a dream, nothing plays like a well played-in wizard I neck...

same goes for amps, if you see broken off knobs, loose screws on cabinets or signs that the cab has been disassembled, don't trust it... it might have different speakers or crap cables etc... people can really fuck with you if you don't look out, and ofcourse for tube amps, listen if the sound cuts through. a fuzzy tube amp is a tube amp that needs a re-tube (which costs you a bunch!) Also listen to unwanted feedback, scratchy pots and that kinda stuff.

if the gear seems ok and only has some minor damage, just talk it over in the price. its the fair way.

3. Buy quality gear... don't get used squier or that kinda shit, they're not worth getting used, they're cheap enough new

If you buy quality gear you can be assured that it will keep its value, everything that I bought, I can sell for at least the same price or more! Mainly because I got good deals, but most of all because its all sought-after stuff... (be on the lookout for limited edition stuff and rare brands) ofcourse what matters more if you really like it or not.

I've been hunting down Engl amps for a while now, I love their tone and they're hard to get by, seeing what I paid for it, I can easily sell them for more since they are rare here. (I had to drive to germany for them but it was worth it.)

same goes for guitars, if you love gibsons and you can get a stock Les Paul new or a used Les Paul special edition goldtop (or whatever) think it over, used guitars play great, the neck feels smooth, and if its a more wanted model its bound to appreciate in value in the future. Look at the prices of vintage guitars today, enough said!

hopes that helps a bit!

def how can you tell if the truss is broken

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Like def said watch out for getting fucked around. my randall combo was used when i got it, and the distortion was ok when i got it and one day it died (distortion and reverb) so i got a head and useing the combo as a cab for now, but peds are nothing really to worry about if they are used I got a MT-2 off ebay from texas and it kicks ass, but at a pawn shop i got a DOD death metal and the thing HAS to be one of the first ones its old as fuck and it sucks (at the time the shop didn't have an amp in the store so i could not try it out but they had a cool return policy but i decided to keep it as a door stop )so pay attention to the year it was made in because if its from the 80's you might want to play it first before you give them your cash. ALSO if you are getting it from ebay watch out for the shipping that where they can fuck you in te ass.

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If you buy shit online make sure you get the package INSURED.

That way if it gets damage or lsot you get your money back.

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easy, if you see the guitar has a bent neck, ask the owner to adjust the trussrod... if he can't, tell him you'de like to do it, because you want to play the guitar in a decent state...

if you turn the trussrod and nothing seems to be happening, its fucked. getting a new trussrod isn't a problem but having it installed costs a lot of cash and needs to be done by a pro, just like fretjobs.

Another good thing to do when buying equipment is to befriend the salesperson. Then you can get some good deals.

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There ARE too many threads around here that are "this is what I play, what should i buy?"

harmonycentral.com the best resource site out there

also look on eBay for good deals, they are out there. I bought a Peavey VTM120 for 230 somethin bucks (US) and all it needed was new tubes, a volume knob, and a good cleaning.

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Internet research can be helpful.. if you are thinking of buying something then check harmonycentral.com for reviews of it... there are certainly a lot of moronic submissions listed (evidently they will put up anything) but you can get some information about the overall quality or lack thereof.

Buying off Ebay isnt always evil... just check out the user's feedback to see how many people they have screwed over and weigh that against the satifised customers Some sellers will let you return anything that was broken by UPS, check their policies first. I bought a guitar on EBay from a seller who lived fairly close to me, before I bid I asked him if I could meet him at a music store and pay him in cash and take the guitar home if I was the winning bidder, to eliminate the shipping and mishandling. he thought it was a good idea, and I did win the guitar and thats how the exchange went. Sort the ebay listings by location and find something nearby, you might be able to get a deal like that if you ask nicely. just bring friends to wait in the car in case the deal goes sour [note: i did actually win the auction--contacting a seller and asking them to stop the auction early and sell the item to you outside of ebay is against the rules i believe]

harmonycentral can be good but there are a lot of dumbasses on it. What i like to do is look for the people who play death metal and see what they about it.

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harmony central is complete bull shit. every one there "has been playing for 20+ years" "has own every other amp, guitar in the world" and "this one is the best" or their just mesa lovers coming to say marshalls are total crap, or marshall lovers coming to say mesas are total crap. and then they lie about how much they payed "hmmm if i say a got this duel recto for $400 they'll all think im smart! harmony central is completly worthless for this reason.

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Thanks for the comments guys, sorry if this is in the wrong forum

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is their any other good resource sites?

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Harmony-central can be good if you ignore the dumbasses.

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you mean everyone?

yeh most are dumbasses but some reviews are legitimate.

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the legitimate reviews say: this amp is the best! or this amp sucks!
and the dumbasses say: this amp is the best! or this amp sucks!

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ok i really dont know how the truss rod works so i take it to a shop and the guy moves the truss rod so it can be in a decent state.I just wanted to know what will happen if some dumbass moved the truss rod randomly.Will it fuck up the neck pretty bad

If you tighten it too much, it could break.

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salesmen would rather pull you into a more expensive guitar than you're after (help you finance it and all that stuff, give a few bucks off it, etc). they're after commission, so selling a cheap guitar is less likely than pressuring you into something a bit over your budget.

if you have a friend that plays guitar, bring him/her. it'll help a lot.. they'll actually know what's good and bad.

Yes its definetly good to have some one knowledgable with you. Ive helped some friends in buying things.

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