How do you approach buying new guitars?

[RiffDuck]

I’ve been wondering how other players approach buying new guitars, as the process causes me a lot of stress and I find myself second guessing, changing my mind and returning purchases often.

Do you only buy a new guitar if it’s ideal for your current needs? Do you buy anything that looks/feels/sounds cool to you? Do you have a “sell-to-buy” policy? Do you try to uphold a categorical system, i.e. “one guitar for this, one for that, etc”? Are you only searching for “the one” and won’t buy unless it’s perfect? Do you buy for a purpose, or for simple “retail therapy”?

 

[Chocol8]

First off, I prefer more variety in the chain in terms of amps effects and digital. When it comes to guitars, I am pretty deliberate about what I buy and tend to research it and think about it for a long time before pulling the trigger. It either has to fill a "need" or it has to be better than something I have which it will then replace. I don't need or want a dozen plus guitars that never get played, so I definitely don't do the retail therapy or impulse buy thing. That said, if I have been thinking about something for a while, often months or years, when an opportunity shows up, I can strike quick.

For example, I had thought about adding another Strat for a long time (years) as a "backup" and one day I was in a shop to try out something else and there was a lightly used American Standard that caught my eye that just felt great and sounded great acoustically so it took me maybe a couple minutes at most to decide I was buying it. My last new guitar purchase was an EVH. I had been thinking about getting something with a Floyd and hotter pickups than anything I owned and the Wolfgang's were a leading candidate. A clearance deal on an unpopular color came up last year through Adorama and I thought about it briefly (a couple hours maybe) and pulled the trigger. After buying those, another guitar got moved to the disposal list, but I don't have a strict one in one out or sell one first policy. I just don't need or want a bunch of guitars I am not playing.

 

[Steinmetzify]

If it costs a lot, I’ll do research. Sometimes for years.

I bought a Caparison signature guitar after looking at it for maybe 5 years. Reviews, videos etc.

I bought one and told myself that if it wasn’t absolutely perfect I would send it back. It was perfect. I’ve since bought two more of those guitars for different tunings, and another baritone Caparison that has the same nut width and neck shape.

There’s a manu that a buddy of mine recommended years ago and just based on his say so I bought two. Some of the best guitars I’ve ever played, 2nd only to the Caparisons, and they’re completely different guitars (Les Pauls, different nut widths and neck shapes).

Most guitars have a job; I have a couple guitars that are single coils in the bridge but 25.5” scale for drop C.

I have a couple ESPs that are 24.75” scale in B for Crowbar type stuff.

I don’t do ‘retail therapy’. I don’t sell anything at all anymore, not since PayPal went from a 45 day return policy to a 6 month. If I buy something it’s because I did enough research to want to try it out. If it doesn’t work for me, it’ll either sit, go to my buddy’s house who has more space than I do, or I’ll give it to a couple people I grew up with that are in local bands and could use more road ready guitars.

I think you’re over analyzing this, and if $$ is a factor I get why. Been there done that. No shame.

What REALLY helped me was to figure out WHY I like the necks I did on guitars I loved.

For me, it was 1 5/8” nut widths. If I have that and a decent neck, everything else can be changed.

For me that’s a lot of the Suhrs, the EVH guitars, the Caparisons, the Charvels, and a lot of the Jacksons.

Once I realized that, it wasn’t just willy nilly on guitar buying anymore. I knew what I wanted, what played great for me, and where to get them.

Figure out what’s great about the guitars you have that you love, then go find that shit. It’ll take a lot of pressure off your new purchases mang.

 

[gearJunkie]

As my forum moniker suggests, I may have a problem. With 31 electric and 2 acoustic guitars, my collection is all over the place. Some are exceptional players, others are sensational lookers, some simply have a great story. Different neck profiles, scale lengths, bridge types, pickup configurations, nut widths, finish types, wood species, composite materials, etc. play some role in my decision making process. However, the most important thing for me is ... "does it inspire me to become a better musician."

There are no rules, only potential possibilities for inspiration.

 

[laxu]

1. Get enamoured by some guitar design. Maybe I saw a cool looking one online.
2. Find what said model costs, and all the possible alternatives.
3. Spend months on this research and trying some guitars at a store if available.
4. Finally buy something.

Of course I try to fool myself that it does something different but realistically I could get the same thing out of what I have. It's just fun that different guitars inspire me to play different stuff.

 

[newholland]

my strategy has been- what feels good to play and gives me tones i dont have for a specific purpose. so i have four electrics- two teles with the same neck and very different pickup configs- one a broadcaster/neck humbucker, one with two p90s as sorta a les paul special, a nashville three low output singles for strat sounds, and a les paul custom. i think some day mebbe ill add a hollowbody- but if i cant find the sound with that lot, it may not exist

 

[ᛗᛜᛜᚺDᛜᎶ Ꮤᛨᚳᚴ]

On whims
And on tones
Or action
I may score

For all of
These reasons
And more
Through my door

A hoarder of six strings
Some 4 and some 12
I have enough guitars
To play my way to hell

But I ain't done yet ;~))

 

[Jynx]

My likey. Me clicky.

 

[Piing]

My approach has been a waste of money, so I will refrain from providing any advice. I've sold the most reputable and expensive ones that I've purchased. One Suhr and one Ibanez J-Custom had an unbearable dead note. Another Suhr was a lifeless log. A Tom Anderson, a JEM 7V, and a JEM 30th Anniversary had nothing to add to my old RG550LTD. A JS2450 had a neck pickup that squealed like a pig. Other Ibanezes because they had something different than a Lo-Pro edge and I didn't bind with that. A Fender Jeff Beck had a neck thicker than a baseball bat, many others didn't had mojo for me, others lost the thrill, and others because I wanted to buy something else.

Here is a pic of just some of the ones that I had to said goodbye

 

[DrewJD82]

Man, my last several purchases were completely different from my first several purchases.

In the same week I bought 3 different guitars for 3 different reasons-

GIlmour Strat- Had wanted it since I first started playing, it was more of a nostalgia piece than anything at the time and I finally had the money to build it.

Ibanez RG7620- I wanted one again after not having one for years, I viewed it as kind of a ‘necessity’ as I love 7-strings and didn’t have one in good, functioning condition that I enjoyed playing. (I have a Jackson Dinky 7 that’s not awesome)

PRS Semi-Hollow- Total impulse buy. I went to GC to buy a Taylor and the top of the PRS caught my eye when walking by the electrics, I pulled it off the wall and left with it 10 minutes later. It’s the only guitar I’ve bought new and actually sold. Once I got my Strats I wasn’t getting on with the thin/V-shaped PRS neck.

After that came another Strat, 50’s spec. I fell in love with the Gilmour Strat and went Strat crazy. Having the EMG’s in the Gilmour Strat I wanted one with passive pickups that would deliver straight up classic Strat/EJ tones. I found a partscaster matching the specs I wanted and snagged it.

The two Les Pauls-

A year after that, for the first time in 28 years I started getting really curious about why people loved Les Pauls so much. Instead of going to the store and playing a few, I just bought an Orville off Reverb and before it arrived bought an Edwards LP Custom. Definitely some impulse in there but I had a strong hunch I knew what I was going to dig about them and that hunch was mostly spot on, I just liked them MORE than I thought I would. I was anticipating the challenge of playing them after growing up with an Ibanez JEM and that’s really the charm that makes me want to keep picking them up outside of the tones.

 

[metropolis_4]

I’m pretty utilitarian when it comes to guitars. I prefer having fewer of them, so if I buy a new one it generally has to serve some purpose I need.

For example, the last guitar I bought was my Theatercaster that I built. The thought behind it was to get something very versatile that could act as a backup to either my Strat or my LP, and that offered a few things I didn’t have covered in either of the other two.

I’m thinking about adding some new acoustics this year: replacing my main steel string because it’s got some intonation problems that bother me, replacing my nylon string because I’d prefer wider string spacing for finger picking, and adding a 12 string because I don’t have one.

 

[EOengineer]

Brick through the shop window, grab whatever I can snatch that’s close, run like hell. Sometimes they catch me. I’m just not as fast as I used to be. If you get something heavy like a Les Paul sometimes you can defend yourself.

 

[Jarick]

Depends on what I'm after...

Sometimes I'm looking for a very specific guitar and will cruise around for a good deal. That may take many months or even years.

Other times I'm not really looking for anything specific but I come across a guitar that just speaks to me. That is rare because I'm really picky.

I try to avoid buying stuff that's purely on a whim because that often results in regret. I also try to make sure I'm not overpaying for something because I will take a massive hit on resale.