ShredAddict
New member
Hi guys, yet another topic for us to ponder.
I've bought a couple of things off the buy/sell forum recently. Mostly accessories. I was looking for another guitar since the festive season is coming up. Good or bad, an excuse is still an excuse
.
I met up with a few people but didn't end up buying their guitar. I know at this point, I sound like a complete arse for wasting people's time but here's my story. Just a few weeks ago, I met a fellow softie to deal with his Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Looks like what I see in the pictures. That's a good sign. My money was halfway out of my wallet at this point.
A lot of these guitars look great on pictures & we definitely know how good these guitars can sound even without plugging it through an amp. Haven't we all tried an Epiphone Les Paul at least once? physical condition as described so on to checking the playability.
Total turn off. It was buzzing from the top to bottom. A case of having an over tightened neck with low action. Not only that, the pots were kinda stiff & the jack was slightly loose.
Now here is the thing. I'm sure most of us are aware of the market prices. let's say for example a used Epiphone Les Paul standard is around $500. However IMO, I feel that this is the price I should pay for a fully functional guitar. No point buying it for $500, waste my time to head down to peninsular and get charged $50 for a setup. There can be worse scenarios where the pickups have broken coils or someone totally screwed up with the wiring. Now that, would definitely cost more than $50.
Buyers: before you think you are getting a good deal, please check whether the instrument you are buying is functional. the owner might knock down the price but there is definitely a reason to it.
IMO if your guitar has such issues & you have no idea how to check, you either price it lower so the new owner would feel that bringing it down to a shop for a setup is a justifiable thing or get a friend who is experienced to check for you whether it's fully functional. In most cases, all you need to do is adjust the truss rod slightly and you can easily save $50. Of course, you need the knowledge and experience to do that. broken truss rod = gg.
btw all the prices I quoted are just rough examples.
What I'm trying to say is, don't these people care about guitar setups? physical condition is secondary when it comes to buying a guitar, seriously.
I personally feel that it's VERY important to play a fully functional guitar. otherwise, you won't be getting the best out of your instrument and might even think it sucks just because it's not setup right. I find that to be a pity. However, their loss is my gain
. I've bought guitars that were in terrible shape but once I got it setup, I was in love.
What do you guys think?
I've bought a couple of things off the buy/sell forum recently. Mostly accessories. I was looking for another guitar since the festive season is coming up. Good or bad, an excuse is still an excuse

I met up with a few people but didn't end up buying their guitar. I know at this point, I sound like a complete arse for wasting people's time but here's my story. Just a few weeks ago, I met a fellow softie to deal with his Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Looks like what I see in the pictures. That's a good sign. My money was halfway out of my wallet at this point.
A lot of these guitars look great on pictures & we definitely know how good these guitars can sound even without plugging it through an amp. Haven't we all tried an Epiphone Les Paul at least once? physical condition as described so on to checking the playability.
Total turn off. It was buzzing from the top to bottom. A case of having an over tightened neck with low action. Not only that, the pots were kinda stiff & the jack was slightly loose.
Now here is the thing. I'm sure most of us are aware of the market prices. let's say for example a used Epiphone Les Paul standard is around $500. However IMO, I feel that this is the price I should pay for a fully functional guitar. No point buying it for $500, waste my time to head down to peninsular and get charged $50 for a setup. There can be worse scenarios where the pickups have broken coils or someone totally screwed up with the wiring. Now that, would definitely cost more than $50.
Buyers: before you think you are getting a good deal, please check whether the instrument you are buying is functional. the owner might knock down the price but there is definitely a reason to it.
IMO if your guitar has such issues & you have no idea how to check, you either price it lower so the new owner would feel that bringing it down to a shop for a setup is a justifiable thing or get a friend who is experienced to check for you whether it's fully functional. In most cases, all you need to do is adjust the truss rod slightly and you can easily save $50. Of course, you need the knowledge and experience to do that. broken truss rod = gg.
btw all the prices I quoted are just rough examples.
What I'm trying to say is, don't these people care about guitar setups? physical condition is secondary when it comes to buying a guitar, seriously.
I personally feel that it's VERY important to play a fully functional guitar. otherwise, you won't be getting the best out of your instrument and might even think it sucks just because it's not setup right. I find that to be a pity. However, their loss is my gain

What do you guys think?