Brand new or used?

[sinner]

Do you like buying Brand New squeaking clean guitars or Used?

I have purchased both, like many, but I'm wondering how a Poll would stack up?

Buying Vintage is probably a whole 'nother thing, so for this Poll I'll stick to the reasons of buying New vs. Used.

There are many reasons to buy Used, for instance:

Save Money
Discontinued Model
Good year for model
the Look of a used instrument
The History of a used instrument
Broken in, feel and sound
Resell value, return on your investment

For Brand New, some reasons:
Be the first to lay your hands on it
Have the honor of putting the first "mark" on it
New model, never before available
No damage or repairs, no changed parts or mods

Probably many other reasons, feel free to point out some in your reply.

Do you prefer to buy New or Used, why?
Have you purchased more New guitars than used guitars?

 

[Tim Plains]

Most of mine have been brand new but I don't necessarily like or prefer eating the depreciation.

 

[bluegrif]

Alright, here's the deal. I voted "brand new" because that is what I would prefer, though not what I actually do. I rarely buy a new guitar because I just can't afford them. If price were no object, I'd buy either new or vintage. In fact if I had the kind of income to support it, I'd probably have most of my guitars built to spec. But I doubt I'll ever be there, so I search for used guitars that come the closest. And by building most of my Fender style guitars and carefully choosing the best used examples of the hollowbodies and "niche" guitars, I've built a nice little collection that works for what I do.

 

[msr13]

I voted new, because that is what I stupidly do . I think it would be much wiser and more cost effective to buy used. Having said that, I like being able to get exactly what I want when I get something new. Very rarely will I buy something new that is a compromise.

 

[simonm]

I have only ever bought one guitar brand new in the last 30 yrs, the rest (currently about 20 of em) were bought used. Most are vintage-meaning-old, off-brand gtrs, considered cheap by some, but not by me. My motivations have nearly always been money in the first place, but it's got the point when new feels wrong, and my tastes and buying power have merged. Having said that, my Epi 57 reissue LP Jr (that I got used, but in new condition) is one of my favourite players.

 

[Phil M]

I like used or NOS and get the best guitar I can afford. There is some risk involved but my used dollar generally gets me more.

 

[D.G.]

I don't want someone else's mojo on my geetar...

 

[bluesjuke]

I've propbably bought 50/50 new and used.

The lack of depreciation on a used one is nice too.

 

[Member 37136]

I've done both. I like new, but two of my favorite purchases were used. It all depends on what it is. It's cool to find something used that's out of the ordinary, like a limited edition finish or a guitar with a short production run -- that's what mine were. If it's a run-of-the-mill, off-the-shelf guitar, I might go the new route, just for the warranty and the new guitar smell.

 

[XKnight]

I prefer new guitars that are considered used. There are tons of guitars that are bought new and hardly played. These are the ones I generally seek out. I let someone else take the hit on depreciation while still getting a basically new guitar. I do occasionally buy brand new from authorized dealers or builders when there is something I really want and can't get used. For instance I wanted a Sunburst Thinline Tele in a thin Nitro aged finish with a Nocaster sized Rosewood neck and humbucker in the neck position. There were none available in the used market so I commisioned a builder to make me one. I also do lots of trades.

 

[Mr_You]

Ideally I prefer buying "LIKE NEW" used gear.

I bought a couple PRS SCs brand new, because I couldn't find what I wanted on the used market, but now they're forsale. Heh

 

[Cymbaline]

I picked new, although used would probably be better. You'd be able to get a much better guitar that way.

 

[PedalFreak]

It doesnt matter to me if they are new or used, what matters to me is if I like the guitar. If I play a new guitar that I have to have then I will get it new, I wont try to get a used one, too many little things that can be different when you just randomly buy a guitar. You find one that fits, get it

 

[8Painting]

while I've had better success with used, I'm open to both, but if a used guitar plays better than a new one.

I'm obviously taking the used one.

 

[Tuberoast]

Used
If you know how to examine a guitar, you can get used that's as good as new. I can handle some wear marks.
Here's another scenario:
I bought a 58 Martin in 2004, good condition and it had been played for 50 years and sounds like it.
If there are used ones available of a certain model then I'll check them out before a new one. I haven't bought a new guitar since 1990.

 

[blueshawk1]

I've bought new and used, but prefer a good deal on clean used gear.

 

[Carbohydrates]

I'm cool with both, but by far the biggest advantage to buying new to me is that you get to try before you buy. I only buy new if it's local. No point buying new online unless it's something you're totally sold on and simply can't find in the area.

The ideal situation for me is a used guitar that I can try beforehand, so that's how I voted. It's kinda why I like Craigslist... in principle. In reality, it seems that Craigslist is only the way to go if you're looking for that perfect Starcaster for $200.

My breakdown: 5 used, 5 new

 

[monty]

Used is cool, but I prefer new(only bought locally). No funny biz involved, no worry about aftermarket parts or hack setups. Online dealing can be fun but I prefer walking into a shop and demoing the actual guitar I am buying.
I dont find it odd that all my "not going anywhere" guitars were bought new and all my trade bait was stuff I bought used.

 

[GA20T]

Local. In person. Used. Well tested & gone through.

 

[stratman89]

My last five guitars have been brand new, but I'm definately not opposed buying a good used one.