If you had to live with only used guitars, would you be OK with that?

[MichaelSaulnier]

I've bought lots of guitars over the years.

Some new, many used.

It's fun to have a factory fresh guitar... knowing you're the first to plug in and play it... and the shiny finish, frets, electronics and so on.

But there's a higher cost to new guitars, they often depreciate quickly in value, and if you grow bored with them, you'll almost never recover the initial cost.

So, for me, I'll mainly be acquiring used guitars. Sometimes I will need to do a minor upgrade or repair... but that cost is typically minor. Usually, the used guitars I end up buying are fine and don't need anything.

Plus, they already have mojo!

How 'bout you?

M

 

[Bluesdaddy]

I buy them used but near mint. Let someone else pay the tax, get a discount on the price and you can usually break even if you move it along.
It's been a long time since I've bought new.

 

[rummy]

All my guitars were purchased used. All!

 

[Judas68fr]

I never buy new guitars! I love the feeling of an used guitar, it's totally subjective but I find it ads to the mojo! and I don't mind a little wear, as long as it's not some crazy ass heavy relicing!

Plus in my opinion (FWIW...), woods in older guitars are less likely to be subject to variations, as they are "drier". So old guitars usually stay in tune better. But I might be wrong on this point!

 

[buddaman71]

every guitar is "used" once you take it out of the box.

here's something i've found perfectly true over the years, especially with vintage guitars, the "ultra perfect 40 year old guitar in pristine condition" is only pristine because it wasn't that great and no one really ever played it and used it. the reason super beat up, naturally relic'd guitars look the way they do is because every real player who picked it up loved it and played the bejeebers out of it.

 

[Mandrax]

Indeed ^^ But more than that, pull any guitar off the wall in one of the major guitar stores and it's also already in a used condition. I'm not fussy about second hand gear as long as I feel I'm getting a good deal.

 

[custom53]

All my guitars were purchased used. All!

Same here...

 

[jiml]

Haven't bought new in years....

 

[Alton]

I've bought 2 brand new guitars in my life. The first turned out to be a massive disappointment, an SG 61 reissue introduced in the 90s. The thin neck was NOT strong enough to ever keep it in tune. The other one was an inexpensive acoustic for my youngest sister. I won't say "never again" but....

 

[gmann]

All my guitars were purchased used. All!

Same here.

 

[RLD]

I am OK with that.

 

[EricPeterson]

Once you buy it, and play it, it is used.

But I agree, I see no problem with it, actually thinking about it now, all 11 of my guitars were purchased used.

 

[SG_Seth]

I buy almost exclusively used, near mint, but used.

 

[SackvilleDan]

Out of the ~30 guitars I have owned in the last fifteen years, I have bought 5 new. My very first acoustic, a 12 string, a Goldtop LP Studio '60s Tribute when that hysteria hit, my very first electric (Squier Strat Pak FTW!) and a Peavey Rotor (Explorer-esque). I could live with only used guitars from here to eternity; there is always someone else to buy them new and take the resale hit.

Well there were two other ones that were delivered to me as "new" but they were free gifts from Musician's Friend for buying 8 packs of Elixirs for $80 so I don't count them!

 

[cap217]

I only buy used. Why buy new?

 

[omfg51]

My current number 1 is a previously owned Telecaster. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever really buy new again, the construction of modern guitars is beginning to psyche me out a little bit.

Fenders from 2006-2008 seem to appeal to me more than any new ones, even with the "nicer" pickups in the modern ones.

Plus, you'll never really lose much value in what you paid for, new guitars will depreciate immediately.

 

[drbob1]

I guess I can live with "used" guitars. Not too many 1959 ES335s out there, NOS!

 

[geekocaster]

majority of mine are used

 

[aussie_owner]

I have developed a strong aversion to paying retail prices for gear. Of the 12 guitars I own, only three were acquired new, and one of those was a trade of two guitars for a new one. Amps, pedals, etc. were virtually all acquired used (some in like new condition). So many bargains on CL, no need to buy new.

I'm currently looking for a short-scale 5-string bass, and that will probably be new, just because it's a hard to find item.

 

[dallasblues]

Virtually every guitar on the wall at Guitar Center or Sam Ash have had hundreds of grimy hands on it for weeks, months, or even years. Unless you're special ordering a guitar or buying direct, it's probably already "used" in my mind.