What to look for when buying a budget guitar?

[hatamoto]

Apologies if this thread has been asked many times, but upon a quick a search most are asking about second hand guitars....

I'm currently saving up to buy a new low end model and I've pretty much concluded that it can be hit and miss of quality control in this price range. Reason being is that I get conflicting opinions on people who have owned both brands. Some have good things to say, others not so much. Specifically, it's between two Stratocasters, a Squier Classic Vibe 60's and Vintage V6.

Here are the things I usually check for when buying guitars:

1. Frets--are there any sharp edges, and is it smooth feeling all throughout. I also check every note on the fret to see that there are no dead spots especially on the higher zones.

2. Neck Joint--they have to be flush to the body and no gaps should be present.

3. Cracks--no structural cracks allowed especially on the neck and nut joint.

4. Electronics--they should all work, as well as volume knobs.

5. Tuners-Should work well and should stay in tune.

6. Nut--glued in nicely and flush.

7. Tremolo bridge-- Not so familiar with this one. What should I look for? All I know is that there are two kinds, but again, I don't know the difference between the two. I know that they can affect tuning stability but to what degree? Should they also feel easy to whammy bar? I've tried doing this on Classic Vibe in another store and it was almost impossible to move, but that store wasn't taking care of their guitars so I'm guessing it's that.

8. And pretty much follow my instincts.



I believe anything other than these can be fixed with a proper setup.


Am I missing anything crucial?

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by hatamoto

Apologies if this thread has been asked many times, but upon a quick a search most are asking about second hand guitars....

I'm currently saving up to buy a new low end model and I've pretty much concluded that it can be hit and miss of quality control in this price range. Reason being is that I get conflicting opinions on people who have owned both brands. Some have good things to say, others not so much. Specifically, it's between two Stratocasters, a Squier Classic Vibe 60's and Vintage V6.

Here are the things I usually check for when buying guitars:

1. Frets--are there any sharp edges, and is it smooth feeling all throughout. I also check every note on the fret to see that there are no dead spots especially on the higher zones.

2. Neck Joint--they have to be flush to the body and no gaps should be present.

3. Cracks--no structural cracks allowed especially on the neck and nut joint.

4. Electronics--they should all work, as well as volume knobs.

5. Tuners-Should work well and should stay in tune.

6. Nut--glued in nicely and flush.

7. Tremolo bridge-- Not so familiar with this one. What should I look for? All I know is that there are two kinds, but again, I don't know the difference between the two. I know that they can affect tuning stability but to what degree? Should they also feel easy to whammy bar? I've tried doing this on Classic Vibe in another store and it was almost impossible to move, but that store wasn't taking care of their guitars so I'm guessing it's that.

8. And pretty much follow my instincts.



I believe anything other than these can be fixed with a proper setup.


Am I missing anything crucial?

That's pretty thorough. After you buy it, tighten every nut and screw, especially on the tuners. Expect at least some prickliness on fret ends in this price range, easily fixed with the soft 3M sanding blocks or the right kind of file (check Phil McKnight videos on this stuff.)

What are the two types of trem systems you're referrring to? I like to "deck" my trem, mostly for tuning stability, but I seem to be in the minority.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

...I like to "deck" my trem, mostly for tuning stability, but I seem to be in the minority.

FYI that's called the "Van Halen Mod," since Eddie V. used to do exactly that before he discovered Floyds; much like the Clapton "woodblock" mod it allows the bridge to sit flush with the top, increasing both sustain and tuning stability - I've been doing it on my Strat for the last 35 years, and for a while (don't know if it's still the case) GC had all their Strats set up this way regardless of price. Highly recommended...

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by hatamoto

Apologies if this thread has been asked many times, but upon a quick a search most are asking about second hand guitars....

I'm currently saving up to buy a new low end model and I've pretty much concluded that it can be hit and miss of quality control in this price range. Reason being is that I get conflicting opinions on people who have owned both brands. Some have good things to say, others not so much. Specifically, it's between two Stratocasters, a Squier Classic Vibe 60's and Vintage V6.

Here are the things I usually check for when buying guitars:

1. Frets--are there any sharp edges, and is it smooth feeling all throughout. I also check every note on the fret to see that there are no dead spots especially on the higher zones.

2. Neck Joint--they have to be flush to the body and no gaps should be present.

3. Cracks--no structural cracks allowed especially on the neck and nut joint.

4. Electronics--they should all work, as well as volume knobs.

5. Tuners-Should work well and should stay in tune.

6. Nut--glued in nicely and flush.

7. Tremolo bridge-- Not so familiar with this one. What should I look for? All I know is that there are two kinds, but again, I don't know the difference between the two. I know that they can affect tuning stability but to what degree? Should they also feel easy to whammy bar? I've tried doing this on Classic Vibe in another store and it was almost impossible to move, but that store wasn't taking care of their guitars so I'm guessing it's that.

8. And pretty much follow my instincts.



I believe anything other than these can be fixed with a proper setup.


Am I missing anything crucial?

You won’t find any of those issues in a Classic Vibe. They’re incredibly well-made instruments. Now a lower end Squier like a Bullet, then be ready to...also be surprised with a decently built guitar. Seriously, even $150 guitars are good playing instruments nowadays. It’s not the 80’s anymore.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by 1neeto

You won’t find any of those issues in a Classic Vibe...

Haven't played one in a couple years - at the time I was looking for an inexpensive '60s-style Candy Apple Red Strat as a beater/backup guitar/mod platform - but I found several of the issues mentioned by the OP with fair regularity:

• Frets: Fret sprout was practically a given, except on a couple of the very newest instruments in stock - when you're pumping out massive quantities of merchandise built to a price corners have to be cut somewhere, and one of the ways is by utilizing lower-quality/inadequately-seasoned woods (BTW Squier is by no means alone in this respect - you'll see the same condition on major-buck instruments by hitherto highly-respected manufacturers), which leads me to:
• Cracks: While nobody knows what the future will hold, I'm more than a bit pessimistic about the ultimate fate of some of those poorly-matched sunburst bodies I've seen (I can only imagine what the solid colors must look like under the finish ) - having gone through a similar issue with a not-exactly-inexpensive mission table we had purchased about 25 years ago, at such time as the different slabs of wood start recovering their "muscle memory" it's a sure-fire recipe for structural/stability issues
• Electronics: Although everything indeed worked as expected, there are the matters of both tone and feel - if you're in the market for a good mod platform the Squier CV would be one of my first recommendations, but to the hand and ear you know in very short order that you're playing an entry-level guitar
• Tuners: Maybe it was the machines, maybe it was the trem, maybe it was the new strings, but I found tuning to be a hit-or-miss affair on some of the CV Strats I've played (and yes, I took the time to individually stretch the strings) - again, one place many low-end makers cut corners
• Tremolo bridge: Another critical component of the Strat sound, here made with an eye toward the bottom line and lacking the functional solidity of even the Mexi-Fenders (not to mention - FYI speaking as an owner - the ancestral MIJ Squiers of 35 years ago that kept the Fender name/reputation afloat during the post-CBS era) - even with the Leo-approved five-spring setup it should be a matter of degree of resistance to string pull rather than difficulty of manipulation, and I'm thinking poor materials/installation/setup in any combination here

In a prior thread the OP spoke about taking more time to save - an excellent idea IMO, as it provides access to not only a broader variety of options but a higher overall level of quality...

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Haven't played one in a couple years - at the time I was looking for an inexpensive '60s-style Candy Apple Red Strat as a beater/backup guitar/mod platform - but I found several of the issues mentioned by the OP with fair regularity:

• Frets: Fret sprout was practically a given, except on a couple of the very newest instruments in stock - when you're pumping out massive quantities of merchandise built to a price corners have to be cut somewhere, and one of the ways is by utilizing lower-quality/inadequately-seasoned woods (BTW Squier is by no means alone in this respect - you'll see the same condition on major-buck instruments by hitherto highly-respected manufacturers), which leads me to:
• Cracks: While nobody knows what the future will hold, I'm more than a bit pessimistic about the ultimate fate of some of those poorly-matched sunburst bodies I've seen (I can only imagine what the solid colors must look like under the finish ) - having gone through a similar issue with a not-exactly-inexpensive mission table we had purchased about 25 years ago, at such time as the different slabs of wood start recovering their "muscle memory" it's a sure-fire recipe for structural/stability issues
• Electronics: Although everything indeed worked as expected, there are the matters of both tone and feel - if you're in the market for a good mod platform the Squier CV would be one of my first recommendations, but to the hand and ear you know in very short order that you're playing an entry-level guitar
• Tuners: Maybe it was the machines, maybe it was the trem, maybe it was the new strings, but I found tuning to be a hit-or-miss affair on some of the CV Strats I've played (and yes, I took the time to individually stretch the strings) - again, one place many low-end makers cut corners
• Tremolo bridge: Another critical component of the Strat sound, here made with an eye toward the bottom line and lacking the functional solidity of even the Mexi-Fenders (not to mention - FYI speaking as an owner - the ancestral MIJ Squiers of 35 years ago that kept the Fender name/reputation afloat during the post-CBS era) - even with the Leo-approved five-spring setup it should be a matter of degree of resistance to string pull rather than difficulty of manipulation, and I'm thinking poor materials/installation/setup in any combination here

In a prior thread the OP spoke about taking more time to save - an excellent idea IMO, as it provides access to not only a broader variety of options but a higher overall level of quality...

Wow that’s interesting. I’ve played quite a few CV’s and they’re great players and the feel rival MIM Fenders. Of course the hardware is on the cheap side as expected. But even the pickups are not halfway bad. Ymmv I guess depending on your expectations. It is a sub $500 guitar after all.

[Dru Edwards]

Use a fret rocker to look for high frets. Even though you may not get any buzz playing every note, it may be a factor if you try to lower the action.