[LarrikinLibertine]

Hi everyone,

I've played guitar for a good 6 or 7 years but don't actually know much about different brands, types of wood, pickups, etc etc. Basically everything that determines a guitars value.

The thing is, I want to start trading in guitars as I've quite a good idea of how to get good guitars cheaply. However for this to happen I need to improve my knowledge greatly on guitars and what different factors make a good/not so good guitar.

I was wondering if anyone could provide any website links or even recommend books where I can get good quality information. I'm basically looking for the information that allows me to make a sound judgement on whether a guitar is of good quality or not so good quality and what it's value is. Obviously as I've been playing for 6 or 7 years I have a good understanding of the basics and know the major brands, but I'm looking for much more detailed info and was hoping someone could help

Also are there any directories of guitar values in the same way there are for stamps or something?

Thanks

[mikeyd85]

ebay.

Seriously.

[Tochai]

Looking at ebay is good idea. You could join one of the bigger guitar forums, a lot of people go on them looking to have their guitars valued, so you'll learn pretty quickly.

There are a few dead giveaways for value. Firstly you could look at the country it was made, if its made in America/Canada/England/Ireland/Germany/Japan its probably worth more than if it was made in the likes of China/Indonesia/Taiwan.

Next look at the quality of the finish, finishing a guitar is an extensive process and on cheaper models companies tend to cut corners. Brand name pickups/tuners can be an indicator of value as well.

If your looking at it in person, try and convince someone in the shop to let you take a look at the electronics to make sure they aren't substandard as this is a common way to cut manufacturing costs. At the very least you should expect good clean solder joints and full sized pots. Copper shielding is also a plus. Make sure you play it if you can. Cheaper guitars will likely have pure fret jobs-sharp ends etc.

If its a set neck guitar ask what kind of tenon the neck joint has, the longer the better basically. Neck-through construction is typically a hallmark of high-end instruments.

Really a guitar is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.