Since ever guitar is slightly different (even two of the same model). What basically makes a good one, wether you are looking at an American made or a Mexican made. What are some basic things to look for?

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98 MIA Strat, 07 MIM 60's Reissue Strat, Mustang l, Mustang lll

Hi RT.

If you ask 100 guitarist this question you will get 100 different answers.
There is no right or wrong answer, but I can give my personal guidelines.

1) Fit and feel.
I could care less what color it is, who makes it, if it has someones name on it, even in the case of my Strat, the picks can always be changed. it is how the neck feels, how the body responds and resonates is the most important.
2) Balance.
I like a guitar that is not top heavy or back heavy.
3) Weight.
I like a light weight guitar, there is nothing like a 13 pound guitar to suck the life out of your shoulder after and hour of playing. I had a 1976 Les Paul, it weights 13 pounds, it played great, but in the end i sold it because It was too heavy to play even sitting down.

I try to tell people that buying a guitar is like buying a pair of shoes, if they don't fit right, you simply will not play it.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

[quote="Jeffytune]I try to tell people that buying a guitar is like buying a pair of shoes, if they don't fit right, you simply will not play it.[/quote]

I have seen you make this statement a few times on here and agree 100%.

As far as what I look for...
Fit and Finish: No loose fasteners, No major gaps at the neck joint, no fret sprout at fretboard edges...etc...

Sound: Self explanatory, do I like the sound...

Feel: Neck has to have a certain feel in my hand, Body not uncomfortable for me.

That's basically what I'd go over at the store, and if it's something easily fixed like a loose nut on a tuning peg or something, I'll still take it if everything else suits me. It's all about personal preference, but that should be a good starting point. Like Jeffytune said, you'll probably get multiple different answers to this question. The most important thing is whether it feels good to you or not. Good Luck.

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All the things mentioned above of course..

Worth developing is a feel for resonance. Try knocking the guitar top or side with a finger knuckle or two, or on the edge with the heel of your hand - then feel how the strings are vibrating around the guitar in response to this. Dont forget the headstock. Some guitars will vibrate with more intensity, or more evenly, in response to this. Tap as many guitars as you can get your hands on - try and discover what feels dead and what feels really alive. See how long it takes for the guitar to stop vibating as well. ideally, you should do this with the guitar hanging from it's strap, rather than you holding it.

It's a worthwhile skill that you can get quite expert at. Don't forget tapping guitars in music shops as well. As many as you can get your hands on before you get thrown out..

The better the resonance (the transfer of sympathetic vibration to the strings) - the better that guitar is going to sound. You can always change p/ups, but you can never change the basic quality of the wood and of the guitar's assembly.

If you've got the guitar plugged in, give the strings a good rake with a plectrum down by the bridge. Then rest your hand on and off the guitar's top. Notice how the tone changes. Again, the more it does change, the more resonant the guitar is.

When it's strapped on and being played, can you feel that guitar really vibrating hard under your chest bone? If it does, then it's probably a good one..

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

The neck is a pretty big deal. Before even looking over anything else I'd like it to "feel right" in my hands.

Thanks adey this is the sort of things I was looking for. I have also heard to let the guitar hang from the neck and pluck the b string, then feel for vibration (resonance) at the bottom of the body. What do you think?

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98 MIA Strat, 07 MIM 60's Reissue Strat, Mustang l, Mustang lll

I'm just now gettig back into electrics after about a 20 year absence (been playing acoustic bluegrass and old-timey). Back when I was pretty heavy into these things, I always played it not plugged in. The more it sounds like a guitar unplugged the better it tended to sound when plugged in.

So much of the tone depends on the amp, settings, setup, pickups, etc. that trying out one plugged in at a store only gets you so far. I go to a quite room (ask, most have practice or lesson rooms where you can get away from the noise) and play the thing acoustically for as long as it takes to see if you bond with it. If you don't bond, hang it back on the wall and try another one or go another day when your head is more into it.

Also, price point does not guarantee a great guitar and a lower price does not guarantee a piece of poo. I've played some really expensive guitars (10,000+ acoustics) that sounded terrible and some moderately priced ones that just blew me away.

At least that's what's worked for me over the years. Like I try to tell anyone just getting into guitars, a guitar should be bought with the ears and hands and not the eyes.

Your mileage may vary.

Jeff

Ragtopp: I'll tell you what I just experienced a week or two ago to stress Jeffytune's point... I was looking for a guitar to take out of the studio for some gig use, expecting wear and tear. I've been playing a Clapton Custom Shop for a few years now and don't want the burden to be completely on her, even thought I love the guitar. I knew that I wanted a MIM Stratocaster, 50's vintage style, but I wasn't completely sure yet.

I visited numerous shops and intentionally played strats that I wasn't interested in. This bolsters your original hunch or completely shatters it. You may find things you weren't expecting in these other guitars. Play until your heart is content and then return to that original guitar that brought you on this adventure in the first place.

The point I'm trying to make here is that whether you're buying a multi-thousand dollar guitar or a couple hundred dollar gig guitar, you want to treat the process the same... You have to find the guitar that feels correct. Even if you thought you wanted a 7.25" radius neck with tobacco sunburst, the 9.5" pink HSS beauty might be the one feels the best.

It's tough to pinpoint the sensation and explain it, but once you've test driven a healthy amount of guitars, you'll naturally start to lean in one direction or another.

Cheers!
-Chris

It's really easy.

You just look closely for any signs of anything being wrong. Then you play it and see if you like it.
Repeat till you find one that passes.

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No no and no

to me its the neck, how it feels, is the fret board made of a nice cut of wood.

whats the weight of the guitar, does it resonate? stuff like that is what i find important

Yes ragtopp, thats the sort of thing.. I personally wouldnt just focus on the B string, I'd want to see how all the strings respond to that particular guitar.

Good luck learning about resonance!

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!