Buying a guitar can be a harrowing experience. You’ve saved up the money and now you’ve got one shot at getting an instrument with which you’ll be happy. When you’re trying out a guitar and you’ve decided that you like the overall sound quality, tone and feel of the instrument, here are five essential points to check to make sure you’re buying a well-built guitar:
1. Check the action. This term refers to the height of the strings above the fretboard, and how far you have to push them down onto the fretboard to play notes. Holding the guitar in playing position, look down at the neck and strings. The action is good if the strings are as close to the neck as possible without buzzing against the metal frets when you play. If the strings are more than 1/8 inch above the neck at the 12th fret, it will be unnecessarily hard to play on the upper frets. (Note: On some electric guitars the bridge height can be adjusted to lower the action.)
2. Check that the neck is straight. Hold the guitar up to eye level and look down the neck from the bottom of the instrument with the neck pointed away from you. The neck should be straight as opposed to bowed or curved back. Also, look for any dips or bumps in the fretboard.
3. Check the intonation. Having good intonation means that your guitar produces accurate notes that are in tune on every fret of every string. You can check this on every string by comparing the harmonic directly above the 12th metal fret to the fretted note on the 12th fret—they should be exactly the same. If they aren’t, there’s a problem with the neck or bridge of the instrument. (Note: On many electric guitars, the bridges can be adjusted to correct this problem so it’s not a deal-breaker.)
4. Check for fret buzz. Play every note on every string to make sure they all sound clean and clear, with no metallic buzzing of the string against the metal frets.
5. Check the tuning and tuners. The tuning machines should feel smooth when you turn the keys, and the pitch of the strings should go up and down fluidly with no catching or little “tink” sounds. And, once you tune the guitar it should stay in tune while you’re playing it.
[photo: SubZeroConsciousness]