Everything Is Wrong About This Guitar. Should I Buy It?

[OldStrummer]

I read several guitar forums and it seems that almost every day someone is posting an article about finding a guitar in poor shape and wondering if it can be fixed.

Okay, I know some of you here are fixer-uppers and master guitar techs, so no restoration job is hopeless, but on the other side of the spectrum, you've got guys like me whose total inclination for guitar tech is to change a set of strings. And even that I don't approach with glee.

So, for the guys like me who don't have a guitar workshop or the skills or desire to pull apart a guitar into its component pieces, what makes someone want to buy a guitar that has problems that the prospective buyer can't knowingly resolve?

Personally, I want a playable guitar out of the box. Is that too much to ask? I have never even considered buying a guitar where it's known that some repairs are needed. "Hey, this is a great guitar. All it needs is a little touching up where a rhino gored it." "Yeah, I love this guitar. The neck bows like an archery competitor, but with a reset..." I even balk when I read about a guitar that has already been repaired. "The headstock broke and then fell off, but it was rebuilt by master luthier Succon Deeznutz..."

Yes, I'm trying to spark a little conversation. What's your opinion of online shopping (or even in person) where a guitar has obvious problems. Do you think you can fix it and it's truly a bargain, or do you move on to the next, perhaps regretting walking away from a "real deal?"

[BobbyMac]

I would not consider buying a guitar with damage or flaws of any kind. I'm an experience builder/assembler, but repairing damage is not something that I'd want to take on, regardless of price.

[Cogs]

Dude, that photo right there would be a labor of love. As an amateur repairman/builder, that one is a little too far gone. But hey, everyone has to know their limitations. I've seen guitars go cheap (& I have even bought some of them) because they had problems that maybe the owner didn't have the tools or knowledge to repair them. Even something as simple as a little soldering. If someone doesn't have those abilities or tools, then they might just want to get rid of the albatross.

[OldStrummer]

Dude, that photo right there would be a labor of love. As an amateur repairman/builder, that one is a little too far gone. But hey, everyone has to know their limitations. I've seen guitars go cheap (& I have even bought some of them) because they had problems that maybe the owner didn't have the tools or knowledge to repair them. Even something as simple as a little soldering. If someone doesn't have those abilities or tools, then they might just want to get rid of the albatross.

I must confess that I threw that photo in just to make a point; I doubt any but the most dedicated and skilled technician would attempt to resurrect that beast! It looks like something a wife who had been cheated on would have done. Put another way, I often read posts saying to the effect, "This is a great guitar. But I'm going to change the pickups, controls, tuners and pickguard." I mean, WTH?

[Telenator]

That'll buff out...

[Offshore Angler]

Pretty sure that's the one I was using when I started to learn the "Kid Charlemagne" solo.

[Telenator]

That must have been difficult with "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and being one of the worst guitar players I know."
Bwah ha ha!

[Offshore Angler]

Yep, and when I have to play BOTH guitar tracks on the into to Josie simultaneously - live - it really holds me back.