? In my pursuit of all things guitar?I've played and owned?a bunch?of them. I have personally?owned?over 100 instruments thru the years.?Here's a guide to helping you buy a "Good" guitar.?Some of these tips may surprise you.

1. No matter what the name says on the guitar this does NOT guarantee a Good guitar. Gibson and?Fender may sell a pricey guitar made of quality materials?but that's no guarantee it's a?winner.?I've played some great ones from these guys but there's a lot of bad ones out there too. The only modern manufacturer that I can say I've never played a bad one is PRS, they may sound differently but they do an incredible job on their construction consistency. With that being noted it simply doesn't hold true any more in the guitar market that price equals a great guitar. Yes better made instruments of?higher quality materials normally yields a higher percentage of great guitars but it's NOT a guarantee!

2. Price is based on quality materials and the cost of LABOR. Many imports are of decent quality but they save big on labor costs over like made U.S. instruments. There are real values here in the import guitar market for enthusiast's and "players". Here's a great example: The Gibson ES-335 and the Epiphone dot's are of similar construction in many ways. Both guitars feature LAMINATED tops not solid tops, there are some differences in the better Gibson hardware but the tonewoods are pretty close.?Upgrade the Epi's pickups and you'll be hard pressed to hear the difference!

3. Whenever I'm "shopping" for a new guitar this is the most important tip I can give.?My criteria for a Great guitar is in tone and playability. I currently own several $300 guitars that are incredible, even better than the vintage ones for big bucks. I NEVER plug the guitars in to try them out. Earth shattering I know, I'll find a quiet spot in a store and play the guitar "unplugged' to hear the true tone of the guitar without an amp. The guitar should RESONATE and literally?VIBRATE in your hand. It should sound good acoustically first and foremost with?some life to it, not dull or flat sounding.?I normally change out pickups later for the fact that I don't know hardly ANY guitar?maker that has as good?pickups as the after market makers of Duncan, Fralin, Dimarzio, etc.?Pickups and hardware can be changed and upgraded?but the?TRUE TONE of the guitar and the Tonewoods can't!

4. Make sure the guitar plays well and there are no buzzes on the frets or any fretting out from frets of the wrong height. Look for a comfortable feel along the whole?neck?especially in the middle section of the neck from the 3rd fret to the 9th. It should not have a big dip in it or be too flat either so all the stings are buzzing on the fretboard.

5. There are several guitar makers out now who are really making some quality stuff. But I'm a big believer in playing as many of the same guitars you are interested in buying and finding the best one. THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL AND THAT GOES FOR ANY BRAND AT ANY PRICE POINT!

Happy hunting
Guitar Guru