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Step 1
Go to a music store first. There is no better place to find both new and used guitars than your basic music store. You don’t necessarily need to buy a guitar right away from one of these places. A music store can give you an idea on what type of guitar you are interested in.
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Step 2
Check online for used guitars. You can often find cheap guitars online that people are willing to get rid of. Look at online forums for used guitars.
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Step 3
Visit an antique store and search for a used guitar. Many of these stores will have used instruments for cheap. These can be great, especially for a beginner.
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Step 4
Be sure to thoroughly check a used guitar before buying it. Often times, a used guitar will be have a bowed neck or a damaged bridge. If you’re not confident in your ability to find defaults in a used guitar, ask somebody that you trust to inspect the guitar.
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Step 5
Put new strings on the used guitar, tune it and see if you like the sound. You can’t get a good enough feel for the sound of any guitar until you have placed new strings on the instrument and played it for a period of time. Granted, you can’t play a used guitar for a week before you decide to buy it. Playing it for a half hour or so after putting new strings on the guitar, though, can give you an idea on whether or not you like the instrument.
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Step 6
Never buy a used guitar without touching it first. The worst thing you could do is buy any musical instrument without picking it up. You can’t know if you’ll like a used guitar if you don’t play it first.
