A little about another hobby of mine

[berryman]

nice, I can almost hear that rip a lic

[BigPapaG]

EDIT: And you may already know this stuff but...

Don is correct... Strings can pull the neck into an arch ot a twist and that can be bad.

Somtimes new strings and a neck adjustment can fix that.

Old strings, well, you know this from the acoustic... As they age, they become more brittle and so you tune them, play them and they are out of tune pretty quickly, whereas new strings need to be stretched when installed but they then settle in and play in tune pretty well.

Also, there could be a problem with one or more of the tuning machines...

Look for things like loose shafts coming through the peghead... Loose tuning pegs where some are tight to tune and others are loose... Sometimes there is an accessible screw that lets you set the gear lash... Other times, they are sealed.

Obviously, look for the fit of the neck to the pocket of it is a bolt on neck... And if it's a set neck, look to see if it had ever been broken and reglued... That's not always a bad thing but can be an issue if it was not re-set to the correct angle.

Now.... For the strat... Or any guitar with a floating tremelo (whammy bar)...

These are a pain to tune and often require retuning...

The trem block (where the saddles are) is attached to the body by either a number of screws (6) at the front of the trem plate, or two screws, or two pins where the trem plate cantelevers on the pins... All depending on the type of strat trem it is...

Underneath and accessible from an access plate on the back of the body are a number of springs...

This number will vary, usually there are three, some people add springs bringing the number to 4 or 5...

Some remove springs... Getting it down to 1 or 2...

These things affect the guitars ability to stay in tune...

There are people who lock down the trem plate to the body rendering it useless but improving tuning stability.

So, tuning machine check, neck check, trem check, springs check...

Once you know what you have, tune from the low E up to the high E and then work backwards...

See where you are at then...

For the LP, tuning machines, neck, strings... Trem, if it has a Bigsby Roller Trem... (Whole nuther set of issues)...

On EITHER... Check the intonation at the 12th fret and adjust the saddles, moving them in or out to adjust as needed... Keep retuning while doing this until the 12th fret note is the string note...

Last is volume and tone pots, switches and jack... All of which can get dirty and be scratchy... They can usually be cleaned but if really bad may need to be replaced... This is common for guitars that have sat a while... The pots sit in the same spot and oxidize... That spot then becomes a problem... Same with the pickup selector switch... Sits in one position... Or the guitar was plugged into an amp cable forever and the jack has oxidized...

Use the pickup selector and see that both pickups are working... On the LP it's one, the other or both.

On the Strat, there are five combinations... Forward is neck, back is bridge, middle is middle, numbers 2 and 4 may sound thin or lower in volume... This is normal as it combines neck and middle (#2) or middle and bridge (#4)... What you don't immediately know is whether or not someone rewired the guitar, very common on strats but it happens on LP's sometimes too... Worry about that later... Lots of wiring diagrams online...

Probably if it were me, after the above quick checks, I would put a new set of strings on them and repeat... That should give you a good idea of what you have...

[Gymrat]

Thankyou. I haven't had an electric guitar since I was 18. I watched a youtube vid of a guy adjusting string height and string length on a guitar just like this one. I did check and there is a very slight variance at the 12th fret which I will adjust out once I buy the guitar, which I am pretty sure I am going to do. I still have the option of trading it for the Les Paul. But I am already becoming attached to it. I don't think there has been any rewiring done. I really think this guy bought this guitar and rarely played it. That little amp is pretty impressive for a cheap little amp. It is missing a knob but I can live with that.

[bpgreen]

in the winter my fingers would crack open from being exposed to the weather at work.

When I moved to Utah, that became a problem. Then a Canadian friend told me about a lotion he used called Uremol. It's not available in the US (although you can probably get it mail order from Canada if you want to pay enough). But the key ingredient is 10% urea. There's a lotion sold in a number of places in the US (including drugstore.com and amazon.com) called Nutraplus that has this.

I used to use it several times a day and my skin eventually stopped cracking at all. I still use it occasionally, but I also make my own lotion (I got the urea from some online place that sells soap and cosmetic making ingredients and just use water, olive oil, emulsifying wax and the urea). If you don't want to make the lotion from scratch, you can just get the urea and add it to regular lotion.

Some people say it stings, but I never had that problem. If you're making your own, you can adjust how much urea you use if it bothers you.

[ckd022]

I also have several guitars, a 6 string acoustic fender, a 12 string acoustic epiphone and two Fender strats. I can say when looking at buying guitars, look at playability, neck bend and twist, nut wear and fret wear. Other than that it goes to how it sounds. Strats sound different than Les Pauls, than Teles - you get the picture, other guitars like those made by PRS are tweeners. Pickups make a good part of the sound difference, but body wood and neckwood also make a difference.

Sounds complicated, and it CAN be. Find the sound you want (note that amps are a big part of sound), but to me feel is the most important. As far as the mechanics of a guitar that are important, you really want to make sure the neck isn't twisted. Adjustments can be made with the truss bar for neck warp 'up' or 'down', but not twist. This can be seen by looking down the neck from the neck to the body. There are lots of resources to help you there on line, but if in doubt find someone you trust to look at it, either a friend or luthier that is not involved in the deal.

Good luck on your search!
Kevin

[Beer-lord]

I'm late to the party (band night last night) but I really can't add to the great suggestions and info already posted but I will say, that if you have a guitar shop in your area, they can be very helpful. We have a very small 'boutique' guitar shop where they teach a number of stringed instruments and sell both new and used guitars, amps and other instruments and they have 2 great guys who know ALL guitars. They've put new pickups in 3 of my guitars and took my old 75 Strat and made it sound better. If not a shop like this, then you'd just have to be lucky or ask enough musicians who they let tinker with their instruments. If you can find a guitar genius, it could make a huge difference.
Is there a Guitar Center near you? Sometimes they even have someone there who actually knows Guitars and isn't just a salesman.

[Gymrat]

We have an excellent shop here in town where I bought my acoustic guitar. If you ever heard of Andy McKee, he was a teacher there for a long time. If you haven't youtube him sometime.

I just feel a little funny about taking a guitar I am not going to buy from them for an opinion on whether or not I should buy it.

Last night I really looked it over taking all these posts into account. I didn't see any neck twist, so to speak, the entire neck did have a minor lean but I don't think that is an issue. I couldn't find any bowing, warping, or any other flaws. I played it for an hour and a half after home brew club meeting and the strings were all on the money when I got done.

I am genuinely falling in love with this instrument even though I told that other guy I would look at his Les Paul.

[ScrewyBrewer]

If you feel that strongly about the guitar then I would suggest that you buy it. I plunked down some real cash for a new Martin acoustic over 10 years ago, and it's repaid me in enjoyment many times over what I had spent to buy it.

[Gymrat]

I would LOVE to have a Martin. I played on one at the guitar store when I bought my acoustic. I couldn't believe it was me playing. I didn't have that kind of money at the time. I bought a Fender. It was a thousand dollar guitar on sale for $700. At the time I had just gone through my divorce and moved into Kansas so that was difficult to come up with. But I never regretted it.

When I was working, this amount would have been pocket change. Now not so much. But it is an excellent deal and I think I will get hours of enjoyment from it. So I do think it is worth it.

[BigPapaG]

I would LOVE to have a Martin. I played on one at the guitar store when I bought my acoustic. I couldn't believe it was me playing. I didn't have that kind of money at the time.

EDIT: Highjack Alert!

Sometimes you can find or luck into a good deal... But it takes time, and you got to keep looking, and sometimes you got to get lucky...

A while back, I was looking kind of regularly for a new acoustic... And one day I ran into the guitar store for a quick check of stock and saw a Martin that I had played several times, and liked a lot but that had been in my 'dream' category due to price.

It's an OMC-15E with a Fishman Prefix Plus and which had a list of $1499 (not $1899 as I previously indicated... Just checked the tags) and was selling for $1199.

Well, I got lucky because Martin had discontinued the model that week and I got it with a Martin Hard Shell Case for a total of $650 on closeout! Talk about luck!

And I just love it... It's African Mahogany (Sapale) and has a nice sound that can be bright and woody at the same time. It's great playing by itself but also fits well with other acoustics.

They just reissued the guitar this year in Mahogany... But the African Mahogany is nice too!

Here's some pics...

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[Beer-lord]

When I grow up I want to have both a Martin and a Taylor. I may not play better with them but I think I do.
Super score and I hate you in the nicest of ways!

[Gymrat]

I would LOVE to have a Martin. I played on one at the guitar store when I bought my acoustic. I couldn't believe it was me playing. I didn't have that kind of money at the time.

EDIT: Highjack Alert!

Sometimes you can find or luck into a good deal... But it takes time, and you got to keep looking, and sometimes you got to get lucky...

A while back, I was looking kind of regularly for a new acoustic... And one day I ran into the guitar store for a quick check of stock and saw a Martin that I had played several times, and liked a lot but that had been in my 'dream' category due to price.

It's an OMC-15E with a Fishman Prefix Plus and which had a list of $1499 (not $1899 as I previously indicated... Just checked the tags) and was selling for $1199.

Well, I got lucky because Martin had discontinued the model that week and I got it with a Martin Hard Shell Case for a total of $650 on closeout! Talk about luck!

And I just love it... It's African Mahogany (Sapale) and has a nice sound that can be bright and woody at the same time. It's great playing by itself but also fits well with other acoustics.

They just reissued the guitar this year in Mahogany... But the African Mahogany is nice too!

Here's some pics...

I am in AWE!

[BigPapaG]

I would LOVE to have a Martin. I played on one at the guitar store when I bought my acoustic. I couldn't believe it was me playing. I didn't have that kind of money at the time.

EDIT: Highjack Alert!

Sometimes you can find or luck into a good deal... But it takes time, and you got to keep looking, and sometimes you got to get lucky...

A while back, I was looking kind of regularly for a new acoustic... And one day I ran into the guitar store for a quick check of stock and saw a Martin that I had played several times, and liked a lot but that had been in my 'dream' category due to price.

It's an OMC-15E with a Fishman Prefix Plus and which had a list of $1499 (not $1899 as I previously indicated... Just checked the tags) and was selling for $1199.

Well, I got lucky because Martin had discontinued the model that week and I got it with a Martin Hard Shell Case for a total of $650 on closeout! Talk about luck!

And I just love it... It's African Mahogany (Sapale) and has a nice sound that can be bright and woody at the same time. It's great playing by itself but also fits well with other acoustics.

They just reissued the guitar this year in Mahogany... But the African Mahogany is nice too!

Here's some pics...

I am in AWE!

You? Umm... It's me that's in awe... You have a Mustang!!!

[FedoraDave]

Good job, Roger. Keep playing the guitar, even if it's just for your own enjoyment. I always wished I could learn the guitar, but since I was trained on the piano from the age of four, I'm just too keyboard-oriented to switch to the guitar. I haven't played in years, and I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of our junky spinet (it's not even a useful instrument anymore, and it's not worth the cost of reconditioning it) and getting an electric keyboard with weighted keys. I just hope my fingers aren't too stiff from my 21 years doing field work in the termite and pest biz (and, I fear, creeping arthritis). I'd like nothing better than to put on the headphones and amuse myself with some Scott Joplin ragtime piano pieces. It may take awhile for me to get my chops back, but making music is a magical and therapeutic thing.

[Gymrat]

Good job, Roger. Keep playing the guitar, even if it's just for your own enjoyment. I always wished I could learn the guitar, but since I was trained on the piano from the age of four, I'm just too keyboard-oriented to switch to the guitar. I haven't played in years, and I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of our junky spinet (it's not even a useful instrument anymore, and it's not worth the cost of reconditioning it) and getting an electric keyboard with weighted keys. I just hope my fingers aren't too stiff from my 21 years doing field work in the termite and pest biz (and, I fear, creeping arthritis). I'd like nothing better than to put on the headphones and amuse myself with some Scott Joplin ragtime piano pieces. It may take awhile for me to get my chops back, but making music is a magical and therapeutic thing.

Go for it Dave. There is something therapeutic about playing an instrument.