A friend of mine is leaving the country and is selling his guitars. Those guitars are all handmade and they’ve been made in Vietnam of all places. So, first question: what is the reputation, if any, of Vietnamese guitar makers?
The one I’m particularly interested is this one. It’s a 12-strings model, and looks and sounds very nice. Apart from that I don’t have other criteria to judge, not being an experienced player. He wants 160 pounds. How can I judge if it is a good price?
A word of explanation: you might be wondering if it is worth it, since I’m not that good (yet), and why not go for something cheaper. That is in fact true, but now I intend to spend more time on music, because I realized that if I don’t do it now, I won’t have time later with a job, a house, a mortgage and possibly children, so I feel it’s now or never. It’s also a bit of an adventure. Furthermore, if those guitars are as good as the chap says (and he’s a good guy and has no reason to cheat on me), then a comparable handmade instrument would cost much much more.
For the same price I could get a new guitar in a shop, and it would be all right for what I can do, or I could even go cheaper and get something of a lower quality. So, what would you do if you were in my shoes? Unfortunately I have to decide quickly, as my friend will leave in a week or so.
Never heard of that make - although these days that means less than it used to. 12 strings have the knack of sounding nice by definition; - play it up the neck - in tune at the nut; ie open D may reveal a lot when played higher up the neck.
One constant in terms of judging quality is whether the top is solid or 2 pieces glued together - you want solid.
If it is, and it’s handmade, and you’ve 160, and you enjoy a punt; you might just have something.
Absolutely no basis in estimating a fair price. You would have to have someone you trust - either a friend or a guitar tech or both - check it out for its basic fundamental construction.
Sorry I can’t help you more, but trying to explain what to look for is way too complex for a straight-up message-board post. There are sites on line that go into a tone of detail about how to adjust guitars for best playability - and those touch on what to look for in a good guitar. You might check Dan Erlewine’s site - he is a highly-regarded guitar tech affiliated with Stew Mac, and online store for guitar parts and guitar-building tools…
The price you mention works out to around $300 American, and over here you can expect to pay $250 to $350 for a decent acoustic guitar (think bottom end Takamine or the Martin economy brand (Sigma?)). For that you won’t be getting the finest craftsmanship or woods, but you should be getting a solid, not plywood, top (the front piece around the sound hole), and the instrument will have a good feel and playability. It will stay in tune, and the action should be low (distance of strings from the neck).
Since you’re looking at a 12 string I’d be a little concerned. 12-strings have twice as much hardware (tuning pegs) and as such ought to be more expensive, and usually are. $300 sounds frankly too cheap for it to be much good.
I agree with Wordman. I would also consider resale values when buying this guitar. It’s going to be hard to sell compared to a inexpensive/comparable Fender or Martin (they have $400 dollar Martin’s now I think) resulting in less money towards your future upgrade that will be inevitable if you keep on playing.
An easy thing to do, would be to compare it to another guitar being sold for the same price. Go to a local shop, pick up a comparatively priced 12-string, and play it for a little while. Then go play the handmade one your friend is selling. If you like the tone, if it does not seem likely to fall apart, and the action works for you, I would say buy it. In regards of construction, you should pay close attention to how solid the neck seems, and if the soundboard is bulging at the bridge. 12-strings have a lot more tension on both of these areas than a 6-string, and they tend to self destruct. I had a 12-string Takamine that played wonderful for about 3 years, but by then the bridge started to bow the soundboard, making it suitable only for slide guitar in the end.
I dunno about arguments for resale value, are you buying the guitar to play it, or to invest in it? My favorite guitar (in a collection that includes such things as a '67 SG) is a Les Paul Jr. copy I bought off of a friend, made in Indonesia. It plays as well as any real one. No one seems to think much of it until they play it. *Then * they start offering to buy it. I ain’t selling.
(Disclaimer, I love Asian electrics, I own lots of plastic wonders)
If you’re curious about it, in the end I decided not to buy that guitar. To cut a long story short (and a story where I change my mind more often than a model changes clothes during a fashion parade), it is beyond my skills as they are now, so it’s better that I invest the money in lessons and useful material. I’ll still need an acoustic guitar because the classical one I have has large frets and a high action for my little hands, and I’d rather play something more comfortable for me, to return to this one when I’m more experienced.
In fact, I’ll ask another questions: what brands of guitars should I flat-out avoid?
I don’t know if you’re a beginner, exactly, but there was a similar thread with several good tips here, which does go over some brands and also gives some advice (from me) about the kind of shops to avoid. For these threads I always like to recommend that people look at the McCabe’s website. I realize you can’t go there since you’re in England and they’re in California, but what they have to say on their website is very useful for aspiring guitarists to know, and IMHO it’s an example of the type of shop you should look for when you’re ready to buy.