guitar buying advice for an absolute beginner
someone at my school is selling a basic (not spruce or anything) seagull s6 for $150 obo...i think he said he'd take $130. it's two years old. he said he hasn't played it much or really touched it in the past two years, and that sounds about right from the way it looks (pretty new looking).
is that a good price? it seems to me like it *could* be a great bargain - it looks like they cost over $300 new, and when i checked ebay for a price comparison, some people were selling used S6s for over $200. however, i don't really have a sense of how online prices compare to in-person prices...i was in a guitar center store yesterday and saw a new yamaha FG 413 for $199, and most online stores seem to charge much more than that.
should i grab this while it's available, or is it easy to find decent used guitars of that caliber at that price? i saw a yamaha fg 402 at a pawn shop for $165...is that gonna be any better than a seagull s6? how much do used guitars usually cost in relation to their original purchase price?
also, i know that the S6 has a cedar top rather than a spruce top. will this make any difference that i (as a real beginner) will notice, or are the difference in sound that people speak about only apparent to a really expert ear? basically, will this make what i play sound significantly different from guitar music i've heard (aside from the fact that whatever i play won't be great cause i'll just be starting out).
and one last thing...the finish is not very glossy...i think it's a semi-gloss. i'm worried that that would make it easier to damage. is it possible to put (or have someone put) a more glossy finish on it?
thanks for any advice :)
is that a good price? it seems to me like it *could* be a great bargain - it looks like they cost over $300 new, and when i checked ebay for a price comparison, some people were selling used S6s for over $200. however, i don't really have a sense of how online prices compare to in-person prices...i was in a guitar center store yesterday and saw a new yamaha FG 413 for $199, and most online stores seem to charge much more than that.
should i grab this while it's available, or is it easy to find decent used guitars of that caliber at that price? i saw a yamaha fg 402 at a pawn shop for $165...is that gonna be any better than a seagull s6? how much do used guitars usually cost in relation to their original purchase price?
also, i know that the S6 has a cedar top rather than a spruce top. will this make any difference that i (as a real beginner) will notice, or are the difference in sound that people speak about only apparent to a really expert ear? basically, will this make what i play sound significantly different from guitar music i've heard (aside from the fact that whatever i play won't be great cause i'll just be starting out).
and one last thing...the finish is not very glossy...i think it's a semi-gloss. i'm worried that that would make it easier to damage. is it possible to put (or have someone put) a more glossy finish on it?
thanks for any advice :)