Guitar purchase
At that level it will be more about how it feels in her hands and how she feels about the sound. I would spend time playing as many as possible, don't rush it.
I don't know of any stores anymore aside from Guitar Center and Sam Ash. Different locations will have different stock so maybe try a few of their other locations.
You need to go used. It’ll let you stay in budget and buy someone else’s mistake. Used.guitarcenter.com is good. Reverb.com is good. eBay is ok.
Essentially she’ll get a much nicer guitar for the money.
What sort of music does she like to play? At that price you could get a killer Stratocaster used or something like a Gibson Les Paul Studio or SG. Maybe even a PRS if you’re patient. All USA models not imports.
wendyn said:
My 15 yo daughter needs an upgrade to her acoustic and electric guitars. She is pretty good for her age and practices a lot. Her initial guitars came from Guitar Center, and all the acoustic lasted Several years but the electric was a pos that barely made it a year before her teacher said she should upgrade.
So do we go back to guitar center or is there a better option? Would love a store with employees that can help her choose. Any advice on brands? Hoping to spend under $1000 for each if it is possible to get something good in that range.
If you have a budget of up to $1000 for each you will be able to find something really good. I've bought electric guitars online and you can be pretty sure it will be similar to the same model that your daughter tests out in a store. It may need to be set up after delivery, but that's not a big deal. I'm less inclined to buy an acoustic without having it in my hands, playing it and listening to it. I feel like there's more variation even within the same model because each piece of wood has its own characteristics. I have a made in Mexico Taylor that I bought at Guitar Center. I played it alongside a made in American Taylor at twice the price, and the Mexican guitar sounded much better.
If you want to shop at a small store with knowledgeable staff and don't mind driving an hour, I'd recommend Russo Music in Asbury Park. I've taken two guitars there for repair and they were terrific. Friendly vibe in the store.
Its the kind of thing I would look to Craigslist for, at least as an option. People buy guitars to learn, or for their kids to learn, and end up not doing it.
She prefers to play pop acoustic like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. But she will be playing mainly electric in a band so covering both bases.
The issue with used is she needs to try them out. I won’t buy something for her online without her trying it first. But if we can find a good used guitar at a GC or SA location that is an option. Maybe we can head down to Russo as well.
Thanks for all of the advice!
I have another place, if you're willing to drive a little over an hour. The Music Zoo in Roslyn Long Island. They sell online, but also have a pretty large store if you want to try any guitars.
https://www.themusiczoo.com/collections/acoustic-guitars
For GC if you have a used guitar shipped to the local store you can walk if you don’t like it.... or if you have it shipped to your home you can return it at your local GC. No risk involved.
Visit guitarfetish.com and go to Xaviere Electric Guitars
The Fender strat and tele style models Guitar Fetish carries have more bang for the buck than anything out there. The XV-870s (strat style) go for under $190.00 and are truly professional instruments. I bought one out of curiosity and it is now one of my "go to" guitars. XV-820 is the tele style and XV-830 is the tele with humbucker. Gibson and Gretsch styles are also available. Although the site claims the guitar are set up before shipping, you should bring it for a set up after it arrives.
The acoustic guitars are also bargain priced but the ones I have had a chance to play I could not recommend.
As said above, Russo Music in Asbury is a very good bet for an acoustic and after you are done you can walk a block to the Festhalle for refreshments. Don't play acoustic myself very much but I like the Gretsch Rancher ($360-$750). My serious acoustic friends love the Alvarez Yairi ($1500). The style of music your Daughter likes to play will dictate the best guitar for her. Good Luck and have fun looking!
I would suggest going to Guitar Center, playing a selection of guitars and finding a brand/model/features that she likes. Then you know what you are looking for and can see if you can find a similar one online, on ebay, the gear page, reverb.com, etc. The value of a new instrument bought in a store or online retailer like musicians friend will immediately drop by 1/3 or so the minute you carry it out of the store, so you are likely to get a better quality of instrument on the used market.
The sound quality of an electric guitar is highly dependent on the amp that you are plugged into. Plug into a decent low power (preferably tube) amp in the store. There are some amp brands that deliver good value in the $300-$500 range (Vox, Blackstar...). Don't let the sales person plug you into a cheap solid state amp, the guitar won't sound like it should.
Also take into account weight and scale length. If she is playing in a band, she may be standing with it for long periods. Though it's not an absolute rule, better quality guitars tend to be a bit heavier than cheaper ones. Make sure she is comfortable with it. I know that standing for 3 hours with a Les Paul can get tiring. Scale length is the length of the strings from the bridge to the nut. It ranges from 24" to 25 1/2". This also affects how far the frets are apart, and therefore how easy or hard it is to play for people with different sized hands. Having pretty big hands myself, I usually play Fender or Paul Reed Smith guitars, which have 25 1/2 and 25" scales respectively. A person with smaller hands may be more comfortable with a Les Paul style guitar which has a 24" scale.
Hope this helps.
Rob_Sandow said:
Also take into account weight and scale length.
I love that you pointed this out. I have a beautiful Les Paul Classic that I bought after falling in love with it at the store. It sounds amazing and it plays beautifully. But it's ridiculously heavy, and I didn't realize how much until I gigged with it. A couple hours of having it hanging on my body was exhausting. I put it asid, which is now to my son's advantage -- I gave it to him 
But that's a really good point. Comfort is truly an important consideration. No no one wants to play an instrument that fatigues them while playing.
Excellent information! My daughter is very small (and done growing) so size and weight are very important. When we bought her acoustic we got what they called a classical guitar as they said it was slightly smaller than a “regular” acoustic and it has served her well.
I have a used electric that was given to my daughters but never used by them--not sure what it is, but will check if you are interested. I am free cycling it. (just haven't gotten around to posting)
Matt Umanov Guitars on Bleecker. I don't play myself but have been in there with guitarists and they go berserk.
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My 15 yo daughter needs an upgrade to her acoustic and electric guitars. She is pretty good for her age and practices a lot. Her initial guitars came from Guitar Center, and all the acoustic lasted Several years but the electric was a pos that barely made it a year before her teacher said she should upgrade.
So do we go back to guitar center or is there a better option? Would love a store with employees that can help her choose. Any advice on brands? Hoping to spend under $1000 for each if it is possible to get something good in that range.