Guide to buying a used guitar : Learn where to look and what to look for when purchasing a used electric or acoustic guitar

Where to look:

• craigslist > musical instruments
• Kijiji > buy and sell > musical instruments
• Other online classifieds

What to look (out) for:

Take a look at the sample ad below. On the first look it looks like a really good deal. It comes with a cool box. Only few scratches and chips? No biggy. And all those cool sounding specs. This is the best deal in the world!

Lets take a dive into reality now. The cool box, which is obviously not very portable because of its weight, is a bait for potential customers.
The ad fails to mention that each scratch and chip can cost the potential customer $50-$100 to repair. Yes, even the small one may cost that much to repair. Also don't take the advice to cover up those cracks and chips by yourself. That will cost you more when repairing the finish, since the repair guys are paid by the hour on top of labor. It takes hours to repair a small chip, and when you cover it up it makes the job harder and more time consuming for the repair guy.
And those cool specs are standard on most guitars.

Here are some really good and elaborate guides on buying a new or used guitar:
http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/how-to-buy-a-used-acoustic-guitar/
http://www.essortment.com/all/buyusedguitar_rmfh.htm
http://exclaim.ca/musicschool/needtoknow.aspx?csid1=86
http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/qt/buyguitar.htm
http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/guitars/electric-guitars/buying-guide.php
http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/guitars/acoustic/buying-guide.php
http://pages.ebay.com/buy/guides/vintage-electric-guitars-buying-guide/
http://www.guitarimports.com/acoustic-guitars.htm
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=99234
http://www.guitarbitz.com/buyersguide.asp
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_guide_to/beginners_guide_to_buying_an_acoustic_guitar.html
http://www.guitar-resource-center.com/beginners_electric_guitar.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/52426/the_complete_guide_to_buying_the_guitar.html