http://www.janisian.com/reading/care.php
in summary
- Buy what you like. Don't buy what Eddie or Bonnie plays. Don't buy what your pals think is cool. Don't buy what the salesman says "will sound great in a few of years." Don't listen to anything but your body and your heart.
- Listen. To the instrument as you play. To the instrument as other people in the shop play it. Don't be afraid to ask them for the favor; guitars sound remarkably different when you're standing a foot away. Do not ever believe the guitar is perfect "except it needs to be broken in". A good guitar sounds good right away; later, it should sound better.
- Look at the instrument. Does it seem right to your eye? Are the frets even in spacing and height? Is the bridge steady, do the tuners look evenly spaced, and the like? Can you sit comfortably and write for five hours with it? And look at the mundane - will it look good on you when you're performing? is the color all right? the body shape? After looking, you should:
- Taste and smell. A lot of the input we receive comes through our noses and mouths. Put your mouth against the sound hole and breath in simultaneously through your mouth and nose. Does it smell good? musty? fresh? An old (or "vintage", if you're a salesman) guitar may have layers of dust in there – you can clean that. But an old guitar can also have mildew, and you can't get rid of it. Make sure the guitar smells okay to you. Then:
- Feel. Feel the wood under your hands. Feel the guitar on your lap. Heft it for weight. If the neck stock is too heavy, you won't be able to change that! If you perform, think about whether you can stand for two hours with this guitar strapped around your neck. Touch it everywhere. Guitars, like all instruments, enjoy being touched. If the finish is so fragile that the shop owner asks you not to get fingerprints on it, that's not the guitar for you. And finally:
- Trust your instincts. You trust them as a writer; you trust them as a performer. Why not trust them now? And if instinct says Don't buy this, don't buy it under any circumstance. Conversely, if you put the guitar down and walk around outside for two hours, have lunch, and still can't stop obsessing on it, better go back for that guitar, because it's talking to you.
