Is the used market primarily the rejects ?

[kurth]

Looking at the used guitar market, one wonders if these instruments were the ones players didn't want to keep ?

[fazool]

I think it's almost "by definition" if someone makes a conscious choice to sell something then they have, in fact, made a choice that the item is an item they choose not to keep. Whether they do so for financial reasons or priorities or whatever.

That doesn't mean they are "rejects" per sa, but they aren't what the original owner wanted to keep but they might be perfect for someone else.

[dnf777]

Originally Posted by kurth

Looking at the used guitar market, one wonders if these instruments were the ones players didn't want to keep ?

In some cases, yes. But people also over-extend on impulse purchases, or just get buyer’s remorse on perfectly good guitars. Some people just lose interest and bail. Then there’s spousal issues….

So yes, some are “rejects”, but many are perfectly fine guitars.

[Benjo]

I have wondered this too. A few used guitars that I've bought and immediately returned I see popping up again and again for sale online. Then again one of my favorite guitars that I've owned I bought used on this forum, so it's probably both.

[brencat]

Of the more than 20 guitars I’ve sold over the years, I’d say close to 70% of those sales were due to neck comfort related issues. Because I started playing at age 41, I’m probably not as adaptable as someone who started playing as a teen. There was nothing wrong with any of those guitars I sold. They were not rejects. They just weren’t ideal for ME any longer.

[TBman]

I think there are a lot of "stepping stone" guitars out there that people sold to get to another level of guitar quality, whether real or perceived. Plus there's people that thought they would learn and didn't, comfort issues (as stated above) and the "just didn't float my boat" candidates.

[RP]

Originally Posted by kurth

Looking at the used guitar market, one wonders if these instruments were the ones players didn't want to keep ?

Yes, but I wouldn't call them "rejects."

Originally Posted by fazool

I think it's almost "by definition" if someone makes a conscious choice to sell something then they have, in fact, made a choice that the item is an item they choose not to keep. Whether they do so for financial reasons or priorities or whatever.

That doesn't mean they are "rejects" per say, but they aren't what the original owner wanted to keep but they might be perfect for someone else.

Well put.....

[rule18]

I agree with others in that I wouldn't necessarily call the guitars I've sold "rejects". They've been of good quality/tone, but I didn't play them nearly as much as some others. I'm not one to hang on to things that I don't use, so I chose to pass them on to someone else. A recent example is the SCGC OM which I sold to another AGF member a few weeks ago. It was beautiful and had great tone and equally great playability but I enjoyed playing some of my others more.

[TomB'sox]

One guitar to one player is just OK and to another it is exactly the sound they are looking for.

I have a fairly large collection of guitars, several, OK quite a few are custom builds. Two of my very best sounding guitars were bought used on the AGF forum. I love them both and they are simply amazing, but were sold used.

[zombywoof]

I guess you could use the term "reject" if every player on the planet liked the same sound and feel. I have not bought a new guitar in over 50 years which was a Guild D25. But as I have acquired more than a few guitars since then it is safe to say that I have been perfectly happy snapping up the wretched reuse offered up by others.

[slimey]

Sometimes peoples needs just change.
Join a different band and they play a style of music not suited to your gig guitar, for example a Lowden in a country band would be a challenge getting a tone that works. You could do it but it's not ideal.
Your taste in music changes and you want a guitar that suits the change.
There's been a lot of reasons I've sold guitars and I can say none of the sales were because I didn't like the guitar anymore.
I think I regret every guitar I've ever sold and often think it'd be nice to have kept them all. Sadly..... sometimes you have to have some room in the house for something other than a guitar.

[OldFrets]

Even if it is... one person's reject guitar is another's holy grail. If that's a cliché, it's because it's frequently true.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

As others have said, just because I sell a guitar doesn't make it a reject, it may be perfect for someone else. Over a lifetime of playing I have realised that my needs are very specific so most of the guitars that I have sold have not met those needs which are mostly to do with string spacing and neck width.

[J Patrick]

..no….unequivocally no….you are no more likely to get a dud on the used market than you are buying new….

[Scolaguitar]

Well, it technically might be a “reject” to the person that is selling it for whatever reason which could range from tone chasing “moving up the food chain” (my d18….) to discomfort with neck or body size etc, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the guitar itself. Look at the classified and you’ll find all sorts of grail worthy guitars that I myself couldn’t imagine parting with if I didn’t have to.