What do you play when trying/buying

[the architect]

I start off with a few songs I know real well so I can feel and hear how the guitar responds to my fingers, hands, body and playing style.

On an acoustic, I'll also play things with some unusual chord voicing and alternate tunings to see how well it responds.

Some of my faves are:
From the Beginning
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Wild Horses
She Talks to Angels
Honky Tonk Women

[Cameron_Talley]

I usually go for a simple Travis-picked version of "Teach your Children"

[Hotspur]

I almost made a big mistake when I bought my last guitar by not playing enough.

I was a little shy, and mostly played soft finger style stuff. That drove me towards a Grand Concert-sized guitar. I also didn't sing.

Luckily, I went home to think on it, and realized I should double-check, so I went back, and played some strumming stuff, and sang with the guitar, and it was no choice. While I loved the Breedlove Premiere Grand Concert, the Grand Auditorium was clearly a better choice for me. It just balances my voice much better, and works better when I strum, which I do on about half my songs.

So, that is to say, if you're buying a guitar, try out everything that you do. The guitar you love doing one thing may not be the one you'd choose if you did something else!