Guide: Guitars and Basses

Bass Guitar

4-String vs. 5-String: What Beginners Actually Need

A buyer's guide for first basses: 4, 5 or 6 strings, short to extra-long scale, neck width, tuning, costs new and used, mistakes, myths and which bass suits whom.

Bass Guitar

Buying a Used Bass Guitar: What to Check

How to buy a used electric bass: where to look, rough prices, neck, frets, body and electronics checks, counterfeits, test-playing, setup basics, negotiating and shipping risks.

Classical Guitar

Scale Length and Neck Width: Finding the Right Fit for Beginners

Scale length, size, nut width, neck profile and body shape of classical guitars: standard 650 mm sizes, children's sizes from 1/8 to 7/8, a size table, cutaway pros and cons, common wrong purchases and a decision guide.

Classical Guitar

Nylon vs. Steel Strings: Why Classical Guitars Should Never Be Restrung

Why classical guitars take nylon strings only, what steel strings do to them, how string materials and tension classes differ, how to restring and stretch, change intervals, care and cost per set.

Classical Guitar

Buying a Used Classical Guitar: What to Check

How to judge a used classical guitar: price and depreciation, inspection order, top, bridge, neck and frets, crack types, climate damage, repair costs, negotiation and red flags.

Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic Guitar Body Shapes: Dreadnought, Concert, Jumbo and More Compared

How dreadnought, grand auditorium, concert, parlor and jumbo bodies differ in size, scale length, tone and comfort, how to pick the right one and how to check action, intonation and tuning yourself.

Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic Guitar Tonewoods: Spruce, Cedar, Rosewood, Mahogany and Solid vs. Laminate

What top, back and side woods really do to an acoustic guitar's sound, how solid, solid-top and laminate construction differ, how to compare and care for woods, and what rosewood regulations mean for used buyers.

Acoustic Guitar

Buying a Used Acoustic Guitar: Inspection Checklist, Repair Costs and Deal-Breakers

How to inspect a used steel-string acoustic in the right order: neck and truss rod, action, top, bridge, cracks, bracing, plus play test, first care and realistic repair costs (as of Oct. 2026).

Electric Guitar

Vintage vs. Reissue: Is an Old Electric Guitar Worth It?

What separates vintage originals from reissues, Custom Shop and relic guitars, how modifications and refinishes change value, what serial numbers and certificates can and cannot prove, and which choice fits playing, collecting or investing.