Buying an Instrument: What to Look For Before You Buy

Buying an instrument should be fun. And it usually is until you walk into a music shop, or start scrolling online. You soon realise there are lots of options, all sitting at wildly different prices.

At that point it’s tempting to just buy whatever has the most stars next to it, or assume the pricier one has to be the better one. However, it’s not that simple.

The right instrument depends on who’s actually going to be playing it, what they want to play, how experienced they are, and what you’re happy to spend. A little research before you buy can save you from ending up with an instrument that isn’t right for you. More importantly, it will help you choose an instrument the player will want to keep playing.

Start With Who It’s Actually For

Before you begin comparing brands and specs, stop and think about the player. Is this a first instrument for your child? Are you an adult picking something up for the very first time? Or is this for a person who has already been playing for a while and outgrown what they’ve got?

A beginner doesn’t need professional-grade gear. But that doesn’t mean the cheapest thing on the shelf is the answer either. An awkward or genuinely hard to play cheap instrument can really put someone off learning to play.

Take a guitar for example: Does the size of the body feel right for the player? How does the neck sit in your hand? Are the strings too high above the fretboard, making it harder to produce a clean sound?

It’s also worth thinking about what the player actually wants to play. A student interested in classical guitar will have different requirements from someone who wants to play rock or pop. Someone learning piano for classical music may need different features and key action from someone mainly interested in playing contemporary music. A drummer who wants to play a basic drum kit at home has different needs from someone preparing for more advanced playing.

For children in particular, size is important. A full-sized guitar may be too large for a younger child, while a smaller guitar can make it much easier for them to hold the instrument and reach the notes comfortably. The same idea applies to other instruments: the physical size of the instrument, the seating position and the reach required should all be considered.

Young girl holding a classical guitar during a music lesson at Do Re Mi Studios

And if you’re buying for a child, involve them in the choice where possible. You may be paying for the instrument, but they’re the one who has to pick it up and play it. Letting them try a few suitable options and have some say in the choice can make a real difference to whether they feel comfortable with it and want to keep playing. You’re not trying to buy the most expensive thing you can justify. You’re trying to find the instrument that suits.

Do Your Homework First

Once you’ve got a rough sense of what you need, take some time to research before buying an instrument.

Online reviews are worth reading. They’ll give you a feel for what other players think. Forums and online communities can be genuinely useful too, especially for instruments that have been around long enough to build a track record. Just don’t let one review make the decision for you. One player might rave about an instrument because it happens to suit their style. Another might dislike the same instrument. Use reviews as part of your research rather than letting one person’s opinion make the decision for you.

With a keyboard, for example, you might want to know how many keys it has, whether the keys have a weighted or touch-sensitive action, and what sounds and connections are included. With a drum kit, you might be looking at the size and number of drums and cymbals, the quality of the hardware, whether an acoustic or electronic kit is more suitable, and whether the setup is appropriate for the space where it will be used.

Teenage girl playing drums during a music lesson at Do Re Mi Studios

Play It Before You Buy It

If you can get your hands on it first, do. This matters enormously with guitars, keyboards, drums, anything where feel counts for as much as the numbers on the box. A spec sheet tells you what an instrument has. It won’t tell you whether it feels right in your hands.

Buying for a child? Let them try it. Something that looks perfect on paper can feel enormous, awkward, or just plain wrong the moment they sit down with it.

Don’t know how to play it yet? If possible, bring someone who does. A friend, a teacher, or an experienced player can catch things you’d walk straight past.

Ask Questions

If you’re in a shop, ask away. You don’t need to walk in already knowing the lingo. A good salesperson should be able to explain, in plain terms, what you’re actually paying for and how one model differs from the next.

Worth asking:

Setup Matters as Much as the Instrument Itself

How well an instrument has been set up can matter just as much as its quality.

Guitars especially. String height affects how hard you have to press down. Fret condition and how well it holds its tuning both shape the whole experience of playing it.

A great instrument that’s been poorly set up can be miserable for a beginner. Meanwhile, a modest, well-adjusted instrument can feel like a dream. If you’re not sure what ‘well set up’ even looks like, get someone experienced to check it before you commit.

Setup isn’t exactly the same for every instrument. A guitar may need adjustments to the neck, strings or intonation. A keyboard may need to be checked to make sure the keys and controls are working properly. With an acoustic drum kit, the drums need to be assembled and adjusted so that the playing position is comfortable and the hardware is secure.

These things can sound minor, but they affect how the instrument responds when you play it. For a beginner, having an instrument that works properly and feels comfortable can remove a lot of unnecessary frustration.

Buying an Instrument Online

Shopping online makes comparing models and prices easy, and there are plenty of solid, reputable retailers out there.

Before you order anything, check who you’re actually buying from and read their returns and warranty policy properly. Check exactly what’s included in the price, too.

Product photos have a way of making a package look more complete than it is. A guitar might need a case, tuner, strap, cable, or picks, depending on the type and how it’ll be used, and none of that is guaranteed to be in the box just because it’s in the photo.

Also check what happens if the instrument arrives and you’re not happy with it. Return policies can vary, particularly for larger instruments, so it’s worth knowing the conditions before you place the order.

New or Second-Hand?

Buying second-hand can stretch your budget further, sometimes landing you a better instrument for the same money. But you’ll need to look more carefully at condition.

The advantages of buying new can include a manufacturer’s or retailer’s warranty and knowing the instrument’s history from the beginning. However, warranty arrangements vary, so it’s worth checking exactly what is covered rather than assuming every new instrument comes with the same protection.

With second-hand instruments, age isn’t necessarily a problem. A well-maintained older instrument can be a perfectly good choice, while a newer instrument that has been poorly treated may have problems. There’s no automatic answer. It depends on the instrument, the price, its condition, and how confident you feel assessing all of that yourself.

If You Go Second-Hand

Inspect it in person if you possibly can. Check for obvious damage, and if you play, actually test it, don’t just eyeball it.

On a guitar: check the neck is straight, the frets are in decent shape, the tuning holds, and any electronics actually work.

The things you need to check will vary from one instrument to another. A keyboard, drum kit, woodwind instrument and brass instrument can all have different problems to look for.

It’s also worth remembering that cosmetic condition and playing condition aren’t always the same thing. A guitar with some scratches may play perfectly well, while an instrument that looks almost new can have problems that aren’t obvious at first glance.

A cheap second-hand instrument stops being a bargain the moment it needs expensive repairs.

If you are buying from a private seller, ask why they’re selling and how long they’ve owned it. Their answer won’t guarantee anything, but it’s useful background all the same.

Compare Prices

Before you commit to buying an instrument, especially second-hand, check the price against a few different shops and reputable online retailers. That’ll give you a real sense of what the same or similar model costs new.

Just make sure you’re comparing like with like. Two listings with near-identical photos might not be the same model at all, and one package might include accessories the other doesn’t.

Price isn’t everything, either. Two instruments can look nearly identical and be worlds apart in build quality, playability, and features. Cheapest isn’t automatically best value. Most expensive isn’t automatically right for you.

Consider the Extras

It’s easy to fixate on the instrument and forget everything else you’ll actually need to use it.

Depending on what you’re buying, you might need:

Work out the full cost of getting started before you decide how much to spend on the instrument itself.

Take Your Time

You don’t have to buy the first instrument you like the look of. Do some homework, compare your options, and try them out where you can. If you’re still not sure, take a little more time before deciding. You’re going to spend a lot of hours with this thing. It’s worth taking the time to find one that actually suits you, or whoever’s going to be learning on it.

If you’re learning an instrument and want some guidance, you can find out more about our music lessons in the Sutherland Shire.

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