Buying Guitars Lesson by Tangent

 Well been a while since I've come here, but I am back. I
have posted lessons here on various subjects all of them
generally directed at people that are just learning about 
the guitar. But I hope that some of you guys that have
played a while can also benefit from my experience of 
20 years or so of playing and performing. I tend to stay 
away from really technical lessons on theory or scales and
such because 1) I never really learned all that myself and
2) As you all can see from this board, there are a lot of
people already doing all that. In 20 years I have never
been asked to play a certain scale or in a certain mode
when I auditiioned for a band, I have been asked to play
certain songs and if I have had a lot of on stage 
experience. It is important to learn all you can, but if
your gigging then you will learn how to play or get things
thrown at you from the back of the bar!! hehe.

 Any way knowing how to play a song is a battle, but a 
battle that can be won by anyone that takes the time to
learn it. But getting the song to sound the way that you
want it to, well now that's a different story. I have put 
up leassons about some of the aspects of buying guitars, but
have never really gotten down and dirty with it so let's
do this.

 Most musicians I know whether they are "professional" or
just like to play at home, are on a budget. The honest truth
is, is that guitars for the most part, are a luxury item for
the majority of players. Little Johnny needing braces is a 
little more important then Daddy getting a new Paul Reed
Smith, to bad life gets in the way huh? Anyway it is 
possible to let Johnny get his metal mouth and still have
the greenbacks to pick up a cool sounding guitar.

1) Check out copies!! Copies are a good way to get the type
of big money guitar sound without the big money. A lot of
times copies take on a sound that is so close to the
original that side by side comparison won't reveal which is
which. A good