I find the amp at GC that’s closest to what I have at home and play it. If I like it I get, if not keep looking.
For me is getting to know if the guitar sound wise, is well balanced. I know this is vague and imprecise, and depends on each person, taste, and so on. I try to find out if a guitar is harmonically reach in the midrange, do not care much about the low end. Obviously I take into account the guitar type: a strat does not sound like a tele...If i am testing a strat, I would like to find the charastteric strat sound on it (at least my conception about how a strat should sound like) My final goal is to tell if the guitar could settle up nicely in a mix (of course for my music genres... I know it is not the same country music than doom metal) What I tried to point out is that, with my previous methods, I was missinn things I consider now key factors, things I do understand other people wouldm't give a s***
I tested the Elite Tele I eventually bought at GC on a Twin Reverb RI and Princeton Reverb they had in the room. My amp at home was a Pro Sonic. I tested the guitar on amps similar to mine.
"How do you test your guitars?" I line them all up and ask them questions such as " Can you name the notes that comprise an "A" chord?" Or things like "Recite the climatic scale to me" They always pass so that's why I keep every single one of them.
Not sure if this has been mentioned before, I haven't read every post, sorry. I always play any guitar I am trying out without an amp for about 15 minutes. Does it sustain, ring and have a 'snap' to it. I put the low E and A strings away from the body and let go. If I get a nice snap and ring to the sound I know there's a resonance to the neck/body. Not sure about the science of all this but I have found if that all works well, it'll sound well plugged in. Told to me by an old pro in the 70s.
Admin Post When I’m in a store I always plug into a cheaper amp. If it sounds good there it will sound better at my house.
In all honesty what I do is only buy new. Then I have 30-45 days to try gear with my rig and my band.
Admin Post If you buy a guitar center used you still have the same return window. Even my local Sam Ash is now offering returns on used gear when they never used to.
Neck, neck, neck. Visual inspection. Balance. Unplugged sound/resonance. Electronics check on any amp. By then, it is probably pretty enough and new to me enough to keep. Noting I've returned one guitar that unpacked with a broken headstock, and collected a discount on three guitars/amps with cosmetic flaws. I tend to not return stuff.
I have a number of amps (who doesn't?). I always try something new on all of them. Some matches are good; some are not. You're "testing" the amp as well as the guitar, of course, and the speaker. It's the ensemble of the three that makes the sound, after all.
