Question for Acoustic Guitar Players

[Tour of Duty]

I just switched from electric guitar to acoustic and I know very little about acoustics and never purchased one until yesterday.

I just bought a Taylor 214ce acoustic guitar brand new for $990 total. I love the sound, but I found the same used guitar on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/Taylor-214CE-Grand-Auditorium-Cutaway-Acoustic-Electric-/260814771710?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cb9c595fe and the guy will sell it to me for $725 including shipping. The ebay guitar is 4 years old though. My question is: is the $265 I'll be saving worth it?

Is buying used a bad idea? Is there a possibility the sound is vastly different between the used and new one? I'm unable to play the used one since he is in Nashville and I'm in California. Everything from the photos looks good and his seller rating is pretty high. He also assures me theres no warping and all the electronics work. Is it worth the risk?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[CRobi21]

Well, imo, Taylor guitars are some of the best acoustic guitars out there, though a bit pricey. I'd go for the used one from ebay and throw some new strings on her when she arrives. It will still sound VERY good barring something very wrong with it.

But like you said the guy has a high seller rating, so I wouldn't be worried getting that one.

[mmzznnxx]

As STB said, Taylors are very nice. If you were in it for the long haul, I'd probably recommend going with the new one just because you'd be able to use it for a long time. You'll still get plenty of use out of the used one, however, and since you're relatively new to acoustic, I would go with the used.

Either way, good luck and happy strumming.

[thehogs]

I have bought a few guitars over e-bay and some have worked out great but one was a bust. Always a risk of course. The issue is of course that you cant get the opportunity to play it before buying and sometimes you dont spot things even after the first time of playing. One acoustic I bought I realised over time had a dead spot in it so when I bend the G around the 5th fret its flat every time. Drives me nuts! but it was too late to go back and shout about it. That money is about £600 UK so I would think long and hard before buying unseen/unplayed. Years arent so much an issue, how its been looked after is - frets still play ok? any dings in the body (mentions a couple)? and so on. On paper Taylor is indeed a good guitar maker.

I see they dont accept returns either, so caveat emptor

[RVAbrendan]

Is there a return policy?

I've bought and sold many guitars on ebay - but have bought 2 with twisted necks that couldn't be fixed.

It's a gamble sometimes.

[Tour of Duty]

Yeah, my main concern was the no return policy. I've spoken to the guy on the phone and he sounds pretty reasonable but I still have to think about it. I will be keeping it for the long haul and my band plays shows pretty much every weekend so I need something that will last.

I've been doing some reading online and it appears the model above this one, the 314ce, has better electronics and is all wood. My main concern is how it sounds plugged in. I think I might be able to get that one brand new for $1300, if so, i think I might just go with that. I'm going to try my 214ce next the to 314ce tonight.

thanks for the replies so far

[Riggo-toni]

How much wear on the frets? A full re-fret typically runs around 180; a partial maybe half that. I wouldn't think there'd be that much wear after just 4 years, but it's something to consider/ask about. Also factor in the likelihood that you might have to spend about $50 up front for a setup, unless you already know how to do that yourself. For instance, the change in environment from TN to CA might make a truss rod adjustment necessary. I only work on/build electrics, so I'm not sure what else really goes into an acoustic setup.