Buying Used Musical Instruments

New musical instruments are shiny and cool, but most decent instruments can easily equal the cost of a month or two of mortgage.

The good news is that there are many places to get quality used musical instruments at a steep discount.

For keyboards, guitars, and drums, Guitar Center is a good place to start, especially since you can then pick up the instrument locally in many parts of the United States. Also, check their Clearance and Outlet (open box) sections for special deals on new(er) items.

For brass and woodwind instruments, we have found that local music stores tend to have the best prices and selections. If you are in Los Angeles, we recommend Adam’s Music.

Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Ebay also have a lot of great deals. On Craigslist and Facebook, just be safe and avoid scams. On Ebay, be sure to inspect the items as best as you can before purchase, ask the seller questions, and understand the risks involved with purchasing a used item sight unseen.

Musician’s Friend also has several categories to check out. They have open box sections and they have regular “Hot Deals” and Clearance items.

Jump to the Instrument You are Shopping for:
Keyboards | Drums | Guitars

Coming Soon:
Trumpets | Clarinets | Flutes

Used Keyboards

What to Look For:
1) at least 61 full-size keys
2) built-in speakers (if not, you will have to pay extra for an amp or external speakers)
3) a power supply (batteries are expensive and are a pain to replace)

A step up is touch-sensitive keys for changing volume as you play. And, semi-weighted or weighted keys will give a better feel of piano. Anything that says “digital piano” is typically a step closer to the real piano feel.

Best Keyboard Brands:

  • Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Alesis and Casio

Where to Shop:

Used Drum Kits

What to Look For:

  1. a full size kit (even my smallest kindergartners can reach the drums on an adult size kit)
  2. includes cymbals and hardware (cymbal stands, bass drum pedal, etc — each cymbal can cost a couple hundred dollars separately)
  3. decent condition drum heads (the part that you hit with the sticks) and no missing screws

In lessons, our drum kit has 5 drums (a snare, bass, and 3 toms), a pair of hi-hat cymbals, and a hybrid crash/ride cymbal.

Best Brands:

  • The Drum Kit
    Ludwig, DW (Drum Workshop) Drums, Pacific Drums, PDP, Pearl, Tama, Gretsch, Yamaha, Sonor, TAMA, Mapex
  • The Cymbals
    Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian, Meinl
  • The Drum Heads
    Remo, Evans, Pearl, Aquarium, Ludwig, LP, DW

Where to Shop:

Used Acoustic or Electric Guitars

What to Look For:

  1. A guitar that is an appropriate size for the student.
    • Most students taller than 4 feet tall can handle a full size (“adult”) guitar and this is recommended if the student is comfortable with it. This will allow the student to continue longer without needing to upgrade. Also, decent quality adult-sized guitars that are equally budget-friendly tend to be a lot easier to come by, especially when searching for used instruments.
    • Shorter students or students with smaller hands will typically will be more comfortable with a 1/2 or 3/4 size guitar (often labeled “junior”, “kids”, “mini” or “travel size”). If you choose a smaller-sized guitar to start, we recommend being prepared to upgrade to a full-sized guitar within the first 2-3 years of lessons.
    • Note: A full size (“adult”) guitar is about 39-41 inches long. A 3/4 size guitar will be
  2. Included accessories, such as:
    • a case (a hard shell or densely padded case is strongly recommended for students who take their instrument to school)
    • picks
    • tuner
    • strap
    • amp (for electric guitar)

All of the above are needed for most students.

Best Brands:

  • Electric Guitars
    Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez are the top of the line for electric guitars and Fender and Gibson have great student models (Squier and Epiphone). Yamaha also has some really good mid-level electric guitars that are at the lower end of the price range.
  • Acoustic Guitars
    Martin, Taylor, and Gibson are the gold standards for acoustic guitars. But, for a beginner or intermediate, you really can’t go wrong with Yamaha. They have some really nice mid-level acoustic guitars and are definitely the top brand for smaller sizes (1/2 or 3/4).

Where to Shop:

Acoustic Guitars

Electric Guitars

Coming Soon!

Information on:

  • Used Trumpets
  • Used Clarinets
  • Used Flutes

Other posts you might like:

Matthew Cline

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