Guitars, Plain and simple

When you start a band, certain things don't occure to you when they should be most important. One thing often overlooked it cost vs. quality. most instruments people want such as big fancy amps of nice guitars are way to expensive for a starting band. However, when they realise this and keep a budget n mind, they often choose low quality instruments at the exact opposite side of the spectrum.

One way to know that you are getting good stuff is first, go to your local guitar center and ask them for their advise. these guys know guitars better than almost anyone. once you get their advise, don't imediatly jump into purchasing new equipment. varify what they say by searching the exact same product on musicians friend or other websites. read customer reviews and brows the ratings. heck, you might even be able to get it for a better deal. 

some important features of a guitar are the quiallity of the neck, fingerboard, pickups, bridge, and body.

When buying a guitar, make sure it has a truss rod adjustable neck. this shouldn't be an issue because most guitars have this "standard" adjustment peice. Never buy a used instrument with damage to the neck. the neck is one of the most important and most delicate parts of a guitar.

Fingerboard is not a important, but make sure it is comfortable to play the guitar. make sure the action of the strings is not too high or too low. if it is, see if it can be adjusted.

In electric instruments, find the manufacturer of the pickup if it isn't made by the guitar manufacturer and look into the quality of those pickups. if you are buying a used instrument, ask to test the electronics of the guitar on a working amp. if there is excessive static or malfunctioning of the electropnics, do not buy the guitar. chance are, you'll find a guitar at a similar price with working electronics. 

 If it is an acoustic instrument, listen to the tone. bigger, deeper bodies will produce better, more whole tone. 

The bridge is another important part. if it is a tremelo bridge, make sure the instrument keeps a tune and that no parts of the bridge are worn of broken. If it is a basic bridge, make sure everything is still there and that it produces good tone with no buzzing from the bridge.

On solid-body guitars, the body does not play as big a factor in tone as hollow bodies and acoustics, however it does still make a difference to the trained ear. the best way to decide is to experiment by testing different woods ands listening to hear which suits your playing style best. as for body styles, you should choose a body that is comfortable to play with. a flaying v style guitar is not a very good body in that you can only play it comfortably while standing up due to the fact that it does not "hug" your leg.

If you follow these steps, you should be able to find a good quality instrument that doesn't break the bank