Are you looking for an acoustic guitar? Are you on a limited budget, but still want to get yourself a nice, good quality guitar? With a little Patience and a little effort, you can get yourself a real deal!
First of all, be patient
It may take some time. You make have to look in a few places and visit those places again, in order to find your deal. But if it's a deal you want, then it's well worth it.
How much do you want to spend?
Decide right from the outset how much you want to spend. This is important. If you see a nice, cheaper guitar, you'll know that it's not the deal you want, you want a better guitar. If you come across a real sweet deal that's too much, walk away from that one too. Make up your mind and stick to it.
Where do you look?
You can visit pawn shops. There are often very good deals there. You may have to visit often, until you find what you want. You have to know a little about guitars or take someone with you who knows what to look for. Don't listen to anything they tell you, at the pawn shop, except how much it costs. And sometimes, if you don't look too eager, you can haggle a little and get an even better deal.
A large city is the best place to look. I live close to Toronto and you can find almost anything there. Often in big cities the pawn shops are located close to each other or in a district, making it easy to visit many in one day.
I had a student, some time ago, who wanted a tuner, just like mine. It has a real needle, as opposed to a digital fake needle. He bought a tuner from a local store for $150. It didn't work very well, I recommended that he take it back, which he did. I told him about Toronto and the pawn shops. He came back successfully with a tuner, like mine, for $10. He got exactly what he wanted in one day. He did have to visit all the pawn shops to find it.
Music stores often have guitars on consignment. Remember you are dealing with the guitar owner and not the store. They don't stand behind the sale. Again take someone with you that's knowledgeable, if you aren't. I have never bought anything on consignment, but I have sold equipment. I was very satisfied and never had any problems with unhappy purchasers.
Of course, there are always Internet sources too. I have heard many happy stories of purchases made that way. Personally, I like to see a guitar before I buy it. In the same way, I would never order a new guitar from the factory. I want to touch and play the guitar before I decide to buy it. Even factory made guitars are not all created equal.
So, there you have it. If you want to get yourself a good guitar cheap. You can do it. Just be patient, remember to set your budget and stick to it and take someone knowledgeable with you.
Get all the information you need to confidently purchase a guitar, a case, learn about proper care and even find a teacher. It's conveniently put together for you in this complete FREE report Guitar Tips for Parents. Become a positive force in your child's development, be informed. Get your report. It's free.
Gail Karen (G.K.) Eckert is a vocalist, musician, songwriter, author, artist and teacher. She founded Musikhaus Studio of Creativity in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in 1987. She's been teaching children of all ages, since 1971.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=GK_Eckert
Wednesday 23 December 2009
Guitar Tips - How to Get a Good Acoustic Guitar Cheap
Wednesday 16 December 2009
How Repairing Windows Registry Fixes Microsoft DirectX Problems in a Jiffy
Often, Microsoft DirectX problems that interfere with your system's performance occur as a result of incorrect reporting, lost keys, or damaged, corrupt, and redundant files. You'll find the majority of Microsoft DirectX problems manifest themselves in Windows Registry.
DirectX is particularly vulnerable to.dll errors, access violation errors, illegal operations, and many other errors. Many of these errors are associated with missing files or outdated versions of DirectX.
Verify that DirectX is Up-to-Date
It's important that you use the most current version of DirectX. Microsoft recently released DirectX 11, which is the most up-to-date version of DirectX. However, even DirectX 11 is prone to errors and problems.
Specifically, a diagnostics tool is incorrectly reporting DirectX 11 processes as DirectX 10.1 processes. Microsoft has released a hotfix for this problem, but the incorrect reporting is still logged within the registry. This error is specifically affecting users of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008.
How Bloated Registries Compound the Problem
While it is possible to address certain DirectX problems with a hotfix, it's much better to address the source of these problems. Windows Registry contains the source of errors found within all programs. If you haven't cleaned your registry in a long time, it is very possible that it has become bloated.
A bloated registry can increase your vulnerability to new errors. In other words, if your registry is already clogged with all sorts of corrupt files, then DirectX will be even more vulnerable to errors. Every single time you install or delete a program, you affect the registry.
This is one reason why simply uninstalling DirectX will not solve all errors associated with the program. Uninstalled programs leave traces of folders and keys in Windows Registry. The accumulation of these folders and keys can later seriously interfere with system performance.
Attacking the Core of the Problem through the Registry
Since Windows Registry contains all keys and folders related to system processes, all DirectX errors will be found within Windows Registry. Corrupt and missing registry keys and bad links can all contribute to registry issues.
Cleaning your registry is one of the best ways to resolve DirectX problems. In addition, registry cleaning will fix and prevent errors that pertain to other programs and applications.
Find a good, reputable registry cleaner. Once you clean the registry, you will notice that you've managed to remove those pesky errors. Consequently, your system's performance will improve. Cleaning the registry is one of the most effective ways of fixing errors and preventing future problems.
Read more about solving Microsoft DirectX problems to maintain optimal system performance.
Optimize-Your-PC can provide you with advanced registry cleaning technology. It will scan, diagnose, and fix Microsoft DirectX problems, leaving you with nothing but a highly-optimized PC.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_E._Blake
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Tips on Spending Less on Printing While Getting Better Results
Whether for personal use or for business, the cost of printing documents can amount to a huge expense. Brand new ink and toner cartridges are very expensive. When looking to cut costs, there are a number things you can do to reduce printing expenses without having to lower the quality of the printed document.
Below are a number of tips on how to spend less on printing while getting better results:
1. Purchasing ink or toner cartridges as well as printing paper in bulk can result in substantial savings. There are many manufacturers and wholesale suppliers that sell bulk office items such as ink and paper at a much lower cost than if you were to buy each individually. You should also consider purchasing the much less expensive generic ink or toner. This is especially helpful when printing documents that do not require high quality printing output because sometimes the quality may not be as good as brand name ink and toner.
2. If you print a large volume of documents and use a laser printer, look for what is known as high yield toner cartridges. These cartridges have an increased longevity as they produce more documents such as 5000 documents (depending on what type of cartridge you buy.) The quality of the print is also excellent. Often the higher yield you buy, the less per page it costs to print. For example, monochrome laser printers are quick and cheaper and they produce quality documents for only a few pennies for each page.
3. If you require a printer for a small volume of documents such as less than 250 pages, consider doing your printing in-house instead of contracting it out to a printing company. This will save you a lot of money. Make sure you have a quality brand name printer for the printing job.
4. For text documents that do not have any graphics, use draft-quality printing. You just have to set the printer's driver-settings dialog box to draft mode and you will conserve ink. However, the quality may not be the best. Also, turn off the color ink when you do not need it.
5. If you want to save on printing paper, you can print on both sides of the page. Only use the high quality professional paper for important documents. The cheaper paper can be used for printing documents where a professional appearance is not required. For instance, printing off research documents or memos to staff.
6. Proofreading before you print will cut down on wasted ink and paper. You will save money by not printing the same document again because of errors you found after printing.
7. Ask for discounts from your printing provider. If you print a high volume of documents on a weekly or monthly basis, a good printing provider will offer discounts in order to keep your business.
During difficult economic times, everyone is looking for ways to tighten their budgets. Adopting practical ink and toner conservation practices will ensure that you are making the most out of your ink or toner without affecting the quality of the printed document.
Trying to find good deals on printer ink toners and cartridges? Then be sure to check out Tons of Toner; one of the largest online suppliers of Brother printer ink, Lexmark toner as well as all other major brands of inks and toners.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adriana_Noton
