Everybody is different and you know yourself better than we know you but at beginner stage, I think you cannot know what you will be wanting from your guitar in 5 years. But you may be lucky that the guitar you bought 5 years ago is still perfect for you.
I think $1500 is a lot of money for an electric guitar for a beginner. ~$500 - $800 is probably the best value range, a guitar in this range would play and sound really well and could be used even in professional settings.
You are of course free to spend your money however you like but I would not close the door to the idea that J may want a different guitar in a few years. Luckily, second hand guitars usually keep a decent chink of their value.
I bought both my PRS and Epiphone accoustic sight unseen. The PRS was mint and in terms of packaging, setup was perfect. The epiphone was not, it was from Andersonās and had some very slight imperfections around the binding on the sound holeā¦ however a quick call and they arranged a collection. They didnāt have another in so refunded me that day. I then bought another from a different shop and that arrived nicely setup and in perfect condition.
Most online stores have very good return policies now and usually 30 days no question asked. Generally return is at their cost as well.
So since I posted this question I have bought three guitars from storesātwo from Guitar Center and one from a music shop. In two instances, I got the actual instrument I played off the rack. Both of them were pre-loved. The third was a brand new instrument, but it ended up being overdryed (an acoustic) and had fret buzz so I had to order it from the distribution center. It came unopened, and I opened it in front of the guitar tech who checked it over before I left.
So, if attempting to buy in person, basically it can literally go either way!
