BBC - OneMusic How to... - Home recording

This is a pretty fraught area, although very rarely as scary as it looks.

Music shops often sell off things that they've acquired in part-exchange for new gear quite cheaply, but they'll still want to add a fair amount of cash to cover their overheads. That said, the extra money may be worth it to know that you can take the gear back if it doesn't work. You have a legal right to do this, unless the trader points out the fault to you before you buy.

There are plenty of places to buy from individuals. The small ads of most music mags are crammed with secondhand equipment. Many of them offer free ad space for readers to sell their old gear, so there's usually plenty to choose from.

Then there are free ad papers like Loot and on-line auction sites like eBay. It can be a bit worrying to work like this, especially if the person you're dealing with lives a long way away. Most people buy from these kind of things without any problems - the people selling from them are just ordinary people upgrading their equipment. There's a simple rule, though. If you're worried, don't buy it.

Generally speaking, things with moving parts are a much less reliable bet than equipment like computers.

That said, any gear more than about 7 years old is probably a less good bet as even electronic components have a limited life.

Check for signs that the machine has been cleaned - this can make it look like a more attractive buy but may cover up very heavy usage. Look in the nooks and crannies that would be hard to clean.

Check all switches and knobs for crackles and other signs of wear. If they feel a bit loose or wobbly then be careful.

The condition of the manual can be a dead giveaway. You can polish up a metal panel but once a manual is well-thumbed, there's not much you can do to make it look better.

Some items like DAT machines may also store the amount of usage they've had for maintenance purposes. You can usually retrieve the figures by holding down peculiar combinations of front panel buttons. Have a poke about on the manufacturer's website before you go along to buy and see if the item you're considering will do this.