software

I was wondering about this... I very often (too often? :P) ask about which guitar has the best build quality... For stuff like wood and finish and lutherie it may seem obvious that it is subjective but deep inside, is it? It all comes down to the way the guitar plays and how it sounds, which IS an objective thing.
If you can't play the guitar before buying it, is there any way of knowing which out a particular list would be better, not just based on paper but on lutherie and wood quality?

If you can't play the guitar beforehand then you have to research as much as possible, find EVERYBODY's opinion on that guitar.

If you can play it, play as many as you can before buying.

Pretty simple, but it works for me.