Choosing your first guitar can feel intimidating because you have so many choices, and you want to choose an instrument that has good sound. While you might feel tempted to go out and pick an electric guitar, you may want to begin with an acoustic guitar. Luckily, beginner guitars will normally cost less than expert guitars.
Here are eight tips to choose your first guitar:
Tip #1: How Much Do You Want to Spend?
You have respectable guitars at every price tag, but you get what you pay for. However, you shouldn’t automatically go with the most expensive one simply because the salesman convinces you of it. You have to make an informed decision on the guitar you buy. For a beginner guitar, you may not want anything less than $300. You want an instrument that won’t be difficult to play.
Tip #2: Laminate?
For any guitar over the price of $1,200 to $2,500, you should never pay for one that has the description, “laminate” because this implies you have a cheap guitar. Guitars between the price of $700 to $1,200 should have a solid spruce top.
Tip #3: Be Wary of Buying the Expensive Guitars
Especially as a beginner, you want an instrument that won’t cost you a small fortune. If you buy a lemon in the beginner stages, this will inevitably sour you to the future of buying a guitar, which does a greater disservice to you than if you had bought a more reasonably priced guitar. It might feel tempting to go all out, but you’re better off going with a medium-priced guitar.
Tip #4: Beware of Expensive Accessories
Especially when you have a budget that you want to stick with, beware of the accessories that can add up in price. Don’t fork over money for unnecessary expenses like hand tooled leather straps. Even the more practical items like a high-end tuner aren’t necessarily a must. For example, you have apps on the smartphone that you can use instead like GuitarTuna.
Tip #5: Choosing Your Weapon
When it comes to the guitar, you don’t have a right or wrong with this. Also, a bigger guitar doesn’t always mean that it will be better. In addition, the popularity of a guitar doesn’t mean that it will always be for you. Everyone has their own style when it comes to learning the guitar. You can find acoustics in every shape and size, which should be your mantra. What doesn’t appeal to someone else might be seen as the perfect fit for you. If you want the standard bearer for acoustic guitars, one of the standard choices will be the Martin D-28. This is a powerful and cool designed guitar.
Tip #6: Pay Attention to the Setup
The setup will have an important role in what you choose. You ultimately want something that you will feel comfortable playing. If the action sits too high or the strings sit too far from the fretboard, you will inevitably pay a price for it. In addition, this could indicate that the neck is bowed.
Tip #7: Intonation
If you have hung out with guitarists, you may have heard them talk about the intonation of a guitar. This refers to how the guitar is in tune up and down the neck. The easiest way to check this is to play the open D chord and play the same D chord at the 14th fret.
Tip #8: Beware of Tuning and Other Problems
While you can handle problems like fret buzz and simple neck adjustments, you don’t want this problem when buying a brand new guitar. On the other hand, if you happen to love an instrument that may need some work, you might have the dealer take care of the repairs and try the guitar again before you make the purchase final.
Picking a guitar, you should see it as a personal experience because what feels right for one person won’t be as good for the next. Guitars are as subjective as sound. What knocks one person out might strike the next person as too boomy. Every individual guitar and guitar style will be different.
