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(Click on Archives for previous Tips.)
A Beginners Guide to Buying your First Guitar
So, you've decided to become a guitar hero. You have the heart, the
drive and the desire. The only thing you don't have is a guitar. The
following information will help you to choose your first axe.
Acoustic or Electric?
First you have to decide whether to purchase an electric or acoustic
guitar. The short answer is acoustic. The acoustic is the one that does
not need to be plugged in. As I tell my students, the electric guitar is
basically a band instrument. You'll need other musicians to make
yourself heard. No matter how hard you can shred or how many swept
arpeggios you can rip out it is hard to hold peoples attention with a solo
electric guitar. So if your goal is to entertain family, friends etc. the
acoustic is your best bet. If, on the other hand, your greatest desire is to
grab a bass player and a drummer and form the next garage band then
perhaps you could consider an electric. The other thing is that the
acoustic forces you to use proper form to get a clean sound. Your
fingers need to be in the correct location and the proper amount of
pressure applied. When you are starting out, these things are important.
An electric guitar makes it easier to get a decent sound from sloppy
playing. If you do decide to play in a band, your acoustic abilities will
certainly not be wasted. Some rock ballads, played on the acoustic, can
be very powerful. Another consideration is that you can hear yourself
better with an acoustic which is helpful when learning. If you sing, you
can accompany yourself on an acoustic without a public address system.
So, even if your ultimate goal is to rock out with a band, I would
recommend starting with the acoustic guitar.
How much to spend?
Here again there are a couple of choices. If money is not a big issue,
perhaps you should consider buying a quality instrument such as a
Gibson or Taylor. These instruments are heirloom quality and hold their
value quite well. In fact, a quality acoustic guitar, if played, actually
improves with age. So, if down the road you decide that the guitar is not
for you, you can always sell it and recover your investment. If money is
tight, there are some decent guitars out there that won't break the bank.
If you want to buy new, Yamaha and Dean make great guitars for the
money. My favorite place to shop for used instruments is the pawn shop.
What to look for
Whether you decide to go Electric or Acoustic, New or Used, there are
some specific things to look for when buying a guitar. First, check the
"action". Basically, action means how close the strings are to the
fretboard. You want the strings to be close enough to the fretboard to
play easily, but not so close that they buzz on the frets when played.
Another thing to check is the neck of the guitar. The best way for a
layman to do this is to try picking notes at several places on the neck.
Press the string down tightly and pick notes at the first, third, fifth,
seventh, ninth, twelfth and fifteenth frets on each string. If the note is
played correctly, there should be no buzz or "dead" sounds. If you are
not sure how to play the notes properly, ask the salesperson to do this
for you, making sure that they do so at all of the locations listed above
on each string. The notes should ring out clean and clear. Make sure
that the guitar stays in tune. If the strings are brand new, they will need
to be stretched before checking this. Click here for instructions on how
to stretch the strings. Next, tune the guitar or ask the salesperson to do
it for you. Pick notes at random on each string bending each note. You
can see how to bend strings in the string stretching instructions. After
playing about a dozen notes in this manner on each string, recheck the
tuning. The guitar should have stayed in tune. Finally, check the
intonation of the guitar. Proper intonation means that a string picked at
the twelfth fret will sound the same as that string picked open, only an
octave higher.
How does it feel?
Last of all, you should like the guitar. Some people like a guitar with
"character". Scratches and Dents will not affect how the guitar plays,
but if they bother you, find a guitar that does not have them. Is the
guitar comfortable? Does it "feel right"? If all of the above requirements
are met, the guitar is in your price range and You like the guitar, then
this is the guitar for you. A decent used guitar for a beginner should
cost between one and two hundred dollars.
Enjoy
Good Luck with your new guitar. My guitars are not toys, but lovers. I
hope that you have a long and happy relationship with yours.
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