Buying Your First Guitar - The Definitive Guide

Choosing your first guitar wisely is important. You don't want to end up with a piece of wood that doesn't produce any good sound. In this article, I will discuss everything you need to know before buying your first guitar.

What Type of Guitar to Buy?

There are primarily three types of guitars you can buy: Classical, Acoustic and Electric. The classical and acoustic guitars are pretty similar. The major distinguishing feature between them is that the classical uses nylon strings, whereas the acoustic uses steel strings. An electric guitar looks very different from these two types, and also produces a pretty different sound. It also requires to be plugged into a guitar amplifier before it can be played.

You will choose to buy one of these primarily on the basis of the music style you wish to play. If you want to play heavy metal, then the electric guitar is the way to go. If you want to play classical music, then you would be better off buying a classical guitar. Look up what guitar the guitarists in your favorite genre play. Buy that guitar. Sometimes, you may end up with a choice between two.

Budget Considerations

Expensive guitars are usually easier to play than the cheaper ones, so be careful before buying the cheapest guitar. Trying to play a hard-to-play guitar can be a terrible experience for a beginner guitarist. I myself had the terrible experience when I purchased my first acoustic guitar for $50.

My advice is to not buy the cheapest guitar you find. Instead, save a bit more and buy a bit better guitar. A guitar above $150 would be good. If youre buying an electric guitar, then add the price of a guitar amplifier ($50) to your budget.

Take a Friend Along

There are many things to consider when evaluating a guitar for purchase. The action, whether or not there is any buzzing, the size, the quality of the wood, and so on. Rather than learning all of these things before buying the guitar, I would recommend taking along a friend who knows about guitars to accompany you when buying. Your friend would be able to evaluate whether the guitar is worth buying. Neglect this little piece of advice, and may very well end up with a worthless piece of wood.

Accessories to Buy

There are quite a bunch of things you could buy along with your guitar. Here are a few:

• Picks - They are used to pluck strings. Buy a few.
• Guitar Case - Great for carrying your guitar around and keeping it safe.
• Strap - So you can play your guitar standing.
• Electronic Tuner - A very handy tool that can help you tune your guitar.

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