Post by Paul on Aug 3, 2015 19:04:14 GMT -5
I have been asked many times what guitar should I buy? There is a short and a long answer to this question. The short answer is simple. Buy the guitar that feels right. Don't look too much at the pretty logo on the Headstock or the price tag. If it feels right and sounds great then buy it.
Now for the long answer. I'm going to assume that the person looking to buy a guitar will be shopping for their first guitar. Most of this seems like common sense, however if it were so then why do I keep getting asked?
In my opinion the first question that anyone needs to answer in regards to purchasing their first guitar is what style of music does the guitar player want to play? Keep it simple. If you want to play Clapton or Hendrix then you want to go electric. If you are feeling like a good old sing along around the campfire then get an acoustic. Listen to your favorite artists and go from there. I am not going to get into the logistical differences between an electric guitar and an acoustic. I could write an article alone on just that. The underlying theme I want to portray is follow what you like. That is my opinion. The usual other opinions I read are divided into two camps. The first camp says learn on acoustic because the strings are thicker and transitioning to an electric is easier due to the smaller body style etc. The second camp says start on electric because the strings are thinner and it takes less effort to play each note. Neither camp is wrong, just different points of view. Remember, my opinion is follow what you like. There are a ton of articles you can search for more details and opinions via Google. I am not going to go through them and comment on each.
Where to buy your first guitar is a bit easier than you'd think. My biggest piece of advice is know what you are buying. With mobile phones it is easy to Google a guitar someone is trying to sell you. Some of the best places to get a starter guitar are garage sales, flea markets, and pawnshops. I have nothing against any of the big brand music stores or the local mom and pop ones, but if you are just getting into guitars I'd recommend starting with something rather inexpensive. AlsoGoogle up selling to get an idea of what to expect from a bigger brand store.
The online route can also be used to find a nice deal. However be careful as with anything that can be purchased online could be a lemon. I personally like to play an instrument before I buy it, but then again I already know what I like. It takes time to figure out what you like in a guitar. I do not endorse any of the following websites, I am only mentioning them as a point of reference. But I've heard some wins and losses from ebay, musicians friend, and craigslist. Don't forget all the major chains have online stores too, guitar center, Sam ash, etc. Recently I have discovered that goodwill has an online auction site and I've seen guitars go as low as $10. They even sell musical instruments in their physical stores. (I will check out my local stores one of these days.) My last two guitars were purchased through local facebook garage sales group.
I hope this helps a little. In short get what you feel you would enjoy the most. Also expect to purchase accessories such as picks, case, tuners, and for an electric amps and cables. Expect to spend around the area of $100 to start.
Now for the long answer. I'm going to assume that the person looking to buy a guitar will be shopping for their first guitar. Most of this seems like common sense, however if it were so then why do I keep getting asked?
In my opinion the first question that anyone needs to answer in regards to purchasing their first guitar is what style of music does the guitar player want to play? Keep it simple. If you want to play Clapton or Hendrix then you want to go electric. If you are feeling like a good old sing along around the campfire then get an acoustic. Listen to your favorite artists and go from there. I am not going to get into the logistical differences between an electric guitar and an acoustic. I could write an article alone on just that. The underlying theme I want to portray is follow what you like. That is my opinion. The usual other opinions I read are divided into two camps. The first camp says learn on acoustic because the strings are thicker and transitioning to an electric is easier due to the smaller body style etc. The second camp says start on electric because the strings are thinner and it takes less effort to play each note. Neither camp is wrong, just different points of view. Remember, my opinion is follow what you like. There are a ton of articles you can search for more details and opinions via Google. I am not going to go through them and comment on each.
Where to buy your first guitar is a bit easier than you'd think. My biggest piece of advice is know what you are buying. With mobile phones it is easy to Google a guitar someone is trying to sell you. Some of the best places to get a starter guitar are garage sales, flea markets, and pawnshops. I have nothing against any of the big brand music stores or the local mom and pop ones, but if you are just getting into guitars I'd recommend starting with something rather inexpensive. AlsoGoogle up selling to get an idea of what to expect from a bigger brand store.
The online route can also be used to find a nice deal. However be careful as with anything that can be purchased online could be a lemon. I personally like to play an instrument before I buy it, but then again I already know what I like. It takes time to figure out what you like in a guitar. I do not endorse any of the following websites, I am only mentioning them as a point of reference. But I've heard some wins and losses from ebay, musicians friend, and craigslist. Don't forget all the major chains have online stores too, guitar center, Sam ash, etc. Recently I have discovered that goodwill has an online auction site and I've seen guitars go as low as $10. They even sell musical instruments in their physical stores. (I will check out my local stores one of these days.) My last two guitars were purchased through local facebook garage sales group.
I hope this helps a little. In short get what you feel you would enjoy the most. Also expect to purchase accessories such as picks, case, tuners, and for an electric amps and cables. Expect to spend around the area of $100 to start.