The Search For The Perfect Beginner Guitar

The Search For The Perfect Beginner Guitar

Congratulations! You’ve finally decided to buy a guitar. Whether it’s for you, a child or a friend a guitar is gift that rarely goes unappreciated. However it begs the question: What kind of guitar should I buy?

By far the most common answer is either an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar.

Acoustic guitars are the guitar of choice by many singer/songwriters, country music artists, and finger style players. Acoustic guitars generally have a warmer or cleaner sound.  They have high gauged steel strings, a fat body (that serves to amplify the sound and give the guitar a unique tone) and are low maintenance in that they don’t have to be plugged into to anything to be heard

Electric guitars are the choice of guitar for many rock, blues and jazz players. Electric guitars are versatile in that they can have both a smooth clean sound and a rough distorted sound.  They have lighter metal strings, a thin body (the guitar uses a thing called “pickups” to collect and later amplify the sound) and are a bit higher in maintenance in that they have to be plugged into a guitar amp via a¼”patch cable to be heard.  

But wait Ben, that doesn’t really answer my question. What kind of guitar should I buy?

 Well, simply put you should buy the type of guitar that corresponds to the type of music you want to play.  If you are still unsure, I recommend buying an electric guitar as they are generally easier to play and more versatile.

Now that you know what type of guitar you are looking for, it’s time to be a well-informed consumer and know what to look for when purchasing a guitar.

You should begin by picking up the guitar and playing a few random notes to test its play ability. Ask yourself if any of those notes buzzed significantly or if it was considerably difficult to play those notes. If the answer is yes, that is not the guitar for you. If you can’t tell, flip the guitar on its side and look toward the 12th fret.  Are the strings very far away from the fret board (above 2.3mm)? If the answer is yes, that is not the guitar for you.

The next thing you should do is pluck an open string then pluck the 12th fret of that same string. These notes should sound the same, only the 12th fret notes should be higher. If you cannot tell download a free guitar tuner app to get an accurate reading.  If the notes are not the same, you will have to spend extra money to get the guitar set up properly, not an ideal situation for beginners…

Lastly you want to check for general quality and any wear and tear. How many scrapes and dings do you see? Is the neck of the guitar straight (a straight neck is a must)? What evidence is there of the guitar being repaired before? Is the guitar made up of any Laminate wood (solid wood is significantly preferred for better tone)?

Please note, expect to spend between $200-$400 on a guitar, if you try to cut corners it WILL turn into a bad investment making the guitar student struggle more and thus be more likely to quit. 

The right guitar will not only ensure an easier learning experience but will also keep the student engaged at a deeper level for a longer period of time.  Simply put the right guitar should help make practicing fun, not burdensome.  After you buy your guitar the next step is to sign up for some guitar lessons…