If you’re in the market to buy a guitar, there are a few things you should think about first.

Do you want an electric guitar or do you want an acoustic. How big of a guitar should you get? What are some of the tell tale signs of a less than stellar guitar?

Let’s take a look at these topics so you can shop with confidence.

Acoustic or Electric?

---

The first thing that you want to think about when your deciding on which guitar to buy is whether you want an acoustic guitar or an electric. There are pros and cons to both types worth considering.

Electric Guitars

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 5px”]

PROS

---

• Holding down chords is easier, as the width of the neck will usually be thinner on electric guitars.
• The strings on electric guitars are much lighter (thinner) than acoustic guitars, which makes playing easier on your fingers.
• Learning to play barre chords is easier on the electric because of the lightness of the strings.
• You can plug headphones into your amplifier, so you won’t drive your household crazy

[/one_half]

[one_half_last padding=”0 5px 0 5px”]

CONS

---

• You need to buy an amplifier, as well, which is extra money.
• Finding the right tone is not that easy for beginners who know nothing about electric guitars and amps, and a bad sounding guitar might put them off. (It took me nearly twenty years and tons of wasted money before I found the guitar sound that was in my head.)
• Being able to play something on an electric will not mean that you can play it on the acoustic guitar as well.

[/one_half_last]

Acoustic Guitars

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 5px”]

PROS

---

• If you can play something on a steel string acoustic guitar, you’ll be able to play it without any problems on an electric, something that cannot be said vice versa.
• Many people (your household) will prefer the naturally soothing, calmer tone of the acoustic over the distorted, amplified electric.
• You don’t need to buy any cables, or an amplifier to start playing.

[/one_half]

[one_half_last padding=”0 5px 0 5px”]

CONS

---

• Much tougher on your fingers than an electric. Absolute beginners will probably only be able to play for about 20 minutes before taking a break due to the pain in their fingertips. Of course, this only lasts a couple of weeks, until you start developing calluses.
• The heavier strings mean that playing chords, especially barre chords will be much harder.
• More string buzzing due to the heavier strings.
• Wider fretboard, something beginners will not always enjoy.
• Less durable than electric guitars.

[/one_half_last]

Single-coil or Humbuckers pickups

---

Pickups are like microphones for your guitar strings. If you decided to go with an electric guitar then you’ll need to decide between two different types of pickups, single-coils or humbuckers. Each of them have their own sound characteristics.

The pickups on a guitar have a lot to do with the overall sound produced. They are transducers that take the vibrations of the strings and convert them into an electrical signal that can be amplified. They are basically six magnetic polls wrapped around with copper wire. The type of magnet and number of wraps give each pickup its distinct sound.

Single-coil Pickups are the narrow, lipstick-shaped pickups. They tend to have a brighter tone, and are generally considered to be the best-sounding pickups for clean (un-distorted) guitar playing.

They’re also kind of noisy, especially if you’re near a computer monitor or light fixture, or when you’re using a lot of distortion. Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters (and their cheaper cousins, made by Squier) usually have single-coil pickups.

Most of my beginning electric guitar students buy $150 Squier Stratocasters, but if you can afford $300, the Fender Stratocasters sound a lot better and don’t fall apart in two years.

Humbucker Pickups are the matchbox-shaped pickups. They got their name (it’s trademarked, actually) because they “bucked the hum” that single-coil pickups were susceptible to.

Humbuckers sound great with distortion, so they’re the pickups of choice for the hard rockers. Most Gibson, Ibanez and PRS guitars have humbuckers.

What about size?

---

Finding the right sized guitar is important so you don’t develop any bad posture or hand position issues while you learn. There are three different size guitars to choose from, full size, 1/2 size and 3/4 (student) size.

[one_third_last padding=”0 5px 0 5px”]

1/2 Size

[/one_third_last]

Guitar Student Size Chart

---

[one_third_last padding=”0 5px 0 5px”]

Guitar Size

1/2-Size

3/4-Size

Full-Size

[/one_third_last]

What about looks?

---

Looks are important to most people, myself included. I want my guitars to entice me to play them. They should at least look as attractive as whatever’s on TV.

Kids are especially concerned with looks, and I think that’s fine. Luckily, guitars with blue paint jobs or bodies shaped like skulls aren’t necessarily more expensive, so if you’re shopping for a child, encourage them to pick a guitar that they think looks cool. Just make sure they like the sound of it, too.

How much should I spend?

---

You could spend a lot of money on a guitar if you really wanted to but you’d be fine in the $100 – $200 range for a beginners model.

Most music retailers have beginner deals which include everything you’ll need to get started.

You can get a nice acoustic for that much or an electric guitar that comes with an amplifier and chord.

They should also come with a strap, picks, a tuner and a strap.

You may not want to buy a used guitar until you can recognize if it is in good condition or not, or bring someone along with you who does know.

How cheap is too cheap?

---

You can get a nice new or used guitar these days at an affordable price.

There are a few things that you want to watch out for though which could stop you from wanting to play a guitar.

High or Low Action

Because the neck of a guitar is usually made of wood it is susceptible to bending and warping.

This can cause the action (height) of the strings to be too high or too low creating playablity problems.

When viewed from the side you want to make sure the strings like the typical setup in the diagram to the right.

This leaves a small gap which makes the strings comfortable for playing yet leaves room so the strings don’t hit the neck as they vibrate.

Bad Frets

Try playing a few frets. Start playing all frets from top to bottom string and listen for strings ringing/rattling.

If you hear a noise, verify that it is a string with broken winding rattling. If it is not a string with broken winding, then it is a fret that is improperly set. The frets are the metal lines going across the guitar neck.

It can also be an improperly set bridge at the bottom end of the guitar, usually white and the strings sit over it.

You might just want to avoid this guitar because it will need to be repaired.

Bad Electronics

If you’re looking at an electric guitar make sure that you plug it in and try out all the switches and knobs to make sure they work.

Also listen for any crackling or buzzing sounds which could indicate problems. If you’re comfortable with working on electronics or know someone that is then this might not be a problem.

Have Someone Play it for You

When you’re just starting out it is hard to really give the guitar you’re looking at a proper run through so it might be wise to bring someone along to play it for you or even ask the seller to play something on it.

Just because a guitar is a good price doesn’t mean it’s a good deal.

Where can I buy my guitar

---

I would suggest buying your guitar in person from a reputable dealer.

You want your first guitar to be as comfortable to play as you can get it.

Once you know what kind of guitar you would like to buy go to the music store and try every one you can find. You’ll quickly get a feel for the different nuances in feel and sound that each guitar offers.

My first guitar was a $70 Red Strat Style Hondo Electric with one humbucker and one volume knob. I loved that guitar and still have it.

Good luck!