A Beginners Guide to Buying Acoustic Guitars

So you've decided to purchase an acoustic guitar? Great! But now you're probably wondering what kind of acoustic guitar you're going to buy - there are just so many choices from different brands and price range.

Before we get to that though, you have to know what style of music you will be mainly trying to learn and play. Would it be more contemporary, or more towards classical? A classical guitar is a form of acoustic guitar as well but classical and acoustic guitars differ quite a bit.

Classical guitars are great for finger plucking and playing lead. This type of guitar comes equipped with nylon strings ( much like the line you use to catch fish with ), and because of this, it has a much softer and mellower tone which is more suited to classical music.

Acoustic rock guitars on the other hand have steel strings which deliver lots of volume and bright tones. They can be used to play most rock and folk music and are great all-round guitars. You will find that the neck of the acoustic guitar is generally thinner than the classical, which makes it easier for you to play chords as you can grip your hand more easily around a thin neck, than you can with a thick one.

Acoustic guitars are simply awesome for rhythm playing, and also lead guitar. However, because the strings are made of steel, they are a lot harder to play as a beginner. Steel strings are much harsher on the fingers than nylon strings are - you do get used to it though.

Classical guitars come in mostly the same shape and size. They have smaller sized bodies and wider fretboards for ease of left hand finger movement. They come in so many different brands and I suggest you go to a guitar store and pick up and have a play to listen.

Pick one with the sound quality that appeals to you the most. After all, you're going to be the one listening to that guitar the most so you had better like it's sound. Yamaha's make pretty decent classical guitars in my opinion.

Acoustic guitars come with a larger body than the classical guitar. This helps with the resonance, and usually, the bigger the body the louder the volume! By the way, the largest of acoustic guitars are usually named " dreadnoughts ". Again, try out the different guitars available at your local store.

The different types of woods used to make the guitar really affects the type of sound you get. Entry level guitars generally come with a spruce top. There are solid spruce tops and also two piece spruce tops. You will want to get the single piece as you do get a slightly better sound from it and it also is more durable.

The sides of the guitar come in a variety of woods as well. Rosewood, spruce and mahogany are the common ones. To keep things simple, it doesn't matter what woods you choose, as long as the sound you get from the guitar appeals to you.

The last thing you will need to look out for are dents in the body, or chips. Also check the guitar fretboard and be sure that the neck's wood is not warped. If it is, you will find it very difficult to play the guitar and make it sound good.