Buying Your First Guitar

There are a few things to consider when doing this…

• How much money do you want to spend?
• Do you think the guitar you are buying will be the 1st and last you buy?
• What styles of music do you or would you like to play

How much money do you want to spend?

If you’re not to sure on any of the questions above and you don’t care much either way then read no further. Head for the beginner (cheaper) guitars in your local music shop.

The good thing is that most cheap guitars are made with universally cheap parts. So from brand to brand the pickups may be the same make/model as well as the wood, tuning keys and so on. In some cases the label and colour could be the only difference.

Here in Australia you’ll be looking at about $80 -$100 for a standard Classical Nylon String guitar depending on the size. They come in a standard ¼, ½, ¾ and full size. The bigger the guitar the slightly more expensive it is. Acoustic Steel String guitars range from $100 - $200 in the beginners range. When I say “beginners” I mean a person that has never played before and can’t distinguish the subtle differences in tone and feel from a well crafted guitar to a factory model. Last of all there is an Electric Steel String guitar. There are plenty of beginner packages around starting at about $250 to $350. This usually includes a small practice amp (10-15 watts), not very loud or a great sound but good enough to hear what you’re practicing.

Do you think the guitar you are buying will be the 1st and last you buy?

If you have a lot of money and buy one of the more popular name brands for example Fender, Les Paul, or Maton then you’re fairly assured you’re going to get a quality product. An expensive guitar will not make you learn quicker, you’ll be paying for quality of the craftsmanship, the years of experience that maker has in that product, the tone, feel and more. You’ll learn the same speed on a cheapy and at least after a while of practicing on that one you’ll know where to spend your hard earned money.

Another thing to consider is… I hate to say it but you just might decide the guitar is not for you.

What styles of music do you or would you like to play?
If you like hard rock or heavy metal then don’t get a classical nylon guitar, this will only take you so far before you’ll need to buy an electric to practice the styles and technique you like. Think about what you want to play and get the guitar to suit.

So which guitar is best to start on?
Starting on any of the 3 guitars (Nylon, Acoustic or Electric) will not vary the way you play the guitar. They’re all built on the same principles (strings, frets, etc) and you have to learn the same fundamental basics when starting.

Choose the one that your budget will allow or the type you like the look and feel of.

Which guitar is easiest to start on?
The Electric! Each guitar has their good and bad points. Nylon string acoustic guitars (classical) are easy to press down on with your fretting hand but have a wider neck, this makes them harder to play some chords because of the extra stretch. Acoustic steel string guitars have a thinner neck but the strings are steel and thick. This makes it difficult press the strings down on the frets. Some people say that this is good for your fingers and toughens them up, this is true and if your want to start of learning this when then go ahead. But remember not to get discouraged if it takes you longer to learn some thing, you’ll be playing a more difficult guitar. Electric steel string guitars have steel strings but not as thick or heavy as the acoustic so they won’t hurt your fingers as much, they also have a thinner neck. So ultimately the electric wins, easy to fret and a thinner neck. Its drawback is that you have to cart an amp around to hear it.

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