what guitar should i buy?
1. avoid gimmick guitars
I know it seems really cute. Or your son may REALLY love the movie Cars right now, but when you buy a gimmick guitar you are paying for looks and not playability. Most of these are basically toys.
Bottom Line: Buy an instrument for playability, not looks.
Bottom Line: Buy an instrument for playability, not looks.
2. Avoid buying instruments from non-instrument stores
It is becoming much easier to buy instruments these days. Now you can head over to walmart and buy some milk, eggs, a new shirt, and...a guitar? Yep. You will find guitars (and other instruments) at walmart, target, costco, sams, etc. Avoid these. Some are simply toys. Others (though they seem like a deal) are FAR too expensive for the quality of instrument that you buy.
Bottom Line: Leave selling instruments to the professionals.
Bottom Line: Leave selling instruments to the professionals.
3. avoid buying beginner guitar packs
They just aren't worth it. The standard pack comes with a guitar, amp, cable, strap, tuning pipe, book/cd/dvd, picks, gigbag, etc. While most of these items are great to own, the problem lies in the quality. These are often very cheaply made and borderline unusable. With a little knowledge you can often buy much higher quality gear for the same price or a little more money.
Bottom Line: These look like great deals, but they aren't.
Bottom Line: These look like great deals, but they aren't.
4. Check the quality of the parts
Even if you don't know much about guitars or instruments, you can tell when something looks cheap.
What to look for:
-Tuners (on the headstock of the guitar): look for gear tuners and not tension tuners. Turn the tuners and make sure it stays in tune.
-Plastic Parts: the only plastic parts should be the pickguard, pickup covers, and maybe the nut or saddle.
-Action: How far are the strings from the neck of the guitar? Is it easy to press down?
Bottom Line: If it looks, feels, and sounds cheap...it is.
What to look for:
-Tuners (on the headstock of the guitar): look for gear tuners and not tension tuners. Turn the tuners and make sure it stays in tune.
-Plastic Parts: the only plastic parts should be the pickguard, pickup covers, and maybe the nut or saddle.
-Action: How far are the strings from the neck of the guitar? Is it easy to press down?
Bottom Line: If it looks, feels, and sounds cheap...it is.
5. Take it to a professional to have it setup properly.
Most guitars come from mass-produced assembly lines. Each guitar is given a brief setup according to company specs, but every guitar is unique. What this means for the consumer is that often a great playing guitar will feel awful right out of the box. The action* and intonation* will probably be off and the strings are often low quality, generic strings. For about $25 you can take your guitar to a qualified repairman and he will set it up properly and put on some new strings. This is well worth the money and I recommend it for every new guitar. For a full rundown of what a guitar setup includes, click here.
*Action = how far the strings are from the fretboard. Controls how hard your fingers will need to press down.
*Intonation = how well the guitar is in tune with itself throughout the entire fretboard.
Bottom Line: Take it to a pro and make sure your guitar is playing at its best!
*Action = how far the strings are from the fretboard. Controls how hard your fingers will need to press down.
*Intonation = how well the guitar is in tune with itself throughout the entire fretboard.
Bottom Line: Take it to a pro and make sure your guitar is playing at its best!