A Beginner Guitar Buyer’s Guide

it’s not a good deal if you can’t play it!

Buying a guitar is easy, right? It’s gotta be. First of all, they’re everywhere: electronics stores, discount stores, guitar chain stores, eBay sellers and a fleet of online retailers are all clamoring for your business. Next, there’s a dizzying array of research out there about guitar materials, specs, and brands, and the virtues of P90s vs. humbuckers and swamp ash vs. alder and on and on and on. With all these choices and resources, finding and buying a great guitar has never been simpler.

Or has it?

There are a lot of very common misconceptions out there about what (and just as importantly, who) makes a good guitar. Most of those misconceptions come from a natural desire to simplify and make sense of an overwhelming amount of information in a frankly pretty technical field. The problem is that relying on those misconceptions is an easy way to waste your money and make sure that the new player (or “victim,” as we call them here) has a frustrating and unsatisfying experience and quickly gives up on the whole idea.

Can Junior really get started on something you bought along with the groceries? Are all guitars the same? Are certain brand names a reliable indicator of quality? Some folks would like you to think these things are true, but we know you’re smarter than that.

Read on, and let’s see if we can’t make some sense of this.

A few pointers to get us started . . .

• Thanks to the boom in overseas manufacturing, it’s now possible to get a good, solid guitar for surprisingly little money.
• Also thanks to the boom in overseas manufacturing, it’s now possible to get a guitar-shaped piece of firewood for the same amount of money.
• Trusting your grocery or discount store to sell you a good guitar is kind of like trusting your plumber to do open-heart surgery.
• A good guitar will encourage and aid the learning process, while a bad guitar will do the reverse. Bad guitars create obstacles to learning, even if the player can’t identify the obstacles themselves. They only know that the guitar isn’t comfortable or hurts their wrist or won’t stay in tune and the whole thing is frustrating and no fun.
• Many of the qualities that make or break a guitar are difficult for the first-time buyer to identify and assess. Just because it looks right doesn’t mean it is right!
• Sadly, brand doesn’t matter nearly as much as it used to. Many of the best-known guitar names don’t make much of their own product anymore. There is no name brand in the beginner market that guarantees quality.

Okay, that was kind of depressing.

Now what?

Buck up! Just by reading that little list above you’ve probably saved yourself time, aggravation, and money. Now that you’re probably feeling like you know less than you did when you came in, let’s set about creating a plan of attack.

(What was that quote? The first step in knowing is knowing how much you don’t know? Something like that.)

How To Buy a Beginner Guitar

• Do your research. (Duh. If you’re here, you’re off to a good start.)
• Set a budget. We suggest a minimum of about $150ish. Of course, you can spend much more, but we’ve never seen a guitar for much less that’s good for more than re-enacting that scene from Animal House.

Anyway . . .

right, back to business

• Decide whether you want an acoustic guiar, an electric guitar, or an acoustic-electric guitar. While it’s typically more affordable to get started on an acoustic since you don’t need an amplifier and cable, many beginners prefer to start on an electric since it’s easier to play. We recommend that you start with what appeals most to you. The idea is to have fun, right?
• Buying online may not be the way to go on this one. Really. If you absolutely must, then make sure the seller has a great reputation, a great guarantee, and a very liberal return policy, then have a qualified technician check out the guitar as soon as it arrives. Be very, very wary of eBay deals that look too good to be true.
• Get out there and go shopping! Playing the guitar is a very physical, tactile experience, so choosing a guitar should be as well. Even if you’ve never played a note in your life and you aren’t shopping for yourself, go check out some guitars. Hold them. Look at them. Ask questions. Lots of them. You’ll be surprised what you learn.
• Find good help. If you have a friend who plays guitar, ask them to go shopping with you. Check out shops in your area and find one with a knowledgeable staff or a salesperson you feel you can trust. Try your local independent retailer!
• Check out the actual individual guitar you plan to buy. Give it a good, hard look. Does it seem solidly built? Do the pieces fit together well? Take a look down the neck, like you were looking at a 2×4. Does it look straight and level? Does the guitar feel balanced in your lap and hands?
• Conversely, does anything about it seem cheap or weird? Does the hardware seem flimsy? Do the frets (the metal bars running across the neck) stick out or feel sharp on the sides? Does the neck have any humps, divots, or twists? (If you see a twisted neck, run, do not walk. That’s definitely not the one.)
• A good general rule is not to buy a guitar at any store that sells toilet paper. A minute of convenience can cost you a mountain of aggravation and/or just plain old wasted money when you or your child never really gets going on guitar.
• Unfortunately, big box stores just don’t have the time, expertise, or personnel to inspect guitars, their selection is very limited, and their employees don’t have the training necessary to help you make a good, informed decision. A box store won’t be able to provide you with any service or support after the sale, and frankly the stuff they sell is, uh, let’s say “not so great” in terms of quality. (Remember that mention of firewood?)
• Speaking of which, does the guitar come with a warranty? How is that warranty supported? If something goes wrong with it, what do you do? If the answer is “take it straight back to where you bought it and they will help you,” you’ve probably found your place to buy.

If You Want Mythology, Try the Greeks

if you want good, reliable information, read on.

There are lots of commonly held perceptions about guitars that are, well, somewhat off-base today. Here are a few guitar myths that belong in a storybook, not a store:

1. If it says “BRAND X” on the headstock, it’s gotta be good.
2. Guitars from China are junk.
3. Only the biggest stores and the internet have good prices. Everybody else is a ripoff.
4. It doesn’t matter what you start on. Beginners can’t tell the difference.
5. All the best guitars go to the biggest stores because they buy the most.

The Truth, One Step at a Time

Here’s the real deal on those myths, in order:

1. The brand on a guitar means less than ever before. Many of the largest brands don’t even make most of their own guitars anymore. That’s right, that guitar that says “BRAND X” on the headstock very likely came out of a factory owned by another company entirely, and that company probably has its own brand of equal or superior quality that’s a whole lot cheaper than “BRAND X.” There are far fewer factories than there are guitar companies, and many guitar companies are sharing factories with one another. Surprising, eh?
2. Though there is certainly a fair share of scary junk coming out of China, there are also very good guitars being made there for shockingly affordable prices. The same is true of Korea and Indonesia. Overseas manufacturing can be a great thing for the first-time buyer. Just make sure you use the shopping criteria above and you’ll be in good shape.
3. Most independent music retailers are very motivated to compete in today’s marketplace and willing to work with you to get you the best possible price. Many will match or beat competitors’ prices and/or provide you with additional service and incentives to win your business. If there is an independent store in your area, stop by. It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask, and you may very well find that you are much happier in the end.
4. A really crummy guitar is going to ensure that the beginner never makes it to intermediate. Factors like how easy the guitar is to play, how it sounds, and whether or not it will stay in tune all influence the beginner’s experience. A beginner doesn’t need a $5,000 guitar, but they do need a decent starter guitar if they are to succeed.
5. All retailers get shipped the same stuff. Independent stores are far more likely to actually inspect the guitar, make adjustments, and catch any defects.

In Conclusion

just like our English teacher taught us

The bottom line is that if you have an open mind and get some good advice you can get far more guitar for your money than you had probably ever imagined. Remember that in today’s market brand names mean less than ever before, and that it’s probably best to buy from an expert who can provide you with support for your purchase.

Do your research, find good help, and trust your instincts, and the result can be a wonderful instrument that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Good luck!

Where To Buy A Good Guitar

Where you can actually touch them in person and talk to someone who genuinely knows his stuff – at your local independent music store! Some people rush to say “Musician’s Friend” or some other catalog/online dealer. Let me ask you one question, what does that guitar feel like in your hands? You don’t know because you are basing your purchase off a 2″ by 3″ stock photograph that isn’t even the actual instrument you’re buying.

Anybody who tells you it isn’t important to feel the instrument doesn’t have a clue. Within seconds you will know if you like it or not, even if you aren’t experienced, you will know. How’s the balance, the weight, the neck profile?

The next knee jerk reaction is Guitar Center. True, you can put them in your hands there, I’ll give you that. However, and please understand that this is a general statement and not true in every situation, but Guitar Center employee turnover is notoriously high and the training given is not as much based on product education but selling. Large chain stores rarely do repairs or setups and any good player will tell you that setup is very important. Guitars are rarely ready to play their best right out of the box.

But what about price? Won’t the internet/catalog/big box discounter be cheaper? Not necessarily! In today’s competitive market where anyone within seconds can comparison shop online most retailers are close to the same price on musical instruments. Don’t sell out your guitar playing future for a few bucks if they are a little higher, often it doesnt pan out in the long run. A guitar setup before you buy it may save you more money then getting the setup done after the purchase somewhere else. So what is it about an independent music store that is so special? In most cases they are owner operated. This means that the person who the business’s success matters most to is probably in the building, maybe the guy you are talking to. Ever get lousy service at a fast food chain? Of course, we all have! Do you think if the owner (not the manager) was on the premises that you would get better service? Yep! Secondly, the indie music shop was most likely started by someone who truly cares about music, not someone out for a quick buck. Sure, sales are important but any business owner worth a grain of salt knows that repeat business is where it is at. Third, building a relationship with a store can pay off in the long run. Being taken care of (favorite strings in stock, privy to new gear, setup tweaks, advice) is well worth the effort in the long run. Yes, there are bad independent dealers out there to which I say don’t shop there either! But as I mentioned, an indie store is going to have more incentive to treating you right, cool unique gear and service that the others can never match when you find a good one. Certainly good guitars can be found online, through a catalog or in a big box. Great guitars can be found at a local music store.

Advertisement