what to know when buying your first guitar?

i have been wanting to get both an acoustic and electric guitar i want to know the ins and outs for what i need to know when buying for example: what store to buy it at? what brand? what accessories?

will appreciate he help

As for brand, it generally depends on what kind of music you're playing. A B.C. Rich guitar probably wouldn't be suited for indie rock, for example. I'm a Fender fan, personally. (And Rickenbacker, but they're hella expensive.) That's for electric. Less knowledgable about acoustics. A friend of mine plays a Seagull acoustic/electric and loves it.

That said, there are people here way more qualified than I am to talk about this stuff. And for a first guitar, you definitely don't need to go all out and buy something super expensive, haha.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Electrics will be easier on the fingers while learning, as they tend to have lighter gauge strings. You can get light gauge ones for the acoustic too. I've always enjoyed low action... close distance between strings and fretboard. Always wipe the strings down when you're done, especially in moist climates, so they don't corrode and lose the good tone.

Make sure the sucker stays fairly tuned once you tune it, or else learn to be prolific at tuning. It totally matters as to the enjoyment.

Start simple. You can have fun with just a few chords or just a few scales. Complex passages can be a barrier to having fun.

Your fingers may get sore at first. And your wrists too. They'll get tougher over time.

Don't break your neck trying to duplicate other people's music at first. Just do what sounds good to you. The rest will come to you over a period of time.

It will probably be one of the most satisfying pursuits. But stick with it. You'll hit plateaus, where nothing seems to improve, then you'll have a major breakthrough.

All the best with it!

hank you this info is very useful :D

until I got to a level that I was happy with. It has been a rewarding part of my life.

Not to spend very much money until you decide it is something you really like. You can get decent acoustic and electric guitars for around $100.00 or less. I currently have two acoustic guitars One that I paid about $100.0 for and one that was about $2,800.00. If you are just beginning to play, I doubt you could tell which was which. Once you get into it you will figure out what you want and, like the previous poster said, after the basics, it really depends what kind of music you want to play.

thank you :)

Get something cheap or used if possible. If you get REALLY into it, then you can go get something really sweet ($$$) and it will be worth it, because now you have a hobby that you really enjoy. And wait till you see all the cool toys they have for electric guitars.!!

Oh we have such sights to show you! Muhahahhahha!

EDIT: Get an electric guitar tuner and have them show you how to use it in the store. Most guitar guys are mad cool.

:-) B-)

You CAN go with 12, but it's much more complicated.
Also, consider a Dobro?

</bassist>

You'll only confuse her! (kidding)

hehe thanks :) :D

:thumbsup:

Baritone ukes are also fun and easy to play.

:hi: :D

thanks i will check it out :)

:)

Test them out. Find out which ones sound the way you want them to sound, and feel the way you want them to feel.

... but look at the price tags first. You don't want to have your heart broken by an 800 dollar sparkly green Strat that you can't afford and you know someone else will buy eventually. :cry:

Seriously though, sometimes its even worth it to test out different ones of the same model. Last time I was at Guitar Center I tried three or four of the exact same model, and found one that I wanted and two that just didn't feel or sound right to me.

Also for electrics, try all the different settings. Single-coil and humbucker have a slightly different sound. Personally I prefer humbuckers, or the strat style ones that have two single coils on the neck and middle and one humbucker at the bridge. But the one I own right now is just a simple two humbucker one. And for acoustics try it with and without a pick and whatnot, just to make sure you get a feel for it all around.

thank you this is helping a lot :)

That's like saying no Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

</campbell>

I would highly advise AGAINST a $100 cheapie guitar. There is NOTHING worse than trying to learn on a piece of crap. That said - you can get something decent for a few hundred more - $500 pretty nice. How much do you have to spend? If you are limited - I would definitely buy ONE (electric/acoustic) vs two junky guitars.

You really need to find a friend that plays - or a mom/pop store. But beware of the mom/pop can be overpriced and limited brands...

You will need a tuner and metronome for both acoustic. These can be pretty cheap. Check out any guitar center or www.musiciansfriend.com or www.zzound.com. You can also spend some time browsing online to see what is available and fits your style.

Electric is easier to play - however can be frustrating to get the right "sound". You need an amp of course - there's a ton of variety right there (tube, solidstate), as well as you will need some kind of effects (reverb, fuzz, etc) depending on what you want to play.

Acoustic is harder to play because the strings are heavier gage and take more strength to press down. But you can learn a few easy chords and play w/o buying an amp of course. I think that aside from being more difficult to play - acoustic is easier to get into (as long as you like acoustic) than electric because you dont have to deal with all the electronics (amp, effects) in order to get the sound you want. But it of course depends on what **you** really want.

Good luck. Its a great past-time, and you never stop learning. There are tons of youtube videos to take a look at on how to play: some are crap, some are really good.

thanks ya i figured that i would go to guitar center. :thumbsup:

You're going to end up buying a cheap Squier or some Strat/Tele copy. Why not say "the hell with it" and focus on what is truly important to an aspiring rock god...drawing attention to yourself!

It is an AWESOME hobby. It can be difficult getting into it. It can become frustrating. But it is also one of those things that just makes life worth living / more interesting!

Learning ANY musical instrument is like learning another way to communicate / express yourself, and it is very powerful.

Its something that will really "school" you in what learning really is. I flew through just about any class in school academic wise - but the GUITAR can kick anybodys ass because there really is no end to what you can learn. And you cannot fake it - you either can play or not. It teaches you patience, and will reward you with more than you think if you keep at it.

The guitar kicks my ass, but I absolutely love it!

A guitar that I've recommended numerous times is the Fender telecaster that's made in Mexico.... I think they're about $400, but are a million times better than something that costs one or two hundred bucks - really. I don't think things like amps matter that much... I have a roland micro cube - it's a tiny little amp (about $100, I think), but plenty loud for around the house. If you're looking to play in a band or something, of course you'd need something bigger and louder (though most people way over do that and have an amp they can't turn up very loud ever, which makes having all of that amp pointless).

If you have a friend who knows how to play, have them go with you to some stores and play some guitars that you're considering, just so they can tell you if they're ok/horrible/good at all, and for the price.

What most people completely ignore is the guitar's set-up - the set up is how it's adjusted... having the truss rod and bridge set up correctly, and perhaps a little fret dressing, will make playing much much more enjoyable. I've played so many guitars in stores that were borderline unplayable, not because they're bad guitars, but because they hadn't been set up after leaving the factory. So, if you're getting something mail order, it may be worth taking it to a good small guitar store or a guitar repairer who can do a nice set up job on your new (or second hand) guitar - it might cost $50, but it will be worth it.

You have been warned, FanGrrl :)

If you have tiny hands and short fingers like I do, some guitars are going to be wide for you reach-wise. Action is important, but so is being able to get all the way across to the low E string without getting into positions worthy of Chinese acrobats. Particularly if you're planning on taking up classical, this may make finding a worthy instrument a challenge.

As a small-handed, short-fingered person, I'm all about the Rickenbackers. As someone upthread mentioned, though, you're going to pay a load for one.

>>>As a small-handed, short-fingered person, I'm all about the Rickenbackers. As someone upthread mentioned, though, you're going to pay a load for one.

Very good point. I think Susanna Hoffs uses a Rickenbacker - and she is pretty tiny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VqVJoSdbVs


And regarding amps: a good small surprisingly good amp is the Epiphone Valve JR. Real tubes, sounds pretty good.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--EPIEPABKJR

deciding which guitar, get it set up for you by the store. Then with a good tuner and lessons you are set.

...and develop calluses that way before taking on the acoustic.

Real guitars have strings and frets. They do not have plastic buttons and do not plug into video games. :-)

A Spanish Valenciana, Rafael Molina, 1972, #110.

It cost $500 US then.

I still have it.