What type of guitar should i get

There's no way to poke and prod anything you buy online before it's at your door, so if you're shopping in person, here are a couple of things to watch out for. Important note about new instruments: One of the ways that guitar manufacturers save cost is by putting minimal labor into the final setup of the instrument.

Often the parts are quality and the assembly is fine, but the fine-tuning that makes an instrument play well and sound its best is left to the consumer. Have someone at the store get the guitar to standard tuning and play a few chords. There are two reasons to do this. First, if the playing sounds terrible, odds are it's not the sales person who is likely a decent guitar player , it's a difficult instrument to play.

The second reason to have the instrument tuned up is to check the action. Check the neck of the guitar for any curves or bends. Ideally, your guitar should have a straight neck, and prevent the strings from hitting the frets as you play.

If the guitar has a bow or back bow, it can make playing the guitar more difficult, especially for beginners. If you're unsure of how to check your guitar's neck relief, ask a professional. They should be able to check and identify any potential problems with your guitar neck, and make corrections as needed. The action of a guitar or bass is how the strings relate to the fretboard.

Check The action is something that can be adjusted pretty easily, but if the strings are super far from the neck at the point where the neck and body of the guitar meet or the neck is noticeably curved, it might be an instrument to pass up.

That doesn't necessarily mean that brand or model are flawed, just that the individual instrument may already have some problems. If the guitar sounds all right and the action doesn't look way out of whack, see if you can comfortably reach the entire fretboard. Run your finger along each side of the neck to see whether you can feel any of the ends of the metal frets sticking out. If you feel some that aren't level with the wood, it doesn't mean the instrument is garbage or that brand or model are no good, but you can probably find another guitar or bass that doesn't already have that problem.

Frets that aren't level with the wood can be fixed, but there's no reason to deal with that if you're buying a new instrument. If you're looking at an electric guitar, get it plugged into an amp and toggle all the switches and turn all the knobs a few times. If you hear any crackling sounds, it means some of the internal electronics may be a little dirty. Again, that's a fixable problem, but not something you want to hear a few minutes after your kid plugs it in for the first time.

Another of the same brand and model will probably be fine, if you're looking at what you think is a good style and price point. Buying a used guitar can be a great way for a young player to move up to a pro-level instrument. High-end guitars will age well if cared for, and there are a lot of professional musicians using fifty to sixty year-old classic models from manufacturers like Fender and Gibson. So when buying a starter guitar, new may be the safest route.

If your student is highly motivated and big enough to play a full size guitar, you may want to invest in a new instrument from a trusted manufacturer. By buying new you will get:.

The advantages of a used guitar can include:. Incorrect guitar sizes can affect your ability to play, and young students can struggle with full-size guitars due to the width of the guitar neck, heavier weight, the wider spacing of the frets, and may be unable to play all the notes.

As a beginner, one major obstacle you would face with other guitars is their slim neck. It would be quite difficult to place a finger on one fret without touching the fret on the side.

The major problem with classical guitars, though, is that unless your dream is to become a famous classical guitar player, you would get tired of them pretty fast.

This is the most popular and most common type of guitar. In fact, it comes in different kinds of steel constructions, not just steel. Steel is just the most popular kind available. The acoustic guitar is the most popular because of two major reasons- affordability and versatility. In fact, all you need to do is walk into any guitar shop close to you and ask them for the most affordable acoustic guitar they have. The second reason is versatility. Unlike classical guitars that are only for classical music, acoustic guitars can play anything from folk, to rock, to jazz, and the list goes on and on.

One thing we must tell you though is the pain that comes with it. Yes, pain. The steel strings would chew on your fingertips the first few months you play. However, after many hours of practice, you develop hard calluses on your fingertips that prevent them from being chewed on.

However, to get the best value for money at this price point, we would suggest you get a used guitar. More about that in a later part of this article. Reply to alyssa. Reply to Prachee. Thats made getting my next guitar that little bit easier. Reply to Jake.

Aradhya Bhatnagar. Reply to Aradhya Bhatnagar. Reply to joo stan lee. Raj Vaibhav. I appreciate that. And thanks. Reply to Raj Vaibhav. David harrison. Reply to David harrison. John Carston. Reply to John Carston.

Reply to Peter. Arinaitwe edgar. Reply to Arinaitwe edgar. Gaurav Narula. Reply to Gaurav Narula. Reply to prev. Reply to ibrar. Reply to indian. Leave a comment. It also depends on your guitar amp. If you already have a decent amp, I suggest you bring your amp to the guitar shop and run the Ibanez, Washburn and ESP through your amp and listen to what you like best. I look back at the trials we go through to learn. Guitar is not an easy instrument to master; sure almost anyone can learn the basic chords, but the guitar is miles deep and there is a lot going on.

I think a beginner should buy the best guitar they can afford. With all we have to learn, dealing with a crappy guitar is the last thing you need. I also fly radio control airplanes and am an instructor and test pilot.

I tell my students to buy something that has been flown and is proven. I think the same thing applies to guitar. Klaus, thanks for your answer, but now i gonna choose just something from ESP and i have a catalog of several beasts:. Is there a difference between sounds of these guitars? Forget price. I would play mostly metallica songs- solos and distortion all-around if understand what i mean. Please, answer in detail. But, I found a lot of very good comments about these guitars.

Your article is really useful as I was lost in my world thinking which one to go for. But I wanna use it for a long time.

Think classical would be best for me. Great tips! I would caution people, though, when they ask for a salesperson to adjust the action of a guitar. The wrong adjustment could cause major buzzing of the strings or bowing of the neck.

Be careful! What about the electric-accoustic guitars? I currently own an Ovation acoustic electric guitar, but am looking to upgrade a bit, a lot of the reson being that I am no longer that big of a fan of the bowl shaped body. Any advice on what guitar or brand to look at? Specifically needs to be acoustix electric. I need to buy a acoustic guitar for my 10 year old girl, should I go for a nylon string one or steel string one….

Hi Klaus , I am want to buy a electric guitar and I am thinking of a epiphone les paul or ibanez grgdx or grg which one would be better?

I wanna buy acoustic guitar and play pop music by Justin Bieber, One Direction etc. What kind of strings and what sized guitar do I need. A normal size guitar is excellent for you. Thank you or this article and the great information. I have a question about the size of the guitar. Should I get the full or half sized guitar? I want to upgrade to a bigger amp, so when it comes to size, to me, bigger is better.

Do you maybe have any suggestions for me? Im a reasonably fast learner. Hey, I want to start learning to play the guitar! Any advice on what kind to buy??

Hi thanks for your guide. I am looking for an acoustic guitar and played a Faith necked series today which was really nice. I even bought a guitar of the same brand that you had spoken of which suits the type of music I play!

Wanted to buy a guitar and I wasnt sure what type suits me but after reading your post my problem is solved. I really love the elctric guitar but I was wondering if you could tell me is it a better idea to start with a classic guitar or can I just go straight to an electric guitar? Thanks for the amazing article, Kezz. Awesome tips! It has helped me a lot on my guitar purchase decision.

Thank you very much. Hey klaus.. Awesome tips man! Thanks for writing! Im an amatuer guitarist and i was thinking of getting a new guitar.. Should i get an electric or an acoustic? What If i want to play onstage? Is an electric better? Is there any disadvantage other than the amplifier? Does acoustic surpass electric in anything? Hi, I need some guidance. I am looking to buy a Martin guitar for my husband. He has an acoustic guitar, a 12 string and an electric.

Owning a Martin six string acoustic has always been his dream. Also, some Johnny Cash. Could you guide me into the direction of a model that would be appropriate?