Choosing a guitar for beginners, Part 1.

Whether shopping for yourself or a loved one, choosing a guitar for a beginning guitarist can be a daunting task. There are a lot of options out there for guitar players, which is a good thing, but all those choices have the undesired side effect of creating a lot of confusion. To hopefully make thinks a little more clear, here's a step by step guide to selecting an instrument for a beginner.

An acoustic and a classical guitar.

What type of guitar do I need?

Guitars generally come in several basic types: acoustic, classical, and electric. Though these types of guitars are largely interchangeable, you will want to buy the type that best suits the music you want to play. If your goal is to learn to play rock guitar, you will probably want to buy an electric guitar. If you are wanting to learn bluegrass or folk music, an acoustic guitar is the way to go. Players interested in fingerstyle guitar, classical music, or latin music will find a classical guitar best suited to their needs. Have a look at your favorite musicians and see what they are playing, this will likely be the best choice for you. It is also worth considering where you would like to be playing your guitar. An acoustic or classical guitar is a great companion for traveling or impromptu jam sessions with friends, as you will not be tethered to an amplifier. If you think you will likely be playing in a band with a loud drummers and other amplified instruments, an electric guitar will be more practical.

Right handed or left handed?

While most guitars are built for right handed players, there are left handed models available. This is a somewhat unique concept to guitars - every other instrument is generally available "right handed" and students learn how to play it that way regardless of their dominant hand. If you are left handed, I would strongly recommend trying both and seeing which is more comfortable - both will probably feel awkward at first. Many left handed people choose to play guitar right handed. Either is a perfectly acceptable choice, but learning to play right handed will make it much easier to find guitars that meet your preferences.

A 3/4 size electric guitar - perfect for smaller players.

What size guitar do I need?

Sizes and shapes for guitars vary greatly. It is important to find a guitar that is comfortable for you to hold and play. Acoustic guitars in particular often have bodies that are too large and unwieldy for many players, especially children. Make sure that you are able to comfortably reach around the body of the guitar with your right hand and reach out to the tuning pegs with your left hand - you should be able to do this while sitting with good posture and without contorting your body into awkward positions. Especially small players may wish to purchase a 3/4 size or even a 1/2 size guitar. These instruments are made "undersized" to accommodate players for whom a standard sized is too big. There are no rules, so try a few guitars and see what is comfortable for you: sometimes small-structured players find themselves preferring big guitars and vice-versa.

How much should I spend?

Electric guitarists will also need to buy an amp.

This is always a hard question to answer. While you shouldn't buy something you can't afford, it is also essential that beginners have a good quality instrument that stays in tune and is easy to play. Learning guitar is enough of a challenge without having a hard-to-play instrument getting in the way. I have had students show up for lessons with poor-quality instruments, often purchased online, and I have found that these students tend to practice less and quit sooner than students who have something better to play. Fortunately, guitars are fairly inexpensive compared to many other musical instruments. There are many excellent student acoustic guitars available for around $300 - $400. If you have the budget, there is nothing wrong with spending more on a beginning instrument, especially if it is one you are excited about playing. More expensive guitars will typically have better long term value as they will grow with the player's skill and requirements and often have better hardware and accessories included.

Should I buy new or used?

Buying a used guitar can be a great way to save money. However, you should be especially careful buying used since these guitars can have problems that may lead to extra cost in the form of adjustments and repairs. Often these repairs are more than the cost of a new guitar. That good deal you got on a used instrument could quickly turn into a situation where you are stuck with a bad instrument with no returns and no warranty. The best thing would be to buy from a reputable guitar shop that does repairs - that way you know that you are getting a guitar that is in playable condition. If you are buying used, find an experienced player to look at the instrument with you and don't be shy about walking away if it doesn't seem like a good instrument.

Buying a musical instrument is an investment in yourself. If you are making the commitment to spend hours and hours practicing, going to lessons, jamming with friends, it's a good idea to make the commitment to buy a good instrument to do that with. Once you own the guitar, the maintenance costs are low, basically new strings every few weeks and a professional setup every few years - you get a way better return on your dollar than on most other recreational activities. The old cliche "buy once, cry once" definitely applies here.

I hope this helps with your decision making, stay tuned for Part 2!

-Matt