10 Tips To Buy Your First Guitar

With most of us self isolating ourselves to survive the global Corona-crisis, we all have time to pick up the things we always thought of doing. Mine is to learn playing the guitar. I think many people share this wish. Once you’ve made the decision to start learning guitar, the next step is to buy one. So, I’ve asked fellow music blogger Ronald Ross from LoudBeats.org to write a guest blog for me explaining which steps to take next.

Finding The Right Guitar

Blog by Ronald Ross

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Daunting Task

With so many different designs, brands and models available in the market, buying your first guitar can be a daunting task.

Above all, your guitar should suit your personality and taste in music. It should inspire you, and make you want to practice more often. To help you choose among the seemingly endless options available out there, let me give you my 10 tips to buy your first guitar

Type of Guitar

The type of guitar you choose to buy will largely depend on the style and genre of music you like. It basically comes down to choosing between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar.

An acoustic guitar provides better learning than an electric guitar. It tends to strengthen your playing muscles and provide you a solid foundation to build on.

On the other hand, an electric guitar has lighter strings and a thin neck which makes it easier to play. However, you need to buy an amplifier to start playing it which means you’ll have to spend more on an electric guitar.

Budget

It is important to consider the amount of money you are going to spend on your first guitar. It is not advisable to buy a very high-end guitar in the beginning.

However, you should also not go with cheap selling guitars which have a lousy build and aren’t playable.

Where To Buy It?

You might be tempted to buy a guitar online due to low prices. The problem is that if you buy it online, you won’t be able to test it properly and it might turn out to be a bad choice later on.

I suggest buying your first guitar from a nearby guitar shop along with someone who knows how to play guitar.

New Guitar or a Second Hand

I don’t recommend buying second-hand guitars to beginners as they don’t know if a used guitar is good enough or not. A new guitar will provide you with the latest technology, warranty, and a brand-new feel.

Brand

Once you’ve decided your price bracket, you’ve already screened out many brands.

There are still a lot of brand options you can choose from. Most popular brand guitars are indeed very good quality and sound well. However, some lesser-known brands also offer guitars with unique looks and sounds.

Size

If you’re buying for anyone above 10 years old, I would recommend you to buy a full-sized guitar. Buying ¾ guitars is not only a bad investment but they also don’t sound well due to smaller bodies.

Inspection

It is important to inspect your guitar before buying it. You should look out for any cracks, scratches, dents or rust, etc.

Try to play every note on the fretboard while listening out for buzz or any other weird noise. Moreover, you should also check that it stays tuned after playing it for a while.

Style

While searching for the best guitar for yourself, pick one which actually piques your interest and is more striking to look at. Make sure it feels comfortable in your hands.

The more you fall in love with your guitar, the more you’ll be enticed to practice it.

Look for Accessories

If you finally select the guitar you want, there are some guitar accessories you’ll probably need.

The basic guitar accessories include a cable, amp, tuner, picks etc. in case you are buying an electric guitar. You should also consider buying extra strings for guitars when you’ve worn out the ones already provided.

Warranty

The last thing to consider before purchasing your dream guitar is whether it comes with a warranty. Some of the stores feature an in-store warranty, which is always a bonus. Otherwise, most of the brands provide a warranty.

Now that you’ve seen the top 10 tips on buying your first guitar, I hope you pick the best guitar. Good luck for your musical journey.

Author Bio

Ronald Ross is a passionate music lover. He currently works as a freelance writer and likes to write for his blog – https://loudbeats.org. He is also interested in playing instruments and reading books. He always tries to impart his knowledge and inspire others.

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