This post is in response to a common question in guitardom: how, where, and what should I buy, regarding a new guitar?
Here's my answer, in brief:
You have to realize that whether you are willing to spend $200 or $500 USD, finding an inexpensive guitar is not hard to do. There are plenty of good Web sites I will mention later on but what's important now is getting quickly educated about what is a good purchase and what is a "lemon".
Plan on spending 2-3 hours at a large, friendly music store near you. You'll need a place where they will not hound you to make a purchase. In this setting you will learn about guitars. In the States, Guitar Center is one such place.
If you are not near a store like one described above, find the nearest one and go. Either go with an educated friend or do some research if you have to go by yourself. I'll help with the research part shortly... Once you visit a store, ideally you will walk out much more informed. If you have not already made a purchase you will be able to go to a good Web site for affordable guitars such as Musician's Friend.com, Sam Ash.com, eBay, maybe even Amazon.com, and you will know exactly what to look for since you have already seen what you want / like in person at a store.
Now for the harder part: What should you be looking for in an affordable guitar?
Let's break it down to electrics and acoustics.
An Electric Guitar Should Have:
- Strings that are low but not buzzing.
- A straight neck. Any good guitar store will do a free guitar neck set up for you after you make a purchase.
- Good pick-ups. These are the things under the strings on the guitar's body. Without them there would be no amplified sound.
An Acoustic Guitar
- The same two top concerns (above) apply to acoustic guitars.
- Don't worry about pick-ups unless the acoustic you are getting is an electric acoustic guitar (an acoustic guitar that can be amplified).
- Storage (especially for nylon-string "Classical" or Flamenco guitars). This is very important. Acoustic guitars are not solid-bodies like most electrics so where they are stored requires more consideration. Case in point: guitar case humidifiers are available for more cautious acoustic guitar players/performers.
- There are more considerations, but Warranty / service is important, of course, for both (electric and acoustic guitars).
-6SV
