Guitar How-To

The question of how to buy a guitar contains a few important points that you need to think about if you are going to make an intelligent choice of guitar. You should know before you start looking whether you want an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar. If you want an electric guitar there are many refinements to consider. If you want an acoustic guitar, are you looking for a steel string or a nylon string guitar? In either case there are the matters of quality and craftsmanship.

So, let us start with electric guitars. They are easy to play but the steel strings can be hard on the fingers of a beginner guitar player and the need for an amplifier can be hard on the neighbors. The amp also makes an electric guitar harder to carry around. Amps also make the guitar more expensive. The good news is that the guitar itself can be quite cheap.

The brand name and price might not make a difference to whether you actually like playing the guitar. Any seasoned electric guitar player will tell you about the Japanese Fender copies that sounded and felt better than American models. There are experts who will tell you about the differences between Strats and Teles, about ebony necks and maple necks, and about the advantages and disadvantages of whammy bars. But it all comes down to how it feels for you.

For beginners, acoustic guitars are the better choice to learn to play on. You will struggle to learn bar chords and if you have small hands, the neck will feel wide but after cutting your teeth on an acoustic guitar, you will find electric guitars a breeze to play. If you choose a nylon string acoustic it will get your fingers toughened up so you can play chords on steel string guitars without slicing your fingertips.

Nylon string acoustic guitars are often referred to as classical guitars, but do not let the name worry you. The nylon strings are kind to the fingers and you just might fall in love with the deep, expressive tone.

Steel string acoustic guitars are more often used in blues or rock based music and have a rich, bright sound with more sustain than the classical guitar. If you prefer the sound of the steel string acoustic to that of the nylon string instrument, then go ahead and buy one rather than spend money on a classical just to ease the discomfort of making callouses on your left hand fingertips.

One difference you will notice between steel and nylon string acoustic guitars is that steel string guitars often have a cutaway body to allow the guitar player to play notes at the very top of the scale. This option means a little less volume but if you are into acoustic solos, the cutaway will probably suit you.

If you choose an acoustic guitar and you want to make it louder, consider just miking it through an ordinary P.A. amp. This requires you to hold the guitar near the microphone all the time. Most acoustic guitar players will go for the piezo pickup which is mounted below the bridge. Another way to go is the “acoustic-electric” guitar which comes with a built-in pickup which is great for amplification but the acoustic sound of the guitar suffers.

When you finally go out to buy a guitar, take a guitar player with you. Even if he is not a professional, a little good advice from a friend on how to buy a guitar balances out the help you get from the guy trying to sell you a guitar.

Technorati Tags: how to buy a guitar, guitar

Comments are closed.