A 4-Step Guide On Choosing The Right Guitar

Playing guitar is one of life’s great pleasures. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the instrument, you’ll surely know how awesome it is. Playing in a band or with a group of friends is a truly wonderful experience. Even playing on your own is a relaxing and lovely pastime.

Before you get to the wonder and enjoyment of playing guitar, how do you choose your ax? A guitar says a lot about the person playing it. The differences in style, size, color, and brand all suit different people. If you’re unsure what your next - or first - guitar should be, check out this 4-step guide on choosing the right guitar.

Are You New to Guitar Playing?

Being entirely new to the world of guitar makes these following steps even more relevant. In some ways, choosing your first guitar is a magical and wonderful experience. In others, it is a super stressful job!

Whether you are stressed or psyched about your first guitar, fear not! The simple points that follow in this article will help you make the most informed decision you possibly can, even with little or no previous experience. Buying a guitar should be fun - let’s keep it that way.

Where It’s Made Counts

Let’s start with where a guitar is made. Often, it is something completely overlooked, especially by the novice player. But, as the folks over at ReallySimpleGuitar.com say, “American guitars have the best parts, the highest quality finishes, and checks.” So, you should immediately look for an American-made guitar, right? Well, yes and no.

American guitars are certainly some of the best going. But, not all American brands are the same! The classic brands like Taylor, Martin, and Fender will have incredible American-made models. Some smaller brands may not be as trustworthy.

Those big brands will have their awesome American models and then cheaper versions. The cheaper versions are often made in Mexico or Asia. There is nothing wrong with these models, they just don’t have the same American components or finishing touches. If you want quality and longevity in your guitar, and you can afford to, opt for the higher-priced American models.

Electric or Acoustic?

A very important question. Ideally, you’d buy both an electric and an acoustic guitar, right? But, what if you can only afford one guitar to get you started on your musical journey? Which should you choose?

Both types of guitar clearly have their merits. This decision is entirely up to you and what you’d like to do with your new ax. If you are certain you want to play loud, rock-type music, with friends or in a band, you definitely want to get an electric. Playing through an amp and experimenting with effects pedals is far more fun with an electric.

If you want to be able to grab your guitar and play anywhere, this is where an acoustic wins. There is no need for any other accessories or amplification with an acoustic guitar. Just grab it and play! You can still be versatile with an acoustic guitar too - some of the biggest artists in the world tour with only acoustics!

Set a Budget

One of the toughest parts of guitar buying is the budget. You want to buy the best, but you only want to spend what you can afford. We’ve all been there. Even within the American-made bracket, there is a huge variation in price. The best thing to do is know what sort of budget cap you have, then dive into reviews. Plenty of experts out there will be reviewing every model of guitar, so you can find which suits you and your budget best.

Decide Which Style or Shape Suits You

Finally, you’ve got to decide what you want it to look like! Yes, this is actually extremely important. Do you think any of the top musicians in the world go out on stage without a guitar they think looks incredible? Hell no!

Whether you’re buying an acoustic or an electric, there are so many shapes, sizes, and colors available. These things either don’t or barely affect the sound of the guitar, so it’s all down to personal preference here. And yes, it’s totally OK to go for guitars that remind you of your favorite musician’s guitars.

These four tips will help you pick the guitar most suited to you and your new musical journey. It’s fine to judge a guitar by its looks first - just make sure you then work backward through these steps to ensure it is well-made and suits your budget. Whichever guitar you choose, you’ll fall in love with it in no time.