Buying a guitar is one of the greatest investments you’ll ever make, and it’s important to make the right decision so you don’t get burned before you start the fire.  Here are a few things to consider before shelling out the dough for your first axe:

What kind of music do you want to play?  There are hundreds of different guitar styles out there, so it’s important to know where to start.  If you want to play like Yngie Malmsteen, you need to step away from the acoustic guitars and find the amplifiers.  Conversely, if you want to play Bach, you’ll want a classical guitar.

Regardless of your musical preferences, you’ll want to give your guitar a good listen before you make a final decision.  If you’re not experienced enough to play a tune, take a friend along who can play, or have one of the sales assistants play the guitar for you.  Don’t feel bad about asking them to play several different instruments—if they enjoy what they do, they’ll appreciate playing a role in getting you matched with the guitar of your choice.  I’d like to point out that even though your inexperience has prompted you to seek out the playing skills of someone else, you should still sit down and play the guitar yourself.  Don’t be shy about making some noise.  Strum the open strings (“open strings” means that you’re not using your fretting hand to fret any of the strings)—don’t be surprised if you develop preferences between guitars just from hearing the same dissonant chord.  Also, consider the thickness and shape of the guitar’s neck.  Some necks are thicker or wider than others; some necks are flatter and some are more curved.  When you fret the strings, how does your thumb feel against the neck?  Do you have a preference?  And think about the size of the guitar.  If you’re 5’ tall and your fingers are the size of Smarties packets, you may want to think twice about buying a guitarron mexicano.

Know how much you want to spend.  This seems like a no-brainer, but the principle of paying for what you get remains (arguably) the same.  (I add “arguably” here because there are those who believe certain brand names are more preferable than others even though the price may be the same).  If you’re only willing to spend $200, your instrument’s design will reflect a lesser quality in craftsmanship than a $1200 guitar.  You can certainly spend over $5000 on your six strings, but let’s face it—at this point in your playing, you’d be a pig in a suit.  If you’ve got the funds, go for it.  But if you find yourself in a financial bind where you want a quality instrument and can’t shell out the equivalent of a down payment on a house, instruments of reasonable quality begin around the $500 mark (in most cases).

If you’re a tightwad like me, you’ll need to budget for the accoutrements that you’ll need in order to make your guitar-playing experience a positive one.  What do you want to do with your guitar?  Do you want to perform?  If so, your guitar may need a pick-up or a built-in expression system.  If you’re a classical guitarist, you may be interested in buying a footstool.  If you’re interested in an electric guitar, you’ll need an amplifier and an input cable.  Will you need a music stand to hold sheet music?  Do you want a guitar stand?  Will you need a guitar strap?  Think about these questions before you tally up the total cost of your investment.  And don’t forget about the guitar case.  Typically, new guitars come with a free case (or the case is included in the retail price) but you may want to upgrade if the accompanying case is a soft-shell and you’d prefer a bit more protection than that.  Are you going to play your guitar with your fingers or will you need some picks?  As far as picks (a.k.a. plectrums) are concerned, they come in all sizes, colors, thicknesses, and shapes.  Select a variety so that you can experiment and create preferences.  If you’ve made your decision, ask the sales attendant if he or she would be willing to throw in a free set of strings to go along with your guitar.  They’ll typically oblige this request since they’ll be eager to close the sale.  Lastly, regardless of what style of guitar you purchase, consider buying yourself a tuner.  These can range in price from $10-$70 and are important for several reasons.  (See my article, Good Vibrations: Tuning Your Guitar, Part Two).

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