Buying your first guitar is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a player. This lesson walks you through everything - what to look for, what to avoid, how to test a guitar in a shop, and a complete pre-purchase checklist.
Before spending a penny, visit as many music shops as you can just to look and get a feel for what's available. The best places are specialist guitar shops and music stores with a wide selection at different price points. Try to find stores where one of the staff plays guitar - you'll get better advice and hands-on help.
Visit on a weekday if possible, when shops are quieter and staff have more time to help you. Ask for a demonstration of guitars in your price range. If you're unsure between nylon and steel strings, ask to hear both. Take your time. Don't let anyone pressure you into buying before you've visited several shops and compared your options.
Your first guitar should be carefully chosen to be easy to play and tune, and versatile enough for different kinds of music. An acoustic (un-amplified) guitar is strongly recommended - either a Classical guitar with nylon strings, or a Roundhole Steel-Strung guitar.
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is buying the absolute cheapest guitar available, assuming they can upgrade later if they stick with it. Unfortunately, guitars under the $100 (£80) mark are often what musicians call "Guitar Shaped Objects." They suffer from high action (strings too far from the fretboard), poor tuning stability, and sharp fret edges. These issues make learning incredibly painful and frustrating, causing many beginners to quit simply because the instrument is fighting them.
The "sweet spot" for a high-quality beginner acoustic guitar is generally between $150 and $300 (£120 to £250). In this range, brands like Yamaha, Fender, and Epiphone produce excellent entry-level instruments that are comfortable to play, hold their tuning perfectly, and sound great. A guitar in this price bracket won't just get you through your first few months; it will serve you well for years of playing. If you have a budget of $500+, you enter the realm of premium beginner or intermediate guitars featuring solid wood tops (which sound significantly richer than the laminated tops found on cheaper models).
With the rise of massive online music retailers like Sweetwater, Thomann, and Amazon, buying a guitar online has never been easier. Online stores offer massive selections, competitive pricing, and generous return policies. However, buying your first guitar online comes with a significant drawback: you cannot hold the instrument before buying it.
Every guitar, even two of the exact same model from the same factory, feels slightly different. A local guitar shop allows you to sit with the instrument, feel the neck in your hand, and hear the tone in person. More importantly, a good local shop will perform a "setup" on the guitar before you take it home—adjusting the neck and string height so it plays perfectly. If you buy online, particularly from non-specialist retailers like Amazon, the guitar arrives exactly as it left the factory, which often means the strings are too high and the guitar is harder to play. If you do buy online, budget an extra $50 to take it to a local guitar tech for a professional setup.
While this course focuses on acoustic fundamentals, the choice between acoustic and electric is a huge buying decision. The acoustic guitar is the traditional starting point because it is entirely self-contained. You don't need to buy an amplifier, cables, or power supplies. It is portable, sounds great in a living room, and forces you to develop strong finger strength early on.
Electric guitars, on the other hand, are physically easier to play. The strings are thinner and under less tension, which means your fingers won't hurt as much in the first few weeks. The body is also thinner and easier to hold. The downside is the hidden cost: a $200 electric guitar requires a $150 amplifier and a $20 cable to sound good. The best advice is to buy the type of guitar that plays the music you love most. If you want to play folk, country, or singer-songwriter pop, buy an acoustic. If you want to play rock, metal, or blues solos, an electric guitar will keep you much more motivated.
Choose the string type that suits the music you want to play. Don't buy a nylon-strung guitar simply because the strings feel easier on your fingers at first. If you think you'll want to play in a group or band at some point, steel strings and a Roundhole acoustic are the better choice. If classical or Flamenco music is your main interest, nylon strings are essential. Both types are suitable for accompanying singing - so if that's your only goal, go with the sound you prefer.
Your guitar doesn't need to be expensive - but avoid the very cheapest instruments. They are usually poor value, hard to play, and won't satisfy you for long. A little more money buys a guitar suitable for learning and fairly advanced playing.
Avoid heavy acoustic guitars. As a rule, the lighter the guitar the better the tone. Compare the weight of several guitars of the same type. Smaller-bodied steel-string acoustics are better value at lower prices. Three-quarter size guitars are for children under 10 or 11 only - adults should always buy full size.
Don't choose a guitar based on how it looks. How it sounds and plays is far more important. Heavy plastic decoration on an acoustic guitar can actually spoil the tone and reduce volume. Simple, well-made instruments almost always outperform flashy, decorated ones at the same price.
For general playing the fingerboard should be at least 1¾ inches (45mm) wide at the nut. Avoid very narrow fingerboards - especially if you have large hands. Guitars with unusually thick necks are not recommended, particularly for players with small hands.
A secondhand guitar can be an excellent buy - but only if you find a good one. Unless you are already an experienced player, it is unwise to buy from a private seller, a newspaper ad, or an online listing without proper inspection. What looks like a bargain can turn out very badly if you don't know what you're looking for.
If you do consider a secondhand guitar, buy from a reputable music instrument dealer. Take an experienced guitarist with you if at all possible. Use the checklist below, and if anything seems seriously wrong, walk away and look for another instrument.
This is especially true of musical instruments. If there is anything seriously wrong with a guitar, don't buy it until it has been corrected. In most cases you'll be better off finding a different instrument - even if it means waiting a little longer to start playing.
Take this checklist with you to the shop. Go through every point before handing over your money.
When you buy your guitar, also pick up the following:
Ask the shop to tune the guitar before you leave. Keep your receipt in a safe place - you may need it for insurance if you travel.
If you already have a guitar and are unsure whether it's suitable for learning on, have an experienced guitarist or your local music shop check it out before you start. An old guitar that's been sitting around the house for years can range from perfectly fine to nearly unplayable - it's worth knowing before you invest time in it.
Now that you have your guitar, Lesson 03 covers how to take care of it - storage, cleaning, humidity, and when to change the strings.
Everything beginners ask before buying their first guitar
Your first guitar does not need to be expensive, but avoid the very cheapest instruments as they are often poor value and genuinely hard to play. A mid-range guitar will be much easier to learn on and will stay playable as you improve. Spending a little more gets you an instrument suitable for both learning and fairly advanced playing.
Secondhand guitars can be excellent value - but only if you know what to look for. Unless you are already experienced, buy from a reputable music shop rather than a private seller. Take an experienced guitarist with you and use the 7-point checklist to inspect it thoroughly before purchasing.
Check: (1) fingerboard is straight, (2) string height is correct at nut and 12th fret, (3) every note rings clearly without buzzing, (4) frets are not badly worn, (5) all tuning pegs work smoothly, (6) no cracks or splits anywhere on the body, and (7) for electric guitars, all electronics work correctly.
Yes, for acoustic guitars. As a general rule, the lighter the acoustic guitar the better its tone - excess wood mass can deaden the sound. Always compare the weight of several guitars of the same type before deciding. For solid electric guitars, weight affects comfort more than tone, but a very heavy instrument becomes tiring over long sessions.
Adults should always buy a full-size guitar. Three-quarter size guitars are for small children - generally under ten or eleven years old. The fingerboard width also matters: for general playing, the fingerboard should be at least 45mm (1¾ inches) wide at the nut. Avoid guitars with very narrow fingerboards if you have large hands.
Pick up a guitar pitch pipe or E tuning fork, a spare set of the correct strings, and the best guitar case you can afford. A hard case in wood or fibreglass offers the best protection. Ask the shop to tune the guitar before you leave, and keep your receipt somewhere safe.