BUYING TOUR FIRST GUITAR

Buying Your First Guitar

A common question for first time guitar buyers is “Should I buy an acoustic or an electric guitar?” Obviously the answer has a lot to do with the individual asking. For an older player, the answer could be based on what type of music you like. If you are a James Taylor fan, you will probably want to play acoustic pop, and a steel string acoustic would be the obvious choice. Fans of Grunge, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Alternative, etc. will definitely want an electric. What about those parents buying a first guitar for their son or daughter? Perhaps they don’t have a set preference. Let’s see what each type of guitar has to offer.

Electric Guitars

An electric guitar is a great choice for the beginning guitarist. They typically have lower action (how high the strings sit above the neck) and lighter gauge strings than acoustic guitars. This makes them easier to play and causes less pain to tender young fingers. This factor alone could keep new players from getting discouraged. Lately, guitar manufacturers (almost all reasonably priced guitars are made overseas now) have really improved their production methods, and you can usually get good quality electric guitars at reasonable prices.

Another advantage to the electric guitar is the wide variety of tones and sounds you can get from one instrument. With an acoustic, you get one tone. An electric’s tone can be shaped by an amplifier, pickups, and effects (or signal processors.) The drawbacks are the need for an amplifier, and electrics require you to haul a bunch of stuff around to gigs (amp, cables, effects, etc.) Plus it needs a power source (electricity) for the amp.

Acoustic Guitars

An acoustic guitar is a pure, music instrument. It works well in most styles of music. Learn a few chords and it makes a great accompaniment instrument for singing. It works great for picking, strumming, and fingerstyle playing. It doesn’t need an amplifier, but many new models give you that option with built-in preamps, pickups and cable jacks. It’s portable and requires no electricity — you can play it where ever you are. On the negative side, it has limited tonal capabilities and not much sustain. It is also harder on your fingers, since the action is usually higher than an electric and it uses heavier gauge strings.

Also, since an acoustic guitar’s tone is based on the quality of its construction and the woods used, good sounding acoustic guitars are typically a little more expensive than electrics. With a few exceptions, you’ll get a better inexpensive electric guitar than an inexpensive acoustic, but the cost difference may be negated by the need for an amplifier.

Make Your First Choice The Right Choice

If you play for a number of years, you will probably end up with both an acoustic and an electric guitar. But choosing the right type of guitar for your first instrument is important. If you really want an electric, and you bring home an acoustic (or the opposite), you may loose interest and give up altogether. Try both types, even if you can’t play, and see which feels and sounds best. Have a salesman play them for you so you can hear what they will sound like when played by an experienced player. Once you have decided which type of guitar you want, you are ready to go shopping.