HOW TO BUY A GUITAR: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

The search for your first instrument ought to be the start of a lifelong adventure of education and inspiration. Additionally, the fact that there are so many different makes and models of musical instruments might be bewildering. When purchasing your first guitar, you’ll have to make decisions about its size, whether to get an acoustic or electric guitar, and whether to spend money on a brand-new or used guitar. Finding a guitar that appeal to you in terms of tone, appearance, and playing experience is crucial despite the numerous factors that could influence your choice.

Everyone has a unique personality and set of preferences, and there are innumerable guitar styles to choose from. Above all, the instrument should motivate and excite you to practise more often. This guitar buying guide will make it easier for you to choose the finest beginner guitar for you, from deciding between types and styles to choosing between guitar sizes.

Making the right decision

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Which guitar should parents get for their child who wants to start learning to play is one of the queries we at School of Rock hear the most frequently. You can use the following advice to learn how to purchase a guitar for a beginner player. Come to School of Rock for a tour and a free trial session after you’ve given your child a cool guitar, and we’ll teach them to enjoy playing it.

Popular guitar types can be divided into a few broad categories. Both the sound and playability of these techniques are significantly different. You’ll be able to significantly reduce your options by deciding on the style of guitar before you buy it.

The idea that if students are motivated by their instrument, they will improve that much faster is one of the key ideas behind the success of School of Rock. The greatest beginner guitar to buy for keeping your child’s interest will likely be determined by the bands and musical genres they enjoy.

Buying an electric guitar

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The most widely used type of guitar in contemporary music, by far, is the electric guitar. Electrics alone produce the tiniest of sounds, but when coupled with an amplifier, they unleash a world of possibilities for a wide range of sounds. Rock, metal, pop, blues, jazz, country, and R&B are the main musical genres that use these guitars.

Advantages

a much simpler to perform than classical or acoustic
They come in a variety of sizes, making them ideal for young players.
versatile and able to create a wide range of tones
used frequently throughout the majority of popular musical genres
With the amplifier, the volume can be altered to your liking.

Buying an acoustic guitar

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Acoustic guitars are designed to deliver a full tone without the use of electric amplification. Although they are infrequently used in rock, blues, and R&B, all guitar varieties are most frequently utilised in genres like folk, singer-songwriter, country, and bluegrass.

Many parents want to know the advantages of learning the guitar on an acoustic instrument over an electric one. They are fundamentally the same instrument, thus ideas picked up on one may be applied to the other right away. However, an electric guitar can be the finest beginner guitar for learning because it is typically a little simpler to play due to the neck’s lower width and the ease of pressing down on the strings.

Advantages

does not need to be amplified further
has a detachable pickup that can be used to amplify
Bright sound that is excellent for chord playing
Spend the money saved by not needing an amp to get a better first instrument.

Disadvantages

Many versions make it more difficult to be heard while performing with a band since they need extra hardware installed in order to hook into an amplifier or sound system.
limited selection of tones and sounds
Requires thicker strings, which makes it more difficult for beginners to play.
Some novice and small-scale models are created

Learn more about Acoustic-Electric guitar

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You might want to think about an acoustic-electric guitar if you feel like you need a guitar that combines the benefits of both electric and acoustic. Acoustic guitar manufacturers create models with built-in microphones or pickups since musicians frequently utilise them in large settings. The benefit is that these guitars perform and sound precisely like an acoustic guitar, but when necessary, they can be plugged in and amplified using a speaker system or home amplifier.

An on-board equaliser is the most common kind of tone control for acoustic-electric guitars. The disadvantage is that you can anticipate higher prices because these guitars feature electrical hardware that is not present in acoustic guitars. However, the price can be comparable to that of an electric guitar, so if that’s the kind of music you want to play, an acoustic-electric guitar might be a good alternative.

Things to take care while making your purchase

There are a few things to be aware of when shopping in person because there is no way to inspect anything you buy online before it arrives at your home. Observation regarding new instruments: By using the least amount of work possible during the guitar’s final setup, guitar producers can reduce costs. The construction and quality of the parts are frequently good, but it is up to the user to get the most out of a musical instrument’s performance and sound. Check for

Condition of the guitar’s electronics
Comfort in reaching the fretboard
Distance of the strings from the fretboard
Neck of the guitar
Tuning of the guitar

Should you buy a new or old guitar?

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A young musician can upgrade to a pro-level guitar by purchasing a used guitar. Many professional musicians use fifty to sixty year old classic models. From producers like Fender and Gibson, proving that high-end guitars can last a long time with proper care. However, producers frequently use wood that is softer and metal that is thinner (weaker) to produce guitars that are more affordable by using materials that don’t last as long. Thus, it could be best to get a new guitar as your first instrument. However, if you choose to purchase used, be extra cautious and attentive to all of the potential problems mentioned above.