How To Play Guitar

How to buy a guitar

1. DON'T BUY A CHEAP GUITAR. Now by cheap I don't mean inexpensive. There are a lot of well made used and new instruments out there that won't cost you an arm and a leg. First of all, find another guitar player to assist you. They are more than willing to help; I haven't met a player yet who isn't anxious to show off his superior knowledge when it comes to the area of guitars.

Stay away from non-music stores. Any store that is selling typewriters, clothing, appliances, toys, etc., is NOT the place to buy a guitar. If money is no object then you shouldn't have a problem finding a very high quality instrument in your local musical instrument store. Keep in mind that ALL prices are negotiable; stores generally have 3 prices: the list price( the price your dad pays), the discount price( this is the price the clerk offers it to you without being asked), the real price (the lowest price this guy will sell it to you after you talked him down). Always try and get a lower price, the difference can be huge!

Look for name brand used guitars that are in good shape. A 10 yr old Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Martin, Yamaha, etc. is in most cases going to be a better buy than some brand new guitar by some company no one's ever heard of. Stay away from guitars with very worn frets or scratched finishes. I have seen a lot of great playing guitars that looked rough but a novice shouldn't take the chance.

2. BUY A GUITAR THAT SOUNDS AND FEELS GOOD
I know that sounds simple but you wouldn't believe the number of experienced guitar players that buy a guitar that doesn't feel right to them thinking they will "grow" into it. It grows all right; dust bunnies in the closet. If you're new to learning the guitar  it may be difficult to know what a guitar should "feel" like. The best I can tell you is that the strings should be easy to press down, and the shape and size should fit your body comfortably. Keep in mind that if you are buying an acoustic guitar to learn on compare it to other acoustics, not electrics, because they do not feel the same, and certainly don't sound the same. If you are buying an electric guitar to learn, play it through a quality amp if possible and play around with the tone controls to see if you can get the sound that you want from the instrument. Here again an experienced guitar player will come in very handy.

3. BUY A GUITAR THAT IS MADE FOR THE STYLE OF MUSIC YOU ARE PLAYING
Find out what kind of instruments your favorite artists are playing. You can get a cool blues sound from a Gretsch, but it will never give you that twangy country sound of a Telecaster, or the fat Hard rock sound of a distortion filled Les Paul. Know what you need your new guitar to sound like. If you don't have a particular sound in mind stick with the basic sounds of a Stratocaster,Les Paul, or similar instruments with very versatile sounds. Acoustic guitars can be even more varied in sound since they don't have the luxury of amplifiers to alter their sound. I highly recommend playing alot of different instruments before making a decision. Your ability to play will be hampered by the wrong guitar.

4. DON'T BUY A CHEAP GUITAR
It's worth repeating.

For some Great Tips On Buying A Used Guitar Check Out This Article: How To Buy a Guitar