Buying Your First Guitar, Part 1: Electric Guitars

Buying Your First Guitar, Part 1: Electric Guitars

Other parts in this series:
Buying Your First Guitar, Part 2: Acoustic Guitars
Buying Your First Guitar, Part 3: Buying a Good Quality Guitar

You can't learn guitar without a guitar. Unless you're borrowing or renting (both of which are good ideas if you're not yet committed to playing), it's time to decide what kind of guitar you want to buy. You've got a decision to make.

Or as I like to say it: To plug in or not to plug in? That is the question.

As a guitar teacher, I often get asked whether to buy an electric guitar or an acoustic. It turns out that there are  advantages and disadvantages to making either choice, so let's start by talking about the pros and cons of buying an electric guitar (the next part in this series we'll talk about the pros and cons of buying an acoustic).

Electric Guitars: Pros

First, let’s consider the benefits of starting on an electric guitar.

Easier on the fingertips: The electric guitar is usually easier to play than an acoustic, requiring less pressure on the frets with your fingers to get a good sound. Many new students find the action (the distance from the strings of the guitar to the fretboard underneath) on an acoustic to be “too high” – too difficult to press down effectively on the strings. This can discourage new players, as building callouses on the tips of your fingers can be a bit of a nuisance to begin with. If you're averse to pain, you will have an easier time playing the electric guitar. Bottom line: Electric guitars are easier on your fingertips than acoustics.

Greater variety of possible tones (especially when combined with the right amp and/or pedals): Another advantage that comes with playing an electric guitar is the variety of sounds you can get from it. Combine it with the right amplifier and/or guitar pedals and you can get just about any sound you want out of your instrument. Need some distortion to rock out? No problem – many amps and pedals have distortion. Want some Flanger? Delay? Echo or Reverb? Crazy sounding chirping, clicking, or laser beam-like sounds? With a bit of research and perhaps some ingenuity, you can get almost any sound you want out of an electric. Bottom line: You can get a lot of really cool sounds with an electric guitar and the right amp or pedal.

Greater variety of techniques: Lastly, another positive with electric guitars would be the variety of sounds you can get from using techniques like tapping, bending, and pinch harmonics. You can use some or all of these techniques on an acoustic (though bending is out of the question on some acoustics), but the combination of either tapping or pinch harmonics with effects like distortion are just awe-inspiring (the solo to “Jump” by Van Halen comes to mind). Most techniques are harder to do properly on an acoustic, anyway. Bottom line: More techniques are available to you on the electric guitar.

Now let's discuss the disadvantages to starting on an electric guitar...

Electric Guitar: Cons

You need to buy an amp: The most obvious disadvantage to buying an electric guitar first is the fact that you’ll also need to buy an amp, and possibly some other gear like guitar pedals, to get the most out of your axe. This can be expensive if you’re not careful. Having said that, you can often find decent starter packages in your local music store that offer a basic electric guitar with a small amp, patch cord, picks, and extra strings – enough to get you started on an electric for a decent price (you can always upgrade to better equipment later). Bottom line: Uh, you need an amp. 

Not as portable as an acoustic: An electric guitar really requires plugging in to be used effectively. You can certainly practice some things without your amp, but your guitar’s not loud enough to, say, play while singing at a campfire, or jam out in the park with buddies, or to busk on the street (if that’s your thing). Portability is definitely an issue. Bottom line: Less portable (you need an amp to be heard).

How Much $$$???

Beginner acoustic and electric guitars (ones that are playable, decent quality, but probably worth upgrading at some point if you continue playing) tend to cost about the same here in North America - somewhere between $100US and $300US. You can sometimes find a "package deal" for an electric where you can get the guitar with picks, extra strings, strap, and an amp (for electrics), all at one low price.

My only advice here is to set a budget before you go buying. It can be very tempting to shell out a thousand dollars for a new axe, but if you're not committed to playing, is it worth it? Only you can answer this kind of question for yourself. Just be sure you think before you buy!

Should you buy an electric?

All in all, for an electric guitar you’re really looking at the benefits of ease of playing and potential versatility of sounds versus the potential cost and portability issues that come with a lot of gear, and gear that requires some power to be of use. If you want to play loud, or you want a wide variety of potential tones, the electric guitar is definitely the right choice (you can always get an acoustic later if you’re really worried about being a well-rounded guitarist.) Otherwise, you may need to consider the pros and cons of buying an acoustic guitar...