Part 1, Buying Your First Guitar: Electric Guitars
Part 2, Buying Your First Guitar: Acoustic Guitars
Nobody wants a lemon when buying a guitar. Here are some tips to make sure that you end up with a quality instrument when you buy your first guitar (or second, or third, or fourth... hey, a guitarist has needs).
Not sure whether to buy an acoustic or an electric? Check out my articles on the pros and cons of electric guitars, and the pros and cons of acoustic guitars.
How to Buy a Good Quality Guitar
1) Buy new.
There are exceptions to this rule, but if you're buying your first guitar, you really should buy new. Why? If you're buying new, you're probably buying from a music store (I would be wary of buying a guitar from any store that is not a music store). Music stores make their living by selling decent equipment, so odds are that anything they sell will be good quality (some music stores do sell used equipment, which might be a good deal - check if they have some kind of warranty on their used gear). You're more likely to end up with a good quality guitar if you're buying it from a music store, and it's a new guitar.
2) Check the fretwires on the bottom of the guitar.
You see those metal strips all along the neck of the guitar? Those are the fretwires. Run your finger along the bottom of the neck (by "bottom" I mean the part of the neck that will be facing the floor when you're holding your guitar and playing). Does it feel smooth? Some low-quality guitars have fretwires that are sticking out, which can potentially hurt your finger while you're playing (they are kind of sharp). If it's not smooth, don't buy it.
3) Play the guitar before buying it!
This should be obvious, but really make sure you play that guitar. Play anything you know how to play (if you're new and you don't really know how to play, try pressing your fingertips into the frets and strumming the strings with a pick). Every fret on every string should sound clear (assuming you're pressing down properly), and there should be no buzzing or rattling anywhere when you play (again, assuming you're playing properly). If you pluck one of the open strings and hear some rattling or buzzing, that's not an instrument you want.
Playing the guitar also ensures that you like the way that it feels while you're playing. A guitar might look nice, but if it feels really awkward to play it, you probably don't want it!
Bonus tip for electric guitars: Make sure you try plugging in the guitar, and playing with an amp at the store, whether you're buying an amp or not (the store should have some you can try). Try flicking the tone-selector (the little switch) to make sure all of the pickups work. If you flick the switch and you can't get any sound after fiddling with the volume knob(s), check with the store to make sure everything is actually working.
4) Check for any obvious damage
Make sure there are no dents, chips, or any other wear and tear that you shouldn't expect to see from a new guitar (or if you're buying used, make sure you're okay with any damage to the guitar that's already there).
5) Bring someone with more experience
Do you know someone who plays guitar? Bring them with you when you buy! Their experience should help give you an idea of what to buy and what to avoid (but just remember, the decision is yours).
6) Check for reviews online
If I see an instrument or piece of equipment that I like, I always search for reviews online. Just enter something like "Taylor CE314 reviews" (replacing "Taylor CE314 reviews" with whatever guitar strikes your fancy), and see what people are saying. If a particular make or model is generally really good (or really bad), you're going to find out about it online.
Bonus tip if you're willing to learn a few things first: (this one is a bit tricky)
Check the intonation
This step might be a little tricky, and you might have to save it for when you (inevitably) buy your second guitar! However, if you have a tuner (or if you follow step 6 below) you can pull it off. Check first to make sure the guitar is in tune with either your tuner (note: if you don't have a tuner, see if the store will lend you one). Then check each of the first five frets or so of each string to make sure they're also in tune. You'll need to know how to use a tuner, and the names of the notes on the guitar fretboard, too, which you can find out about here:
How to Tune Your Guitar, Step 1: Using a Tuner
Notes on the Guitar Fretboard
Follow these steps as closely as you can, and you'll be playing your newly purchased guitar for years to come!
Not sure whether to buy an acoustic or an electric? Check out my articles on the pros and cons of electric guitars, and the pros and cons of acoustic guitars.
How to Buy a Good Quality Guitar
1) Buy new.
There are exceptions to this rule, but if you're buying your first guitar, you really should buy new. Why? If you're buying new, you're probably buying from a music store (I would be wary of buying a guitar from any store that is not a music store). Music stores make their living by selling decent equipment, so odds are that anything they sell will be good quality (some music stores do sell used equipment, which might be a good deal - check if they have some kind of warranty on their used gear). You're more likely to end up with a good quality guitar if you're buying it from a music store, and it's a new guitar.
2) Check the fretwires on the bottom of the guitar.
You see those metal strips all along the neck of the guitar? Those are the fretwires. Run your finger along the bottom of the neck (by "bottom" I mean the part of the neck that will be facing the floor when you're holding your guitar and playing). Does it feel smooth? Some low-quality guitars have fretwires that are sticking out, which can potentially hurt your finger while you're playing (they are kind of sharp). If it's not smooth, don't buy it.
3) Play the guitar before buying it!
This should be obvious, but really make sure you play that guitar. Play anything you know how to play (if you're new and you don't really know how to play, try pressing your fingertips into the frets and strumming the strings with a pick). Every fret on every string should sound clear (assuming you're pressing down properly), and there should be no buzzing or rattling anywhere when you play (again, assuming you're playing properly). If you pluck one of the open strings and hear some rattling or buzzing, that's not an instrument you want.
Playing the guitar also ensures that you like the way that it feels while you're playing. A guitar might look nice, but if it feels really awkward to play it, you probably don't want it!
Bonus tip for electric guitars: Make sure you try plugging in the guitar, and playing with an amp at the store, whether you're buying an amp or not (the store should have some you can try). Try flicking the tone-selector (the little switch) to make sure all of the pickups work. If you flick the switch and you can't get any sound after fiddling with the volume knob(s), check with the store to make sure everything is actually working.
4) Check for any obvious damage
Make sure there are no dents, chips, or any other wear and tear that you shouldn't expect to see from a new guitar (or if you're buying used, make sure you're okay with any damage to the guitar that's already there).
5) Bring someone with more experience
Do you know someone who plays guitar? Bring them with you when you buy! Their experience should help give you an idea of what to buy and what to avoid (but just remember, the decision is yours).
If I see an instrument or piece of equipment that I like, I always search for reviews online. Just enter something like "Taylor CE314 reviews" (replacing "Taylor CE314 reviews" with whatever guitar strikes your fancy), and see what people are saying. If a particular make or model is generally really good (or really bad), you're going to find out about it online.
Bonus tip if you're willing to learn a few things first: (this one is a bit tricky)
Check the intonation
This step might be a little tricky, and you might have to save it for when you (inevitably) buy your second guitar! However, if you have a tuner (or if you follow step 6 below) you can pull it off. Check first to make sure the guitar is in tune with either your tuner (note: if you don't have a tuner, see if the store will lend you one). Then check each of the first five frets or so of each string to make sure they're also in tune. You'll need to know how to use a tuner, and the names of the notes on the guitar fretboard, too, which you can find out about here:
How to Tune Your Guitar, Step 1: Using a Tuner
Notes on the Guitar Fretboard
Follow these steps as closely as you can, and you'll be playing your newly purchased guitar for years to come!
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