How to buy a guitar?

What must a person look out for when buying a new guitar ?

Originally Posted by: JorgeeWhat must a person look out for when buying a new guitar ?

Honestly, its the same answer we gave you about what brand/size of strings to buy; Its all about personal preference and you just have to experiment at your local guitar shop.

I personally cant stand Gibsons, Ive just never played one that "turned me on", but probably a lot on this website love them, or at least dont dislike them.

Same with Fender, I dont hate them, but never played one that turned me on enough to own one. And thats another brand that seems to be adored by the majority.

I used to be a Jackson guy, now I have fallen in love with PRS. And who knows, maybe ill end up loving Fender down the road.

At this stage i suppose it would be better to by a cheaper guitar of a well known brand than an expensive guitar of a cheap brand, or do brands not differ so much seeing that they are being sold at reputable retailers?

lol, your first guitar really doesn't matter that much, you should get a cheap but decent one, before you know it you'll be buying a second guitar

my first one was a Stagg Stratocaster in gothic black, still got it, it wasn't a bad guitar, but not good either, you need to learn to play no matter how good the guitar is, some of the world's best players started out on a crappy six string

get what's easiest for you, a retailers close by, bring someone who plays guitar and let him judge, good hunting!

Well, it doesnt really matter that much for a first guitar. I started out with a 3/4 crappy classical Stagg that was too small for me, but it quite worked out =]
Even so there are few things to look up before you buy a guitar. First - check if every note sounds right, it shouldnt buzz or hum (on some squiers there was no tone at all) Second, I personally wouldnt buy a Floyd Rose guitar as a first one, because on cheaper guitars the Floyd sucks and it doesnt stay in tune, plus its really hard to change strings. And of course, its about how do you feel it. Maybe the neck is too flat and you cant easily reach the 6th string or the frets are too high and its harder to slide... check if you have access to higher frets so you can bend on them. Also, some of the cheap guitars have a problem with the frets - they're a bit longer than the width of the neck, which may stratch your hands. Basicly thats it from me
=] =] =]

Some good advice so far. I like the idea of taking someone with you know knows a fair amount about guitars.

Check the neck, make sure it's straight. Put a little side to side pressure on the neck to make sure it''s seated nice and tight. You don't want the neck moving on your guitar. I bought a brand new guitar about a year ago. All in all it was a great guitar EXCEPT for the slop from the finishing process. There was some polyurethane build up in the neck pocket that kept it from sitting against the body firmly... Thus, it would shift on me. It was an easy enough fix, just had to clean out the neck pocket.

If you're a tinker like me, I like to get a guitar that has a good neck and good body. The rest can be less expensive parts. I like to tinker and upgrade my guitars. Well... Except for my Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy, It's still stock.

Anyway, have fun, don't stress over it. Pick up the one you can and or want to afford.

Theres a school of thought that say rather buy a more expensive (high quality) first guitar because a cheap guitar is going to frustrate a newbie and cause them to give up because of all the things you named , also makes sense to me??

cheap guitars don't have to be bad, if newbies get frustrated just because the guitar is cheap and doesn't have that 'awesome' sound then they don't deserve to be playing guitar, yes you will get frustrated and if you want to blame the guitar be my guest but it won't make you get any better

like previous replies, all the things you have to look out for, plus don't be tempted by fancy stuff like a floyd rose bridge, keep it simple, I just remembered I didn't learn on a electric guitar at first, I had a crappy acoustic that belonged to my mother which had to be at least 30 years old, good enough for me though :D

great advice, thanx all

Originally Posted by: JorgeeTheres a school of thought that say rather buy a more expensive (high quality) first guitar because a cheap guitar is going to frustrate a newbie and cause them to give up because of all the things you named , also makes sense to me??

To a degree this is true, however, it also makes sense to start with a more reasonable investment just in case the ambition wears off after a year.

I'm a big fan of the Squier guitars by Fender for starting out. They are well priced and well made. They sound great and play well for the money. In fact, my Squier played every bit as well as the Fender Strat I later got. <--I'm fond of saying that, cause it's true. :)

I wouldnt buy an expensive guitar yet. Because you don't know what kind of guitar you want. Single coil, humbucker, what kind of fingerboard, what kind or shape of body, what kind of neck, or even if your going to continue to play. Learning what finger goes where, has nothing to do with what kind of guitar you have. First learn how to play, and while your doing that, save up your money for a more expensive guitar, and figure out what you want before you go spend big bucks.

I get the feeling that its better to start off with an acoustic instead of an electric guitar because you can play a greater variety of music, until you have decided what genre you want to stick to?

quite the opposite actually :p you can play all genres on an electric guitar, literally actually since you just have to get the right effects for the job, only difference is that it won't sound as good as the original instrument

I think it's better to start on an acoustic guitar because the neck is wider which gives you more space for your fingers and you need more effort to play correctly since it's a little bit harder, when you switch to electric guitar it's much easier (if you can get used to the smaller space between the strings)

Originally Posted by: JorgeeI get the feeling that its better to start off with an acoustic instead of an electric guitar because you can play a greater variety of music, until you have decided what genre you want to stick to?

I used to agree with that and never regret that I became fairly well versed on acoustic before picking up the electric. However, I know an instructor that disagrees. He says start with what you plan to be playing. ...And that does make sense.

In fact, my father in law has an acoustic he rarely plays, but is fond of dropping over to jam on electrics because they are easier for him to play.

Interesting that you mention the neck width, because this is one of the reasons that I stopped playing guitar many moons ago, I had an electric and an acoustic that I was playing alternatively, and I never mastered anyone of the two!

Originally Posted by: JorgeeInteresting that you mention the neck width, because this is one of the reasons that I stopped playing guitar many moons ago, I had an electric and an acoustic that I was playing alternatively, and I never mastered anyone of the two!

only one word you need.. determination! you can do it, it's only a matter of time and effort, as simple as that, I've seen so many people quit cause it's a little bit harder then expected, well duh! you learn something your body isn't used to, of course it takes time, a hell of a lot more then you think at first, just keep at it and it'll be just fine

I have a Tanglewood Evolution acoustic steel string (TW28SE) with a built in pickup, Does anybody know anything about these guitars, are they any good, To me its actually a nice guitar and sounds good too!
Seems I'm the only one on the planet with this brand??

Just to throw in my 2 cents...

I'm very new to guitar, and I too had to go though the "what should I buy" scenario just recently. And, it's not easy not knowing.

But, you buy a guitar the same way you buy anything else. Especially if you don't know about it....you get on the Internet, and you LEARN about it. You learn what makes one guitar good, and what makes another one cheap. Is it the wood? The pickups? Then, I went to Guitar Center and other music stores, and just browsed. I spent a long time doing my "due diligence". I didn't want to get a cheap guitar, but not knowing if I was going to play, I didn't want to spend $5000 either. I went several times to the stores before I bought. Looking at a guitar I liked, then getting on the Internet and researching THAT guitar. I'd go in the guitar room, and if someone was there playing, I'd say, "Can you do me a favor? I don't play yet...can you play these two guitars for me so I can HEAR the difference?"

Ultimately, I got a Simon and Patrick Acoustic (Godin) and love it. The tone is incredible for a guitar in that price range. (I had the salesperson play it next to a comparable priced Fender and Yamaha and there was no comparison)

Originally Posted by: samataBut, you buy a guitar the same way you buy anything else. Especially if you don't know about it....you get on the Internet, and you LEARN about it. You learn what makes one guitar good, and what makes another one cheap. Is it the wood? The pickups? Then, I went to Guitar Center and other music stores, and just browsed. I spent a long time doing my "due diligence". I didn't want to get a cheap guitar, but not knowing if I was going to play, I didn't want to spend $5000 either. I went several times to the stores before I bought. Looking at a guitar I liked, then getting on the Internet and researching THAT guitar.

after seven years I still do the same with any guitar/amp I like, it's a lot of work and sometimes I didn't feel like doing it, but it always paid off! it gets difficult when it's a personal preference (like whether you're a Gibson or Fender person, those are only solved by playing both for a while), but that's all for your road to guitardom!

Are there any good guitar review or compare sites around because if you have to believe what every manufacturer/retailer says about their product, ALL guitars are the best, ya know what I mean ?