Finding your first instrument should begin a never-ending adventure of creativity and growth. The sheer variety of brands and types available for virtually every type of musical instrument adds to the complexity.
There are several factors to consider when you buy a guitar for the first time, including the type of guitar (acoustic or electric), its size, and whether to buy a new or used one. Finding a guitar that sounds well, looks good, and feels good to play is the most crucial thing, even if many other factors may come into play.
Everyone has their unique sense of style, and the same holds for their prefered guitar. An ideal instrument would motivate you to practise regularly and help you express your musicality. This guide will help you buy a guitar by walking you through the process of narrowing down your options, from kinds and styles to guitar size.
Since you can’t examine your online purchases in detail until they arrive at your door, this article will go through a few things to watch when shopping in a store near you. Attention about recent musical apparatuses: Manufacturers of guitars often skimp on the final setup to reduce costs.
The user is often left to do the fine-tuning that makes a product play well and sound its best, even though the manufacturer provided quality components and assembly.
How long does it take to retune the guitar?
Have a staff member tune the guitar to standard and demonstrate some chords. You should do this for two reasons:
- First, it’s not the salesperson (who is probably a good guitarist) if the playing sounds terrible.
- The second justification for getting an instrument tuned is so that the action may be checked.
Can you see whether the guitar neck is crooked?
Examine the guitar’s neck for any undulations or kinks. The strings won’t slap against the frets in an ideal guitar since the neck is perfectly straight.
A bow or back bow on your guitar can make playing the instrument more challenging, especially for beginners. Consult a specialist if you are unclear on how to measure your guitar’s neck relief. Any issues with your guitar’s neck should be easily identifiable, and any necessary adjustments should be easy for them to make.
How far away are the strings from the fretboard?
What makes a guitar or bass “go” is the action, which is the interaction between the strings and the fretboard. You should probably pass on a guitar if the strings are incredibly distant from the neck at the joint of the neck and body or if the neck is bent, even if the action is easily adjustable.
This does not indicate an issue with the brand or model but rather the specific instrument.
Are you able to comfortably access all of the frets?
Ensure you can easily access all of the guitar’s frets for the instrument to sound well, and the action doesn’t seem too high or low. Check if any metal fret ends protrude by running your finger down either side of the neck.
There is no need to throw away the instrument because you feel some aren’t flush with the wood; however, you may want to look into another guitar or bass that doesn’t have this issue. Although repairing frets that aren’t flush with the wood is possible, it’s not necessary if you’re purchasing a new instrument.
Do the guitar’s electronics work properly?
Plug an electric guitar into an amplifier and fiddle about with the controls. Crackling noises indicate that dust or debris has found its way into the internal circuits.
Once again, this problem can be fixed, but that’s not what you want to hear when your kid plugs it in for the first time. If you’ve found a brand and model that you like and that fits your budget, chances are strong that another of the same will do the trick.
