Important Questions to Ask Before Purchasing a Guitar

Guitars these days come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and price ranges. There’s plenty to choose from, and this means that it is easy to get confused as soon as you step into the store.

Not if you answer some of these questions however:

1. Money You’re Willing to Shed

One of the first things you need to do, is set aside a budget for your shiny new (or used) guitar. How much money are you willing to part with in order to buy the guitar will ultimately determine what sort of a guitar you buy.  Setting a budget well before you set off to make your purchase will allow you to choose guitars that are in your reach. However if you find a guitar that is out of your budget, it might be a good idea to wait, or perhaps look in the used section of the classifieds or on MusiciansFriend, where you can easily look for used guitars, or sort guitars which are on sale, discount or rebate. However the good news is that nowadays, you can find something for just about any budget.

2. What Sort of Music Will You Be Playing

The kind of music that you would like to play will undoubtedly be the second-most important thing here. For instance for genres such as country, folk, blues or jazz, you might be well off with an acoustic guitar, however for a bit of distortion required for genres like metal and rock, you’ll most certainly be required to purchase an electric guitar. The material used to make the body and necks of these guitars – and the sort of strings used – will also play its part in determining what sort of sound these make.

3. Where Will You Play

If you’re a beginner and see yourself practicing in your room a lot, it would most definitely be a good idea to pick up an acoustic. Likewise, if you want to play the guitar during parties, backyard BBQs, on road trips or on trips to the beach, stick with an acoustic. On the other hand, if you intend on playing in a gig, practicing in your garage, playing in a band, or doing performances, it would most certainly be a good idea to go with a guitar with a pickup – either a semi-acoustic or preferably an electric guitar, which can be hooked with an amp and speakers.

4. The Looks

Looks are an important aspect of a guitar. Ask any guitar player and he’ll tell you the same. How your guitar looks, its shape, the paintjob, and the whole deal usually matter because it should be able to match your on-stage persona. What is also important is the material used to manufacture the guitar. Aesthetics are important! The general rule of the thumb here is that the more expensive the guitar, the better the material used and the better it will look. Cheaper guitars tend to compromise on aesthetics, however medium range guitars might have good looks at a reasonable price-point. If you want to buy the best guitar money that you can in your range, you would obviously want it to look good, especially if you play in front of an audience. Many of the most famous guitarists out there are known, in fact instantly recognized by the guitars that they use. Make sure that the guitar you buy comes with the best material used, the best finish and doesn’t have any dents or marks.

5. The Feeling

Last but most definitely not the least, and this is perhaps the most important consideration of all: how you feel when you play the guitar. Ideally (and I’m stating the obvious here), the guitar should be comfortable to hold, comfortable to use, and comfortable to play. If you’re not happy with your guitar, or if even one aspect makes you uncomfortable, that’s a wasted investment right there!

Ending Note

Once you've bought the guitar, it might be worthwhile to check some of the many guitar course available online. GuitarTricks, for one, is a great online website, featuring over 5000 lessons for beginners and pros, as well as a large selection of guitar teachers to choose from. You can read up on this review of GuitarTricks and see if it would be a suitable guitar course for you.