Guitar/Buying a Guitar

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There are two things that hold true, whether you are buying a guitar or an amplifier:

1. A guitar that doesn't get played is worthless at any price.
2. There is no such thing as bad tone; There are only tones that you may not like.

A guitar is an excellent instrument for almost anyone. A guitar that is difficult to play is not a good choice for a beginner. While it takes dedication to learn, if the guitar is comfortable for the player, it is easier to learn.

Whether you are buying a beginner guitar for yourself or a parent buying a guitar for your beginner child, it is not worth spending any money on a guitar that the player won't enjoy. How the guitar feels in the players hand is more important than how it looks hanging up in a store, and the key to learning to play is being excited about playing.

Be careful about buying a guitar for a person that already plays. Unless you know exactly what they want, buy the guitar with the person. Players who have played long enough know what they like and what they don't like. If you really cannot figure their taste, the best option is to give them a gift certificate.

Always remember (and this will be obvious after playing a few dozen guitars) every single guitar is different. Even if the guitar is exactly the same make and model and color, it may play completely differently than the next. The way the shop or the manufacturer sets up the guitar is responsible for some of this, but in some cases one guitar will be great and another seemingly identical guitar will be a dud.

Contents 1 Acoustic or Electric? 1.1 Acoustic guitar 1.2 Electric guitar 1.2.1 Cables 1.3 "Special" guitars 2 What to look for (and what to look out for) 2.1 How to get a guitar you love 3 Buying the guitar 3.1 Where to buy the guitar 3.2 Buying situations to avoid 3.3 What else will you need? 4 External links

[edit] Acoustic or Electric?

The first question you should ask is what kind of guitar you want to buy. The player should always make this decision, because if the player does not enjoy playing their guitar, then it will be more difficult to continue. Then instead of being fun, it becomes a chore, and the player will get frustrated easily. Getting a guitar that the player will not be frustrated with will help naturally encourage or allow the player to be the best they can be. Usually the kind of music the guitar player listens to is a good indicator of the kind of guitar they want to play, but other things should be considered.

An electric is typically better for a beginner because it is easier to play. Because the strings are easier to push down and pluck, feelings of success will come much sooner and frustration will be less likely. These things are important for a beginner. However, if you start on electric and decide you want to move to acoustic, you have the rest of the learning curve ahead of you. If you plan on using both, it might be a better idea to start off with an acoustic.

The acoustic guitar has thicker strings that are more difficult to fret down, and also is harder to get a big sound. If the player is excited about an acoustic guitar and feels they can overcome the more significant learning curve (compared to an electric), they will find in the future that playing an electric guitar will come much easier. On the other hand, the more significant learning curve on the acoustic may be enough to frustrate the player and cause them to lose interest.

If the player wants an acoustic, but expects to go out jamming with an electric guitarist and/or drummer, they should get an acoustic-electric. There is no way a mere acoustic guitar can be heard with those louder instruments.

If the desired guitar is too expensive, there is quite often a more affordable model of the same kind. For example, the Squier-branded guitars look and sound like Fenders, Epiphone makes guitars that look like Gibsons, and Ibanez makes a wide variety of styles. For Ibanez, anything with a "G" as a prefix is the cheaper model. For example, GRG model is the cheaper version of their RG guitar.

Please see Different Types of Guitars and Anatomy of a Guitar for more information.

[edit] Acoustic guitar

There are basically two kinds of acoustic: classical guitar and steel-string guitar.

Steel string-guitars, also known as a folk guitar, typically has a large sound box, which gives it a big sound. This is the typical guitar employed in blues, jazz, country, and early rock. Steel strings can be hard to press, especially for beginners that have not developed callouses. Picking is also harder on these; they are best suited for playing with a pick.

Classical guitars have nylon strings and have a wider fretboard. The peg box resembles the peg box of a violin, which has tuning pegs that are perpendicular to the neck. The body is also smaller. The tone is mellow when compared to a steel string guitar, and thus is much better for classical music. Classical guitars require more string maintenance than do steel strings, because the strings take a while to settle in.

[edit] Electric guitar

If you are buying an electric guitar, also read Buying an Amplifier

The electric guitar is the workhorse of rock music, but it is also used in other genres such as blues, jazz and pop music. Amplified electric guitars sound very different from an acoustic guitar, even when no effects or distortion are used. The pickups and amplifier define the guitar's sound. Electric guitars come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Pickups are an important part of an electric guitar's sound. There are two main kinds of pickups: passive single coil and humbuckers. Passive single coil pickups have one magnetic coil, and are typically found on Stratocasters. Humbuckers have two magnetic coils, allowing for the use of more overdriven gain and generally give a heavier overall sound. Furthermore, as the name implies, humbuckers cancel noise from electrical interference. Ultimately, however, both kinds of pickups are suitable for any kind of music, and you will have to decide what kind of sound is best for you.

However, a guitar usually has more than one pickup, and it is the arrangement of the pickups that generate the end tone. Aside from the tone, however, another consideration is the "playing area" between the pickups, as too much contact with the pickups can change the tone drastically, if not damage it; the lack of a pickup "sticking out" also allows harder (and slightly less precise) picking. Such a problem is even more prevalent when it is either the H-S-H or H-H-H arrangement, where there was little clean region, if any, and thus will require a more careful playing, which can be an important concern when buying for a beginner

A Tremolo bar, also known as a Whammy bar or Vibrato bar, is a bar that is used to slacken and stretch the strings, causing the sound to change pitch rapidly. When used lightly, it can create a vibrato effect, but it is more commonly used for dive bombs and various other guitar tricks. Some whammy bars have locking mechanisms that allow you to stay in tune more easily, but these may be too complicated for beginners to maintain.

[edit] Cables

You will also need a cable to connect to your amplifier. Sometimes they may throw in a free cable, which aside from having poor shielding, typically have a short head-shell that requires you to unplug it the wrong way (i.e. grabbing the cable to pull it out, instead of grabbing the head-shell). This is especially true for Fender-type body-front-embedded plugs, which is also used on other big-name guitars. This method of removing the cord could result in damage to the guitar (for those without the plug guard, such as Ibanez S series) or getting the plug stuck in the jack on the guitar.

Thus, let's start with the headshell. If you are just using one that plugs to the side of the guitar, then even a standard AV-sized head plug is enough. If you are using the body-front plugs, such as Fender and Ibanez S series, you may want to use the ones with larger head-shell, which should be about three inches including the plug itself. When plugged in, the head-shell should be long enough for you to grab the plug comfortably and easily. The material also matters somewhat: some swear upon a metal head-shell; others find an injected plastic is good enough.

The minimum cable length greatly depends on how and where you play the guitar. If you play it with the amplifier just next to it, six to ten feet (3m) is enough. In a live or even a normal jamming situation, however, you may need 20 feet (6m) or more. If you want to connect the effect units, you may want cables as short as 3 feet. Also, watch for the cable's durability; some have plastic-based wrapping, some use knitted outer shell.

[edit] "Special" guitars

There are a variety of less common guitar types. These include archtop guitars, 12-string guitars, bass guitars, and multi-neck guitars. Each kind of guitar has its own pitfalls, depending on the player, and this is most true about these guitars. They can be expensive, difficult to maintain and play, and this can deter learning. For more information on these kinds of guitars, please see the Different Type of Guitars article.

[edit] What to look for (and what to look out for)

• The height of the strings above the fretboard is called the "action". Action can be extremely low, meaning that the strings buzz when struck, or very high, meaning that it takes much more effort to push the string down to the fret. Guitars with really high or low action could be a sign that the neck is warped. Sometimes this can be fixed, but it can be costly. It is best to buy a guitar that is set up properly.

• When a string is struck, it produces the note you hear, and also a variety of harmonic tones within the note. The harmonics give each guitar a special character to its sound, known as the "intonation". How a particular guitar's intonation sounds depends on the straightness of the neck, nut, bridge, and scale of the frets. You can quickly check if the intonation is setup properly by playing harmonics, with attention paid to the harmonics on the 12th fret. Please see the harmonics chapter for more details.

• The guitar should be played from its first to last fret as well, to check for fret buzzing, which is undesirable. Frets buzz when the truss rod in the neck is not properly adjusted, when the saddle or nut is too short, or when the frets are not properly filed down. Sometimes strings also go slack if the guitar hasn't been played in a while.

• Stamp of Inspection. These are usually a good indicator of quality, if the stamp hasn't been forged.

• If you are buying a name brand, read reviews on places like www.amazon.com to foreshadow problems down the road or find problems common to similar types of guitar.

[edit] How to get a guitar you love

• The player's hand must fit comfortably around the neck of the guitar. Almost against reason, a player with smaller hands will likely prefer wider necks, because the wider space between the strings allows more lenience when arching your fingers.
• The guitar should be easy to play, meaning the player can strum and move their hand up and down the neck easily. Often the most common beginner mistake is getting a guitar that is too large or too small.
• Medium action on the frets. Enough to prevent the strings from buzzing, but not so much that the strings feel like they are miles away from the frets. Your strings should be somewhere around a centimeter above the fretboard.
• Check for body and neck damage. Even brand name models can get damaged in shipping, and you should always check the guitar over for cracks, warping and chips.
• Lastly, feel free to play the guitar for a few minutes. Appearances can be deceiving, and most problems will show themselves quickly with a "test drive". If the seller won't allow it, move on.

[edit] Buying the guitar

[edit] Where to buy the guitar

In this day and age guitars are sold by many vendors, and the place you choose to acquire the guitar can be as important as any other choice you make. A good places to look:

• A trusted friend or relative - often a friend or relative who started with a beginner guitar and has since upgraded. If they recommend that guitar and will sell it for a good price then this is ideal. Simply take this guitar to a local music store and have it professionally 'set up'.
• A local guitar or music store that seems to have plenty of satisfied customers. If you can find a deal on a guitar you are comfortable with from a store like this, go for it. If they tell you that they do 'set up' on their guitars before they leave the store then this is a good buying scenario. Look up 'musical instrument retail' in the phone book to find one of these stores. Even a used instrument from a local store can be a good deal.
• Online guitar superstores or mail-order guitars. The major difference between these and a local store is that the player cannot hold the guitar in their hands before they buy it. Just like some tall people cannot comfortably drive a 1990 Honda Civic, some people's hands are bigger than others. Luckily the necks of guitars come in all shapes and sizes. An uncomfortable guitar is less likely to get played, so contact a local music store and try to find a similar guitar to try before you buy. If you must buy without ever seeing the guitar, first verify that the business has a liberal and long (preferably 45-day) return policy, then cross your fingers and order. If the return policy works and the guitar didn't fit, you could send it back for the cost of shipping.

[edit] Buying situations to avoid

Here are some "don'ts". While you may buy a guitar at a very low price, it is easy to get stuck with an unplayable piece of wood.

• Don't buy from a pawn shop (possible undetectable damage, often no refunds)
• Don't buy from any department store (difficult to play, damage easily, don't last, poor sound)
• Be careful buying from eBay (undeclared damage, usually no refunds. Read the sellers ratings.)
• Preferably, don't buy from online shops, unless you can return it in 45 days. Even some very good makes may have some deviations, and even good quality guitars from well established manufacturers may not suit the player no matter how good they sound on paper. Some people prefer wider necks, while some prefer narrows necks, and the only way to know whether the guitar is actually good is to play it yourself.

[edit] What else will you need?

Once you've chosen the guitar there are accessories the dealer will want to sell you. You will probably need:

• Guitar strap to enable the player to play standing up (~$10USD). Make sure that it can be shortened and lengthened appropriately, as some models cannot be short enough for a short person to play, or long enough for a big guy to play.
  • Plastic strap lock (~$2 USD per piece). Washer made out of durable plastic that can be fit over the strap buttons and have the hole shrunken to a smaller diameter, creating enough friction to ensure the strap stays on.
• Some picks (Get at least 5, some thin ones for strumming and some thick ones for playing individual notes.) (~$1; a local store will throw in some for free).
  • Thumb and finger picks: while on a nylon it is not necessarily, on a steel string, finger picking will at best produce a duller sound, and at worst hurt your fingers. A thumbpick is good in that it also frees your hand for other stuff, such as holding the whammy bar or an elbow.
• A guitar stand to set the guitar on when its not being played, or a guitar hanger to hang the guitar on the wall (each $10-$30USD)
• A tuner of some kind - preferably an electronic one with a built-in microphone and guitar cable plug. (~$20USD) Especially important for people without good relative pitch.
• A case or a gig bag - These are protection for the guitar. A Gig Bag ($20-$50USD) is typically a thick padded (1-2" of padding) zipper bag in the shape of the guitar which provides good protection and is necessary to avoid large scrapes and dings, but a gig bag is not suitable for airline transportation. The case ($50-100USD and up) is a hardshell case suitable for greater protection, and one that is ATA-approved even allows you to carry in airplane's cargo hold (make sure it is ATA approved!) If you are fine with the scrapes and dings, and/or you do not plan on transporting the guitar often, a case might not be necessary. Keep in mind that the case helps protect your guitar from sudden temperature and humidity changes, which can harm the wood.
• A string winder — very useful for changing strings. It's cheap (about $1 - 3 USD), so may as well as get one now.
• Fine Polishing cloth; either the one made for polishing guitar, or those used to wipe glasses. Fabric from an old flannel shirt works well too. Be sure to use 100% cotton.

What you don't need:

• You will not immediately need an extra set of strings (~$5USD for acoustic, ~$10USD for electric) at the time of purchase, but strings should be changed about every 2 months or 30 to 40 hours of playing time, or even more often. Old strings will start to lose their tone and become brittle, and they will also show corrosion and discoloration. If you do not live that far away from the guitar shop, it's best to buy them only when needed. However, changing old strings is not an absolute necessity unless they break, so if your budget is tight, don't buy too many packs. Also, the difference between the cheaper and more expensive strings is subtle at best, so as long as it is the right gauge, you are good to go. Some people do not like the sound of new strings, which can be "tinny", but this is a matter of preference.
• You don't need guitar polish. While you should always polish your guitar from time to time, most of the time the polish is mostly water with traces of lemon oil. As long as you have a small spray of water or just a quick dab on the cloth, it's good enough. Besides, what kind of polish is good vary from a tech to another.

Virtually all guitar dealers (like mattress or car dealers) mark up the price of their products. However, their prices are negotiable (consider saying "I've been thinking about this item; what's your best price?"). Most of these accessories (including a gig bag) can be thrown in for free. Just tell a salesperson that you want to buy a guitar, and he will probably start suggesting things he can throw in for free, and if not, you can suggest some accessories yourself. The hardshell case is usually an exception. Don't forget to calculate the sales tax on top of all that. For example, Guitar Center will rarely, if ever, bring down the price for the cheaper goods, but are more than willing to throw in extra accessories with the purchase of a guitar. They will sometimes even offer to set it up for you. Also look for beginner-packs; these include most things a beginner would need to start off with, and you end up saving if you had planned on buying those things separately.

All guitars require some maintenance over time since wood changes with pressures and humidity. However, this does not mean you need a humidifier, unless your guitar is acoustic and quite valuable (and a valuable guitar is probably not best for a beginner anyway).

For an electric guitar, the player has many options when to practice; with a special plug, the player can even plug into a stereo, making amplifier slightly needless. However, it does not sound as good, and if you want to sound like your favorite electric guitarist, an amplifier will obviously be necessary. Buying an electric guitar with no amplifier can be a way to get a good guitar without spending too much at first.

Another good substitute for an amplifier can be playing the guitar through a mixer or computer's sound card (especially a good sound card, like those made by m-audio), and there is some decent guitar effect software available that allow amplifier modeling. Also, as mentioned in buying an amplifier article, you can use a direct box to make amplifier modeling even more accurate. Using these modelers/direct boxes have an additional benefit in that they can also be used with a standard amplifier as an effect unit.

[edit] External links