How much should i spend?

As a complete beginner, buy something relatively inexpensive and make sure it feels comfortable.

You don’t want to spend too much to realise you’d only practise once, but be sure to spend enough so the tone sounds half decent; a $100 (£65-ish)  guitar will get you a very basic piece of wood, but streching to $200-$300 (£135-ish) , will ensure there is some build quality to your guitar.

So what should i check for when buying?

String height: Make sure the action* on the frets are low, as there’s nothing worse than learning the guitar with a high action. It’s tough enough on your hands and fingers, having to press down on the strings really hard and can turn beginners off practising those first few chords / twangs.

*Action is the name of the distance between the strings and the frets. Higher action (within reason) gives you better tone, but makes it harder to play. The same goes for strings. The heavier, the better tone wise, but they are harder to play.

However, some people believe in buying their first guitars with a high action, as it makes you play the right way and increases calluses and strength in your fingers.

Guitar Neck: You want to make sure the neck is bent the correct amount. To do this, try playing all the notes on both E strings *without* using an amp, and listen for buzzes.

Next, try notes on ALL parts of the fretboard; sometimes there will be dead notes on the higher end that you won’t find until later if you’re not careful.

Electronics: Try testing the guitar WITH an amp (be wary of anyone selling an electric guitar who claims to not have an amp). Best practise, is to take a friend who knows about guitars to check it out with you. Toggle the pickups (by flipping that little knob that looks like a light switch) and make sure it sounds good in EVERY position.

Summary: Make sure you do the following before purchasing:

  • Check out musiciansfriend.com or pmtonline.co.uk for general price guides and make sure you are not paying anywhere close to retail price for used gear.
  • The main things that go wrong with guitars are the neck gets twisted, and the electronics go bad.
  • A used beginner guitar should cost no more than $300. (Less than that really)
  • Pick something that feels good in your hands
  • Ask the seller to play something for you. That way you’ll see if it feels right to him, and if he can make it sound good to you
  • Go to a Guitar Center shop with a guitar playing friend, and buy one.  You can save youself a lot of grief in the long run
  • Be wary of purchasing a guitar online!

Good Luck and happy strumming :)