Choosing your first guitar can be rather daunting, and there are a few considerations you should take into account before parting with your hard earned cash as the wrong instrument can lead to frustration and in turn a unplayed investment.
Follow these simple steps and you too can turn a passing interest into a lifelong love affair!
Question 1: What Style of Music Do You Listen To?
While most musicians inadvertently develop their own style that is often far removed removed from their greatest influence, if you tend to listen to one style of music there is not much point in buying a guitar suited to a completely different genre. It may sound amazing, but there is no point buying an 8 String Ibanez Guitar with locking Tremolo if you really love listening to Classical Guitar and hope to some day play in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra!
The first decision to make is what style to do listen to, and therefore what style are you most likely to play. Pay attention to your favourite bands and find out what they play. This will give you a good starting point for a tone reference, and although you may not be able to afford Jimi Hendrix's or Jack White's guitar rig right now you will at least have a good starting point. If you have many musical influences it may be best to start with a fairly mainstream instrument (such as a Stratocaster or Les Paul Style guitar) as they tend to be easier to sell if you decide it is not for you.
Question 2: Is Portability More Important Than Versatility?
If you think you are likely to drag your guitar around everywhere and you like the thought of just strumming and singing a few tunes then an acoustic guitar could be a good starting point. If you are hoping to play for small audiences such as kids, campfires or solely for your own enjoyment then these are also valid reasons for choosing an acoustic.
It is important to remember though that without investing a great deal on your acoustic it can be difficult to get an accurate representation of the acoustic sound when running through an amplifier or PA- so when road testing your instrument don't forget to plug in and let your ears be the judge.
If you hope to play a wide variety of tunes (or solely rock or metal) then an electric would be the best place to start. The variety of sound at your fingertips (and feet) is immense, and the ability to play any style with the right guitar choice will assure you of a busy gig life and a lifetime of musical exploration. The downside for some is the amount of gear required to lug around to each show, but for others this is part of the enjoyment.
Having said all that, question one may have already dictated the answer here- there may be no point spending big money on a high end classical guitar if you intend to only play Dillinger Escape Plan covers!
Electric guitars are undeniably more playable than steel-string acoustic guitars. If you are planning on playing in a wedding band (or any other group which play extended sets), an electric guitar will give you greater comfort to both your fingers and your posture. If you aim to become a metal shredder, an acoustic guitar is not the choice for this.
However, if you are planning on strumming a few chords and wish to just be able to plug straight into the PA or stand in front of a mike than an acoustic will be a better choice. A nylon string (or classical) acoustic is both playable and portable, but are not as bright or generally as loud as a steel string. They can however be quite inexpensive and is often a good starting point for a young player who is prone to trying out a variety of hobbies!
Question 4: Is the Brand Name More Important Than Quality?
This is the biggest trap for starting musicians. All brand names have 'entry level' brands that are low cost and low quality. Unfortunately these brands are often funding a large corporate organisation and while there are gems to be found, there are also some absolute dogs which some unscrupulous retailers will happily off-load onto the unitiated. Fender have the Squier Brand, Gibson have Epiphone, PRS have the SE range and ESP have LTD. The easiest way to decipher the quality with these brands is the price point. I have a list below of guitars in the 'beginner' price brackets based on my years of research and window shopping- this list is completely subjective and ultimately there is no substitute for the guitar that sounds perfect to your ears!
Electric Guitar Guide, Below $600
Hands down for the money I believe the best guitars in this range are the "Vintage" branded intruments. Developed by Trev Wilkinson, his philosophy is simple: to make quality instruments completely affordable. The quality of the hardware actually makes these very worthwhile (for the cheaper VS range it is cheaper to buy a new guitar than buy a set of Wilkinson pick-ups and tremelo). The Vintage Guitars have a range of instruments to suit your style, with Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, SG and Hollowbody instruments in their range.
The Vintage instruments are the only brand I would consider safe to spend $300-$400 on and be confident you will receive a quality instrument.
At the $600 end of the spectrum it is worth considering the Epiphone range. These are good instruments in their own right, the finish is polyurethane (far less expensive than the Nitrocellulose finish used by Gibson) and the components are Gibson endorsed and if set-up well can be a good quality long term instrument. If you are not a confident player take an experienced friend with you to road test it first. Recent history has proven different, but in the past both Gibson and Epiphone have been known to distribute instruments with lower standard quality and finish.
For the metal fans LTD and Dean are brands worth a looking at, but again you will need to spend around the $600 mark to get quality, avoid the $300-$400 instruments as they will become a frustration for you later on. I personally would seriously consider anything out of the PRS SE range- which are available here in Australia at your local JB Hi-Fi.
Many people ask me about Squier. My opinion is although they make some interesting guitars, unless you know exactly what you are looking at I would walk past them as in my experience the lower quality instruments outnumber the quality ones.
Electric Guitar Guide, over $700
At the bottom of this range I would without a doubt include the Made in Mexico (MiM) Fender guitars. Great value for money, you have the benefit of the Fender brand and they have a few tonal differences that I believe are better than the Made in USA Fenders. You also have the luxury of a wide variety of models in the MiM range.
Trevor Wilkinson's Vintage Instruments are ridiculously good value in this price range. The Lemon Drop (Les Paul Style), Thomas Blug (relic'd Stratocaster) and Slash Models are incredibly good value, the Slash Model looking and playing very similar to a Les Paul six times the price. The Vintage Hollowbodys also come into this price point and are worth looking into as well.
Speaking of Hollowbodies, the Epiphone Casino is great value at around $1,200 and is an incredibly versatile instrument. Worth looking into if Classic Rock is your thing, or you want a bright clean sound, jazz chords or even some mid-gain pop-punk.
Metal Players are easily satisfied in this price range with worthwhile offerings by Schecter, Ibanez, LTD/ESP and Dean.
Acoustic Guitar Guide, below $400
There are a great number of Asian acoustics in this price range, in my view the ones worth looking at are Epiphone, Washburn and Cort. The main variation in this range seems to be the quality of piezo pick-ups (where fitted), so be sure to play both unplugged and plug before taking the instrument home. Most of the instruments in this range seem to vary in price due to the finish quality and whether there is a cutaway.
Acoustic Guitar Guide, $400- $700
Again, the best way to select these in this range are to use your ears as there is a great variance between manufacturers and styles (even serial numbers with a particular Australian manufacturer!). If you cannot play, someone at the store should be able to run through a few different models to choose from. Remember to listen to them plugged in as well as unplugged. The instruments I would be leaning towards in this price range are Lag, Cort, Tanglewood and Yamaha.
Acoustic Guitars, over $700
Like all instruments, you can spend as much as you can conceive on an acoustic guitar. As a beginner, if you are looking to spend over $700 it is best to lean towards a major brand as the instrument is less likely to depreciate as severely. The brands closer to $700 than $4,000 that I would tend towards are Taylor, Takamine, Fender and Martin. Some guitars such as Maton have pick-ups that combine both a microphone and a piezo, so its best to (again) plug into an amp and compare each choice before making a final decision.
Notes on Finish at the Finish....
When buying an entry level instrument it is important to note that how the instrument is finished will determine not only how it sounds, but how nicely it is played. A guitar with excellent components but garbage strings and a high action will feel terrible when compared to a cheaply built name brand guitar with an excellent set-up, so sometimes its important to look past the initial appearance. Also most guitars improve with age- in fact many tone junkies (including Gibson representatives) say that a guitar less than 5 years old has not settled into its tone yet so it may be worth either considering the second hand market. The main factor behind this is that the guitar's finish does not completely set (polyurethane finish just settles), and as the timbers acclimatise they continue to breathe and tonally change. Nitrocellulose never hardens, and some will argue (especially Gibson) that because of this they only ever improve with age.
Bearing all this in mind, sometimes all an average feeling guitar needs are some great quality strings (I love and use Elixir), a good oiling with guitar nourishing oil and a proper set-up to make it play exceptionally.
So now that you're armed with this information, where to shop? These three retailers are the most down-to-earth guys I've met and are extraordinarily helpful. They all ship Australia wide which can be a good option for your first guitar (the only time I would buy a guitar sight unseen).
Cranbourne Music, Cranbourne, Blackburn and Melbourne VIC. www.cranbournemusic.com.au
Pony Music, Hallam VIC www.ponymusic.com.au
Five Star Music, Ringwood VIC www.fivestarmusic.com.au
Rock on and Stay Awesome!
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