Choosing the Perfect Guitar: A Comprehensive Buyer's Guide

Choosing the perfect guitar can be an exciting yet daunting task, especially for beginners. With a myriad of options available, it's essential to understand what to look for to find the guitar that suits your needs and preferences. This comprehensive buyer's guide will walk you through the essential factors to consider when choosing the perfect guitar.

Types of Guitars

The first step in choosing the perfect guitar is to understand the different types available and their unique characteristics.

Acoustic Guitars

Acoustic guitars are versatile and suitable for a wide range of music genres. They are characterized by their hollow bodies, which amplify the sound naturally.

Electric Guitars

Electric guitars require an amplifier to produce sound. They are favored in rock, metal, and jazz music for their ability to produce a wide range of tones and effects.

Classical Guitars

Classical guitars use nylon strings and are primarily used for classical and flamenco music. They have a warmer, softer sound compared to steel-string guitars.

Choosing the Right Size

Guitars come in various sizes to accommodate different body types and age groups. A quick guide: 1/4 Size (ages 4-6), 1/2 Size (ages 6-9), 3/4 Size (ages 9-12), and Full Size for teenagers and adults.

Beyond the Specs: A Personal Approach to Choosing

Does your guitar define the style of music you play? New guitar players often believe they should purchase a guitar purely on genre. The belief of purchasing a Fender for blues or a Gibson for hard rock does not work for everyone. Every guitar player has fallen for the fallacy at one point or another to buy the guitar of the musician he or she idolizes.

My First Mistake: Buying for the Idol

I have had two experiences of this fallacy. When I was 16 and first fell in love with the band Trivium, both lead and rhythm guitarists played Dean Razorback guitars. I worked all summer saving up a significant amount of money to eventually buy the guitar. I was so excited because I would be just like my idol in my eyes….

After a while, the mechanical parts like the Floyd Rose bridge and the locking nut became a hassle. I learned these mechanics made it difficult to change tuning or strings. This inexperience grew resentment for my purchase. The trouble of changing tunings and problems restringing led me to eventually trade this guitar in for something more conventional. This purchase seemed like a bust at first, but I’ve grown to learn from my experience. I learned what features I don’t like and what I would keep or change.

Aside from my horror story, Dean Razorbacks are good guitars and I don’t want to sway anyone who likes them away from them.

My Second (and Wiser) Choice: Buying for the Feel

My second experience came later when I fell in love with Alter Bridge and Mark Tremonti, who plays PRS guitars. I made a better choice to try out all the PRS guitars in all the local stores before I made the decision to save up for this guitar.

I chose this model of guitar based on the requirements of feel and ease of play. I found myself returning to this brand of guitar over and over again because the feel of the neck and the weight of the body was appealing to me! I wanted a guitar I would continuously pick up again and again, making playing a fun experience every time! I was way more satisfied with this purchase because I did my due diligence and found out ahead of time what I liked and what I was comfortable with.

A Process for Your Next Purchase

From this experience, I think I’ve made the purchasing process easier for myself. I would like to lay out the process I go through and suggest for my students when they’re looking to purchase new equipment.

• Test out all kinds of guitars… What brands do you find yourself consistently picking up? Is it comfortable to play or hold?
• Does it have the hardware you're looking for? Is the action too high or too low? Does it have a fixed bridge or a floating/tremolo bridge? I can’t list all the options but trying out all the different kinds of guitars you’ll experience a combination of mechanical features.
• Does the price make sense for your level of play? I know too many people who have purchased off-brand guitars from non-music stores. I have a hard time playing a cheap guitar and sounding good; it’ll be really hard for you to do the same. The opposite applies as well. I do not recommend a student purchase a really expensive guitar because it won’t sound any different from a mid-tier guitar in the beginning, plus it will ruin the value of the instrument. When you start with a $3,000 guitar where do you go from there on your next purchase? I think of it like purchasing a car… would you purchase a luxury model at 16 and be spoiled from the beginning?

Conclusion

These steps should lead you down the path to purchase an instrument you will be happy with for the long term and make your guitar playing enjoyable.