June 7, 2011. Paul Hixon
credit: Ethan HeinThere’s no more versatile instrument than the guitar. Once you’ve gained some proficiency with the basics of guitar playing, you’ll have access to an amazing variety of musical styles and artistic genres. If each type of instrument is its own language, guitar is “spoken” in many countries and in nearly every style of music in the developed world. If you’re beginning to teach yourself guitar, you’re in for a great ride.
If you’re just beginning your guitar playing career, and are looking at cheap guitars to get you going, there are a few considerations that you should weigh as you begin your shopping process. While budget is always a factor, it is paramount that you buy an instrument of sufficient quality so that your learning experience won’t be slowed down by adverse guitar characteristics.
Cheap guitars are inexpensive largely because their manufacturing tolerances aren’t all that tight, meaning that guitars of the same model and type produced by any given manufacturer will have variable quality characteristics. One guitar may not stay in tune properly, while the identical-looking guitar next to it on the music store rack may hold its tune nearly perfectly. Because of this variation, it’s not enough just to select the make and model of guitar that you want to buy. You should individually select your guitar to make sure that you’re getting the quality you need.
Guitar suitability also relates to comfort, which gets down into the design and manufacturing details such as guitar neck radius, guitar body size, shape, and weight, and even the guitar straps in use. Don’t just play your future guitar once, for a few minutes, before making a purchase. You’ll want to spend at least 30 minutes playing at the guitar store before you commit to buying an instrument. This is generally long enough to discover any areas of discomfort caused by the guitar, and will help make sure you choose a comfortable instrument.
Updated June 7, 2011. Published April 24, 2011. Paul Hixon
