Buying Your First Acoustic Guitar
While looking for your first acoustic guitar, there are many things to consider.
If you are buying your first guitar, you do not want to spend a ton of money on it, because there is always a chance you may not stick to it. But there is an even greater risk involved.
A new musician can get discouraged easily by an instrument of poor quality. The guitar may not stay in tune long or may not hold a good tune ever. An ear that is new to music will get tired of having to re-tune constantly. This along with other bad traits can make it hard to produce good tone and sound from the guitar.
Since the goal of any musician is to sound good, it is very discouraging to the beginning musician to have a guitar that even a skilled musician can’t get a good sound from. The may loos interest in music all together and that would be a terrible shame.
When buying for a new guitarist I really recommend getting a used guitar for a few reasons.
All wooden instruments sound better over time because the wood matures as the years go by. This includes guitars made of wood. Used instruments will more than likely have some minor asthetic defects like dings or scuffs, but the most important part is the sound quality.
Also used guitars will cost less than their new counter parts. So you can pay less and get a better sounding instrument.
Never buy a guitar from a pawn shop until you really know your stuff. The pawn shop’s goal is to sell the item at the highest possible price with no regard to the actual value. If they know you are a beginner they will take you to the cleaners. Instead, go to craigslist.org or check the local newspapers for local guitars so you can go test them out.
Last but most important is to realize that all acoustic instruments vary in sound, even if they are mass produced. So just because a guitar has a well known name, do not take it to mean it sounds better than another or for that matter good at all. If at all possible take a guitar player with you to test it out for pros and cons.
Your first guitar may change your learning experience for the better or the worse, so make sure to pick the right one.
Tagged with: guitar • guitars • instruments • Music • tips
Filed under: Acoustic Guitar
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