I’m Want To Buy A Guitar – I Am An Average Player – What Shall I Look For When Buying A Guitar?
Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at
4:33 pm
What features should I look for? Any warning signs?
Tagged with: Average • Buying • Guitar • Look • Player • Shall • Want • What • When
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Q&A
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What sort of guitar are we talking about?
If electric, then I pass. If acoustic (classical or folk) then:
Go to a good specialist shop. A general music shop is unlikely to have the wide choice you need. Be quite clear before you go in what price range you are looking at; this is essential information for the shop staff when trying to help you. Be prepared to try as many instruments as it takes before you settle on one. Never rush choosing a friend – least of all this one.
Test for resonance. Tap the box sharply with a fingertip and listen for long-lasting resonance. This is probably the most important test of all. The difference between a good and a less good guitar is in the woodwork more than anything else.
Test for accurate tuning (placing of frets). Try a few scales – diatonic, chromatic, modal. Listen carefully. If your ear isn’t that good, use an electronic tuner to check that the instrument is in tune with itself.
Look at the tuning head. Try the tuning pegs this way & that – any play or sloppiness means that the instrument might not stand well in tune.
Ignore the strings. It is so cheap to replace them with your own choice that the tone & response of the ones provided is irrelevant – this is why you check the resonance by tapping the box, not actually playing.
Finally, when you think you have chosen, settle in your playing position and play for a while. Choosing an instrument is like choosing a wife: one might be splendid in itself, but still not feel comfortable or be the one for you, so take your time and decide whether you will be able to work well in double harness with the one in your hands.
Good luck!
Buying a guitar is a personal thing. The reason there are so many brands and models is that there are so many different guitarists with different tastes and styles. So you need to know how to find the right guitar for you.
Go to a really good music store that has lots of different brands and try out all of the ones in your price range–and also some that are a little above your price range. Take along a knowledgeable friend if you have one.
Even if you don’t know how to play well, you can get a sense of how the guitar feels–and feel is important, you will enjoy playing much more if your left hand loves being wrapped around the neck, if your right arm drapes comfortable over the body, if your left fingers can reach all strings easily and your right hand naturally comes down on the strings near the center of the body, where you want to hit them.
With electric guitars, the tone you get will depend on amp-speaker, effects, and pickups. You can replace pickups and the others are separate, so once you know several makes and models of electric that feel right, you should start shopping for price. Look back at that music store and at others in town, they eventually have a sale. Consider used instruments, especially if they come with a warranty or if it’s so cheap you will have enough cash to take it in to the music store and have a professional adjust it. Shop online.
Now get the friend or a sales clerk to play each feel-good guitar (same tunes on each) while you turn your back–the ones that sound best then are the ones you want. Now, acoustics are not absolutely consistent–two guitars of exactly the same model will sound different due to variability in wood grain, manufacturing tolerances, and other factors. So the one that sounds good is the very one you want–the display model–don’t accept “new in box from the storeroom” because it may not sound as good.
An Ibanez, then practce a lot ! and you won’t be average anymore…try some Sanish classical, that goes down well.
I am interested in learning how to play the guitar too, but I have no idea what to look for. I would suggest for you to ask a sales associate at the store.
Hi, One with all the stringsually six. with a pickup as there not much good without one and some of those little knobs you turn at the one end could come in handy. and deffinatly you need somewhere to plut in your amp I think that’s about it ho U will need a bit of plastic as you can hurt your fingers twanging the strings and that’s about it really.
Hope this help’s
Dr K.I.A.