5 Steps To Buying an Electric Guitar

There’s such a bewildering variety of guitars out there right now, that buying an electric guitar for you can seem daunting.

Before you can think about nailing that intro to “Sweet Child O’Mine,” you need to know what kind of guitar you’re looking for so that it’s the right fit for your hands, body and musical tastes.

If you can do some prep work before making your next or first guitar purchase, you’ll be on your way to sounding like your favourite star in no time…

Step 1 – What Kind of Music do You Like?

Before deciding on what kind of guitar to buy, you’ll need to think about the style of music you want to play, as certain types of electric guitar are better for certain types of music.

Think about your favourite guitarists, the ones you want to emulate and then ask yourself, “What kind of guitar do they play?”

Many manufacturers are creating replicas of the guitars played by innovators such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Van Halen to name but a few.

Some of these instruments are recreated in exact detail, but they can be a bit pricey for a first guitar purchase depending on your budget.

Here’s a quick guide to genres and their matching guitar types.

• If you’re into modern or classic rock then you should look for a solid body guitar.
• If you prefer country rhythms then go for something with single-coil pickups.
• For jazz, choose a semi-hollow body electric with humbucker pickups.

Step 2 – Buying an Electric Guitar Budget

Buying a guitar is like everything in life; you get what you pay for.

It makes sense to spend as much as you can afford when buying a new or first guitar, because think about the amount of hours you’re going spend with this instrument and the amount of money you’ll spend on lessons.

It’s worth it to buy a good quality instrument, but you don’t need to break the bank to get a good guitar in your hands.

Decent electric guitars start around $300 and will be more than sufficient for a first purchase as you venture into the realm of playing guitar.

Step 3 – Visit Your Local Guitar Store

Go to a shop and play some of the guitars that they have hanging on the walls in a variety of shapes, sizes and price ranges, just remember the “No Stairway Rule” when you do.

If you can’t play yet, then get the salesperson to play some for you, they are usually glad to demo a guitar for first-time buyers.

Have a really good listen to the resonance of the guitar and the tone that it produces, because this reflects the quality of the wood used.

However the most expensive woods don’t necessarily produce the best sounds, what matters is whether you like the sound and feel of the instrument.

Once you decide on a guitar, make sure you have the store set it up for you so that it’s in playing shape right from the first minute you get it home and take it out of the case.

Improperly setup guitars are hard to play and cause many first-time buyers to quit the instrument before they ever reach their full potential on the guitar.

Step 4 – The Anatomy

When checking out a new guitar, have a good feel of the neck. The guitar neck has to be the right fit for your hands, because that will dictate how easily you can move from fret to fret.

Also, consider the type of pickups you want if you buy an electric guitar, as most guitars will have two of these, one close to the neck and one close to the bridge.

A switch allows you to choose between pickups or a blend of them and sometimes a third, or middle pickup, is also available on some guitars for more sound blending options.

Step 5 – Go Your Own Way

Finally, and probably most importantly, choose an instrument that fits your personality.

There is so much choice out there in respect to colour, body style, graphic prints and more, so choose one that suits your character.

But, if you’re thinking of buying a guitar with a crazy body shape, then be forewarned that finding a hard case the right size and shape can be tricky.

Also, some wacky shapes have no recess to stop them sliding off your knee, so they can only be played whilst standing.

Buying a first or new best beginner guitar can be a daunting task to say the least. But, if you prepare yourself ahead of time, do a bit of research and take the time to try out a variety of instruments, you can ensure that you make the right purchase for you and your tastes in music.