So you finally decided you want to learn how to play the guitar. You can care less about becoming the next musical legend; you just want to get to the fun part as fast as possible. You want to avoid learning all the theory and technical stuff, and only learn the absolutely necessary things to get rocking/jamming… You came to the right place.

This is @acousticbits and I’m here to guide you through this musical journey. Stick around and I promise you will be having fun rocking the guitar in no time. If you want to learn a bit more about myself , you can check my #introducemyself post right HERE.

Let’s get started!

First things first… if you wanna play guitar ,well… you need a guitar! So how do you go about choosing your first acoustic, and what should you be looking for? Should you just pick up anything at the store? The cheapest guitar around? I mean, you are just starting out… so any guitar will do… right? Well , the short answer is no .

In this first Acousticbits Series, I’ll cover the most important aspects of buying your first guitar if you are a complete beginner, and at the end I will give you my #1 pick for first time guitar buyers.

The #1 reason most beginner guitar players quit is because they bought the wrong guitar.

Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for your first axe if you are a complete beginner:

1- Budget
2- Playability
3- Sound / Look

In this post we’ll discuss the first criteria… BUDGET:

Budget #1 ($200 and below)

If your budget is between $0-200…WAIT. Don’t go out and buy the first guitar you can afford. Save a little more money and save yourself some headaches. It might take you a little longer to get your hands on a guitar and start rocking, but trust me… it will be well worth the wait.

Let me explain:

Just as any hobby or passion, playing the guitar is not suited for everyone. As someone just starting out, your main objective is to learn as soon as possible if playing the guitar is something you enjoy and want to pursue forward. You want to waste the least amount of time/money to figure this out, and eliminate factors that might affect your decision for the wrong reasons.

Remember, the #1 reason most beginner guitar players quit is because they bought the wrong guitar. By avoiding those cheap low end, “beginner” guitars, you are putting yourself in a better position to make a decision as to whether you actually enjoy playing guitar.

You might think that spending more is risking more, but in reality this is not the case. If you buy a sub $200 guitar, chances are you won’t be getting a quality guitar. It will sound cheap, it will be hard to play, materials will be crap, and will hold no resale value. All these factors combined will increase the chances of you not wanting to play guitar anymore and just give up… not because of you, but because of the guitar. Avoid this scenario by avoiding cheap, no brand, “startup” guitars.

If you absolutely MUST buy a guitar in this range, use the criteria discussed in the next posts to make a decision.

Budget #2 ($200-$600)

In this range, you will find some decent guitars. Stick with well-known brands and you should be all right. Brands like Taylor, Martin, Gibson, and Ovation , all have great reputations for building quality acoustic guitars. You can find fantastic deals if you don’t mind shopping around a bit and buying used (I’ve bought a used Taylor for $400 once, which retails for about $1000 new). Try to avoid brands that are known for making electric guitars (Brands like Fender, Ibanez, Epiphone, ESP, etc.) You can find some value here, but for simplicity’s sake; stick with the guitar manufacturers that specialize in acoustic instruments.

You might be thinking to yourself… I don’t want to spend that much money! What if I don’t like playing guitar? What if I realize it’s not for me? That’s a lot of money I ‘m loosing… money down the drain!

Don’t worry. As long as you stick with the above mentioned brands, there will always be someone else willing to buy your guitar. You will be able to recoup most (if not all) of your original investment with relative ease.

Budget #3 ($600 and above)

Once again, as long as you stick to the well-known brands for acoustic guitars, you can’t go wrong in this price range…

As a complete beginner, I don’t believe you need any of the added value that comes with more expensive higher end guitars though. Since this guide is for the absolute beginner and first time guitar buyer, I would recommend staying away from guitars priced this high. Of course, if you got the dough, more power to you. Just stick with the general guidelines from the previous tier and use the criteria discussed in the next posts to make a decision.

In the next post, I will be discussing the 2nd most important thing to look at when buying your first acoustic guitar if you are a complete beginner: Playability

Stay tuned!

-@Acoustibits-