Okay, so you’re looking for guitars for beginners and you don’t know which one to buy. You can search the Internet and visit a local instrument store, but the task of finding the perfect fist guitar doesn’t get any easier. In fact, the multitude of choices may make it even more difficult. You find yourself buried deep in a sea of guitars and they all look pretty darn good to you, right? Of course, unless you have unlimited funds, you’ll be able to eliminate some of them right away. Now all you have to do is choose from the options you can afford. There are still a lot of possibilities.
While it isn’t necessary to have a high-end guitar when you’re starting out, you certainly won’t get far playing a $100 instrument. They may look the part, but when you look under the hood you’ll find poor tone, warped necks, and low-quality electronics that’ll make learning to play guitar frustrating and nearly impossible. Guitars for beginners can be had for between $250 to $500. This range is flexible, but generally speaking, expect to pay at least somewhere in this price range if you want a good starting guitar.
Epiphone (owned by Gibson) and Squire (owned by Fender) offer a wide range of guitars for beginners. Their guitars are more affordable versions of classic guitars, made with good tone woods, decent electronics, and craftsmanship. Epiphone has a great selection of both electric and acoustic guitars for beginners. You can get a very nice Epiphone Les Paul in the price range I mentioned and be confident you’ll have a guitar you can learn on and get lots of use out of for years. Of course, these two brands are at the top end of the price range mentioned, but well worth it if you have the money.
Other decent starting guitars include Yamaha, Ibanez, and Takamine. Stay away from no-name guitars regardless of how good they look. You want a beginning guitar you won’t outgrow and one that you can actually play. Don’t mistake “affordable” or “cheap” for descriptions that mean you’re getting a good beginning guitar. If you don’t have the money for a good beginning guitar, take a little extra time to save up until you do, and be sure to play before you buy if at all possible.
There are a number of places to get your hands on good guitars for beginners, both electric and acoustic. A local instrument shop is ideal because you can play and you’ve got the experience of the employees to help form you buying decision. Alternatively, you can find some extremely good deals on “name” instruments at online sites like eBay. Be careful when you’re purchasing through classified ads, particularly if you can’t meet up and play the guitar before you buy it.
