In The Beginning...

2009-02-20T19:05:00.007-05:00

And on the seventh day most would like to think God rested... He didn't. He made the guitar. He made it of wood and metal. And saw that it was GOOD! So good that millions of people picked it up or made less cool sounding variations of it! Many people would love to pick up the instrument but they don't know where to begin... Well here is my bold attempt at helping you out!

So you want to play the guitar? Well the first thing you need is... a guitar! There are two types of guitars out there (I'm being broad for the sake of people who don't know much yet) one of which is electric, and the other is acoustic. "Thats great bigboss but which one should I get!?" Well. It depends on the kind of music you like to play! If you like blues, rock, metal or something similar you should probably get an electric! If you like folk music, classical, singer/songwriter you should probably get an acoustic!

So now that you've decided which kind to get you're wondering where to get one. And there are a ton of ways and places to get a guitar.

-Your best bet will always be places like Guitar Center, Sam Ash, and other dedicated music stores. The employees are knowledgeable and (usually) helpful. These places also usually offer bundles made for the beginning guitar player that also comes with useful accesories such as a tuner, a bag, some cleaning materials, strings, picks, and if you're getting an electric an amp with cables. You can also haggle them into a deal sometimes if you're good enough.
-If you can't go to a place like this your options drop off pretty quickly. You could go to Walmart or Target. Once again they will probably carry those bundle packs... But the quality of the instrument will drop off severly. Despite this it is CHEAP. Which is good with the economy as it is right now...
-You could do some internet shopping. My personal favorite website for this is www.musiciansfriend.com. This allows you to read user reviews and things of that nature. However you don't get to actually talk to anyone in person who knows about the instrument.
-If worst comes to worst you could check out a pawn shop. Sometimes you can find a great deal in a place like this! But you also run the risk of getting talked into a crappy deal because you're not informed. Be very careful here. I've been to a few pawn shops and people will just straight up LIE to your face about stuff. Even if you know what you're talking about!

So now you know whether or not you want an acoustic or an electric. You also have an idea of where to purchase it. Now you want to know how much is it gonna cost me? Well. As a great music proffesor of mine once told me: In the music industry you get what you pay for. PERIOD. If you spend a good bit of money you'll get a quality product. If you spend as little as possible you'll get a piece of junk. The moral of the story is that you should invest an amount of money equal to the drive you have and the time you'll put into getting better at guitar!
As a general estimate I would say expect to pay $100-250 depending on where/what you buy.

Just like any other industry there are a lot of brands of guitar. Most people know about Fender and Gibson. They're the two tanks. But there are a lot more companies that give you some great value for your money due to the fact you aren't paying for a name (like Fender and Gibson). I'll list a few companies that will offer some good deals on a bundle, or a single instrument if you're adventurous enough to buy the other gear on your own.

Electric

Ibanez- Offers several bundles that I'm aware of and some great mid range quality instruments. These guitar look sharp and have some really great necks once you move up in the price! Ibanez tends to be tailored more towards rock and metal guitar players.
Epiphone- The sister brand of Gibson! These guitars will look a lot like your favorite Gibson models but contain some different hardware and be made of different woods. They offer several bundles and some cheaper single models. I own an epiphone and can personally attest to the quality of the instrument. They look great and they play great too!
Squire- The sister brand of Fender! Once again these will mostly resemble the fender stratocaster in appaerance. This is one of the most common starter guitars I've seen, and even though I'm not a Fender fan you can't really go wrong here. They have bundles and single guitars. If you don't want the bundle get a Squire guitar and a cheap fender amp for some decent tone!

Acoustic- I'm mostly an electric player but I know a few brands to check out!

Fender- You can't go wrong with Fender... pretty much ever.
Takamine- A well appreciated brand at any level of price!
Yamaha- One of the better selling acoustic guitars that I've seen at the beginner level.
Ibanez- Once again, value, value, and more value! A good friend of mine recently purchased a starter Ibanez and I love to jam on it!

So here it is. My first post on getting started on purchasing a guitar! Later I'll talk about lessons and things of that nature!

Feel free to post with questions/criticisms! Just keep it clean ;)

All Things Guitar!

In The Beginning...