Buying Your First GuitarAcoustic or electric? Many students start on acoustic guitar because acoustics can be found in lower price ranges and don't need an amp. The mindset is: "I'll go the cheapest route possible until I see if I'm going to stick with it, then upgrade later." That theory works well for many students who do begin to learn on acoustic then switch to either a better acoustic or electric after a few months. For some, it's a disaster (see "Playability" below). Note that electrics can be played without an amp if necessary (you'll hear it quite well, it just won't be loud). And due to technological advances in production techniques, it's no longer necessary to pay three or four hundred dollars to get a decent, playable electric. So choose the type of guitar, acoustic or electric, based on the type of music you ultimately wish to play, not on price. Playability We've seen a number of students try to learn on hand-me-down guitars and cheap acoustics with action (string height) so high that every attempt to play a chord was a test of physical strength. Struggling against a cheaply made instrument makes learning unfun quickly. Even some electrics look great, but are hard to play and most new students aren't qualified to determine what is playable. Most salespeople in local stores seem to be more interested in closing a sale than in truly helping the customer find the right instrument. At Listen Again Music, mindful that many of our customers are new students, we only sell guitars that are easy to play. Models or brands that have higher than normal action or are difficult to play barre chords and closed scales on don't make it onto our site. What makes one guitar cost more than another? They all look pretty don't they? And they don't appear to be radically different, so why does one guitar cost several times more than another? The quick answer is: construction, parts, woods, and marketing costs. The construction of the guitar is a huge factor because labor cost is the most expensive production element. For example, a dovetail joint is the best way to join an acoustic guitar neck to the body but it's more time consuming to install. A simple one coat laquer finish can be done faster than a multiple coat paint job. Part costs vary widely. An EMG pickup costs the manufacturer more than a generic pickup. And some guitars have three pickups! Woods vary widely in price. Maple, although it is a very good tone wood, is cheaper than mahogany. Mahogany laminated onto a cheaper wood is less expensive than a piece of solid mahogany. Every part on every guitar can be constructed with parts, materials, and construction techniques varying from the cheapest possible to the most costly. Some custom guitars are made entirely by hand, driving the price up into the thousands. Many lesser known guitars are the very same guitar sold by a name brand manufacturer under a different model number. The only thing that changes is the name on the headstock and the price. Because they put more money into marketing/advertising and also have higher markups for dealers, the name brands have to recover those costs in the dealer net price. Super high end guitars (in the $800 to $3,000 range) tend to "sit on the shelf" longer than most and therefore have additional costs built in to the price. (in effect, you're paying more "rent"). At Listen Again Music, you get real value for every dollar spent. What to avoid High action, as discussed above, is definitely something to avoid. Cheap tuners are another. You can't play well if you're constantly out of tune. Tuners made of cheap pot metal are the worst. Some pot metal tuners can actually start to fall apart within a month or two. All of the guitars at www.listenagainmusic.com have decent quality tuners and the Johnson, AXL, and Stephen Price lines feature Gotoh, Grovers, or similar quality tuners. Bowed or warped necks are a third deal killer. If you install a capo at fret one of a guitar and fret the low E string at fret 17, there should be a very small gap at fret 9, about .10". If that isn't the case, you must adjust the truss rod in the neck. Since some guitars do not have a truss rod, the guitar will never play properly. All of the electrics sold by Listen Again Music.com have a truss rod and we pack an adjusting tool right in the box when your guitar ships. All of our acoustics except the sub-$100 models have truss rods also. Every guitar, regardless of price, is checked for both neck straightness and proper intonation. prior to shipping. Is a case or bag necessary? "I'm not taking my guitar out of my house. Do I really need a case?" Wood is warped by excessive humidity and can crack from excessive dryness, especially if the moisture content of the air changes quickly. Rapid temperature changes can cause cracks and warping also. No warranty covers this type of damage. Keeping your guitar in a case or even a gig bag when not in use helps limit the speed of moisture and temperature changes. A Herco humidifier (sold in the accessories area of this site) can solve the dryness problem entirely. If you'll be transporting the guitar, you should have a case anyway in order to prevent scratches, broken necks and knobs and other mishaps. Price range? Buy the best instrument you can afford. In general, the higher the price, the better the quality. If it doesn't work out, you can always sell the instrument. And you can return any instrument purchased at Listen Again Music for an exchange or refund of the purchase price. |