Buying your guitar
Probably the most influencing factor in whether you become a guitarist
or not is the quality of the first instrument you own. Nothing
turns a beginner off quicker that a crappy instrument that is difficult,
if not downright painful, to play. It's almost impossible to progress
if you're hindered by an guitar that, for example, buzzes at certain
frets, or whose intonation is out (meaning it will never be able
to be tuned), or whose action is so high that it hurts to make
a chord.
If at all possible, take some one with you to the store who knows
about guitars. Remember, the salesman has his own reasons as to
why you should purchase either this or that guitar. Don't jump
into anything and shop around. Hopefully, you will already have
played at least a bit on a friend's instrument , and you'll have
an idea of what you're after.
Here are some things to consider.
Price. You don't have to spend a fortune in this day and age to
buy a very good instrument. If you're following my suggestion that
you begin on a nylon string guitar, a few hundred dollars will
buy you a fine instrument to start out on. The more you can afford,
of course, the better guitar you'll take home with you. Remember,
the better the instrument, the longer you'll have it. The first
good guitar I bought (A Swedish-made Goya Nylon string) in 1967,
is still with me, leaning up against the wall as I write.
Brand. Don't worry too much about brand. Guitars are very individual.
You can find a gem of a guitar of unknown brand, and
conversely a dog of a well know brand. This is one of the
least important
factors to consider.
Workmanship. I'm not talking about an expert opinion
here, I mean look for obvious flaws, like: jagged
edged frets,
poor finish,
tuning pegs that don't turn properly etc.
Straight neck. It's easy enough to sight down the length
of the neck. It should be dead straight*. If you see
any kind
of bowing,
twisting or warping, forget it.
Action. A word used to describe the distance that
the strings are from the fretboard. This can be adjusted to a
degree, but guitars
with very high action should be rejected.
Tone. The guitar should ring when you strike a
note and it should take a while for the note to fade. Brand
new guitars
in the
shop should have new strings on them., so if
they don't ring, or the
note dies away quickly or suddenly, forget it.
You'll probably never get it to sound good.
Playability. The most important factor of all. Even
if you know very little about playing, does it
feel good
in your
hands? Can
you slide your hand up and down the neck without
feeling any nasties -- like fret edges or rough finish?
Can you get some
kind of vibe
for it? Could this guitar become your friend?
*in fact, the neck should have an infinitesimal dip
to it, but so slight as to be unnoticeable.
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