You`ve made the decision to learn guitar, so the first thing you need is, obviously, a guitar but what kind?

The decision between buying an acoustic and an electric guitar might be decided by the kind of music you`re aiming to play. There`s no point investing in an acoustic when really you want to be rocking it out with an electric.

Acoustic guitars are typically more suitable for classical and folk music and are generally less expensive and more portable than electric guitars which need cables and an amp to function to their full ability. If you`re not entirely sure of your musical direction, acoustic guitars are the easiest for beginners to learn on, if more difficult to play than an electric.

The bonus of learning on acoustic is if you do feel the need to move onto an electric, it`ll seem much easier to play and, as you`ll probably be really bad when you start out, you won`t be disturbing the neighbours with bad, loud electric guitar every evening while you improve either.

The most important thing of all of course when choosing a guitar is how it plays, never buy without trying it out because you can tell a lot simply by its feel and performance. You want to feel the possibilities of your instrument, but if you`re a beginner it can be difficult to tell much at all, so take along a more experienced guitar playing friend to have a go too.

Often your decision on what guitar to buy is going to be ruled by the budget you have available to spend and you can spend anything between £100 and a £1000 and even more for a guitar. Generally you get what you pay for but there`s a couple of tips of things to look out for that will indicate how well built your chosen instrument is whatever its price. Check on its ability to stay in tune, how the frets sit on the neck; check what it`s made of and who it`s made by.

Above all, do your research on the names, makes and models you`re interested in. Guitars have a variety of body styles (some of them purely aesthetic), pick-ups, bridge and neck joints and they`re made from a huge variety of different woods.

So now, you`ve done your research, you know what you`re looking for and you know what you have to spend, take yourself off for an extensively stocked music shop like Dawsons Music with a more experienced guitar playing friend at your side and explore the possibilities.

image credit – kenarroni 

image credit- Thomas Brownell

image credit – suvajack