Guitar Buying Advice

Here's another decent guide to guitar purchasing. The author has some pretty good tips. Check it out.

How to Buy a New Guitar

By: Peter Lenkefi

So, you want to know how to buy a new guitar. Whether you are
just learning to play the guitar or you've been playing for some
time, choosing to buy a new guitar can be one of the most
exciting experiences.

You will soon learn that people have their own opinions about
the type of new guitar to buy. You will need to consider what is
important to you. In addition, learning how to buy a new guitar
is similar to buying a new pair of shoes. They are better once
they have been used a bit.

In guitar terms, they need to have a good "setup."

There are essentially three types of guitars on the market:
electric, acoustic, and classical. You can also find acoustic
guitars that have pickups. These are properly called
acoustic-electric guitars.

If you're are just learning to play the guitar you may be
interested in purchasing a brand new guitar instead of a used
one. You may think that there is much more trouble associated
with purchasing a used guitar.

You shouldn't have to worry about the general condition, but
there are some tips for how to buy a new guitar that can save
you a headache and point you in the right direction.

Getting Your Money's Worth

One aspect of new guitars that you will learn quickly---they're
not cheap. As with anything you buy, the highest price doesn't
necessarily correspond to the best. When you are considering how
to buy a new guitar, the best deal that you want to secure is
one where you get a quality guitar with the lowest prices
possible. Quality in terms of the guitar relate to its
construction and tone.

When you look at the construction, notice the wood that is used.
Inspect the entire guitar and look for peeling or chipping. Also
look closely to notice the shape of the guitars. Guitars are
typically kept in storage areas.

If a guitar spends a significant amount of time in such an area,
it is very possible that the wood may become affected so that
the instrument loses its shape. Now that you are learning how to
buy a new guitar, you will be able to tell the difference in a
new guitar that is worth its price tag and one that is not.

Checking the Action

If there is one aspect of guitars that separate them from each
other, it's tone. Another tip for how to buy a new guitar is to
refrain from judging a guitar simply by its looks alone. You
need to take it down from the shelf and listen to its tone. If
you are just learning to play, you don't have to worry that you
don't know enough to test out the tone. You can tell if a guitar
has good tone by simply strumming a few strings on it. Action is
an important thing to check as well.

Action refers to the amount of space between the strings and the
fretboard.

When you play a note, you have to press down on the strings so
that they touch the fretboard. If there is too much space
between the string and the fretboard, the action is considered
high. If there is very little space between the two, the action
is considered low. Either extreme can affect your guitar
playing. You want to aim for an action that is somewhere in the
middle.

The tips presented here are only a few to show you how to buy a
new guitar. The more time you spend talking to other guitar
enthusiasts you will learn more about new guitars.

About the author:
For more more information about buying a new guitar please visit
http://www.guitar-directory.net