Lesson 1- How To Choose A Guitar
Choosing The Best Beginners Guitar
Whether you’re playing Rock, Country, Classical or Jazz….
Here’s what you’ll need to know ..
It’s very important that you pick a guitar that is going to work for the type of music you want to play. Here we will take a look at most of the genre’s of music and lay out for you some recommended guitars for what you want to achieve in your guitar playing….
I would stick to the major brands when purchasing a guitar. The reputation of the brand is very important for quality and resale value. These major brands also have guitars that can be manufactured outside of the US for a much cheaper price that don’t compromise quality.
THE GUITARS RECOMMENDED BELOW ARE THE LEAST EXPENSIVE OF THE MAJOR MODELS AND ARE NOT MADE IN THE USA. GREAT FOR STARTING OUT.
Rock
If you’re interest is in rock and roll, then you’re going to want an electric guitar. Pay mind though; you will also have to purchase an amplifier and distortion pedal(I’ll go into those in another post) Here are the Guitars I recommend for Rock. Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul or if you’re playing METAL… Ibanez or Dean
Metal
Classical
(Excellent Guitar For Beginners)
this is a very different type of guitar. One that is also excellent for beginners since the strings are nylon which won’t hurt your fingers as much while you’re learning. This guitar is mostly picked with your individual fingers. I would recommend a Yamaha for starting out. Again! An excellent guitar for beginners. Good classical guitars can be quite expensive for higher quality.
Country/Folk
If your interest is Country, then you’re going to want either an acoustic or electric, I would recommend a Fender Telecaster for an electric and a Martin for an acoustic.
Jazz
This is primarily played on an electric guitar. I’d recommend a Epiphone Dot Archtop with it’s smooth hollow tones or a Gibson Les Paul. The Les Paul has a very rich classy smooth sound.
Hey Schyler,
Yes! That’s a good guitar for experienced players let alone beginners. Nice purchase! Now, if you’re looking to sing and play guitar? I’d probably get an acoustic. But, if you want to learn rock, metal or jazz? This would be a perfect guitar for you.
Hey man i just got a Epiphone Les Paul Custom is that an okay starter?
Hi Ricky,
Yes. This is a great guitar to learn on. However, it depends on what you want to learn? If it’s rock or blues this is great for instrumental. But, if you want to learn basic songs that you or someone else can sing? You may want to get yourself an acoustic. The electric will be much easier on your fingers.
I’m sure you have an amp? If you want to learn rock or blues for that matter get yourself a distortion pedal.
I have a Squier Fender bullet strat. Is this a good guitar to learn on for a beginer and is there anything I need to know about this guitar?
Hi Muyiwa,
Here’s an introduction: Lead Guitar Techniques. However, I would make sure you have your rhythm and chord changes down before you attempt lead guitar.
how do i play the lead guitar?
Hi James,
Wow! Yes, A Martin D-18 or D-28 is very pricy. I would only suggest a guitar like this if you were advanced. Besides you can find high quality guitars that play very very well for much less. You only want to spend money in that range if you’ve been playing for years and you’re looking for a particular sound.
If you want a high quality guitar for a great price? The Segull S6 would be my pick. The reviews say it rivals all the high quality expensive guitars.
So I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good choice of guitar for a beginner? I’ve been looking around and it seems that quite a few people online suggest a Martin D-18 or D-28 as a first guitar but they seem a bit pricy for a beginner. Any suggestions?
Hi Avery,
You really just need to focus on chord changing and rhythm. As you progress in playing more smoothly…. Songs will become much easier and you won’t give up half way through learning them. I know it can seem boring. But, it’s just something you need to practice over and over. Try just playing rhythm and switching chords while you watch tv. This will help you from getting too bored. Trying to learn songs too early will just set you up for failure.
Hope this helps