Your first time buying a guitar should not be a stressful experience, but there are so many options out there that it can feel difficult to avoid making a poor choice. The good news is that most confusion in this area can be boiled down to three questions. 

Acoustic or electric? 

How expensive is reasonable? 

Are there different sizes?

Each of the following categories has many varieties within, but the basic types of guitar are electric, steel string acoustic, and nylon string acoustic, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Electric guitars are the easiest to try for a beginner, and they are generally the most versatile, with the potential to experiment with different sound effects. Many techniques, such as bends, hammer-ons, and barre chords, can be performed with moderate practice. Appropriate for a huge variety of genres and styles of music, and there are many different types. 

Steel String Acoustic guitars are sort of middle of the road. It is more challenging on the fingers than the electric guitar, especially at first. Both electric and acoustic perform well in Rock, Blues, Country, Folk, etc. Certain techniques such as bends and barre chords are significantly more difficult on acoustic guitars. 

Nylon String Acoustic guitars are the most technically challenging to play, but they also produce the warmest sound of the three and are well known for their role not limited to Classical, Flamenco, and Bossa Nova. Techniques such as barre chords can be extremely difficult to master on nylon strings, and bends, for example, are virtually impossible. Learning guitar on nylon strings demands exceptional technique for those interested in a challenge. 

The Price Range a beginner might expect to pay for a guitar is generally at least one to two hundred dollars, to about five or six hundred. Anything more than that should be considered late intermediate to professional. Brands like Squire and Epiphone are outstanding because they provide beginner/budget alternatives to Fender and Gibson. There are cheaper options out there, but the quality tends to be below the value of the instrument. If you’re purchasing from a music store, you really cannot go wrong, but be careful online. 

The Size of guitars is standardized for the average adult (38 inch length). However, several nonstandard sizes are common, and they are colloquially described as quarter (31in), half (34in), or three-quarter (36in) size. When purchasing for a child, the consideration is usually between what fits best now versus an investment in something they will grow into. 

The most valuable thing you can do to find out what guitar is right for you is go to a music store and try many different guitars. Pick one that you like, and that will help you want to stick with it!

We hope you enjoy learning to play the guitar!

Best wishes from all of us at Dennis Frayne Music Studios, the Laguna Niguel School of Music, and the Lake Forest School of Music!