Guitars – custom guitars are still made today. This video shows a man who makes custom guitars, and it tells some interesting history of the guitars he’s made. Most of us aren’t in the market for a handmade guitar. The good news is that guitar manufacturers have some good guitars at affordable prices for us “regular” folks.
Whether you are a beginner guitar player or an experienced guitarist…
Maybe you need to buy your first guitar, or you possibly want to buy a better guitar than the one you are using. Or, you may be wanting a different style of guitar or are just adding another instrument to a collection.
It’s a good idea to do some homework by researching all that you can about guitars before buying one. The best places to do this research is in guitar shops, guitar magazines and, of course, check what is available online. With these three ways to research you can find out more about guitars’ current prices and the variety of brands and styles. You can also read many online blogs with great information about guitars and guitar lessons.
Ask guitarist friends for recommendations, look up all the information you can about guitar manufacturers, or read reviews in magazines or on the internet. Go test out guitars in more than one shop (if you have guitar stores in your area). Focus on how the guitars you try out sound and if they are easy to play (you don’t need to worry about your playing abilities). Hold the guitar out straight and look down the fretboard to make sure it is not warped or bowed.
Play it first before you buy a guitar!
When you try out a guitar that you might want to buy, when you strum there should not be a buzzing sound. Be sure that the distance of the strings from the fretboard is not too high (which makes the guitar much harder to play).
To check an electric guitar, be sure to be plugged into an amplifier to check the sound and tone controls – make sure they work properly. Check the pickups and the tone and volume controls. Most music stores have a salesperson that can play a guitar – have them play something on a few guitars. If you can bring a guitar playing friend along to the store, they can be a resource to test guitars and give you an objective opinion.
When you have a better idea about the current new guitar prices, you’ll be able to know how much to budget for your guitar purchase. You need to know the current prices and information about guitar brands before you try to negotiate with the guitar store salesperson. It’s their job to persuade you to spend money – and they are usually very skilled at making you spend more than you planned to.
If this is your first guitar, you probably should not consider buying your instrument in an online auction.The reason I can’t recommend buying through an auction is because you really should play a guitar before you buy it. A guitar should feel good to hold and play – get the right size and style that suits you and the kind of music you play. Your goal is to find a guitar (within your budget) that feels and sounds right to you.
