Guitar buying guide for beginners

WHAT TO LOOK FOR?

There's no way to poke and prod anything you buy online before it's at your door, so if you're shopping in person, here are a couple of things to watch out for. 

1. DOES THE GUITAR STAY IN TUNE?

Have someone at the store get the guitar to standard tuning and play a few chords. There are two reasons to do this.

First, if the playing sounds terrible, odds are it's not the sales person (who is likely a decent guitar player), it's a difficult instrument to play. The second reason to have the instrument tuned up is to check the action.

2. IS THE GUITAR NECK STRAIGHT?

Check the neck of the guitar for any curves or bends. Ideally, your guitar should have a straight neck, and prevent the strings from hitting the frets as you play. If the guitar has a bow or back bow, it can make playing the guitar more difficult, especially for beginners. If you're unsure of how to check your guitar's neck relief, ask a professional. They should be able to check and identify any potential problems with your guitar neck, and make corrections as needed.

3. HOW FAR ARE THE STRINGS FROM THE FRETBOARD?

The action of a guitar or bass is how the strings relate to the fretboard. Check The action is something that can be adjusted pretty easily, but if the strings are super far from the neck at the point where the neck and body of the guitar meet or the neck is noticeably curved, it might be an instrument to pass up. That doesn't necessarily mean that brand or model are flawed, just that the individual instrument may already have some problems.

4. CAN YOU COMFORTABLY REACH THE ENTIRE FRETBOARD?

If the guitar sounds all right and the action doesn't look way out of whack, see if you can comfortably reach the entire fretboard. Run your finger along each side of the neck to see whether you can feel any of the ends of the metal frets sticking out.If you feel some that aren't level with the wood, it doesn't mean the instrument is garbage or that brand or model are no good, but you can probably find another guitar or bass that doesn't already have that problem. Frets that aren't level with the wood can be fixed, but there's no reason to deal with that if you're buying a new instrument.

BUYING A NEW VS. USED GUITAR

Buying a used guitar can be a great way for a young player to move up to a pro-level instrument. High-end guitars will age well if cared for, and there are a lot of professional musicians using fifty to sixty year-old classic models from manufacturers like Lowden and Alhambra. At Peterson the guitar studio, we will most certainly find a perfect guitar for you! Feel free to visit our showroom anytime.