When looking to buy a guitar there are an overwhelming amount of choices in both style and price that can be extremely daunting even to the accustomed guitar player.
In this article I would like to talk mainly about the cost of a guitar and why some guitars are extremely cheap and others extremely expensive, but the guitars look extremely similar.
I would put the guitar buyer into three simple categories. Beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Dear friend,
please do not think
that I visualize guitars playing
or my father arching his bone.
I do not even expect my mother’s mouth.
I know that I have died before....
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
The person starting out learning the guitar is often the one that is most confused by the many different options available to them. For a first guitar I would look at spending no more than £200 on a guitar. There are many guitars available starting at £50 right up to £200. The main difference between these prices is down to brand names and quality. At this stage of your guitar career it is far better to get a higher end, non branded cheap guitar than to get the lowest end branded cheap guitar – based on pure quality that it but of course, it is a matter of preference.
When people first start out with the guitar it is a sad fact that most don’t continue with the dedication of the first few months. The guitar can look extremely easy to play but in reality is extremely difficult to master and a lot of people give up. Going for a cheap guitar means you don’t lose out if you decide guitar is not for you. If you decide it is for you then you can move up to a better model without losing too much at all.
The negatives with these lower ended guitars are often things that wouldn’t even bother the beginner. The type of wood perhaps is cheaper and gives less sustain, the fretboard doesn’t feel as nice and the guitar may buzz and rattle a bit and tend to go out of tune a little quickly. These are all minor issues that are easy to overcome.
If you have got past the learner stages and have decided that continuing with the guitar is definitely for you then you will want to consider getting a higher quality instrument. Here you are again looking for quality over branding. It is far better to get a top of the range less known brand that a low end branded guitar. When you are buying your intermediate guitar you are looking for a nice feel to the guitar, quality electrics such as pickups as well as decent mechanics to stop the guitar going out of tune. The sort of price range - £200 - £500 will buy you a nice guitar. Often guitars of these values are used by professionals as their main guitars so for some, these guitars will last a lifetime so choose wisely.
The final stage is for those advanced players who really want the best. Here you are looking for excellent style, feel and quality. Even up to £2000 there are still guitars that you are paying a chink for the brand rather than the quality so be sure to spend a long time ensuring you choose the right guitar that suits you. Bear in mind that often with branded guitars, especially endorsed products, you are paying something for that endorsement. For example a Steve Vai guitar or Joe Stariani guitar will be more expensive than a guitar of the exactly the same quality without the brand name on it.
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