4 Things to Look For In a Quality Guitar
Purchasing a guitar is exciting: getting to know the instrument’s sound, its tuning quirks, and its overall feel. But it is a process that can quickly go wrong if you lack experience and have no one nudging you in the correct direction. First, you need to know that not all acoustic guitars are built the same. Making the right choice for your frame size, playing style, and chosen genres can be the foundation of the difference between you growing into a player of some accomplishment or becoming the owner of a guitar as decoration. These four steps will help you choose a great acoustic guitar for yourself.
Make the Choice that Fits your Senses
When seeking to purchase a guitar, you may be tempted to do most of the looking with your eyes. They take a backseat role, however, to your ears and your fingertips. Play the guitars in several music shops. You are expected to try one before you buy it, so do not be shy. Get a feel for the sound of each that looks about the right size. Know whether you want to get a big, deep sound or notes that give out a brighter ring. Strum a few chords and pick a few notes along the fretboard to measure a guitar’s responsiveness and ease of play. If there is a sound-proofed room, test one you are serious about in there.
Make the Choice that Fits Your Body
You can fall in love with the sound of a guitar but discover that it just is not comfortable to play for one reason or another. Maybe it is too large, perhaps too small. A key element is that the guitar’s bottom groove needs to fit comfortably against your right thigh. While sitting upright, you need to be able to strum with the elbow at a right angle to your neck, keeping your wrist flexible. Consider, too, the neck width. Can you easily reach the top strings with the hand you use to fret? Finally, consider the action, whether it is a Gibson guitar for sale or a Fender: how high are the strings above the fret? Good guitars have close actions, while cheap guitars have high action. In this latter case, you need to push harder to sound a note.
Make the Choice that Fits Your Style
Different acoustic guitars are best for various genres. A traditional acoustic has a big body with an open soundhole. This kind of guitar can be heard almost anywhere, in folk, pop, country, and rock music. If you see a panel on the body with buttons and an input jack of a quarter-inch, it is a traditional guitar with a pickup. It can be plugged into an amp without losing the rich tone of an acoustic. If you might play with a band, select a guitar with a pickup. Finally, there are electric-acoustic guitars; these hybrids are used primarily on world and jazz music. You need to test this one through an amplifier. It tends to be more specialized.
Make Your Choice, Having Checked the Build
First, check the wood on the guitar’s face. You want solid-topped wood, one or two pieces of matching wood lined up with the guitar’s grain. It produces a sound that is richer and clearer than the cheaper alternative laminate. Laminate is 4-5 pieces of thin wood precessed together, generally plywood. While it is an okay choice for a beginner guitar, if you want a great acoustic with rich sound, choose solid.
Guitars are musical instruments with a broad array of roles in various music genres. Buying them can be challenging, however. Make your choices while considering just a few other elements of the guitar. Are the tuning pegs easy enough to turn? Does any lingering sign of shoddy construction like excess glue or chips stick out? Are there any pieces that have wiggle or give to them? If yes, answers the first and no answers the second two questions, congratulations on your new guitar purchase.
