Guitar - How to Get Started
- Buying a Guitar -

If you haven't already signed up for your FREE ebook titled "Guitar - How to Get Started" and the email mini course called "Getting Started Mini Course - 7 Useful Tips for Beginners" now is a great time.

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Information that will guide you in buying a guitar (or evaluating one that you already have)
Various ways to get your guitar in tune - even professional musicians sound lousy out of tune!
Explanations to show you how to understand chord diagrams
Instructions on how to hold the guitar to get clear sounding chords (hint: where you place your thumb is crucial)
The 15 “must know” chords
What you need to know to take care of and protect your guitar

The email course expands on the book as well as giving you additional tips.

The purpose of the following information is to give you the knowledge to wisely purchase a new or used guitar or assess your present guitar. Repeatedly throughout this article I will stress that you must have a guitar that will allow you to press the strings easily and a guitar that will stay in tune and play in tune. If the guitar is too cheap, it will frustrate you and you will probably quit.

There are guitars both electric and acoustic that are excellent entry level guitars made by guitar companies which make a full range of guitars right from starter guitars through to high-end professional models. These starter guitars sell in the $175 - $375 price range. See the recommended manufacturers later in this article.

There are other companies that make so called “entry-level” guitars and that is all they make. They may be shiny and shaped like a guitar, but they are simply expensive firewood. Frankly speaking, they are horrible. Don’t waste your money. Would you buy a basketball that didn’t bounce or have enough weight to get through the netting below the basketball hoop? It’s the same thing.

Let me explain what to look for and what you need in a guitar.

Will Any Guitar Be Okay to Learn On?

When it comes to purchasing a guitar, you have two immediate choices; whether to buy an acoustic guitar or an electric. Both types of guitars have an identical setup from the head of the guitar through the neck and strings to the bridge. They may look somewhat different, but the mechanics are the same.

The finger positions for chording, picking and strumming are identical. If you can play an acoustic then you can play an electric and vice versa. It is identical in the way that if you can drive a car you can drive a van.

The differences are in the body of the guitar. An acoustic guitar has a hollow body. The flattop acoustic, which is by far the most common, has a soundhole under the strings.

The diagram for “The Parts of an Acoustic Guitar” (below) is a photo of a flattop acoustic. Some acoustic flattop guitars have a series of decorative holes cut into the top of the body instead of one large traditional soundhole (Ovation guitars).

There is another design of an acoustic guitar called an archtop. The archtop has “f” holes instead of a round sound hole. These guitars were originally patterned from the violin family. (The photo of the Gibson ES-150 is an archtop guitar made electric).

Electric guitars normally have a body that is solid wood. However, there are semi-acoustic electrics and electrics that have a full acoustic body. If there is a rectangular shaped pickup or pickups under the strings, it is an electric guitar regardless of the body shape.

Which Is Better For A Beginner; An Acoustic or An Electric?

There are people who will tell you that it is better to learn on an acoustic guitar first. This is simply not true. You can begin on either one. If a person wants an electric, buy an electric. If they prefer an acoustic, buy an acoustic. If a person “loves” their guitar they will practice more.

When you select a guitar there are a few different sizes to choose from. A three-quarter size acoustic has a smaller body so it is ideal for younger people ages 8 - 12. The folk or parlor size is an adult guitar that is marginally smaller than a dreadnought size and is well suited for young teenagers and women. The full size dreadnought is comfortable for anyone who is an adult or young people who are adult size.

The most important aspect of any guitar is that it must have a good playable action. What this means is, the strings must be close to the fretboard to make them easy to press. If the strings are too far away from the fretboard the person attempting to learn to play usually quits in frustration. They find it too hard.

The saddest part is they think that it is something wrong with them. As a sales consultant at a music store I've heard so many adults say, “Yeah, I tried to learn when I was a kid, but I just couldn't do it.” I then put my right hand fingers under the strings at the sound hole and lift the strings away from the fretboard. I’d say to them, “I'd bet the strings were up like this.” They almost always say, “Yes!” I am emphasizing the playability of the guitar so strongly because strings that are too high is the #1 reason why a person quits.

What determines the string height?

String height is determined by four factors. (1) The topboard of the acoustic or the body of the electric, (2) the curvature of the neck, (3) the height of the bridge and bridge saddle, and (4) the nut.

The quickest and easiest way to check for the proper string height is to stack two quarters (25¢) and place them under the 1st string (the thinnest string) at the 12th fret. Ideally the distance should be the equivalent spacing of 1½ quarters. Two quarters that fit tightly without lifting up the strings is the maximum acceptable height. Anything above this is too high.

The 1st string Should Hold the Two Quarters

What You Can Do If The Strings Are Too High

If you already have a guitar and the strings are too high there are two things that you can try to lower the action. The first is to replace your acoustic guitar strings with an “extra light” gauge set. Because these strings are thinner, they are easier to press. The gauge you should have on your electric should be a 9-46 set.

The second fix for both the acoustic or electric is to have a neck alignment. Just take your guitar to your local music store and ask them to check to see if the truss rod requires an adjustment. This is normally an inexpensive fix.

A Quick History of the Guitar

A hundred or so years ago the Gibson brothers were building acoustic guitars. In the 1930’s, when the big bands were becoming popular, the acoustic guitar could not be heard. Gibson placed a pickup (a pickup for a guitar is equivalent to a microphone for a voice) under the strings and plugged the guitar into an amplifier to increase the volume. That guitar was the Gibson ES-150 (above photo), which was a full-bodied acoustic guitar with f-holes, a pickup and volume and tone controls.

Leo Fender surmised that if the pickup was picking up most of the sound from under the strings (it also picks up the vibrations in the body), then the body could successfully be made from solid wood. In 1947 he introduced the Fender Broadcaster (Telecaster) and later the Stratocaster.

In response, Gibson unveiled the “Les Paul.” These guitars along with a few other designs, laid the groundwork for guitars that have followed.

My point is, except for materials and cosmetics, the neck and finger positions of acoustic and electric guitars are the same.

The Acoustic Guitar

The hollow body of an acoustic guitar provides the sound chamber that amplifies the vibrations from the strings and produces the tone of the guitar. It is the quality of the woods, craftsmanship, structure (including inside the guitar), finish and trim, and the other materials such as the tuners that determine the price and value of the guitar.

The Parts of the Acoustic Guitar

The Body — The Topboard (Soundboard)

The topboard or soundboard of the guitar can be made of various materials. For our purposes we’re going to talk about only three: solid spruce, solid cedar, and laminate.

The purpose of the topboard is twofold. The first is to provide the surface to hold the bridge securely in place, giving ample support to resist the tension caused by the strings. The strings pull hard enough to pull the bridge right off of or at least reshape the topboard, so it is imperative to have a strong topboard (and quality glues).

The second purpose of the topboard is to allow the vibration of the strings to resonate freely. A solid top will give you the best strength and tone. The tight grains in spruce and cedar give the needed strength to support the tension from the strings. They also allow the sounds to vibrate smoothly.

Spruce tops give a clean, bright sound, while cedar gives a somewhat darker tone. Although spruce is the most common top on steel-string acoustics, one is not better than the other, they are just different. Better quality entry-level guitars through to the finest guitars made, use solid spruce or solid cedar tops.

Laminate tops are plywood. This is where it gets interesting. There are two grades of laminate tops — one good and one bad. A laminate top that has each layer made from solid wood will provide the necessary strength to support the strings and maintain a good playing action.

Different woods can be used to make the top layer but frequently the top layer of a laminate is spruce. The tone is not as rich as a solid top but it is very adequate. Companies such as Yamaha, Godin Guitars (Art & Lutherie), Fender (Squire), Gibson (Epiphone), Peavey (Briarwood), Washburn (Oscar Schmidt) etc., all make entry level guitars with a good laminate top. Naturally, they make solid top acoustic guitars as well.

The very inexpensive guitars that are sold at toy stores, department stores, “Big Box” discount stores and electronics stores, etc., can have the middle layer of the lamination made from “particleboard” or even “pressed cardboard”.

These tops do not have the needed strength to support the strings. The bridge will lift up causing the strings to move higher and higher from the guitar making it harder and harder and in no time impossible to play. It also affects the intonation of the guitar. In other words the open guitar strings could be in tune but as soon as you press your fingers to play notes or chords the guitar will sound out of tune.

Even professional musicians sound lousy out of tune.

Please note that the sides and back of all entry level guitars will be a laminate. The sides and back again should have all of the layers be made from solid wood. This is OK. Only very expensive guitars have solid, none- laminated sides and backs.

The Neck, Bridge Saddle and Nut

The neck when it is properly set should be bowed just shy of straight. If the neck is bowed too much the strings will be harder to press. If the neck is back-bowed the strings will buzz when pressed. A neck that is out of alignment can occur on all guitars regardless of price because they are wood.

To correct the align-ment, guitars have a “truss rod” which is a steel rod that goes through the inside of the neck and is adjusted using an allen key or a special wrench (supplied with the guitar).

Very inexpensive guitars just have a decal stating “Steel Rein-forced Neck.” If these necks are out of alignment there is nothing that can be done. If a neck is twisted it would not be worth repairing on an entry-level instrument.

Finally if the nut and bridge saddle are too high or too low they can be a contributing factor to the strings being too high or buzzing.

The Tuners

You tune a guitar by tightening (or loosening) the tuners which are located at the head of the guitar. There are three different designs of tuners: open gear, capped and die-cast.

The open gear is usually manufactured as a strip of three and three (as in the photo on the next page) or six on one side. These are the cheapest of the tuners and the least reliable. They are an open gear with a molded plastic or chromed tuner.

These tuners develop areas that are stiff to move, then easy to move. They also develop “sloppy” areas where you can move the tuner but nothing happens. (This can also be complicated by a poorly cut nut.) As well, I’ve experienced the turning part of an inexpensive tuner crumble in my hand.

A capped tuner is simply an open gear tuner with a metal cap on top. They have the same problems as the ones without the cap. It should be noted that guitars manufactured by actual guitar companies have a better grade of open gear tuners than the “toy store” counterparts.

The Electric Guitar

Many things previously discussed about acoustic guitars also apply to electric. Aside from the body, the main differences between the acoustic and electric guitars is the electric uses lighter strings (easier to press) and there are adjustments at the bridge for height and intonation.

The Parts of the Electric Guitar

The Body of the Electric Guitar

The body of the electric guitar can be made from various materials. Cheap guitars have a body made from MDF. MDF is usually made from ground up shipping pallets, cardboard and glue. As far as a guitar is concerned there is no such thing as quality MDF. These are the cheapest of the electric guitars. This is what you are likely to get at the Toy Stores, department stores, electronic stores etc.

They are truly sub-standard. If they are using this material in the body, every other component of the guitar will be equally as bad. Do not waste your money. They’ll play bad, sound bad and will constantly have problems.

The next grade of guitar bodies is made from plywood. This is better, but a solid body is the best.

Solid woods give the best structure to mount the various comp-onents to the body. They are strong, durable and will give the best tone. Some of the woods used in guitar bodies are maple, ash, alder and mahogany.

Each wood will add a personal characteristic to the sound. Many expensive guitars can have a blend of two woods. For example, some Les Paul’s have a mah-ogany underbody with a maple top.

The Pickups

The pickups are what “hear” the vibrations of the strings. They are essentially a magnet wound thousands of times with very thin wire. Most guitars have two or three pickups with a selector switch to turn each pickup on or off. There is also a volume and tone control mounted on the body.

The two basic designs for pickups are the “single coil” and the “humbucker.” The single coil pickup has a bright “twangy” sound while the humbucker has a fatter tone. Many guitars have three single coil pickups or two humbuckers. Other guitars have a combination of single coil and humbuckers on the same guitar. One is not better than the other and at the entry level it is not important what style of pickup is on the guitar.

There are various grades of pickups and electronics used in guitar building. If the electronics are very low grade, as in Toy Store etc. models, they’ll sound bad and constantly have problems.

The Tuners

As with acoustic guitars, electrics are made with the same equivalent in tuners. Open gear tuners and capped tuners are very low quality. The best quality is die-cast and again there are different grades of these tuners as well.

Accessories

Electric guitars do require an amplifier to be properly heard. A small, low wattage practice amp will work just fine. You’ll also need a guitar cable and some picks to begin playing.

A Special Note To Parents

If you are purchasing a guitar for your child, please select a guitar that will actually give them a chance to learn it. I understand that you may not wish to spend a lot of money until your child proves to you that they really do want to learn by showing you that they'll stick with it. However if the guitar is sub-standard, they will likely quit and it would not be due to lack of effort or desire on their part. They would quit simply because the instrument is inadequate.

Just to illustrate this a little more, I know that you would never consider teaching your child to drive a car with flat tires. Or, if every time they stepped on the gas the car stalled. You certainly would not blame your child for being discouraged and frustrated. On the contrary, you would keep your child encouraged, reassure them that it was a problem with the car, and proceed to get it fixed before continuing.

When I began to play (back in the 60's), my father had a "Kay" guitar. It was considered a pretty good guitar back then. I played that guitar for the summer. He knew I really wanted an electric so he helped me get an electric. A "Fender Mustang" which was one of Fender's entry level guitars.

It was great. I practiced and practiced.

My friend's older brother had been playing for a couple of years so he showed me some chords. My father and mother both recognized that I was sincere about wanting to learn, so after Christmas that year they enrolled me in guitar lessons.

Conclusion

At the entry level stage of learning to play the guitar, the woods and finish of the guitar are the least important providing they meet the above criteria. Of course, I wouldn’t buy a guitar that I didn’t like the sound or the look of but that determination only comes after the playability and tuneability have been assessed.

If you truly want to learn to play the guitar, buy a guitar from a music store. There are people in the store who will help you select a good beginners instrument. They know what you’ll need to get started.

If you are buying a used guitar from a second-hand store, pawn shop or privately, it would be to your benefit to take a guitar-playing friend with you to access the guitar. Your friend will know if the guitar tuning heads seem to be working fine. They'll also know if the guitar "nut" and "bridge" are OK. And their experience will tell them if the guitar is generally OK.

If you are buying out of the newspaper, there is a big difference in buying from a guitar player who is "upgrading" his/her equipment or from somebody who is selling their guitar because they didn't learn to play or their son or daughter didn't stick with it. Maybe they didn’t stick with it because the guitar had a lousy action!

The difference is, the seller who is upgrading will be able to show you how the guitar plays and answer your questions. Again, when in doubt and if possible, take a guitar-playing friend.

For a good quality beginner guitar the retail price is generally between $175.00 and $375.00. In that price range you'll get playable guitar action. Naturally the closer to $375.00 the better the guitar will sound. Guitars above the $375.00 range are entering the intermediate level and are not necessary at this point.

As well, you can get complete electric guitar packages (guitar, amp and accessories) within this price range.

For buying used, the rule of thumb is to pay around half of the guitar's new retail purchase price. This includes everything. The guitar, the case, the strap and the tuner etc.

Buy the best instrument your budget can afford. Select the kind of instrument the person learning wants to play. If you are buying an electric guitar, spend more money on the guitar than on the amplifier. You only need a small amplifier for practicing.

Buy a guitar tuner. They are less than $30.00. Always being in tune helps to train your ear and you will sound better.

Again, I strongly advise you not to buy a guitar package from stores that aren’t music stores. Ask the salesperson to tune the guitar for you. If they can’t tune the guitar, they can’t advise and guide you. You will be wasting your money and time.

The salespeople in the music stores can guide you through the quality and benefits of the guitars they sell.

Go ahead and get started and have fun.

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Guitar - How to Get Started- Buying a Guitar -

Guitar - How to Get Started
- Buying a Guitar -