Guitar By Numbers - The Right Guitar

There are some prospective guitar students who have it easy when it comes to what guitar they will take their lessons on. They either got one for Christmas, have had one for awhile and are finally getting around to learning how to play it, or somebody gave them one. For everyone else, there is a decision to be made and sometimes it can be a stressful one. Here is some information that, hopefully will make your decision easier.

First, I’ll tell you about the different types of guitars and how they will perform for you while you are taking your guitar lessons. The basic acoustic guitar has been around a long time, a lot longer than the electric. Even though technically, guitars were not in existence during Bible times, it’s precursor the lute was. So the idea of an instrument made of wood with strings on it is not a new concept. The only problem for new guitar students using a acoustic guitar is the pain factor, trying to get your fingertips used to the steel strings. Some can deal with and some cannot. Eventually, you will develop calluses on your fingertips and they won’t hurt anymore. If you can’t deal with the temporary pain, you have two choices.

You could use a nylon string classical guitar. Nylon strings are more forgiving than steel strings for the new guitar student. The disadvantages are that these guitars were invented to play classical music, which is a completely different genre from where you are probably headed, and your James Taylor or even Boston acoustic guitar parts won’t have the punch they would if you used a steel string guitar. The other difference in the two types of guitars is that on a classical guitar the neck is wider. This could make it mare difficult to get all your fingers to the right places to form the chords you will be learning.

The other choice you have for less painful learning is to get an electric guitar. Due to the way they are built, electric guitars will be easier to finger than traditional acoustic guitars. Usually the strings are lighter and the process of fingering the notes, pressing the strings down on the fretboard will seem easier.

My personal suggestion would be to start out on an electric guitar if you think using an acoustic would be too painful. However, if you do use an electric, please include a small amplifier in your purchase. Playing an electric guitar unplugged is a different feel than playing one plugged in. So get used to playing it plugged into your new amp. When your fingers get into shape you can switch to an acoustic if you would like to.

Whichever type of guitar you choose, please buy a guitar stand. It has been proven that if you keep your guitar in a stand at all times when you are not playing it, you will naturally pick it up and play it more than if you returned it to it’s case or gig bag each time.

You will find information on good beginner guitars at this website. It covers both acoustic and electric guitars.

Buying a guitar is always an important decision. These days there are so many choices and unfortunately, some of these choices don’t involve quality instruments.

As a veteran guitar player, I would advise you to do some research on the kind of guitar you want before you spend any money. Your first guitar should be carefully chosen to be fairly easy to play and tune. It should also be versatile enough for you to be able to play different kinds of music on it.

Ideally, you need to try and create an emotional bond with your guitar. Keep searching until you find one that you just love and must have. Some teachers say things like appearance don’t matter. I disagree. Your guitar needs to be pleasing to your eyes. You are going to have to look at it every dayl You are going to be spending a lot of time with it. Because of this, you need to feel good about your guitar, you should be proud of it.

When looking for your first guitar, you need to avoid anything that might cause you to not want to play your guitar, like an instrument that is too heavy, one that is too hard to play, or one that doesn’t sound good to your ears. Below are some technical points to keep in mind when guitar hunting. But after it has passed the technical requirements, you must LOVE the instrument or you will begin avoiding it and sooner or later you will quit trying to become a Rock Star. Once you’ve quit, statistics say you’ll never go back.

• The neck of the guitar and the fingerboard should be straight and the frets all the same height. Lay a straight edge along the frets and fingerboard. With your head at the top of the guitar site a line from the headstock to the bridge to check for any warping of the neck/fretboard.
• The strings should be about ¼ inch above the fretboard at the nut and about 1/8 inch at the 12^th fret. Strings that are too high will be hard to play. too low and the strings will be in contact with the frets and will buzz.
• Be sure and play every note up and down the neck to be sure there is no buzzing and each note rings clearly.
• When buying a used guitar, look for worn frets, particularly on the 1st to 5th frets under the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings. Some wear is normal, but deep depressions in this area could mean a guitar that is hard to play and hard to tune. Having to have a guitar re-fretted is not an inexpensive proposition.
• Make sure all strings are on the guitar correctly. If the strings seem old. Ask the store to restring it before you buy it. If they want to make a sale, they will usually take care of this for you. A guitar with old strings will not tune up to pitch no matter how long you try.
• Check the neck, bridge, fretboard and tuners to make sure there are no gaps and that all are installed correctly. Look the guitar over top to bottom for any scratches, holes or dents before you leave the store.

If you are buying a used guitar, buy the best one you can afford. Older Guitars by companies like Gibson, Fender and Martin are sought after for several reasons but one reason is because woods age and sound better over time. Years ago guitar manufacturers would let woods age for a certain amount of time before they turn the wood into guitars. These days the wood is kiln dried so it can be used sooner.But the good news is guitars in general are being made better and better all the time and their prices are usually very affordable.

Here is a website that might help you in your decision to find the perfect guitar.

Here are some links to free tools that will help you tremendously. I suggest clicking on the link rather than opening in a new window. That way all you have to do is hit the "Back" button to get back here.

The first one is an online tuner. With this gem you can not only tune your guitar to standard tuning but also Drop D tuning, Open E tuning. Open C tuning or just about any other tuning you can think of.

The second is Chord Bot. With Chord Bot you can get the Fretboard fingerings for any chord you want, plus it will also give you any of it's inversions.

In these next few sections I will show you some things that might make your learning easier. Some of these things are mandatory while others are optional. I will explain each one and tell which ones you will definately need.

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I will put (N) for need or (O) for optional beside each one. 

1. Guitar Straps (N) - get one of these if you like playing standing up or you are planning on joining a band. 2. Keyser Capo (N) - There are other types of capos but this one is the best! 3. Tubular Guitar Stand (O) - Guitar stands and music stands need to be sturdy. Buy a cheap one and you will spend more time picking it up than you will playing your guitar. Get either one like this or the A Frame. 4. A Frame Guitar Stand (O) - Ditto!!! . 5. How capo looks on guitar. 6. Dunlop pick holder (O) - Something to keep you picks organized. Anything small that you can put picks in will be fine. 7. Pitchpipe (N) - This is a must. Soon I will teach you how to tune your guitar several different ways. Pitch pipes come in handy when there is no piano around and you left your tuner at home. 8. Belmounte Music Stand (O) - This is the one you want. Just like with the guitar stands, cheap music stands will keep falling over and making you loose it right in front of your girlfriend's Dad. Not Good! . 9 Gripmaster (O) - A neat little contraption to strengthen your fingers. You will need something. Playing guitar, or trying to, can be rough on your hands. The stronger your fingers are the easier time you will have. A stiff rubber ball will accomplish the same thing.