How to choose your first guitar

Is it possible to choose a guitar by its appearance

You can choose a guitar by its appearance, some do just that. But here you need to understand that all guitars are approximately the same. For example, guitars with a body type called a dreadnought were invented a hundred years ago and have not changed since then.

It is also important to consider: the more expensive the guitar, the more professional it is, the more restrained and laconic it is made.

Yes, there are some nuances here, for example, the so-called exit on the case. Professional musicians will look at such a guitar and immediately understand what it is used for - to play at high frets. For a beginner, this is exclusively a feature of appearance, and he, in fact, does not need such a guitar.

If you do not know all these tricks, then they will not make any sense to you. So, when choosing a guitar by its appearance, you can simply focus on its color.

Is it possible to choose a guitar by sound

In my opinion, in order to choose a guitar by sound, you need to have experience, so that you have already played ten, one hundred, a thousand different instruments. Then you will have a sound of your own. You can say, "Ο, I like the sound!" - or vice versa.

Everyone has a completely different taste. Someone likes the traditional jazz guitar sound of Joe Pass and George Benson, and it just seems to be ideal. Another person likes the sound of Tommy Emmanuel's guitar: the mids are very pronounced there, and it sounds very cool when played with your fingers. And for someone - 12-string guitars, because such instruments are closer.

There is nothing "solid" about the shape of the body, the color of the guitar and its sound. This is not a clear criterion. What really matters is convenience. Take the guitar in hand and say: “This guitar is comfortable for me! I can play it! " - here it is, the criterion.

5 practical tips

1. Inspect the guitar

Make sure that the instrument has no obvious defects: chips of the varnish coating, cracks on the deck. Inexpensive guitars are made from insufficiently dried material, so the stands begin to peel off from the deck, so you should see if there are any gaps.

2. Check the gluing quality

The gluing should not have any gaps or gaps.

3. Pay attention to the neck

If you take the instrument and look along the neck, it should be relatively straight and not curved outward.

4. Measure the height of the strings

Pay attention to the height of the strings above the neck: it should be 2 mm above the sixth string and 1.5 mm above the first. Plus the distance between the 12th fret and the string itself. How can I check this? Use coins in the field. A ten-ruble one is about 2.2 mm, a ruble one is about 1.5 mm. If they pass with a margin, then the strings are higher than necessary.

5. Check the ends of the frets

They should not cling to your hands if you run your fingers over them. If there is discomfort, it can lead to cuts in the future.

Instruments that come from the factory often need to be tweaked to make them playable. When buying, you should pay attention to the listed points, so that later you do not have to carry the guitar to the workshop.