Before you buy
Before you buy a guitar
Many first guitars end up in a closet because they were too big, too hard to press or the wrong kind for the music the student wanted to play. A short conversation with a teacher first avoids most of that.
This page is what we would tell you at the placement visit. It names no brand, because the right first guitar is the one that fits your hands and the music you want to play.
Choose the music first, then the kind of guitar
Check the size, how it plays and how it stays in tune
Bring it in before you pay for it
Six things to check
A first guitar, step by step
- 01
Step 1: Choose the music first
Songs you can sing along with point to an acoustic. Rock, blues and pop point to an electric. Pieces to read and play in fingerstyle point to a classical. A love of the low end points to a bass.
- 02
Step 2: Check the size
A guitar that is too big for your hands will make every chord harder. Teens who are still growing and smaller adults often do best on a smaller body and a narrower neck. Sit with it and hold it as you would to play.
- 03
Step 3: Check how it plays
Strings that sit high above the neck are hard to press and tire your fingers. Ask a teacher to play it, and listen for buzzing on every string.
- 04
Step 4: Check how it stays in tune
Tuning pegs that slip make a guitar frustrating. Tune it, play for a few minutes and tune it again. It should hold.
- 05
Step 5: Choose new, used or borrowed
A used guitar can be a good first guitar if it plays well. A borrowed one is a way to find out whether you like it before you spend anything.
- 06
Step 6: Bring it in
Bring a guitar you are thinking of buying to a lesson or a placement visit, and your teacher will look it over before you pay for it.
What each kind needs
Beyond the guitar
Acoustic
A tuner, a few picks and a strap. A case if the guitar travels.
Electric
An amp and a cable, picks and a strap. A small amp with a headphone socket suits a shared home.
Classical
A footstool or a guitar support, and a tuner. Nylon strings need no picks.
Bass
An amp that can handle low notes, a cable, a strap and a tuner. Upright bass needs a bow if you want one.
Rent, borrow or buy
Not ready to buy?
Borrow
A friend's or a relative's guitar is a way to find out whether you like playing before you spend anything.
Rent from the school
We rent guitars by the term, so you can begin before you buy. We explain how rental is billed at the placement visit.
Buy used or new
Ask your teacher, bring the guitar in and decide. A teacher would rather you wait a week than buy the wrong one.
Bring your guitar, or your questions
Book a placement visit and a teacher will help you choose.