Buying A First Acoustic Guitar
When you’re buying your first acoustic guitar, you have to know what kind of music you’ll be playing on it. Latin and certain kinds of pop and folk melodies sound right on a classical guitar with nylon strings. Rock, bluegrass, and other kinds of pop and folk tunes work better on a guitar with steel strings. The only way you can really determine which of the two is right for you is to actually play both of them.
Because nylon is gentler on the fingers, many instructors recommend going with a nylon-stringed beginner acoustic guitar. This isn’t always the best recommendation, because not everyone wants to play the type of music that a nylon-string guitar produces. Some want to play like a rock star, or simply don’t like the tone that comes from a nylon-stringed guitar.
If you want to learn to play music made by steel strings then the obvious choice is a steel-string guitar. Yes, your fingers are going to hurt for some time, but you’ll develop calluses after a couple of months of regular practice. The same is true if you wish to play classical guitar music. Don’t be persuaded to get a steel-string is all you want to play is classical music.
If you are shopping for a more classical nylon-string guitar, you should remember that these guitars are called classic for a reason - they all have the same relative dimensions. Their bodies are smaller and their fingerboads wider, which produces a distinctive classical sound. It is the feel and the tone to these classical guitars that varies. As is true when buying any guitar, you need to try out several of them before choosing the beginner acoustic guitar that you are going to buy. The steel-string model of beginner acoustic guitar that people usually start out with is the six-string dreadnought guitar. There is only a slight variation between dreadnought guitars and they provide a sound that novices are often seeking.
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The wood your beginner acoustic guitar is made of is significant as it will affect the tone of the sound the instrument makes. You will soon learn that most beginner acoustic guitars consist of a spruce top. Make sure your new guitar has a solid spruce top rather than a two-piece one. This will increase the durability of your new guitar. Your choices of wood for the back and sides will likely include mahogany, rosewood and spruce. Mahogany produces a light tone. On the other hand, rosewood results in a heavier tone.
Buyin a first acoustic guitar with relatively low action is something else to think about when you are a new guitarist. The space between the string and the neck is called the action. An action that is too high it can be a distraction and a hindrance to learning.
An accessory you need to buy along with your beginner acoustic guitar is a good electronic tuner. As a novice you haven’t yet developed an ear. If you have the ability to easily tune your guitar using the tuner it will give you more time to spend practicing and playing.
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