By Contributor, Andrew Wonacott, President

The Musician’s Toolbox, LLC

www.1stpersonguitar.com

Ah, Christmas. The perfect time of year to buy that guitar your spouse / child has been wanting.  Christmas is the season of sales and discounts, and this is especially true when it comes to guitars.  So, sit tight and stay with me, I’m going to try to impart years of guitar-shopping into one practical article by anticipating some great questions along with links to www.MusiciansFriend.com (Which is essentially Guitar Center Online.)

Question #1: “How much is this going to cost me?”

Answer: Less than a lot, but more than $100.00.  Two things to keep in mind:  there are acoustic guitars and electric guitars.  Both are acceptable as a first guitar, but I would recommend an acoustic guitar.  It’s portable, (you don’t have to plug it in) and therefore you don’t have to spend the extra money on cables, amps and the like.  That said, if you know your spouse / child wants an electric guitar, there are cost-effective ways to purchase one. (Including all the accessories). More on that in a minute.

There are essentially three price categories of guitars:

1.) $99-$250

2.) $250-$500

3.) $500–3rd mortgage.

Question #2: “What brand should I buy?”

Answer: Choose one of the following, and you’ll have made a good decision, regardless of the purchase price.

Acoustics:

1.) Fender

2.) Gibson

3.) Taylor

4.) Epiphone

5.) Takamine

6.) Yamaha

Electrics: (the “Starter-Packs” are a cost-effective way to get the guitar, cables, and an amp so your loved one can start playing Christmas morning)

1.) Fender

2.) Gibson

3.) Epiphone

4.) Ibanez

5.) Gretsch

The basic rule is, the big brands are usually big brands for a reason, because they have a history of producing instruments that last. Stay away from “obviously cheap” guitars.  If it looks like it will fall apart in a couple of months, it will.

Question #3: “Ok, so where do I buy the guitar?”

Answer: Either Best Buy, Sam Ash, or Guitar Center.

If you buy the guitar from a big retail chain, you can haggle with them about the price and the return policy.  Always try to get the sales person to throw in picks, straps, tuners, or other accessories with the purchase of the guitar. Walk in, say, “I have exactly $XXX amount of cash to spend, and I want the hookups. If you hook me up now, I’ll come back and find you personally and spend more money during your New Year’s Sale.”

Question #4: “What else should I buy?”

Answer: You need to buy a chromatic tuner if you want that guitar to sound good and not like a train wreck.  A chromatic tuner is the easiest way to tune that guitar, and it’ll be an extra $15-40. You also need some guitar picks and a good starter DVD that teaches the basics.

Chromatic Tuners:

Korg

Boss

Beginning DVD:

The Musician’s Toolbox Learn Guitar Chords DVD

Guitar picks can be purchased for a few cents each wherever you buy your guitar, but you should be able to get your sales person to throw those in for free.

If you have any questions, you can email me and I’d be happy to help:

1stpersonguitar@gmail.com

Happy Shopping!