Falling in love with guitars
I'm certain that this next piece of advice will register will just about everyone:
Only buy a guitar if you're in love with it.
Here are a couple of ways you can find a guitar worthy of your admiration.
Research online, but don't buy
No matter what, avoid the temptation to buy a guitar online. Why? Two reasons:
- If you don't hold a guitar, how could you possibly know if it's comfortable to play? If it feels really awkward in your hands, you probably won't love to play it.
- You have to be prepared to return the guitar if you dislike it, and that can be a hassle.
Hold a bunch of guitars in a guitar shop
If you're a complete beginner, I think that you couldn't possibly do wrong with simply holding some guitars and seeing which ones register with you. I'll share some suggestions on how to do this:
- Don't feel meek about picking up a guitar in a guitar shop even if you don't know how to play it. Everyone had to start from the same exact place.
- Never hold a guitar that is more expensive than your budget allows.
- If you receive any advice from a guitar salesman, please take it with a grain of salt. It's their job to sell stuff.
- Opinions of whether a guitar is good or not are just opinions. There's no accounting for taste. It's wise to give yourself the time and space to form your own opinions of specific guitars. You can do that by renting guitars, too.
- Make multiple trips to the guitar store before you buy in an attempt to make the most informed decision.