buying your first guitar

Buy a guitar at a guitar shop, or buy online? by The School of Feedback Guitar

Buy a guitar at a guitar shop, or buy online?

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Perhaps you've heard the call from local businesses in your area, "Support your local business." The greatest advantage that you have in doing just so with a guitar shop is that you can get a ton of perks that you won't get from buying a guitar online.

The most obvious perk you get is a reassurance that returning the guitar will not be that big of a hassle. Just drive back to the guitar store, and ask for a refund. It's never a bad idea to chck out the store policy on returning guitars. How long of a period do you have? Will you get a refund of cash/credit card, or will you get store credit? Get this in writing.

The less obvious perk is getting the guitar set up for you. I've rarely bought a guitar from a guitar shop without them offering to set up the guitar for me. They know that online guitar sales businesses can't really set up a guitar just for you, and in doing so they will likely earn repeat business. I can't blame them. Honestly, I have my favorite guitar shops that I go to because their customer service can't be beat. 

The other extreme advantage of going to a guitar shop is that the people who work there are full of information that they want to share with you. Ask them any question about guitars, and they will share. If you are a naturally curious person, you'll find that talking to guitar shop employees to be great fun.

The disadvantages, I believe, are far outweighed by the advantages. Since online guitar dealers tend to have massive warehouses where they can store a ton of guitars, amps, accessories, and because most of them try to have a worldwide presence without having a storefront, their prices are so much cheaper than local guitar shops. This one advantage cannot possibly compete with the experience of a guitar shop, a helpful employee, and a new guitar that since you held it you fell in love with it.  

My recommendation if you are a beginner to guitar? Buy a guitar from a guitar shop, and skip buying online altogether, at least for your first guitar.

How Much Will A Good Starter Guitar Cost? by The School of Feedback Guitar

The starter guitars that cost $200-$300 are the best for beginners. 

There are guitars that are less than $200 that might be worth buying. On the other hand, if you pay more than $300, you're paying for better craftsmanship.

Fortunately, there are levels of craftsmanship based on price. The rest of this post will give you information on how to find a guitar with the best craftsmanship without breaking your bank account. Let's dive in!

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Buy, Borrow, or Rent your First Starter Guitar? by The School of Feedback Guitar

There are a number of options you can exploit to get your first starter guitar.

If you're like most beginners, chances are that you'd rather not spend a pretty penny on a new one.

After all, you're just trying it out, right?

You have three choices: Buy, borrow, or rent. This post goes over the pros and cons of each. Ready?

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Why Low Guitar Action is Critical for Beginners by The School of Feedback Guitar

Guitar action is also known as string action. It's a measurement of the length between the strings and the fretboard.

Guitar action is measured in small increments, as low as one ten thousandth of an inch. Believe me when I say it, having a guitar with string action that is higher by one ten thousandths of an inch makes a difference.

The rest of this blog post will go over, in detail, why having low guitar action is critical for extra guitar enjoyment. Let's destroy this topic together!

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How to pick the best type of guitar, based on your body type by The School of Feedback Guitar

The best type of guitar depends upon something you already know a lot about: Your body size. 

If you're petite, chances are you'll want a petite guitar to match it. Same goes if you're a lumberjack.  

If you knew a little bit about the measurements of guitars, picking a guitar for your body size is a snap. 

Luckily for you, the blog post will definitely help you choose the best type of guitar for the size of your body. 

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Steel or nylon strings: Which guitar is best for beginners? by The School of Feedback Guitar

There are two main string materials: steel and nylon. You will find steel strings on acoustic guitars and electric guitars. You will find nylon strings on classical guitars.

Which is best for beginners: Nylon or steel string guitars? The answer to that question is simple: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

This post will help you which sound you like the best between steel strings and nylon strings. Bam!

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Which guitar is best for beginners: Electric or Acoustic? by The School of Feedback Guitar

The best type of guitar for you is the type you gravitate to the most.

If you like rock and roll, chances are you're going to want to get an electric guitar. Do you like singer-songwriters? Well, you'll do best with an acoustic.

If you have no clue what you're after, this blog will help you figure that out. Let's jump in!

It's simple: Just buy the type of guitar that you gravitate to. 

If you're looking for some more information on which guitar is best for beginners, look no further. I'll be covering that in today's blog post.

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What is guitar string buzz, and why do I need to care about it? by The School of Feedback Guitar

Chances are that you've already heard guitar string buzz before. It sounds exactly like it's written: Buzzy.

This post goes over the potential causes of guitar string buzz, and it gives you two pieces of advice to fix it.

Let's hit it!

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