Five Things To Do Before Buying A Guitar

If you are a starting musician looking to buy a guitar, you know by now that there are so many to choose from. There are so many brands and guitar shapes that it may seem impossible to make the right choice. But don't despair. If you know exactly what you want in a guitar, then you will know exactly which one you should buy. And here are a few tips on checking out guitars before you make an actual purchase.

• Tuning – If you haven't already learned, make sure that you now how to tune a guitar. Borrow a guitar from someone else first or read about it on the internet or from your favorite guitar magazine. This is essential when choosing a guitar. For example, you walk into a store and you see a guitar that you like. Instead of buying it straight away, make sure to tune it to your liking first and see if it makes a sound that you want to hear in a guitar. This is the only way that you will be able to know if the guitar is made of quality materials.

• Know the pieces – No, we are not talking about the music; we are talking about the actual guitar pieces, like the fret board, the fret dividers, the pick-up, strings, etc. You have to know what constitutes a complete guitar before you make a purchase. Otherwise, what you will be getting is something crossed between a child's toy and an acoustic guitar. Learn how a guitar is made and what makes a guitar a full professional instrument.

• Try it out – If you have the guitar all tuned up, you may as well belt out a tune. Strum out some simple notes like A or E, and see if the sounds made are actually the notes you want. It would be great if you knew a simple song and if you know how to pluck already. The best time to pluck the strings on a brand new guitar is right before the purchase, not after.

• Weigh it – A guitar can either be heavy or light, depending on the kind of materials it is made from. But that's not what's important. What is important is where you will be using this guitar. If you want to move around on stage a lot, you may want to buy something light but durable. A heavier guitar may be best for when you are writing songs at home. If you travel a lot, you may want to get a light acoustic guitar that you can whip out and play whenever you want to. So check how heavy a guitar is first before you buy it.

• Compare guitars – Remember that there might be more than one guitar that you will fall in love with at first sight and first play. This is a great time to take down notes on your favorite guitars and then compare them either at home or even at the store if you really want to leave the store with something. You may find some disadvantages of one guitar over another. Try out different guitars first and pick the one that you think suits you best.