Photo by Christine Lew
March has already snuck up on us. Since springtime is about fresh starts and trying new things, maybe it’s time you do something about that dream of yours. You know, the one about becoming the next Taylor Swift.
You may already have Swift’s good looks and girlish charm, but one thing you might not have is a guitar. To get you started, I did a brief Q&A about buying your first guitar with Joel Benson. Benson is the department manager of guitars and amps at the North Austin Guitar Center. He started playing music when he was eight years old, has played in a number of bands and began playing professionally at eighteen.
Karen Lew: If a person wants to buy their first guitar, what is the first thing they should probably do?
Joel Benson: Get a guitar appropriate for the kind of music you listen to […]. The best guitar is as good as a guitar you can afford. The cheapest guitar may not be the best guitar though […]. Cheap guitars can have problems due to cheap components. The first thing would be how serious you are.
KL: What is a reasonable budget for a first guitar?
JB: You can get a decent guitar for around 300 dollars; it’s not necessarily a midline, still upper line of entry level, but still a pretty decent guitar. With acoustic guitars, you want a solid top. Really cheap ones are laminate, made with plywood. Plywood isn’t as flexible as real wood and sounds dead. At least solid tops have solid wood tops, the back and sides are still laminate. For electric guitars, you’ll get better pickups*, better wood and it will stay in tune better.
KL: What brands would you recommend for someone’s first acoustic guitar?
JB: Fender, Yamaha, Seagull, Takamine, Epiphone. More expensive brands: Breedlove, Martin, Taylor, Gibson
KL: What brands would you recommend for someone’s first electric guitar?
JB: Squier (vintage modified and classic vibe), Ibanez, Epiphone, Jackson, Schecter
KL: What are your thoughts on new or used guitars?
JB: Oftentimes, used doesn’t mean cheaper, you can get a better value. Used is usually half the price for an original.
My used Schecter C-1 Elite
Photo by Christine Lew
KL: Do you have any tips specifically for girls, especially petite girls with small hands?
JB: No. I’ve played with men with small hands and they’ve learned to adapt. The bottom line is what you like. You have to like the way guitar looks, feels, sounds, and it has to fit into your budget.
KL: What are some basic things to look for or stay away from when picking a guitar?
JB: Look for build and quality. For used instruments, look for cracks and broken pieces to stay away from. Be careful with new instruments hanging on walls or on floor, people play on them so make sure the guitar is still intact.
My newly purchased Martin DX1AE
Photo by Christine Lew
KL: What are some accessories people have to consider buying along with their guitar?
JB:
- guitar cases (hard shell or gig bags)
- electric guitars: cables, picks, and amplifier (which can range from sixty/seventy dollars up to thousands of dollars).
- acoustic-electric guitars, which you can plug into amps
- guitar stands
- guitar polish
- replacement strings
- acoustic guitars: a humidifier because you don’t want to have your guitar dry out and crack
- coverage, for accidental damage or if something happens to the guitar and it needs to be replace or repaired
KL: What is one piece of advice you would give first-time guitar buyers?
JB: Save up money and buy as good as an instrument as you can get, and find a teacher rather than teaching yourself.
I may not agree with all the answers discussed in this Q&A, but I certainly think it provides good suggestions and useful information. My advice would be to do your research, ask people who are knowledgeable and go try out as many guitars as you can.
Good luck!
*Pickups: electromagnetic devices housed underneath the strings on an electric guitar. Pickups produce a signal to be amplified by a guitar amplifier. It is very common to have more than one set of pickups on an electric guitar.
Sources
Shane McDonald