Buying my first electric guitar

by Dinorah
(Dominica)

Question: I have a classical guitar and I am planning to buy an electric. I am going to Miami, Florida next year to buy the guitar but I do not have anyone to help me pick out the best guitar and many websites say that large chain stores have the poorest customer service and are more interested in making a sale than helping you (I was planning to the guitar at a Sam Ash store).

I am mostly likely going to venture into punk rock, grunge and alternative rock. Do you think you can give some good advice on buying my first electric guitar?

Answer

I'm not doubting people have negative experiences at these large chain stores, but a lot of it is down to what you aim to get out of them. Treat buying a new guitar as if it'll be the last guitar you'll be able to buy for a long time. It's a precious expenditure.

Know your budget and stick to it

Before you step foot in a guitar store, know what your budget is. Be clear on this with any salesperson who gives you attention. They know you will want to try out any suggestions they make, so if they know your budget, they can better help you narrow down your choices from the beginning.

Avoid tremolo bridged guitars

As this is your first electric, avoid any guitar with a tremolo system ("whammy bar", floating bridge, floyd rose etc.). This is because changing strings on such guitars is very fiddly if you don't know what you're doing. The guitars you're looking for should have fixed bridges (non-tremolo).

Examine the candidates

Take your time trying out guitars in your price range. You may as well begin with the ones you most like the look of, but I would strongly recommend surfing the web forums (harmony central is a great resource) for some ideas about brands and well respected entry level guitars.

Personally, I think Schecter has some of the finest guitars available below $400. Ibanez and Epiphone also make great value guitars. It really is down to personal preference a lot of the time.

You need to examine each guitar as closely as possible. How does it feel in your hands? Is the fretwork good quality? Are the pickups straight? Do the tone and volume pots feel firmly attached? Be thorough and make sure you let the salesperson know if you've spotted any defects. This shows them you're serious and discerning.

Play both down and up the neck. Any dead frets?

Know the sound you want to hear

Think of the guitarists you like the tone of best and try and listen out for as close to those sounds as possible when trying out in store. Tell the salesperson what overall sound you're after (e.g. what styles you'll mostly be playing). They will want to make a sale so they will be happy to find you what you want.

Set up

Ideally, you should ask the shop to set up your guitar (if they indeed offer that service). This involves optimising the guitar's playability (intonation, truss rod, saddle height etc.). A basic setup typically costs $40.

However, if you're only in town for that one day, and you can't get it setup locally at home, you'll really need to examine each guitar you try carefully and be absolutely certain it feels right, it sounds right and you can see yourself playing it for years to come.

If the only thing wrong with it is the strings are too high, for example, ask them to lower the string height in store. They'd be stupid not to if you'd otherwise be happily handing your cash over. Five minute job.

You can use the internet to learn how to do most guitar setup elements yourself anyway.

Don't be afraid to ask for extras

Remember that brick and mortar guitar stores generally have higher markups on their products.

If you say you're willing to buy today, their eyes will most probably light up. You will most likely get some kind of "gig bag" for the guitar anyway, but don't be afraid to ask if they can chuck in some strings, plectrums, cables, strap etc. I'm only going on my own experience (and guitar shops in the UK) but I've always managed to leave with something more than the guitar itself! Just ask.

Have fun, take your time, know what you want and do your research before! For example, type into Google "guitars under $..." or similar phrases. There are some very experienced players who have already contributed to forum threads about first time buying.

Let me know how it goes Dinorah!