Guitar Buying Guide

Tips and info to help you pick the right guitar

Buying a guitar for the first time? Choosing an instrument can be intimidating, exhilarating, frightening, and wonderful all at the same time. With so many options available, it can leave you overwhelmed and content to just play the radio. You’re not alone! We’ve all been there and are here to help you navigate your way through this crazy maze and find your way to the guitar that works best for you. Let’s go through a few basics so you can better understand the available options when browsing.

Common Acoustic Guitar Body Styles

Dreadnought - By far the most popular, this is the typical body style that most people picture when they think of an acoustic guitar. They have a large body with the most versatile sound. Found in nearly every genre of music, the dreadnought acoustic guitar has been a standard for a long time. A musician like Johnny Cash is pretty much synonymous with the dreadnought.

Folk & Concert - These two body styles are a bit smaller than the dreadnought and are mostly used in folk, Americana, and by singer/songwriters. They are also great for smaller players who find the dreadnought to be to bulky and obtrusive. Folk and concert guitars can have a smaller sound than the dreadnought, but are generally good for fingerpicking and work higher up the neck. Artists like Paul Simon or Taylor Swift would be more likely to play one of these guitars.

Parlor - Originally designed to sit in the parlor or family music room, these models have substantially smaller bodies and fewer frets. They’ll have a rich sound, but are best used as a solo instrument for songwriters, not necessarily in a band setting.

12-String - A 12-string guitar basically doubles the strings to create a much larger sound. These guitars typically have a fatter neck to accommodate the extra strings and take extra strength and dexterity to hold down chords. We would not recommend these guitars for beginners, but it’s definitely one to add to the collection down the road.

Classical - Also known as a nylon-string or Spanish guitar, these are not used very often in most pop/rock music. They are characterized by their delicate sound, strings (nylon as opposed to steel), and wider necks. While nylon strings can be easier on the fingertips when starting guitar, classical guitars are not built for strumming with a pick and will not achieve the expected sound you would hear on most recordings.

Acoustic-Electric - This category takes one of the straight acoustic guitars we just talked about and adds in a pickup system. A pickup allows a guitar to plug directly into an amp, PA system, or recording device. If you plan to play outside of your home at all, you’ll want to invest in an acoustic-electric.

Electric Guitar Basics

Body Style - Unlike their acoustic counterparts, body size and shape have little to no effect on the sound of electric guitars. You will, however, see a variety of styles and looks. Selecting a body style is largely personal preference.

Pickups - The pickups in an electric guitar are responsible for taking the sound of the strings and converting it into an electric signal, which allows it to be amplified and heard. There are many pickup styles and variations that have their own characteristics. As a beginner, though, this isn’t something you need to worry about too much, but it can differentiate models.

Amplifiers - An amplifier is an absolutely essential part of an electric guitar rig – it's the other half of the sound of an electric guitar. Depending on the model, an amp can do a variety of interesting and fun things with your sound.

Popular Models/Style - Here are a few of the most popular guitars that you'll see on our website. While there are many options available, most will follow one the following basic designs.

• Stratocaster: This is a popular style that a lot of rock and roll musicians have played over the years, including Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Weezer. These are extremely versatile guitars and have a pickup style that suits many genres and sounds. You will see this style in Fender, Squier, and Yamaha Pacifica guitars.

• Telecaster: These guitars are typically known as country instruments, especially traditional country, but have made their way into rock and even funk. The pickups will have a brighter, cleaner tone. Famous artists who have played Telecaster-style instruments are Merle Haggard, Bruce Springsteen, and Prince. Fender and Squier are terrific options on our site for Telecasters.

• Revstar: Loosely based off the Les Paul design, these guitars feature dual humbucker pickups which can provide a vintage and full vibe. Revstar models are very versatile guitars with an original look and incredible build quality. Read more about these unique guitars in this article.