If you’re not already knowledgeable about musical instruments and you need to buy a beginner electric guitar, what do you look for when you’re shopping? How will you know which guitar is the better buy and which is best for a beginner rather than an experienced player? Are there differences between beginner guitars and pro guitars? How much should you spend?
If you’re the one wanting to learn to play, you should already know how serious and committed you are. You’ll know if you’re comfortable spending $1000 on a guitar, or if you’d rather pay less than half that. A more expensive guitar is almost always better, and you should avoid guitars labeled for “beginners” as they’re probably lower quality.
A child who has been begging for a guitar for years is likely to be more serious about learning to play than someone who only became interested when his or her friends did. If it’s a relatively new interest or one that doesn’t seem genuine, then spending several hundred dollars probably isn’t a good idea.
If you’re unsure, you could still buy an expensive beginning electric guitar. If you should want to sell it later, musical instruments typically hang on to much of their value. So you may be able to get most of the price back in a resale.
Still, you should be able to find an electric guitar for beginner’s for $500 and less. In fact, $200 to $300 is probably the most likely range you’ll find in a new beginning electric guitar. If you buy used, you can get the instrument even cheaper.
Of course, if you know the interest is serious in yourself or someone else, there’s nothing wrong with buying a top quality instrument from the beginning. You can play the same guitar for years and years, so it’s a worthwhile investment.
When you’re figuring the cost of a beginner’s guitar, don’t forget that an electric guitar needs an amplifier. The price of amps varies, so you’ll need to shop around for one in your price range.
An important consideration when purchasing electric guitars and amps, whether new or used, is the quality. Of course, your budget matters. But get the best quality you can afford or are comfortable paying. A better quality instrument is easier to play and sounds better.
The better sound and ease of playing can keep a person interested. And a bad sound and an instrument that’s hard to play can easily discourage someone. The quality of the amplifier matters too. If it’s full of static, cuts in and out and just gives a bad sound, there’s not much encouragement for the player during the learning process.
Along with the beginner electric guitar, you may also want to budget for a few extras. Spare, quality strings, picks, and things like guitar manuals are good investments. You can find video lessons now to supplement teaching books. These materials can really help a person understand how to play the notes and chords, and make them a better player fast.
