What type of guitar is good for beginners?

kilikina727: What type of guitar is good for beginners?
I am interested in learning how to play the guitar but I have no idea where to take lessons. I know I have to buy a guitar first but I do not know what type of guitar would be good for a beginner like me. Can somebody fill me in on different types of guitars and what would be best to start off with? Thanks in advance!

Answers and Views:

Answer by sir.conor
for electric:

acoustic there are many-

Answer by YoMick
I would suggest you get something cheap – if you don’t like it, no big loss. If you do like it, you can always move up to something better as you develop your skills. Be patient with it – a lot of people expect to be able to pick up a guitar and be able to play almost immediately. WRONG!!! Get songs ( words and chords ) from somewhere like Gunther Anderson’s online resource – https://www.guntheranderson.com/v/index.htm and if you’re not sure how the song goes, look it up on youtube – and have a lot of fun challenging yourself to play.

Answer by Lester G
The two main types of guitar are acoustic and electric. Acoustic guitars have hollow bodies and make their own sound. Electric guitars are either solid wood or have very thin bodies, both kinds with pickups that require that the guitar be plugged into an amp to be heard.

You can learn equally well on either kind so consider the music you want to be able to play and from that you can determine which is a better choice for you.

Buy your guitar from a music store and nowhere else. Do not buy from eBay, the internet, or a big box store like Target or Wal*Mart. Expect to pay $ 200 for an acceptable beginner’s guitar plus another $ 100 for a small amp if you buy the electric guitar. Good luck.

Answer by Cacacas
Classical Guitar
Acoustic Guitar (steel string)
Acoustic Guitar (nylon string)
Hollow Body Electric Guitar (jazz)
Solid Body Electric Guitar (like a fender stratocaster or telecaster)
Resonator Guitar (slide, a.k.a. steel guitar)
Flamenco Guitar

The classic choice for American beginners is the acoustic steel string guitar with 6 strings, or a solid body electric guitar with 6 strings. I prefer acoustic because of easy volume control. If you purchase an electric, be prepared to purchase and amplifier and a few picks, possibly a guitar strap. Also, a soft body case is usually between $ 40 and $ 80 for medium protection, and a hard case costs $ 60 – $ 120 for heavy duty protection from nicks and scratches and general handling.

I’d say spend about $ 200. Go into the store offering only to spend $ 150 to keep the salesman down under $ 200. Also, if you don’t like it, be very vocal about it. Pick it based on sound and feel. It may look good and sound bad. I’d suggest holding off on spending $ 400 or more because if you don’t know where to start, you’ll be reaching too far into the unknown with your pocket. Usually you will get a feel in a few months as to what you like AFTER you own the guitar.

Answer by Jim P
An important first question is what kind of music do you want to play? Everything? Then maybe the question should be who do you like to listen to and who’s songs would you like to learn?

While you can any kind of music on any kind of guitar, certain sounds are associated with different types of music.

For example, you can play classical music on a solidbody electric guitar. It won’t be the sound that you normally think of when you hear the words “classical guitar” but it’s certainly not impossible to do.

So if you’re crazy for a particular singer/songwriter maybe a steel string acoustic guitar is the way to go. If your dream is to play in a Ratt tribute band, the acoustic won’t cut it.

If you do choose an acoustic guitar, you should be able to get one that is ok for a beginner in the $ 200-300 range.

Be sure to pick one that isn’t too large to comfortably hold. If you’re 5’2″ tall an enormous guitar probably isn’t a good idea.

This article might be helpful for you https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/The_Best_Guitar-Tips_For_Beginners.html

Answer by broverb
First is to decide what kind of music you want to play. That will determine the kind of guitar to get. Though in reality any style of guitar can be played on any guitar. I’d recommend an acoustic guitar to a beginner. Don’t buy a cheap guitar. It maybe hard to play and that will discourage you as a beginner. For a new guitar I like Alvarez Guitars as generally being easy to play. When you go to buy one, get a friend who can play to go with you. The salesman can make every guitar sound good but that won’t mean it will be easy for you to play. You want one with strings close to fretboard but not buzzing. That’s called low action. The guitar store can probably direct you to a guitar teacher. Ask a lot of questions of the teacher and even current students if you can to find out if you fit with them. Many good players are not good teachers so don’t be overly impressed with how they play. There are a lot of materials available online once a teacher has helped you to pick up the basics.

Answer by Bon
I would suggest a fender strat with maple neck. Put 9 or 10 gauge strings on it. Accompany guitar with a small practise amp.

Answer by jake
thats tough you could try walmart or target to get a pretty good one thats what i did and it works great (it was $ 80.00 and it was autographed by fallout boy!)

Answer by Alice Lockwood
1. get the Squier Stratacaster
2. order the DVD home study course from learnandmasterguitar.com

Answer by TheJonezter
Agreed on getting something cheap. Music is something that takes a lot of time and dedication if you want to get any good at it. Some people are naturally ‘gifted’ with the ability, other’s have to work on it a little, but everyone can learn and become good with enough patience.

You will know pretty quickly if it is something you want to continue with or not. If you find yourself going to the bathroom with your guitar strapped on…that might be a pretty good sign that you’ll be sticking with it and you’ll probably want to buy a better guitar.

Go to a pawn shop and get a cheapy…they’ll usually have tons of amps to choose from as well, but I typically find that pawn shops are overpriced on amps…guitars can be reasonably priced tho.

As for lessons, look on craigslist.com or your local classifieds for teachers…but be sure to check them out first. Lot of bad teachers out there. I’ve been playing 30 years and have never had a lesson…but I was married to my guitar for many many years. Lessons are definately helpful though given the right teacher…

Also, buy a chord book. Understanding your chords is first and foremost in your learning process. Everything is based off of the chords and their shapes…your teacher will show you chords, but it’s always good to have a reference and study guide!

Good luck!

added a link to my youtube page below…bunch of fun videos!