Acoustic Guitar Buying Guide

Get What You Need The First Time!

When I bought my first acoustic guitar, I walked in the store and had no idea of what I needed and what I didn't. The result was a poor purchase followed by multiple trips back to the store to get the other things I needed. All of this worked in the favor of the people at the store - if they laid everything out at first, I wouldn't have bought it, and instead they nickled and dimed me.

I don't want you to go through that. I want you to get what you need and get home so you can start playing as soon as possible.

That said, here's your shopping list:

Your Guitar

It's kind of hard to learn to play the acoustic guitar without, you know, an acoustic guitar. I'm going to lay it to you straight, buying a cheap instrument is not the way to go. You'll want to get rid of it soon and won't be inspired by it. Instead of buying one of the cheap starter packs that they fill with junk, I'm going to recommend you buy one of these more intermediate guitars. I've played all of them and own one of them, and I promise you, the difference in quality is obvious.
• Takamine G440C Acoustic Guitar Standard
Takamine makes great, afforable guitars, and this one sounds nice enough to get you along for a few years.
• Martin 000X1 Acoustic Guitar Standard
I recommend Martin guitars to anyone who asks me about them. Their sound is incredible, especially at the low end. This one is a little bit smaller than my next recommendation so women and guys on smaller frames may find it easier to play.
• Martin DX1 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Standard
This is the guitar I own, and it sounds amazing. The deep lows and rich middle tones are superb, and it sounds so good that I prefer it over $1800 guitars. This one will be very hard to grow out of.

A Tuner

Save yourself a lot of headache and go ahead and get an electric tuner. It makes your life a lot easier, and at around $20, it'll buy itself back in no time. The Korg CA-30 Chromatic Tuner Standard is a popular, multi-function tuner that comes heavily recommended.

I upgraded to this one from an older, cheaper model and what I really like about it is that it tells you what note you're playing and whether it's in tune rather than just being set off the standard tuning for guitars. As you'll learn, you'll want to play with alternative tunings, and this model will make it a lot easier to get your guitar tuned exactly the way you want it.

Picks

Even if you think you want to learn how to fingerpick from the bat, you'll want to go ahead and pick up some picks. They come in all shapes and sizes, but I really like the Dunlop Ultex picks. They're triangular (rather than wedge shaped) and a little bit bigger, so they're easier to keep your fingers on and it doesn't matter if it slides one way or the other.

I recommend you pick up a pack of Dunlop 421 Ultex Guitar Picks (.60 mm) and Dunlop 421 Ultex Guitar Picks (.70 mm) . The only difference is their width, and you'll want to play with the different widths because the have different levels of responsiveness and "clickiness" - the different picks will ever-so-slightly change how your guitar sounds and plays.

Capotista

A capotista (capo) is a device that fits over the fretboard of your guitar. It changes the the tonality of your guitar and allows you to play the same notes in different keys. We'll learn more about this later, but for now, go ahead and pick one up. I recommend the Kyser Capo.

Guitar Stand

The more difficult it is to get to your guitar, the less likely you'll use it. A guitar stand securely holds your guitar when you're not using it but allows you to quickly begin playing if you so choose. I recommend the Gear One GS-2 Metal Guitar Stand. It's inexpensive but gets the job done.

Guitar Strap

If you intend on playing standing up, you'll need a guitar strap to put over your shoulder. I don't recommend getting anything fancy at first because it's easy to go overboard on something you may not use. Pick up a Dunlop D-38 Guitar Strap to get you by until you know whether you're going to prefer standing or sitting.

Music Books

You could learn everything you needed to know about playing your new guitar by using the Internet. In reality, though, there's just too much information, and you'll be better off to pick up some good books to learn by. I recommend:
• Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1 / CD / DVD Standard
This is a really good intro book that is augmented by a CD or DVD. Being able to see and hear what you're learning makes such a big difference when you're learning to play.
• Hal Leonard Ultimate Guitar Chord Chart Book Standard
You might not yet know what a chord is, but they are your bread and butter on the acoustic guitar. I own this book and like how the chords are presented.
• al Leonard The Ultimate Guitar Tab Songbook 2nd Edition Standard
Your learning will have a mix of method (chords, scales, and such) and songs. Unfortunately, many new musicians think they can just learn to play from songbooks - but having a balanced mix of method and songs helps you advance faster. This songbook has a lot of songs by Tabs - which is a shorthand way to learn chords and music. It'll keep you busy for a while until you learn how to read tabs on the Internet.

I know this seems like a lot of stuff - because it is a lot of stuff - but you'll end up buying this sooner than you think. Feel free to print out this page and take it with you to the store. I promise you that if you pick up this stuff the first time, you'll be home playing instead of trying to figure out what you're missing or what you need.

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