A lot of guitar beginners gave up in their first year or even less. They either faced difficulty in producing good sound with their instrument or they couldn't bear the finger pains.
These problems may be related to the guitars they used. Some parents for example bought cheap guitars thinking that if the children quit they would not lose much. This idea is not completely true because picking wrong guitars can also lead to a big frustration.
If you are thinking of buying a budget guitar make sure it meets the criteria below:
Warped neck is not acceptable. Press the thickest string on the 1st and 12th frets and look at the gap between the string and frets. A good neck will leave a small gap only between them.
The second thing to check is playability. If a guitar has a good playability you can play any chords on its fretboard at different position without problems or finger pains. You should feel comfortable playing all over the fretboard.
To find out an acoustic guitar with good playability you should measure the action. Take a measurement from the bottom of the thickest string to the top of the 12th fret. Ideally 3mm to 4mm distance is needed. For beginners this action setting will help a lot because it decreases the strings tension.
Never neglect the guitar intonation. Good intonation will give you in tuned notes at any fret on the fretboard. It is very common to find a cheap guitar with perfect strings tuning but when playing bar chords on the high numbered frets all you get is out of tune chords. This is related to bad intonation and you can't fix it. If you are in doubt take some measurement on certain frets with the help of a guitar tuner.
It is quite difficult to find cheap guitars that can meet those criteria, especially for beginners. Get an experienced friend to guide you in the guitar store and let him/her recommend some guitars for you to try. Choose one that feels right in your hand and don't pay attention too much on the guitar appearance. You don't need a fancy good looking guitar. It may fool you easily.
A budget guitar that meets the basic criteria above is worth buying. With very limited budget you can't expect much but you won't get a crap guitar either if you follow this guideline correctly.
These problems may be related to the guitars they used. Some parents for example bought cheap guitars thinking that if the children quit they would not lose much. This idea is not completely true because picking wrong guitars can also lead to a big frustration.
If you are thinking of buying a budget guitar make sure it meets the criteria below:
Warped neck is not acceptable. Press the thickest string on the 1st and 12th frets and look at the gap between the string and frets. A good neck will leave a small gap only between them.
The second thing to check is playability. If a guitar has a good playability you can play any chords on its fretboard at different position without problems or finger pains. You should feel comfortable playing all over the fretboard.
To find out an acoustic guitar with good playability you should measure the action. Take a measurement from the bottom of the thickest string to the top of the 12th fret. Ideally 3mm to 4mm distance is needed. For beginners this action setting will help a lot because it decreases the strings tension.
Never neglect the guitar intonation. Good intonation will give you in tuned notes at any fret on the fretboard. It is very common to find a cheap guitar with perfect strings tuning but when playing bar chords on the high numbered frets all you get is out of tune chords. This is related to bad intonation and you can't fix it. If you are in doubt take some measurement on certain frets with the help of a guitar tuner.
It is quite difficult to find cheap guitars that can meet those criteria, especially for beginners. Get an experienced friend to guide you in the guitar store and let him/her recommend some guitars for you to try. Choose one that feels right in your hand and don't pay attention too much on the guitar appearance. You don't need a fancy good looking guitar. It may fool you easily.
A budget guitar that meets the basic criteria above is worth buying. With very limited budget you can't expect much but you won't get a crap guitar either if you follow this guideline correctly.
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