How To Choose An Acoustic Guitar

By: H.P. Mandrake

Break Studios Contributing Writer

The hundreds of choices hanging from the walls leave many of us wondering how to choose an acoustic guitar. If this is your first guitar purchase, the sensory overload will be a little overwhelming. But relax, buying an acoustic guitar should not be a rushed project.

To choose an acoustic guitar, you will need:

Money
Patience
Friends who play

Recommendation. If you have a friend who plays, ask him about his guitar. Ask his where he bought got it, how much it cost and exactly what he likes about it. Friends who play guitars are often annoyingly opinionated and passionate about their instruments. But best of all, they can tell you where not to shop or which guitars just plain sound bad. Having a knowledgeable friend come along to a music store to help choose an acoustic guitar is a smart idea. Let them listen to the sales pitch and give you their two cents.
Construction. When you start handling the guitars, look at the construction. Check the joints for clean attachments. Ask what sort of wood the instrument is made of. Ideally, you want real wood and not a particle board guitar. Even the frets should be made of real wood to ensure optimal sound quality.
Sound. Speaking of sound, play every single note on the fret board and listen for any buzzing. If it sounds fishy, allow the salesguy to tune the guitar and start again. Cheap guitars cannot hold a tune or intonate 99 percent of the time.
Patience. Spontaneous guitar purchases because of awesome shapes, cool colors or the salesguy played the hell out of it are often regretted at home. Home is where you discover the buzzing, crap construction problems and other issues. When you narrow down your choices, you should leave the store and shop elsewhere. Not just for price. Every guitar, regardless of the manufacturer or model, sounds a little different from the next one. Buying a guitar is like marriage. You want to be damn sure she is the right piece for you. You should leave and come back a minimum of three times. Three satisfied visits should be enough to sell you the right acoustic guitar.