Guitar Purchase Information

I hope that this information will be helpful in the purchase of a guitar. If you have questions that are not addressed below please feel free to email me at prewitb@ocps.net . I can also be contacted by voice mail at (407)521-2360 x448.

Styles of Guitars

There are many styles of guitars on the market today. When you go into a music store you may feel overwhelmed with the options that are available. Because of this, I hope to narrow your choices considerably so that your student will have the equipment necessary to make him or her successful in Guitar Class.

What type of guitar should I get?

You should get a guitar that has 6 metal strings. It should be full sized (not a miniature, practice, or travel guitar). You may choose between an acoustic and an electric. (You may find one called an Acoustic Electric. Those will be fine, but they are more costly.)

Acoustic

Acoustic guitars are less expensive than electric guitars because you will not need to purchase amplification equipment. Should you choose this option you should choose a model with a center hole. Make sure it has metal strings (not nylon or plastic).

Electric

Getting started on an electric guitar is more expensive than getting started on an acoustic because you must also purchase an amp. As long as the electric guitar is full sized you should not have a problem. For an inexpensive electric guitar I suggest a copy of the Stratocaster. These are made by various companies and are reasonably inexpensive.

Right Handed vs. Left Handed

I have had several students that have asked me about right handed or left handed guitars. The guitar requires dexterity in both hands. Because of this, it makes very little difference whether the student is right or left handed. All of the guitars in class are “Right-handed.” Because of this, you should not purchase a left handed guitar.

Action

You may have a sales person mention the action of a guitar. Action refers to the distance between the strings and the fret board. If that distance is too high (ask the sales person if in doubt) then it will prove more difficult to play.

Tuners

In addition to buying a guitar you will need to have a digital tuner (not a pitch pipe). These can usually be bought for less than $20.00.

Picks

I generally recommend medium thickness for picks. If you purchase an electric guitar you might want to go with a Nylon pick rather than a plastic one. Also you might want to use a thinner size.

Strings

It is always a good idea to have extra strings, because they break often. It is also a good idea to keep a few extra “E” strings because these break most often.

For acoustic guitars I recommend strings that start with the diameter 0.012 for the 1 st string. I use the “Phosphor Bronze” by D'Addario.

For electric I recommend strings that start with the diameter of 0.009 for the 1 st string. I use the nickel wound by D'Addario.

Case (Optional)

Cases are always nice because they protect the Guitar during transport. If you are not going to transport your guitar then you would not need one.

Guitar Stands (Optional)

A guitar stand is important to protect a guitar that is not in a case. I do not like to lay guitars on beds, floors, or stand them against the wall. A guitar stand will eliminate this potentially disastrous situation.

Strap (Optional)

A strap is only necessary to stand and play.