A guitar should be purchased with due care to avoid any problems with it in future. Identifying a good instrument is an important guitar lesson.
Should you purchase a new or an old instrument? You should consider purchasing an old instrument only if you trust the source. The sound quality of musical instruments generally improves with playing, which is a plus point for an old instrument. You can also get it at a lower cost unless it is an antique piece or some other value is attached to it. But there may be mechanical damage in the guitar which is not easily detectable. You have to really use your judgment. When in doubt, go for a new one. You can get a warranty for a period in a new guitar, but you will not have this comfort in old instrument.
New guitars may be mass-produced or custom made. The mass-produced instruments will be less expensive. Custom made guitars come in wide price range depending upon the material, skill and effort put into their construction. You can use one rule of thumb in deciding which one to buy – if you can discern the superiority of sound quality in a custom made guitar then you can consider purchasing it. Otherwise purchase a mass produced one. You can purchase custom made guitar later when your ears are better trained.
Before purchasing you should see all its parts critically. I am giving here my views on what you could look for in a new piece.
It is always good to prepare a checklist for purchasing anything which is somewhat costly. Based on the considerations given below you can prepare a checklist of your own which will help you to remember all the points you have to verify.
Overall Appearance – Guitars come in different colors, designs, sizes. You can select a piece to your liking. Inspect thoroughly to satisfy yourself that there are no visible defects.
Body – This is the hour-glass shaped part with sound hole in the front. It is where strumming is done. It is hollow from inside and provides resonance when strings are played. The resonance enhances the sound volume and makes it “rounded”. The body is designed to provide resonance over entire range of notes played on the guitar. You should check the sound quality with each string played at different notes.
Neck – This is the long piece attached to the body over which your finger moves to play chords. On the other end on the neck there is the head in which tuning posts and tuning heads are fixed. Neck should be examined carefully for any warping or twisting.
Fret Board – This is the piece glued over the neck on which strings are pressed to play chords or individual notes. The distance between fret board and strings is critical. If the strings are too close you do not get “clean” notes. On the other hand if the strings are too far away you have to press harder to play the notes causing greater strain to your fingers. Also, the string gets stretched while playing. Ideally, pressing the strings over the fret board should not stretch it. But if the strings are too far above the fret board, they get sufficiently stretched while being pressed to change the original tuning of the string.
Strings – You can have a choice of strings made of different material. They come in two broad categories – metallic and nylon strings. Nylon strings are easier on the finger tips. There are also “heavy” and “light” strings which vary in cross section. All these strings have different sound quality and “feel” while playing them. You can take your pick.
The position of strings on the guitar is also an important criterion. Finger sizes vary widely in individuals. Your fingers should comfortably reach and press the last string. The distance between the strings, and the width of the fret board should match with the size of your fingers.
Tuning Heads and Posts – For each string there is one set of tuning post and head. They stretch the string for tuning it when you turn the tuning head and keep the string in that stretched position for playing it. You should ensure that the movement of each tuning head should is smooth, and the tuning post retains the stretched string. The string should not become loose while playing.
After you have considered all these points you should play the instrument, or get the salesperson to play it. See how it sounds, how it feels. You should be satisfied with its overall performance before you decide to buy it. When you buy a good guitar which is to your liking you will be motivated to take you guitar lessons more seriously.
Sanjay Johari regularly contributes articles to various ezines. Please see his blog for more information on guitar and guitar lesson.
Written By: Sanjay Johari
