Ok, so now you’ve narrowed your search down even further and it’s time to do some actual shopping. If this is your first guitar I highly recommend going to a local store FIRST before buying anything online. If you don’t have experience with guitars, you don’t want to buy blindly.
Go to your local guitar store and have a look around. Do not feel intimidated if you hear other players that are there showing off their best licks. You’re not here to enter a guitar playing competition; you’re here to shop for a guitar. Since you already have the general idea of what kind of guitar you want, walk around and find a guitar within that type that catches your eye.
Most stores allow you to just pick up guitars and play, but in some you may need to ask permission.
With your guitar selected, follow these tips:
1) Slide your fingers up and down the neck to gauge how smooth it feels and how well your fingers fit around it. You want the neck to feel very comfortable. Your fingers should have no problems wrapping around it. Also, make sure the weight of the guitar is comfortable for you. Some guitars are heavier than others, so be aware of that.
2) If the neck feels comfortable and the weight is acceptable, examine the neck to make sure that it is straight. Stand up and hold the guitar by the headstock and with the strings facing away from you. Look down the right side of the neck to see if it is straight or if it is bowed up towards the strings or bowed down away from the strings. Ideally, you’d want it to be straight or have a slight bow away from the strings but definitely not a bow towards the strings. Check the left side for the same things. You do not want to buy a guitar that has a badly bowed neck. They are extremely hard, sometimes impossible, to fix, and are just not worth the hassle. If the neck is warped, move on.
3) If you are an absolute beginner, bring a friend who already plays guitar with you to help you out or ask one of the employees to do the next steps for you.
4) Play every note on the guitar, on every string, up and down the neck. Check how easy or difficult it is to press down on the strings and if you hear any fret buzzing or intonation problems. If you feel that it’s too hard to press down on the strings or if there is some bad buzzing, or if the guitar is not properly intonated, move on. While there can be steps taken to correct those things, I’ve found with most
cheaper guitars, there is an underlying issue and there are more headaches than
remedies.
5) Play something you are familiar with to get the full effect of the sound and feel of
the guitar. Don’t try to show off and don’t be afraid if you don’t think you’re that good. You are judging the guitar, not being judged as a player. If it’s an electric, plug into an amp that closely resembles the one you have at home. Do not be deceived by the sound of the guitar because you plugged into a 100-watt half stack with 5 effects running when you only have a 10-watt practice amp at home. Also check to ensure that all of the electronics of the guitar are in working order. How does it sound to you? How does it feel to you? Don’t be swayed by anyone else’s opinion. Decide for yourself.
6) Repeat the above steps with several different guitars, including guitars that are out of your price range. Like I’ve stated previously, don’t let price be your final factor. It is way better to wait and save for the $1000 guitar that you love than buy the $500 guitar that you kind of like.
7) Write down which guitars you liked, which ones you didn’t, and note the reasons why. This information will be extremely valuable to you in the future.
8) Don’t feel like you ever have to buy a guitar that day. Shop around and find better deals. Many online vendors have very flexible return policies when it comes to buying guitars. While I personally prefer going to a local music store, some online vendors allow you to buy a guitar online, try it out, and either keep it or return it if it doesn’t match your needs. It’s more of a hassle, but it can be done. You can also look in the classified ads or craigslist for used guitars. Be cautious though and remember to use the above techniques to ensure its quality.
9) Once you’ve decided on a guitar, take it to a professional luthier to have it set up properly. It generally only costs a few dollars and it is money very well spent in the long run. Some guitar stores have luthiers in house and some offer setup for free with the purchase of a guitar.