Getting your first guitar is a very special moment, as it needs to be affordable, inspiring, easy to play, easy to tune and set up, and ideally come with everything you need to get started on your musical journey.
The best first stop is a local guitar shop, as not only do they have a wide range of guitars available to try, but they can also advise you on the right guitar, the right string gauge and the right accessories such as practice amps, cables, bags, plectrums and straps.
There are some obvious first choices, but they are not always the best options. To understand why, here are some of the most commonly asked questions we get about beginner guitars and our personal recommendations.
What Is A Beginner Guitar?
A beginner guitar is the first guitar that you buy and learn using. It can be almost anything, but ideally it should be both affordable and fun to play, cheap and cheerful.
They are guitars designed to be fun to play about with in your room or your lounge, with enough scope to use them for smaller performances if you feel ready to showcase your skills.
How Do You Choose The Right First Guitar?
When you are starting out, some of the finer details of a vintage Gibson Les Paul or a luxury guitar costing thousands of pounds will be lost whilst you are navigating scales and chords for the first time.
However, going too cheap can affect your motivation, especially if that low cost affects how comfortable it is to play. A poor worker blames their tools, but if said tool barely functions at all, they might have a point.
Ultimately, a beginner guitar should be:
- Affordable - Ideally, you should not have to pay more than £500 to get started, and some of our beginner sets cost as little as £200 with everything you need to get going.
- Functional - A low-cost guitar is not a low-quality guitar by any stretch, and you should be able to get a decent tone out of one with some initial adjustments.
- Inspiring - The design should want you to practice and play.
- Complete - Ideally, you should buy your first guitar with your first strap, bag and amplifier.
Should Brand Names Matter With A Beginner Guitar?
Both Fender and Gibson, the two biggest electric guitar brands in the world, have budget imprints designed with beginners in mind in the form of Squier and Epiphone, respectively.
Meanwhile, other notable brands such as Ibanez, Dean and Jackson have entry-level models, but does the brand name matter when it comes to your first guitar?
Ultimately, it depends on how much the name matters when it comes to your motivation.
Everyone is drawn to a guitar for a different reason, be it the shape, the model, the feel in the hand or the name.
If your heart is set on having a Fender Stratocaster, inspired by Hank Marvin, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen and countless others, the extra £50 to £100 to get a Squier compared to a very capable Vintage, Aria, Jackson or other double-cutaway may be money well spent.