What do I need to look for when buying a guitar.?
966472
Everything depends on the level of that person as a guitar player. If the person is a beginner, a Yamaha beginner set should do. It will cost you less than $200. If the person is more advanced and you want to surprise them, look for Ibanez and Ovation. Fender also has some interesting acoustic guitars. Prices can go from $200 to whatever you can imagine. If I were you, I will check a couple of internet stores before going to the store. Look at guitarcenter.com since they have a very large selection.
81058
really, it shouldn't matter what name is on the guitar, its what it sounds like, and how it plays that counts. gibson les paul is a good all around guitar, while fender, paul reed smith, gretsch and Rickenbaker all make excellent blues/slow rock guitars. If its hard rock/metal he likes than B.C rich, Ibanez, Jackson or ESP make a mean sounding guitar thats sure to please
288932
Ibanez PF5 Dreadnought - got mine for $169 - good guitar - stays in tune well - nothing fancy and excellent for beginners
360903
Find your local instrument store and pick up a used acoustic bass (no amps, no cables, ready to go) a cheap ten dollar tuner and a book with CD that shows scales and riffs. You can prob'ly leave spending under $200 on the right day. Or, Guitar Center or one of the other big stores sells fairly decent starter sets including the bass amp cord tuner bag book and some other thing under $200. But decent means when you learn what you're hearing you'll wanna sacrifice your instrument to the gods. But ya gotta start somewhere.
988844
I have been playing guitar for the past 30 years. I too play a variety of music and have owned many guitars. I would say from my experience that it really depends on you and what you are attemping to play. I had both a Fender Strat and a Gibson Les Paul (plus others). As an example the Gibson was more versatile where as the Fender has a thin neck to really rip out a riff or two quickly. I would suggest going to a music store and play both or many to see which "feels" and sounds right for you. Another is to find articles or info on the net of artists that are playing the music you want to play. I am a huge Paul McCartney fan and I know through research  what equipment he is playing on and for what songs.  This not only helped me learn the tunes accurately but better appreciate the guitars that the pros's use to create what sounds they are getting from them. Good luck in your research!!
741876
If you go to the guitar store and ask them about a newer or larger model, that would be awesome. I use Ibanez myself. Or, you can check out musiciansfriend.com, look up amplifiers by brand, click on or type Crate, and you'll have a new selection open for your browsing pleasure.; Happy hunting and Merry Christmas!
861282
You sound like you are after a beginner's guiitar, do the following:\n\n1)Take a guitar lesson (anywhere between £15-£25 an hour usually, depending on where you live) and look on the net to find how to play the major choards, but in particular a G major, F major, any major barre chord, and a B minor.\n2) Have another few lessons and learn the pentatonic blues scale 1st position (sound difficult, but it isn't and your instructor should make it clear) + play the chords again.\n3) Go into a guitar shop and try playing what you've learnt on - A Stratocastor, a Les Paul, an SG, an Ibenez and then any other you like the look of or they recommend.\n4) Spend a good chunck of time playing each until you find one that feels comfortable.\n\nYou should have a good idea of whick one to buy now, the other major consideration is the sound you're after though. Basically Humbuckers = Rock/Metal, Single Coil pickups = better for softer, cleaner sounds.\n\nDiscuss this with them at the shop and mail me or ask on here again if in any doubt.\n\nPeople band names about like Fender and Gibson, and to some degree they are right, but I'd never buy a guitar I'd not played. I owned a modified Gibson Studio worth £700 but traded it in for an Epiphone Les Paul standard that I now gig with and to me it is better.\n\nRemember, Slash's main guitar is a hand built one by a now dead guitar maker, he bought around 50 odd £1000+ guitars and still never found one he liked as much.
447113
Go to Guitar Center or your local guitar shop and ask them what they would sell it for. I would choose your local place first, cuz GC might short-change ya.
598249
I'm not so much into guitars, but my hubby says:\n\n"It depends on what style of music you are playing.  For metal, I'd go with an Ibanez RG Series with a Wizard II neck with pickup selection consisting of DiMarzio pickups or (if you want to go all out) go with EMG 81 on the bridge and EMG 85 on the neck.\n\nIf you want to play hardcore, screamo, that kind of thing, go with a Gibson Les Paul with stock pickups.  But if you like good distortion, either use a Seymore Duncan JB 59s or EMGs.\n\nAnd if you just want to go extreme metal, good shred stuff, something that's lightweight, go with ESP (or if you can't afford that, LTD), they come stock with EMGs.\n\nOverall, it really depends on what type of music I'm playing, these are just what I prefer."\n\nHe's a crazy music nut.
965245
Honestly...don't buy it.\n\nIf it's for you, or for someone else as a gift, spend a little more money a decent guitar.  I've seen too many people buy a cheap guitar as a first guitar because they think it will be a waste of money if they don't like it as much as they plan.\n\nthe bad thing with a guitar like that, is it's not fun to play.  It's made of cheap materials, does not sound good and will frequently fall out of tune.  It will be more of a hassle than you want.\n\nI always recommend that you go get a good guitar for your first one.  You don't have to spend a ton, but you'll have to spend a bit more than the "Spectrum."  Check your local classifieds or www.therecycler.com and often times you'll find people who went out and bought one, and decided it's not for them and they're now looking to sell it for a pretty good price.\n\nThat way, you'll have a lot more fun learning and if you decide guitar's not for you, you can actually resell it for something.  The only thing you can do with a Spectrum is throw it away or use it for firewood...\n\nLook into a Fender (Mexican or maybe American made if you get lucky on a price)  or an Epiphone, Gibson, Martin or Washburn...but that depends if it's acoustic or electic.
1178119
Pick for sound quality not looks. There alright but really matters how much your spending.\n\n\nCLASSIC- that would be the thunder bolt guitar I think that was like one of his first guitars.
1069283
Well, before you go out to buy a guitar you need to figure out what type of music you are going to be playing the most of. If you have never played an instrument before, I would definitely go with an acoustic guitar. An acoustic guitar has more string resistance, and will make you learn how to play much more precisely. The internet is a great place to find deals on beginner guitars. Some brands to look into are Ibanez, Yamaha, Epiphone, Jasmine, and Applause. Don't spend a huge amount of money right away, but definitely do not spend as little as possible. You get out of a new guitar what you pay for it. I have had a Jasmine acoustic since I was 15, and it has been great. But, nothing beats actually buying the guitar in person. That way you can see if you like how the neck/body/strings feel for you before you spend the money on it. \n\nGood luck man!\n\nmusiciansfriend.com\nmusic123.com\nzzounds.com\nebay.com
653607
Depends what sound you want. If you want a traditional strat sound like Jimi Hendrix had, get singlecoils, if you're looking for more of a sound like Jimmy Page or someone else that uses a Les Paul has, get a humbucker.
782820
If you can get out to a large music store that deals in acoustic guitars, pick one that pleases you in size, tone, and price.  Have a professional adjust it so it will play easy.  A guitar that plays hard and sounds bad is the biggest reason to not continue.  Good luck and hope you enjoy guitar playing as I have for the past 50 years.  And it's not over yet!!!
536080
take it to a music shop if you are unsure.  cost some where around 40 bucks.\n\nNice guitar, btw.
267225
go on fender.com and there you can compare your guitar with the pictures of the ones on there and find out which one it is  that way you dont have to worry about looking stupid by walking in to a music shop with a nice guitar and not knowing the model.
1137876
If you are just beginning guitar for the first time, look for one that has "low action". What this means is that the strings are very close to the fretboard.  The higher the strings sit above the fretboard, the harder you will have to push them to fret a note. While this is good in that it helps strengthen your left hand, when you are starting out it is much more important to learn to change chords and notes quickly, accurately, and in time.  \n\nElectric guitars are actually much easier to play than acoustics, because they require much less left hand force to press down a note.\n\nAll this talk about durability: Forget about that. You aren't going to break your guitar if you don't do anything nutty (like Hendrix or Chuck Berry type tricks), and be sure to keep it protected when not in use (stand or case).  \n\nTwo words: Low Action.  Worry about details like good tone and rare wood and such on your second guitar, if you stick with it long enough to warrant such a purchase.\n\nThe only other consideration might be resale value, if you think that there is a chance you will give up on it easily (it takes lots of patience and practice at first).  For that, just buy a used one and you can sell it for what you paid for it. However, if you get one that is easy to play, you have a much better chance of getting into it than getting frustrated with it.