Buying Your First Guitar?

Updated: Aug 30, 2022

Your first guitar is a crucial investment.

You may not be sure if you want to pursue this instrument for long, so you probably don't want to spend much on it.

Cheaper guitars tend to not have good built quality and don't last very long due to inadequate craftsmanship.

So, I decided to put together this blog and write about some of the good brands out there that deliver a good instrument for the price.

All the instruments and brands listed here have been played, owned or used by me to some extent at least.

Whether you are in the market for an acoustic, classical or electric guitar, here are a few things to look out for:

Quality of frets - Affordable guitars tend to have unfinished frets that are not smooth. Please do not buy such instruments. This kind of an issue can lead to minor cuts in your hand while playing when the frets are not files at the edges.
Quality of wood - Guitars ranging in the budget categories will not be build with solid wood. So it is crucial to make sure that the material is good enough to avoid a short life-span of the instrument.
Tuning pegs - The tuning pegs on a guitar are very important. You must make sure that your guitar has a decent set of these for tuning stability.
Action - This refers to the space between the fretboard and the strings. Try to find a guitar with a low action since that makes it easier to play. If you can't find one, at least make sure it can be adjusted later on.
Intonation - This refers to each fret sounding in tune once you completely tune the guitar. If a guitar is not build well or setup well enough, you will notice that some frets may sound out in tune even though you tuned your guitar.
Size - Guitars are available in various sizes. Please buy one that you feel comfortable holding. Just make sure it is tuned to stand 'E'.
A reliable brand - Though there are some independent companies making good instruments, it's always safe to buy instruments built by brands that have made a name for themselves over the years.

Here are some guitars I have played or owned over the years that show good reliability.

All these guitars are available online and I have had multiple students who have owned them without complaints.

Steel String Acoustic Guitars:

Classical/Nylon String Acoustic Guitars:

Electric Guitars:

All the guitars mentioned above are available online. I will list the websites that I have personally used without any hassle:

If you wish to learn the art of music and express yourself your way, email me: contact@subharaj.com for pricing and details!

*Open to students from all over the world and all age groups.

Here are some of the things I talk about in class:

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