Best Electric and Acoustic Guitars for Beginners

For beginners, finding the right guitar can be an overwhelming task. If you intend on practicing, and improving your skills, you'll need a guitar that is beginner-friendly that you feel comfortable playing. You also want a guitar that not only is budget-friendly, but one that has good value.

In this article, we review the criteria to look for in your first guitar, and some choices for both electric and acoustic guitars.

How to Choose Your First Guitar:

Go to a guitar store and play with different guitars. Here are a few important factors in choosing a guitar:

Choosing Between Electric and Acoustic

Deciding between an acoustic and an electric guitar is a great starting point for your decision. The choice is completely up to you; however, here are some considerations:

Acoustic guitars are ideal for learning basics like strumming and plucking. Of course, you don't need an amp with an acoustic guitar. Compared to electric guitars, they typically have a wider, thicker neck, and the strings sit higher above the fretboard, requiring more pressure to fret a note.
Electric guitars have thinner strings, making it easy on the fretting hand. Electric guitars typically have a thinner neck, less space between the strings and the fretboard, and less distance between each of the six strings. It is ideal for learning bending, slides, hammer-on, and other intermediate to advanced-level techniques.

Budget

For beginners, the cost of a guitar will be a big factor in your decision. Novice guitar players should look for a durable, quality guitar at a good price. Beginners still learning to play can purchase an affordable guitar to develop their skills.

Comfort

Playing your guitar comfortably for long periods is an important part of the guitar you end up choosing.

The size of your guitar affects the instrument's playability, comfort, volume, and tone. The right size depends on comfort and personal preferences.

Guitar beginners with larger hands may be cramped on smaller, shorter-scale models. Younger developing players may struggle to enjoy playing a dreadnought shape with steel strings.

Can you comfortably reach the entire fretboard? Run your finger along each side of the neck to see if you can feel the ends of the metal frets. If you’re having trouble reaching, consider buying a guitar with a thin neck. Keep in mind that you will also work on reaching for frets as you start practicing more.

Sound & Style

As a beginner, you're still developing your style, but you'll know the styles you gravitate toward. Your choice of guitar will depend on the style you wish to play.

For instance, an acoustic guitar is a better choice if you enjoy flamenco or bluegrass fingerstyle picking. If you enjoy heavy rock, funk or metal, consider purchasing an electric guitar.

Condition

Buying a used guitar is a great idea for new players who want a less expensive option. If you opt for a used guitar, be sure to check the condition in person. You can even find brands and styles that are no longer being manufactured.