The First Guitar Buying Guide

This is the condensed, evergreen version of everything we have written about buying a first guitar. Read it in five minutes, buy with confidence this weekend.

The budget answer

Spend $150 to $300 on a new instrument from a known brand: Yamaha, Squier, Epiphone, Ibanez, Cort, Alvarez. Below about $120 new, guitars stop being instruments. Above $300, you are buying things a beginner cannot yet use. Used can be excellent value, with the checks covered in our used guitar checklist.

Acoustic, electric, or classical

Buy the type that plays the music you love, full stop. Electrics are physically easier and practice silently through headphones. Acoustics are always ready and need no amp. Nylon-string classicals are gentle on fingers and the right call for classical styles and most kids. The long version of this decision is in our acoustic vs electric article.

The single most important spec: action

Action is the height of the strings above the fretboard, and it decides whether chords feel possible or punishing. You cannot reliably judge it from a photo, which is the best argument for buying your first guitar at a counter instead of a checkout page. Ask the store two things:

• "Has this guitar been set up?"
• "Can you check the action before I take it home?"

A good shop answers yes twice without hesitation. Find one near you in the directory.

Sizes matter more than people think

Full-size guitars fit most people 12 and up. Smaller players and kids need 1/2 or 3/4 size instruments, and adults who travel or have small hands often love them too. Details and a size chart live in guitar sizes explained.

What to buy with it

A clip-on tuner or a tuner app, picks in a few thicknesses, a strap, and a stand you will actually use. The stand is secretly the most important accessory: visible guitars get played. The complete list with prices is in the beginner gear checklist.

Day-one plan

Learn two chords and play a two-chord song the same day. The Ultimate Guitar app has chords for essentially every song, so start with one you love rather than one a book assigns. Momentum on day one predicts whether the guitar is still being played in a year.