Starter Guitar

Electric or acoustic?

Do you have a budget?



Regardless, I'm going to recommend you play a bunch at your local guitar center and tried one of their used guitars or scour Craigslist/Ebay for good deals. No reason to spend the premium on new if you don't know if you're going to stick with it.

Acoustic

Loose budget. Keeping it around a couple hundred bucks if possible.

Do what these other guys said. Go pick them up and see what feels good, it makes a huge difference. Don't spend too much, this won't be your last guitar if you like to play.

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Keeping it around a couple hundred bucks if possible.

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If you want a new guitar, I would say punch that up to the $350ish range - but, again, I wouldn't recommend new right out of the gate. Ideally, borrow a friend's beater guitar for about 3 or 4 weeks and see how that goes. No harm, no foul if you don't take to it.

But, Yamaha and Seagull have some good values you ought to be able to pick up in the used market. Most offerings in this range from big brands will be Chinese made, but don't let that scare you off (Seagull will most likely be Canadian, although the may have some imports - just not sure).

I'm going to recommend you learn to tune by ear, too. That's tough, at first, but if you go with a tuner (like I did), you're probably cutting your chances of tuning by ear - ever - in half.

I will echo the idea of buying used versus new. There are many influencing factors that can skew my next statement, but generally speaking new guitars will typically depreciate almost immediately about 50 percent off MSRP on the used market. That means you can get the same guitar about half off when it's used, or get twice the guitar quality-wise for the same expenditure buying within the used market.

If you're buying used, particularly with acoustics, have someone who plays or has reasonable knowledge about what guitars should play, feel and sound like when you're testing candidates.

For acoustics, I also like Yamaha and Seagull for their bang for buck factors and their being readily available on the used market at value-friendly prices. For electrics, I am very impressed lately with the Squier Classic Vibe series guitars that have been crossing my bench for the money their owners spent on them. Consistently good guitars for their asking prices and readily available new and used.

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I am very impressed lately with the Squier Classic Vibe series guitars that have been crossing my bench for the money their owners spent on them.

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FretShack - have you run across many of those Chinese Ibanez models? I got one for the boy about 10 years ago, and that thing was fantastic. The pups were a little weak, but overall, I was super impressed with what less than $300 bought at that time.

I'd go with a Epiphone or Squire if you're not that serious about it.

My personal opinion would be to start on an electric guitar for no other reason than it is just easier to play. Rage quitting due to frustration is a very real thing.

If you must go acoustic, get light strings at least.

I like the Japanese though. Edwards isn't bad.

you're welcome