Guitar buying: Initial considerations (Part 2: 3 considerations)

You are now financially ready to proceed to the stores to choose your guitar. Many of us would do this only to be there & get confused by the various selections. It's rather futile to be asking if a certain guitar is good for you when the real decision is the willingness to part with cash in exchange for that instrument which you have tried, heard & scrutinized. A good guitar for Person A might be rotten for Person B, therefore the instrument's offerings per se is subjective & would appeal differently to various individuals. These are some considerations for you to ponder upon before you take too long at the stores & coming home with a regrettable purchase:

Work with your budget
Head to the stores with your budget in mind. Do not spend time at places where nothing seems to be within your purchasing capacity. Look at the instruments & note the price tags. My advice here would be for you to be sure of your selection & not be moved by what others are trying in the stores on your purchase day. Get opinions from the sales people pertaining to your budget bracket, they might be more knowledgeable with the range of instruments across brand names.

Test it out
Handle the instrument & hear it in action (always get the stores' permission for this, always...); the guitar's playability & tone would be the key considerations for your purchase. These details would inspire your performance because you are handling the instrument & getting acquainted with its sound/ tone. If you are starting out & possess no knowledge for this scrutiny, get a more learned friend to do this for you.

Brand name/ outline/ finish
This should be the least of your worries if you are the prudent buyer. A preferred brand name, popular body shape & fantastic colour contribute the least to playability & tone. We feel safe being with the flow but it might not give us what we want at the end of it all- personal satisfaction.