A lot of people start on acoustic because the start-up costs are lower.  You just buy the guitar, case, and a few extras and you’re done.  If you buy an electric guitar, you’ll have to also get an amp, or some sort of device so you can listen to it through headphones like a Line 6 Pod.  Your decision to buy one or the other should be based on what kind of music you want to play.  If you like artists like Dave Matthews or Bob Dylan, I’d recommend getting an acoustic.  If you like bands like Led Zeppelin or Muse, I’d tell you to start with an electric.

Recommended Brands:

There are a lot of different guitar manufacturers out there, so I’m going to make my recommendations based on the ones I’ve seen students bring in.  The first brand I’d recommend to students is Yamaha guitars.  Yamaha acoustic guitars have been the most reliably well made guitars in the 20 years I’ve been teaching, and you can get a good new one for as low as $150.  You should also consider buying a used one, as there really isn’t that much that can go wrong with an acoustic, and little chance for hidden problems that will spring up later.

If you want to spend a little more money, Fender also makes good acoustic guitars in the $300 price range that have solid tops (more on that later).  Yamaha’s higher priced acoustic guitars are also good too.  I would, however, stay away from the really inexpensive (i.e. under $150) Fender acoustics, as I’ve seen  enough bad ones to be wary of them.

If you really want to spend a lot of money, like more than $500, then you have a lot more options, and might be able to get a guitar that has a solid top, back, and sides. I play Alvarez and Larrivee acoustic guitars and love them both, but they’ve gotten pricier since I bought mine back in 1997.   Taylor, Martin, Gibson, and Guild are among the oldest and most popular companies for acoustic guitars.

Construction: Laminate or Solid?

Acoustic guitars are made of wood that is either solid or laminate.  Laminate basically means plywood – that is, sheets of wood glued together.  Solid means that it’s not plywood.  Guitars made with solid wood will sound better but require a little more care to keep the wood from drying out and cracking.  Keeping the wood humidified involves placing a device called the “Damp-It” or some other kind of similar product inside the body of the guitar when it’s not in use.  This only has to be done during the winter when the air is a lot drier and the furnaces are running.  Also, if solid wood guitars get cold, you have to allow them to gradually warm up, or the sudden temperature change can cause the wood to crack.  Laminate guitars are much more forgiving and resistant to temperature changes, but also don’t sound nearly as good.  They are cheaper though, so most beginners start with guitars constructed this way.

Things to watch out for when buying an acoustic

The most common defect in inexpensive acoustic guitars is intonation problems.  Basically this means that once the individual strings are tuned to a tuner, the guitar still sounds out of tune.  This is caused by the slots in the nut not being cut to the right depth (which can only be corrected by a really good repair man) or the guitar not having a compensated saddle (which can easily be replaced by the consumer).  Guitars that have intonation problems are no fun to play because no matter how well you play, they sound like garbage and will cause you a lot of aggravation.  If you’re not sure that you’ll be able to recognize this defect, you should do your guitar shopping with someone who will be able to make this evaluation for you.

If you can bring a friend who plays guitar, ask him or her to tune the guitar to a tuner, and play the chords E major, G major, A major, and D major.  If they all sound equally in tune the guitar has passed the first test.  Then have you friend quickly play all the notes up to the 14th fret to check for buzzing strings or raised frets.  If there are no issues there, the last thing to check for is that the bridge is not pulling away from the body.  If it’s securely glued to the body, then you have found your instrument.  Now all you have to do is haggle with the salesperson.

Summary

If you want me to just tell you what to buy, then go to an independent music store (i.e. not a large chain) and buy a used Yamaha acoustic.  No one has ever walked into my studio with a Yamaha acoustic that was a piece of junk and had crappy intonation.  I would also recommend getting one that is made of laminate wood, so you don’t have to worry about humidifying it.  If you stick with it, in a year or two you can treat yourself to a nice all solid wood guitar, and then keep the cheap Yamaha as the guitar you take with you on camping trips.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to post!