Around The Neck

Acoustic guitars, when taken care of, can last a lifetime. If you are about to take a step into buying your first acoustic guitar, then looking for a new or used guitar requires the same considerations.

1. If you’re going to take your buying seriously, then you need to take a guitar tuner with you when you are on the hunt. If you do not know how to use the tuner or you have never played guitar before, then you need to take someone with you that can accomplish all of these tasks before buying a guitar. Back to the tuner . . . the strings should be tuned up and the guitar should be played from the lowest to the highest frets to make sure it stays in tune. You can easily check the intonation by playing a harmonic on fret twelve and then playing the fingered note at fret twelve. These should be the same. If the tuner or your ear hears differently, then make you know the intonation is out and you need to look at another instrument. If only one of the six strings is off, then you know that it is probably just the string itself that needs to be replaced.
2. Now that you know the guitar has good intonation, it’s time to inspect the rest of the guitar. Begin by looking over the joints, tuning keys, the bridge and other areas where pieces connect. If you see open spaces, drops of glue or shoddy details, the guitar is most likely not put together well. A good acoustic guitar will have tight seams and tuning keys made from metal or pearl but not plastic. The bridge will sometimes have lifted off the guitar. This is a crucial inspection place. If it is lifting and you can see a space, then move on to the next option.
3. Always play or have each guitar you are considering played for you. Compare the sound to other acoustic guitars you are considering. If you are considering from two different stores, then do your best to find a similar guitar in the current store you are in and compare it. Each guitar may have a slightly different body style and be made from a different type of wood. These may not be important to you right now, but each instrument will sound a little different based on the wood and size. There is no such thing as good or bad sound, only different. Think vanilla ice cream or chocolate. You may not like chocolate but then you may be a vanilla type of person.
4. Check to make sure that the size of the neck of the acoustic guitar fits well in your hand. Some guitars have wider necks than others. While this will not affect the sound quality, it can certainly affect the way you play and your comfort level. remember that if this is your first guitar, then you may get it wrong when it comes to feel. You will develop a “feel” for your preferences the longer you play and the more guitars you try. For now, just make sure you feel pretty comfortable.
5. If you are interested in an acoustic/electric, a guitar with electrinic pickups installed, then test them with at least two different amplifiers before you make your purchase. Built in pickups vary greatly in sound and quality, so it becomes a serious consideration when choosing this type of instrument.
6. When you are satisfied with the previous litmus tests, then it’s time to head to the check-out counter and purchase that new jewel of a guitar. Then, get home and get practicing!!!