Selecting a Guitar for Beginners

After a week a busy week of guitar lessons with a high number of beginning guitar students, I am reminded of how important it is to have an appropriate instrument.

Guitars of all price ranges need to properly set up and adjusted to make playing easier and to sound better. Very often, the strings are set to high at the nut and the bridge, the intonation is off, and the truss rod may need adjustment. I see guitars that have such poor setup that I could not play them, a student has event less of a chance of success.

Also, many times guitar bodies are not the appropriate size. I prefer classical guitars and steel string guitars to be an OM size, or sometimes called concert size. These guitars have a body size that fits most students better than the larger dreadnaught guitar that many stores sell as a first option. Electric guitars also need a proper set up to minimize fret buzz and to set the proper action and intonation.

Before I take on a new student, I like to inspect their guitar and will often recommend set up adjustments that improve the guitar's performance and give a student the best opportunity for success.