How to choose a guitar yourself?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

In my time as a bass player, I have seen quite a few guitars - both acoustic and electronic. But even more I met people who, having learned that I can play and, moreover, I play, immediately began to ask: “Teach me how to play” and ask: “Is it difficult, right?” “But how to choose a guitar to play like you, like him, like Kurt Cobain?” and so on and so forth. To be honest? Just a couple of weeks after the first concert, you just want to shoot yourself.

Because to explain to a person who believes that from one communication with a guitarist, he, just by touching the instrument, will surpass the entire Dragon Forse together, how to choose the right guitar is simply unrealistic. And don't take me for granted! In my practice, there have been cases when, after explaining to a person how to choose an acoustic guitar, I received an angry SMS with claims a couple of days later, saying that it was my fault that the person could not play. What can be said here? Precisely in order to avoid such cases, I decided to write a short essay on how to choose a guitar, which will help even the most unsophisticated and green youngster to make the right choice, following all the instructions!

Instrument anatomy

First of all, you need to know what a guitar looks like and is made of! Yes, yes, you don’t go to the store for feijoa, not knowing how this very “beast” looks like? Of course not. You will first go to Google and ask the "Great" with what side dish to serve this "unknown little animal" to the table. So, an acoustic guitar consists of the largest part (deck) with a round cutout (pickup), a long stick (neck) with metal strips (frets), the top (head) and the base of this very stick (heel). Plus additional elements such as tuning pegs, strings, string mount and plectrum. It's not all that difficult once you look at the guitar and figure out where and what is.

Tips: how to choose a guitar and what to look for?

- Pin tension force. Often there is a problem with this element of the guitar. The pegs are loosely tightened - and as a result, the strings are gradually unwound from the coil and the sound, of course, is out of tune. When choosing a guitar, be sure to check the tension by pulling the string. After waiting 10 minutes, check its sound. If it remains unchanged, then everything is in order.

- Fitting the neck to the deck. The next thing you need to pay attention to is the fit of the neck to the body. The neck and heel should be in close contact with the surface of the deck, there should be no gaps and the neck should not hang out. If you neglect this advice, then one day you will realize that your strings are rubbing against the fretboard, extinguishing the sound.

- The location of the pickup. Also an important factor: the pickup is presentedin the form of a regular cutout or, like an electrical device, should be about three to five centimeters from the last “playing” fret and at the same distance from the string mount.

Following all the above tips on how to choose a guitar, you can choose for yourself an instrument that will not only be of high quality, but also the process of playing it will give you considerable pleasure! It should also be added that the best sound is produced by metal and silver-plated strings. Nylon ones are close to them in sound, cost more, but do not cut fingers. There are also plastic strings, but we will not consider this type of sadomasochism in this article. When choosing a pick to play with, choose as thin as possible, as thick picks are used on bass guitars.