Knowing how to choose the right guitar and how to identify a bad one will

save you from countless headaches, not to mention finger aches. Also, choosing

the right acoustic can be tough, especially these days, when there are so many

styles to choose from.

Acoustic guitar bodies come in basically the same shape, with some variations,

but they do vary in size, colour, wood-type, style, and extra features. You can

even buy an acoustic guitar so small that fits into a hiking backpack.

The most common type of guitar in use today is the folk-style of guitar. This is

the guitar you will see played around most campfires and parties, and is the one

found in most music groups, church choirs, and in the corner of most homes.

Guitars come in a very wide range of prices, but when it comes to instruments,

in general, you get what you pay for, especially when you buy new. There’s a

difference between getting a bargain and buying cheap.

But whether you buy new or used may be determined by many personal factors, and

each has their own pros and cons.

Buying new, gives you a warranty and, hopefully, a return period, if for some

reason you’re not totally satisfied with your purchase, or something goes wrong.

Under ‘normal’ circumstances, a used guitar can usually be purchased cheaper and

has already gone through its “break-in” period.

Commercially built guitars are usually mass manufactured. “Custom-made” guitars

are exactly that. They are custom built and tailored to your specifications by a

highly skilled guitar maker.

Prices for a custom-built guitar vary considerably, depending on the skill level

of the craftsperson you contract the job to, but, as a rule, they are generally

quite higher than a commercially built guitar of “similar” quality. Each custom

built guitar is unique and therefore hard to compare in price to a commercially

built guitar.

Understanding some of the parts of a guitar will definitely help you when it

comes to the Pre-Purchase Checklist.

BODY: This is the part with the sound hole in the front. It is where the

strumming is done, and it can vary in size. The actual size, shape, type of

wood, coating, and general build of the body also affects how the guitar will

“sound”, whether it’s a rich and warm sound, or a thin and ‘twangy’ sound. The

body tends to be the part that also gets scratched, damaged, and generally

banged-up the most.

NECK: This is the long piece extending from the body and ends at the ‘head’ of

the guitar where the ‘Tuning Heads’ are, also known as ‘machine heads’. The

strings travel from the ‘Bridge’ on the body, across the sound hole, along the

‘Fret Board’, which is attached to the front-side of the neck, and finally

arriving at the tuning heads where they are wrapped around tuning posts. The

tuning heads are then turned by hand, which then turns the posts, making the

strings tighter or looser, thus affecting their ‘tuning’. Necks tend to warp and

twist if not looked after, or if the guitar is left propped against a heat

source.

BRIDGE: The Bridge is normally located on the front of the body, by the sound

hole, and on the side of the hole opposite to the neck. The strings are usually

fed through the bridge first before they cross the hole and travel up the neck

to the tuning heads. The bridge is like an anchor-point for the strings. Metal

bridges are best, but on most acoustics they are either hard plastic or wood.

Bridges have a tendency to crack and split over a long period of time.

FRET BOARD: The fret board is glued to the front of the neck. This is the part

you press the strings onto to make chords or play individual notes. Because it’s

glued on separately, a fret board can be made of a wood that’s different from

the neck.

The strings travel over the fret board and the distance they are above the fret

board makes a difference to the playability of the guitar. If the strings are

too far above the fret board, then they will be hard to press down, making the

guitar hard to play.

When a beginner plays a guitar, initially his or her fingertips are very soft

and need to be hardened. A guitar with the strings too far above the fret board,

also known as having a ‘high action’, will cause the player’s fingers to hurt so

much that they are likely to put the guitar away in discouragement and possibly

stop playing altogether.

STRINGS: Acoustic guitar strings, come in a wide variety of ‘flavours’. They can

be made out of nylon, brass, steel, or a combination. Nylon strings are usually

only found on Classical guitars and Student guitars, because they’re easier on

the fingertips. They have a rich, warm sound to them.

Strings sets come in different ‘weights’, or sizes. Strings that come from a

package marked ‘Heavy’ are usually quite thick in size and sound “beefy”.

Strings that are light, or extra light, are very thin and usually have a

brighter sound to them, but are also quieter sounding than heavy strings.

String choices are purely personal taste. Light strings are easier to press than

heavy strings but also sound quite different. The more often strings are played,

the dirtier they get. If a cloth isn’t run over and under them, from time to

time, the sound becomes very dull.

No matter where you buy your guitar, if you know what to look for, and spend a

little extra effort in your search for that ‘perfect’ guitar, not only will your

fingers thank you, but also your ears, and all those who will come to join you

around the campfire, or even go to see you in concert. Who knows?