If you have read my previous posts, it might seem like I’m naging you about this one major point, but I can’t stress enough the importance of buy the best quality guitar and other accessories you can justify.
So today, we are going to talk about your guitar setup. For many people, that will be an acoustic guitar, maybe a set of pitch pipes, and a guitar stand. For others, it will be an electric guitar, some effect pedals (or effects processor), and a guitar amplifier.
Acoustic Guitar:
Once you have purchased your acoustic guitar, I would recommend having it setup by a quality guitar technician. Especially when starting out, this is can make the difference between the learning guitar experience being one of pain and frustration, to one of fun.
Next, I’d recommend buying a set of pitch pipes, and a guitar stand. You’ll need the pitch pipes so you can make sure your guitar is always in tune, as it’s hard to play a piece of music with an instrument that is not in tune. The guitar stand is a must also, as you can’t leave your guitar lying around where it can be damaged. You will also find, by having your guitar on a guitar stand, that you will be more likely to pick it up and play it during the day. This means you are getting more practice (without having to lock yourself away for a set number of hours each week – and putting in the “hard yards”). You will enjoy these impromtu sessions more than your regular practice times.
Electric Guitar:
The same theory goes for electric guitars, as for acoustic guitars. Buy the best you can justify and have it setup by a quality guitar technician. By the way, many guitar shops will throw in having your new purchase setup, just to get the sale, so ask if they will throw that in. You may find they will.
Once again, you will need a way to tune your guitar, using either pitch pipes, or a guitar tuner. And you really should consider a guitar stand here too. It will keep your instrument in great condition compared to if you leave it lying around.
Now, if your interest is electric guitar, there will be a huge number of additional accessories including effect pedals and amps.
Please make sure you buy a good quality amp if you can afford it. This alone will make the biggest difference to the sound you here when you play. One of those tiny little $100 amps will not give you any satisfaction when you play.
Once you have a good guitar and amp setup, it’s time to think about effect pedals. This choice is totally up to you and the style of music you are learning to play. Start off with the one effect that will give you the closest sound to suit your style. You can usually try these out at the guitar shop before you buy, so you know how your guitar setup will sound.
In future posts, I’ll go into a little more detail about some of the effects that you may concider for your style of music.
Picks come in many different shapes and sizes. They are a very personal thing for most guitarist, and trying to use the wrong pick will make most guitarist feel that they are not connecting with the instrument.