There are many features to consider when choosing an electric guitar.
The first consideration is what kind of sound you are looking for and what kind of music you like to play.
There are guitars designed specifically for most types of music.
Hard rockers want a specific sound and a specific type of action (how the strings feel and work on the fretboard).
A jazz guitarist may want a different action and a more natural or clear sound.
A country music player may want to use an instrument that has more than one twang.
A country player might also want to see a steel electric guitar.
There are also electric acoustic guitars available to create a higher volume and still retain the sound of the acoustic guitar. These guitars can also be played without amplification.
how much to spend
Once you’ve decided what your needs are for the type of music you want to play, the next step is to decide how much your budget will allow. Guitars of all kinds are offered on the market, including electric models, in all price ranges.
It’s possible to buy a reasonably good-sounding, playable guitar for less than a hundred and fifty dollars. Ibanez makes many quality entry-level electric guitars that cost very little. If you were to buy used, the price could be well under a hundred dollars.
If you are just beginning to learn to play, it might be reasonable to start with a less expensive model and increase the quality and price as your playing improves.
Guitars for the experienced or professional player can cost thousands. Once again, the Ibanez brand offers quality built guitars in both acoustic and electric guitars ranging in price from under two hundred dollars to over two thousand dollars.
How much can an electric guitar cost?
Gibson brand mainstream models can cost much more and rare individual and exclusive electric guitars can cost millions of dollars and more.
For example, the 1949 Fender Broadcaster, a prototype made by Fender, is valued at $375,000.
A Gold Leaf Stratocaster owned by Eric Clapton is in the $455,500 range.
A 1964 Gibson SG by the Beatles has been offered at auction for $570,000.
Possibly the most expensive electric guitar ever sold was a Fender Stratocaster signed by many of the most famous rock music stars in the world today. This guitar was sold for the benefit of tsunami victims in Asia for the whopping price of $2.7 million.
Try and play many guitars
When you’re ready to buy an electric guitar and you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s a good idea to go to your local guitar store and really investigate the possibilities. Talk to an expert seller. Try out a few guitars to get an idea of what you like. Choose a store with a large stock of guitar brands, so you can try many different styles and types.
Knowing what kind of music you really want to play will help you narrow down your search for the right guitar.
As I mentioned earlier, check out Ibanez for quality at great prices. If you have a larger amount of money to spend, you might want to consider a higher quality guitar that you can play indefinitely no matter how good a guitar player you become.
After choosing your guitar, you will need to choose an amp. That is the subject of another article.
