The good news is... with so many quality instruments on the market, today's consumer has a wide range of affordable guitars to choose from.
The bad news is... with so many choices, where do you begin?
If you have never played a musical instrument before and price is a consideration (as it should be), please visit our Getting Started page.

If you are considering your next guitar purchase, hang around. We trust you will find this information useful.

Remember, your honest assessment of your ability and goals should be the deciding factor when choosing an instrument. In other words, what do you want to do?
If you are a working musician, a serious hobbyist or on the verge of your first paying gig, an entry level beginners guitar will probably not be appropriate.
Now, how much to spend? Your personal financial situation will dictate the amount you spend, however, if the guitar you want costs $500 and you currently have $350... Don't Settle! It's a mistake you will regret for years to come.
You should expect to pay between $400-$600 for a good quality "step-up" guitar. One that will offer most of the features you desire and also hold up well under the rigors of everyday practice, rehearsing and gigging

Now that you have assessed your talent and have a ball park figure of what to spend, what's it going to be? An Electric? An Acoustic? Or maybe an Acoustic/Electric! Don't worry, eventually you will end up owning a small arsenal of instruments. But for now, stick with the one that caters to your current musical taste and performance needs and get a few gigs under your belt. This will justify your "need" for another quality instrument, (and probably keep you out of the doghouse too).

Let's start with Acoustic Guitars since they are by far the most popular choice in the current market...

...For starters, let's just say it - Looks matter! The way an instrument looks will probably be the first thing that attracts you to it. But looks can be deceiving so here are some features your new guitar should have:

Die-cast machine heads. This is a very important feature! Die-cast machine heads (or tuning gears) will not only allow you to tune your instrument more accurately, they will "hold" your guitar in tune longer! With a little care, die-cast tuners will last a lifetime.

Solid top. A solid top (usually 2 solid matched pieces glued together side by side) as opposed to a laminated top, (various woods glued together on top of each other), by design, will be made of a higher quality wood. All of the tonal qualities created from an acoustic guitar will be initiated from the guitar's top. Having a solid top instrument will provide a more even, tonally accurate and sustaining vibration throughout the instrument's body.

There are no rules when it comes to choosing the woods used for the back and sides of an acoustic guitar. If it sounds good to you, buy it! Here is a helpful hint for recognizing the characteristics of different woods.
"The Lighter, the Brighter". Meaning, if the wood is light in color like maple, for example, the tone of the guitar will be brighter, more cutting in sound. A darker wood like Rosewood will tend to produce a deeper, richer tone.
Mahogany, the most popular wood choice for acoustic guitar construction is a medium tone wood (color) and produces a very even, smooth sound spectrum.
Exotic woods like "Koa" can also produce some very pleasing tones. Spend some time listening, looking and comparing wood colors and tones before you buy.

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