How Much to Spend

It may be wiser to borrow or rent an instrument for the first few months, until you deter-mine your level of commitment to playing. On the other hand, an old, battered, poorlyconstructed instrument may be so difficult to play that you’ll be discouraged from learning.

It’s a good rule of thumb to purchase the most guitar you can afford. Generally, guitars holdtheir resale value—some in fact grow in value over the years. Buying a very cheap guitar maybe self-defeating, because it may not suit your playing style or be so poorly made that it isdifficult to play.

Acoustic vs. Electric
Many young players start out on an acoustic instrument because they can’t afford a good-quality electric instrument and amplifier—or their parents can’t stand the noise made by abeginning electric guitarist! Learning on an acoustic instrument will probably be a goodexperience for most players, even those who only aspire to playing speed-metal. But remem-ber that the two instruments are quite different, and that you’ll need to master a new set oftechniques once you start playing an electric.

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