RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEGINNER GUITARS
There's hundreds of different guitars available with different body shapes, neck shapes, woods used... so which is best for the beginning guitarist? I'm going to make it very easy for you - the most important thing to look for when buying a beginner guitar is making sure you're going to be able to tune it and that it will stay in tune.
What to Look For
For a guitar to be easily tuned and to stay in tune you need good tuning keys and either a fixed tailpiece (like a Les Paul style guitar) or strings-through body design (like a Telecaster style guitar). The guitar design beginners should stay away from have tremolo bridges (see the explanation below.)
How to Tell Good Tuning Keys
When you turn a tuning key, it should rotate smooth and feel snug. Good tuning key brands include Grover and Schaller (look on the back of the tuning key for the brand name.) Unfortunately some tuning keys look good and have the guitars brand name on them, but inside they are very cheap.
Which Guitars Beginners Should Stay Away From
Beginning guitarists should stay away from any guitar that has a tremolo bridge/tailpiece, for example the very popular Stratocasters. Tremolo's work by balancing the string tension with spring tension (the springs are on the under-side of the guitar.) The problem is that when you tune one string - all the other strings go out of tune - you don't just tune a guitar with a tremolo bridge - you have to tune, then re-tune and keep re-tuning until all of the strings are in tune and the tensions are balanced with the spring tension.
Do not get a guitar that LOOKS like the ones that are recommended, made by the same company but are the cheaper version - you're just wasting your money. The biggest problem is that they will have very cheap tuning keys. When you play the guitar, the tuning keys will slip and you will go out of tune. Don't belive the marketing hype - they are made of very cheap materials and will not stay in tune. Examples of guitars that have very cheap tuners are the Epiphone Special series, LP-100, and G-310, Rogue guitars, Dean XM series, and Fender Squier series guitars.
Examples of Good Beginner Guitars
These beginner guitars all have good tuning keys, and either fixed tailpiece or string-through body design. While the Les Paul is mid-priced of these three, it is the best all-around beginner guitar.
