Choosing a guitar is an important event for any musician. For those who are just starting to make music, this can be an extremely difficult task. Therefore, before choosing an acoustic guitar, you should study the main technical characteristics of such an instrument and determine in advance the requirements that your purchase must meet.
Acoustic Guitar Selection
Those who make a purchase for the first time are often not aware of how to choose an acoustic guitar . First of all, pay attention to the material from which the tool is made. A good guitar is made from several types of wood - this allows you to achieve the required sound transmission. It is important that the wood is thoroughly dried, because otherwise the guitar will begin to deform over time. Be sure to make sure that the tool body does not have plastic parts - this affects the sound quality.
Pay attention to the nut, that is, a special pad through which the strings are passed. It determines the height above which the strings will be located above the bar. For a novice musician, it is better to dwell on the option with a low threshold: in this case, for a good sound requires less pressure and, accordingly, less effort when playing.
Be sure to try playing the guitar before you buy. Virtuosity of performance is unimportant, the main thing is to evaluate the sound. It should be saturated and clean, without rattling or discordant notes. If you hear rattling, then, most likely, violations were made in the manufacture. Check how the instrument sounds when playing brute force, combat, whether the sound is good enough when using a pick or finger pads.
Make sure that the guitar withstands a harmonious sound at 9, 11 and higher frets. Some low-quality models stop building as they approach the case, and you cannot play complex compositions on such an instrument. The last thing you should pay attention to is appearance. Remember that an overly effective outwardly cheap model can only be a cover for defects.
How to choose an electro-acoustic guitar
A peculiar subspecies of the instrument is an electro-acoustic guitar. It is distinguished primarily by a pickup - a special mechanism that transmits sound to external media. Otherwise, it must comply with the requirements that apply to fully acoustic instruments.
The highest quality and surround sound can be extracted from the guitar, on which the pickup is a miniature microphone. However, such tools are quite expensive. The conventional piezoelectric sensor is considered to be much less reliable , but it is also able to take off the sound quite qualitatively if it is installed on the guitar body. But models with a pickup tablet on the neck should be put aside right away: the sound of such an instrument will be distorted and incomplete.
Before choosing an electro-acoustic guitar, you should think about additional accessories, such as a pick, sound tuner, equalizer and tuning fork. The presence of these items is optional, but greatly facilitates the game process.
How to choose strings for a guitar?
As a rule, strings are not supplied with a guitar. Therefore, the first question that arises for any musician is: "How to choose strings for an acoustic guitar?" There are a lot of companies that produce them at the moment, when choosing you need to proceed more from personal preferences than from some general criteria.
All types of strings can be divided into nylon and metal depending on the material of manufacture. The first are installed on guitars of the so-called classic type. They have a softer and quieter sound compared to metal ones and are great for performing romances and instrumental sketches. At the same time, their tension is less, therefore, playing classical guitars is easier than on models with metal strings. It is important to remember that classical instruments do not have an anchor mechanism that changes the slope of the neck, so installing metal strings on them can deform the case.
The best instruments for performing rock, blues and bard songs are variety guitars. The metal strings installed on them are distinguished by a powerful, rich sound. However, due to the high tension force, not everyone can play them. When choosing strings, it is necessary to take into account their diameter, on which the timbre of sound depends: the thinner the string, the sound louder. However, thin strings wear out much faster, as a result of which they have to be changed more often.
Installation and tuning of strings
Correct installation of strings on an acoustic guitar determines how harmonious your instrument will sound. Each string must be carefully fixed on the lower nut and in the hole of the corresponding peg. Only after this can you carefully turn the taps clockwise to begin tuning - to tension each string to the extent that when it touches it produces a strictly defined sound. Achieving this without a musical background can be difficult, so it’s recommended that you buy a tuning fork before choosing an acoustic guitar.
The tuning always starts with 1 string, the sound of which must correspond to the notes of mi. After it is pulled with the necessary strength, you need to hold 2 strings in the fifth fret and twist the splitters until both strings start to sound in unison. Do not try to do it quickly - a sharp increase in tension can break the string. The rest are pulled by the same principle: each subsequent one, when clamped on the fifth fret, should sound the same as the free previous one. The one exception is the third string - it is tuned in the fourth fret.
How to quickly tune your guitar
Many novice musicians are forced to weaken and tension the strings several times, because they can’t immediately set up the acoustic guitar correctly. Do not be upset about this - the skill comes with experience. If you need to tune your guitar quickly and effortlessly, you can use the guitar tuner. This small device captures the sound of the string and shows whether it matches the specified, as well as how much you need to rotate the pegs to achieve the desired sound.
How much does a guitar cost?
The average cost of an acoustic guitar ranges from 3,000 to 15,000 rubles. Better tools produced by well-known companies can cost up to 80,000 rubles or more. The main mistake that beginners often make is to buy the cheapest guitar. Doing this is not worth it, since models priced below 4000, as a rule, are not of good quality.
Too expensive, however, is also not worth buying - it is quite possible that in a few years you will want to change it to a more functional model. The best choice for those who are just starting to learn music would be an instrument in the price range from 4000 to 7000 rubles.
Acquiring a guitar is an important and exciting activity for everyone involved in music. Do not be afraid to ask questions to sales consultants and specify incomprehensible nuances to you. If you can’t even imagine how to choose an acoustic guitar, it is better to ask friends of you who already have similar experience to help.