Questions to Ask When Buying a Guitar
For first-time buyers and for parents choosing a guitar for a child, to use at a shop counter or in a private seller's living room. The questions follow the purchase: which kind and size of guitar, how it plays in the hand, what to check on a used one, the gear and lessons that go with it, then price, returns and warranty. Several of the checks need no playing at all, so a buyer who has never held a guitar can still do them.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Which guitar
Acoustic or electric: which would you start this player on, and why?
Why ask it
Neither one is the proper first guitar. An electric has thinner strings and a slimmer neck, which is kinder to new fingers, but it needs an amplifier; an acoustic can be picked up and played anywhere in the house. A good salesperson answers by asking what music the player listens to, so be ready with two or three songs.
What size fits this player: quarter, half, three-quarter or full?
Why ask it
Bring the child, because the fractions are not standard and one maker's three-quarter can be close to another's half. Seated with the guitar on the knee, the player should reach the first fret with a bent elbow and get the strumming arm over the body without hiking a shoulder. Buy the size that fits now; one bought to grow into tends to sit in its bag until then.
What is the least I can spend and still get a guitar that stays in tune and is easy to press?
Why ask it
Prices shift with the country and the year, so ask for the shop's own floor: the cheapest guitar they would be willing to adjust and hand to a student. Below that line the usual faults are tuning pegs that slip and strings that sit too high to be lowered. When two shops name about the same figure, you have your starting point.
With this budget, would you buy new or used?
Why ask it
Used money goes further, but only when somebody who knows guitars has looked the instrument over. New brings a return window and a warranty, which is worth a lot to a buyer who cannot yet tell a good neck from a bad one. A used guitar sold by a shop sits between the two, so ask whether their repair bench checked it and what they found.
Should a beginner start on nylon strings or steel strings?
Why ask it
Nylon is softer under the fingertips and sits on a wider, flatter neck, the classical guitar's shape. Steel is louder and brighter and is the sound on most folk, country and pop records. Hold one of each for a few minutes, and do not plan to swap string types later: a guitar built for nylon is not braced for the pull of steel.
Which guitars at this price come back to your repair bench least often?
Why ask it
A sharper way to ask which brand to buy, because most makers sell both sound and shaky models and the logo does not tell you which is which. A shop that does repairs knows what returns with slipping tuners, sharp fret ends or a lifting bridge. If there is no repair bench, put the same question to a guitar teacher.
What does the next price step up buy, and would a beginner notice it?
Why ask it
Have the answer shown on two guitars side by side, not described. Real differences at beginner prices are smoother tuning pegs, tidier fret ends and, on an acoustic, a solid top. A fancier finish or a famous name on the headstock is not one of them.
Is there a smaller or thinner body shape that would be easier to hold?
Why ask it
For teenagers and smaller adults who are past the fractional sizes. A dreadnought is the big square-shouldered acoustic most shops hang first, while concert, auditorium and parlor shapes are narrower at the waist and often shallower. Sit with each for five minutes and notice where your strumming shoulder ends up.
Should a left-handed beginner play a left-handed guitar, and do you stock one?
Why ask it
Teachers disagree, and plenty of left-handers play right-handed guitars happily. Let the player hold a guitar each way around and strum before anyone says which is correct. If left-handed it is, ask how many models the shop can get at your budget, since the choice is narrower and a used one takes longer to resell.
Is the top solid wood or laminate?
Why ask it
This applies to acoustics. A solid top generally gives a fuller sound but reacts more to dry air; laminate is tougher and cheaper, which suits a child's guitar that lives beside a heater. Look at the edge of the soundhole: grain lines running straight through the thickness point to solid wood, and a layered edge to laminate.
What pickups does this electric have, and what music do they suit?
Why ask it
Single-coil pickups sound bright and clear and can hum near a screen or a dimmer switch. Humbuckers are thicker and quieter, the usual choice for heavier rock. Hear both types through the same small amp at the same volume, and if the player cannot choose, a guitar with one of each is a common answer.
Is an acoustic with a built-in pickup worth the extra for someone learning at home?
Why ask it
The pickup only matters when the guitar is plugged into an amp, a PA or a recorder. In a bedroom it adds a battery to forget about and takes money that could have gone into the instrument itself. Say yes if a school band, a church group or an open mic is already on the calendar.
Playability
How high are the strings above the fretboard, and can you lower them?
Why ask it
String height, called action, decides how hard a beginner has to press, and sore fingers on a stiff guitar are a common reason people stop. Press the thickest string down at the twelfth fret, halfway along the string, and judge how far it travels. Then do the same on a guitar the shop calls well adjusted and compare.
Has this guitar had a setup since it left the factory, and is one included in the price?
Why ask it
A setup is a bench job: the bow of the neck, the height of the strings at both ends and how well the guitar plays in tune up the neck. Plenty of guitars are sold exactly as they came out of the shipping carton. If it is not included, get the bench price and ask for it to be done before you pick the guitar up.
Can someone here tune it and play it for me before I try it?
Why ask it
Worth asking even if you play, and essential if you do not. You hear what the guitar can sound like, and you see whether the tuning pegs turned smoothly or fought back. A parent who has never held a guitar can still stand across the room and judge whether it sounds thin or full next to the one hanging beside it.
Is there a buzz or a dead note anywhere on the neck?
Why ask it
Fret each string at every fret in turn and pick it once, which takes a couple of minutes and needs no skill. A rattle at one spot suggests a single high fret, which is a repair. Rattles all over more often mean an adjustment, so ask which the shop thinks it is and whether they will sort it out before the sale.
Are the fret ends smooth along both edges of the neck?
Why ask it
Slide a thumb and finger down each side of the fretboard. Metal that catches the skin means the wood has dried and shrunk around the frets, or the factory skipped the filing. A repairer can dress the ends, but it also tells you the guitar has hung in dry air, so look at the rest of it more closely.
Is the neck straight, and does the truss rod still adjust?
Why ask it
Hold the guitar like a telescope and sight along the edge of the fretboard from the headstock: a very slight forward curve is normal, a twist or a hump is not. The truss rod is the steel rod inside the neck that corrects the curve, though many nylon-string guitars are built without one, so ask. Have the shop's repairer or the seller show that its nut turns, and leave the wrench to them.
Does it play in tune higher up the neck, or only on the open strings?
Why ask it
Clip a tuner on and check each open string, then the same string pressed at the twelfth fret. Both should read as the same note, dead center or near it. A sharp or flat reading there is corrected at the saddles on most electrics in a few minutes, and is a bigger job on an acoustic.
Does it stay in tune through a few minutes of hard strumming?
Why ask it
New strings stretch for the first few days, so drift on a freshly strung guitar proves nothing. Tune it, strum hard for a minute, bend a few notes and check again; if it has slipped on strings that are not new, ask whether the tuning pegs or the nut are to blame. On an electric with a vibrato bridge, ask whether it can be set flat against the body, which many beginners find easier to keep in tune.
How wide and how deep is this neck, and can I try a slimmer one next to it?
Why ask it
Hands differ more than guitars do. Wrap the fretting hand around the neck at the first fret and again at the seventh, and try to lay one finger across all six strings. Three necks tried one after another settle this better than any measurement on a spec sheet.
How heavy is it, and how does it hang on a strap?
Why ask it
Mostly an electric question, since solid bodies vary by pounds. Put a strap on, stand up and take both hands away: a headstock that swings toward the floor will have to be held up by the fretting hand all through practice. For a child, weigh it against half an hour of standing, not a minute in the shop.
What strings are on it now, and what would you put on for a beginner?
Why ask it
Strings on a shop guitar may have been handled for months and feel rough or sound dull. Lighter sets bend and press more easily and are a common choice for a first guitar. Ask for a new set as part of the sale, and if the thickness changes much, have the shop check the string height afterward.
Buying used
What made you decide to sell it?
Why ask it
Moving up to a better guitar or giving up after a year are the answers you hear most, and both fit an instrument with nothing wrong with it. 'It never felt right' or 'it will not stay in tune' are honest warnings. Take those straight to the neck and the tuning pegs.
Did you buy it new, and how long have you played it?
Why ask it
A first owner can tell you where it came from and everything that has been done to it since. Someone who picked it up secondhand a few months ago is passing along a guitar they barely know, so ask what they found wrong with it. An original shop receipt, if one survives, also helps confirm the model and the year.
Has anything been replaced, repaired or modified: pickups, tuners, frets, the nut?
Why ask it
Changes are not bad news in themselves, and a set of better tuners is a gift. What you want is the name of whoever did the work, and the original parts if they were kept. Home wiring jobs are the ones to test hardest when you plug the guitar in.
Has the neck or the headstock ever been cracked or broken?
Why ask it
Look at the back of the neck just below the headstock with a light held low: a hairline, a ridge you can feel or a patch of slightly different color marks a repair. Well-glued breaks can last, but they belong in the price. If the seller says no and you can see the line, thank them and go.
Are there cracks in the body, and is the bridge still glued down flat?
Why ask it
For an acoustic. Try to slide the corner of a sheet of paper under the back edge of the bridge; if it goes in, the bridge is lifting under the pull of the strings. Then sight across the top for a bulge behind the bridge, and look at the saddle, the pale strip the strings cross: one already filed down to almost nothing leaves no cheap way to lower the strings further.
Where has it been kept: in its case, on a wall, in an attic, a garage or a car?
Why ask it
Heat and dry air are harder on a guitar than any amount of playing. A summer in a car trunk can soften glue, and a winter beside a radiator shrinks the wood, which shows as sharp fret ends, a sunken top or cracks. In its case, in a room people live in, is what you want to hear.
How worn are the frets under the first five positions?
Why ask it
Most beginner playing happens near the headstock, so that is where the metal goes first. Look for grooves or flat-topped frets beneath the thinner strings. Shallow marks can be leveled out; deep notches mean new frets, a job that can cost more than a starter guitar is worth, so ask a local repair shop for a figure before you make an offer.
Do both pickups, every switch position, each knob and the output jack work?
Why ask it
Plug it in, or bring a small amp if the seller says they have none. Turn each knob slowly through its range and flick the switch, listening for crackle or silence, then wiggle the cable where it enters the guitar. Scratchy controls often clear with a clean, but a dead pickup or a jack that cuts out is a repair to price in.
What is the serial number, and how do I know it is the make and model in the listing?
Why ask it
Copies of well-known guitars are sold as the real thing, mostly online and mostly at prices that seem lucky. Get the serial number and clear photos of the headstock, front and back, before you travel, and check them with the maker or with a shop that sells the brand. On a modest beginner model this matters less, so save the effort for famous names.
Would you meet me at a guitar shop so someone there can look it over?
Why ask it
Some shops will look a used guitar over for a small fee, so phone ahead. It also puts the handover somewhere public with an amp within reach. If no shop is near, bring a friend who plays. A seller who will only meet in a parking lot after dark has told you what you needed to know.
Is there room in the price, and what have others like it sold for lately?
Why ask it
Asking prices on listing sites run high, so before you go, search the sold or completed listings for the same model. From that figure take off what this one needs: strings, a setup, any repair you found. An offer built that way is easy to explain, and easy for the seller to accept or counter.
Will you write a receipt with your name, the date and the serial number?
Why ask it
Stolen guitars do get resold, and a seller who came by this one honestly has no reason to refuse two lines on paper. What happens to a buyer who ends up with stolen property differs from place to place, so find out how it works where you live. Pay in a way that leaves a record, and walk away from anyone who insists on cash and no names.
Gear and lessons
What else do I need to be able to play tonight, and what does it all come to?
Why ask it
For an acoustic the list is short: a tuner, a few picks, a strap and a spare set of strings. An electric adds an amp and a cable. Get this total before you settle on the guitar, so that the money does not all go on the instrument and leave nothing to plug it into.
Is the starter pack good value, or would you spend the same money differently?
Why ask it
A pack puts a guitar, a small amp, a cable, a strap and a bag in one box, and the amp and the bag are usually where the saving was made. Ask which piece the salesperson would replace first and what the separate items would total. Someone who sells the pack and still tells you its weak spot has earned a second visit.
Which amp would you pair with it for practice at home, and does it take headphones?
Why ask it
A small practice amp is plenty for a bedroom, and a headphone jack keeps the peace in an apartment or a house with a sleeping baby. Ask to try the guitar through that amp, not the big one on the shop floor that flatters everything. If money is tight, ask about a pocket headphone amp or playing through a phone or computer.
Does it come with a case or a gig bag, and will that be enough for how it travels?
Why ask it
A padded gig bag is fine for a weekly lesson by car or on foot. A hard case earns its price on school buses, in shared vans and anywhere the guitar gets stacked under other things. The thin unpadded bag in many bundles keeps dust off and little else, and a small or oddly shaped guitar should be zipped into the bag before you buy it.
Would you use a clip-on tuner or a phone app, and can you show me how to tune it?
Why ask it
A clip-on reads vibration through the headstock, so it works with the television on; an app is free but listens through the microphone. The lesson matters more than the gadget. A beginner on an out-of-tune guitar assumes the wrong notes are their own fault, so do not leave until you have tuned all six strings yourself once.
Can you show me how to change a string before I leave?
Why ask it
Beginners snap strings, most often the thinnest one while winding it too high. Watching it done once at the counter is worth more than a video later, and a nylon-string guitar ties on differently from a steel one. Buy the spare set at the same time and keep it in the case pocket.
What does it need at home: a stand, a humidifier, anything else?
Why ask it
A guitar on a stand in the living room tends to get picked up, and one zipped in a bag under the bed tends not to. Humidity is a regional question: where winters are dry or the heating runs for months, solid-wood acoustics are often kept with a small humidifier in the case. Ask what the shop does for its own stock, since it sits in your climate.
Do you teach here, or can you point me to a teacher or a good way to start?
Why ask it
Many shops rent rooms to teachers or keep a list, and a few include a first lesson with a guitar. For a child, book that lesson inside the return period: a teacher will tell you in five minutes whether the size and the string height are right. If the plan is to learn from videos or an app, ask the staff which ones their customers stick with.
Price and returns
What is the final price with tax, and what would you include at that figure?
Why ask it
Ask once, plainly, after you have chosen. Shops that cannot move on the guitar often can on what goes with it: a setup, a strap, strings, a better bag. Have every included item written on the receipt beside the price.
If it is the wrong size, or the player does not take to it, can I bring it back, and within how many days?
Why ask it
Find out whether a return means money back or store credit, whether there is a restocking fee, and what condition the guitar and its box must be in. For a birthday or holiday gift, ask whether the clock starts on the day you pay or the day it is unwrapped. Policies differ from shop to shop and private sales are usually final, so ask before paying, not after.
If a tuning peg fails or the neck warps in the first year, who fixes it and who pays?
Why ask it
This gets a more useful answer than asking whether there is a warranty. Makers' terms commonly cover faults in materials and construction and leave out wear, strings and damage from drops or dry air, and some apply only to the first owner who bought from an authorized dealer. Read the terms themselves, and ask whether the shop deals with the maker for you or hands you a phone number.
Is this one new, a shop demo or a factory second?
Why ask it
A guitar that has hung on the wall for a year has been played by a lot of strangers, and a fair shop prices that in. Factory seconds carry a cosmetic flaw and are sometimes stamped on the back of the headstock; they can be a bargain if the flaw is only finish deep. Ask what the fault is, and whether the warranty is the same as on a first-quality guitar.
Is the guitar I just played the one I am taking home?
Why ask it
Staff often fetch a boxed one from the stockroom, and two guitars of the same model can feel quite different. Either take the one you tried or have the boxed one opened, tuned and put in your hands before you pay. Check that the serial number on the receipt matches the one on the headstock or on the label inside the soundhole.
Do you include a check-up or an adjustment after the first few months?
Why ask it
A new neck settles under string tension and moves again when the season changes, so the strings can creep higher by the time the first chords are learned. Some shops put the first adjustment in the price and others charge for it. Either way, put a reminder in your calendar, because a beginner will not know the guitar has become harder to play.
When the player outgrows it or wants something better, will you take it in trade?
Why ask it
Most useful to parents buying a small size that will fit for a couple of years. Trade-in values sit well below the price paid, so ask for a rough figure now and what condition they expect. Keep the receipt and the bag, and the guitar will be easier to trade or to sell to the next family.
If I order it online, is it checked and set up before shipping, and what happens if it arrives damaged?
Why ask it
Some retailers inspect and adjust each guitar before it goes out and others forward the sealed factory carton, and the listing rarely says which. Ask who pays for return shipping and how long you have to report damage. When it lands, photograph the box before opening it, and in cold weather let it reach room temperature first.
How to shop for a first guitar
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Getting ready to shop
Set one budget for everything
Decide the total you can spend, then take the tuner, the bag, the strap and, for an electric, the amp and cable off the top. What is left is the guitar budget. Buyers who do it the other way around end up with a good electric and nothing to hear it through.
Take the player with you
A guitar has to fit a particular arm and hand, and no size chart replaces sitting with it. If it is a surprise gift, note the child's height, trace a hand on paper, and confirm how exchanges work before you pay.
Write down three songs
The music the player wants to make is the quickest way to choose between nylon, steel and electric. A salesperson can do far more with three song titles than with 'something for a beginner'.
Borrow a pair of ears
A friend who plays, or the teacher you plan to use, can judge a neck in a minute. If nobody is free on the day, ask them which two or three models they would look at and take that short list to the shop.
Ten minutes with a guitar in your hands
Sit down with it first
Before anything is played, rest the guitar on your leg and let both arms fall where they want to. A shoulder pushed up or a wrist bent hard at the first fret will not improve at home.
Press, don't perform
You do not need a song. Pressing each string at each fret and picking it once finds buzzes, dead spots and sharp fret ends, and a complete beginner can do it as well as anyone.
Read the tuner twice
Tune the open strings, then read each one again at the twelfth fret. Matching readings mean chords played higher up the neck will sound in tune; a wide gap means the guitar needs adjusting before it is fair to judge its sound.
Try the one next to it
Whatever you pick up first, play the model one price step below it and one step above. Differences in string height and neck feel are far easier to notice in a comparison than on one guitar alone.
Shop, website or private seller
A local guitar shop
Prices can run a little higher than online, and in return you hold the instrument, have it adjusted and can come back with problems. Ask the Price and returns questions here even if haggling makes you nervous; the staff hear them all day.
An online retailer
The range is wide, and the return policy is doing the job your hands would have done in a shop. Read that policy before the reviews, keep all the packaging, and set money aside for a local setup when the guitar arrives.
A private seller
Send most of the Buying used questions by message before you travel, so that the meeting is for checking the guitar against the answers, with a tuner and a small amp in your bag.
A guitar handed down in the family
Free is a good price, but a guitar that has spent years in a closet nearly always needs new strings and an adjustment. Take it to a repairer and ask what it would cost to make playable before deciding whether to buy another.
When to leave a guitar where it is
The strings stand high and nobody will lower them
On the cheapest guitars, high strings are sometimes built in and cannot be adjusted away. If the seller refuses to lower them, or says every beginner guitar feels like that, try another guitar or another shop.
The neck cannot be corrected
A truss rod that will not turn, a neck with a twist in it, or strings that still stand high over a saddle already filed to nothing: each usually costs more to fix than a first guitar is worth.
A big name at a small price
A famous logo offered far below what the model usually sells for is the pattern counterfeits follow. Without a serial number you can check and a seller willing to meet at a shop, pass.
A hurry that is not yours
Another buyer on the way, a price for today only, a seller who has to leave in ten minutes. Beginner guitars are not rare, and the same model will be for sale again next week.