No, you do not need an amp to use an acoustic electric guitar. Unplugged it works exactly like an ordinary acoustic, so you can buy one, take it home, and play it for years without ever connecting a cable. An…
For practising guitar at home, 5 to 20 watts is plenty. Anything above about 30 watts is bought for band rehearsals and small stages, not for a bedroom, and most of it will never be used. Wattage is the single…
A beginner needs five accessories: a tuner, a few picks, a strap, a bag or case, and a spare set of strings. Everything else can wait until you know what kind of player you are going to be. That short…
A short scale bass has a vibrating string length of roughly 30 to 32 inches. A full scale bass, often called long scale, measures about 34 inches. That difference of a few inches changes how far your fingers have to…
Choose nylon if you want a soft, warm sound and the gentlest possible start for your fingertips. Choose steel if you want the bright, loud, familiar sound of pop, folk, rock and country records. The strings are only the visible…
A solid top acoustic has a top made from a single piece of wood, split and joined down the centre. A laminate top is several thin layers glued together with the good looking one on the outside. The top is…
A guitar starter bundle is the guitar plus the small pile of things you would otherwise have to buy separately in your first week. On acoustic that usually means a gig bag, a clip on tuner, a strap, picks, a…
Spend one tier above the cheapest thing you can find, and stop well short of a professional instrument. That band is where beginner guitars are properly built, hold their tuning, and can be set up to play easily, without you…
Match the guitar to the child’s height, not their age. As a working rule, children under about 4ft need a 1/2 or 3/4 size instrument, children between roughly 4ft and 4ft 9in are comfortable on a 3/4, and most children…
Buy the guitar that plays the music you actually want to play. That one rule settles the acoustic versus electric question faster than any spec comparison, because the beginner who enjoys practising is the beginner who is still playing in…