How to Choose Your First Electric Guitar
Every fall I get a fresh batch of students walking into the back room with a guitar somebody bought them, and about half the time it is the wrong one. Not a bad guitar, just wrong for that kid or that adult. After twenty years of watching this play out, I have a short list of what actually matters when you pick your first electric, and a longer list of things that can wait.
Start with the neck, not the color
The neck is the part of the guitar your hand lives on. If it feels wrong, you will practice less, and practicing less is the only thing that guarantees you never get good. Most first guitars come with a medium “C” shaped neck, which suits the majority of hands. If you have small hands, look for a slightly narrower nut width, around 1.65 inches, and a shorter scale length. If you have big hands, a fuller neck can feel more secure.
Hold it standing up with a strap, then sit with it and play a few chords, even badly. You are checking for one thing: does your fretting hand reach without strain? Everything else is negotiable.
Body shapes and what they change
There are three families of body shape you will run into on a first guitar.
- A double-cutaway solid body with a contoured back sits close to your ribs and is light. This is the easiest shape to live with for most beginners.
- A single-cutaway slab body is heavier and hangs differently, with the neck a bit further to the left. Some people love how it feels planted; others get shoulder fatigue in a long lesson.
- Pointed or offset shapes look great and can play fine, but check the balance. Some of them dive toward the headstock when you let go.
Weight matters more than students expect. A guitar over nine pounds gets left in its case; seven to eight is the comfort zone.
Pickups: keep it simple at first
You will hear a lot about single-coils versus humbuckers. The short version is that single-coils sound brighter and a bit thinner and pick up hum from lights and screens, while humbuckers sound fatter and quieter. For a first guitar, a configuration with a humbucker at the bridge and single-coils elsewhere covers the most ground. It lets a student try clean and driven sounds without being locked into either. If you already know you want to play heavy music, go with two humbuckers. If you know you want country or blues, single-coils all the way. I go deeper on this in the guide on single-coils, humbuckers and P90s.
Budget bands, honestly
Here is roughly what your money buys right now, in my experience with what students bring in.
- Under $200: playable, but expect rough fret ends, a nut that needs filing, and tuners that drift. A setup fixes most of it.
- $200 to $400: this is where I steer most beginners. Fret work is usually clean, hardware holds tune, and the guitar will still be enjoyable in five years.
- $400 to $800: better wood, better pickups, better finish. Worth it if you already know you are committed.
- Above $800: you are paying for craftsmanship and feel. Wonderful, but not required to learn.
Set aside $50 to $75 for a professional setup regardless of price. It is the best money you will spend on the instrument; the guide on setup basics covers what that involves.
What can wait
Fancy tremolo systems, locking tuners, boutique pickups, and the exact finish you saw in a video can all wait. So can a big amp. A small practice amp with a headphone jack is plenty for the first year.
A word about used guitars
A used instrument in the $200 to $400 band can be a fine choice if you can see it in person. Look for a straight neck, no cracks at the headstock, and frets that are not worn into grooves. If you cannot inspect it, buy new from a store that lets you send it back.
The guitar that makes you want to pick it up every evening is the right one. I have had students learn on cheap guitars and expensive ones, and the ones who stuck with it were the ones whose guitar felt good in their hands the first week. Get that part right and the rest sorts itself out.