So you’re in the market for a beginner guitar. It might be for a child, loved one or friend, or you might be considering learning yourself. It’s fairly common knowledge that you can easily purchase a cheap instrument from a number of online retailers, which may well be your first thought.
Second hand & classified ad sites like eBay, Gumtree and Craigslist offer an ever-changing selection of items. Unwanted gifts, used and abused – you never really know what you’re buying into. Then there’s big online retailers like Amazon, Argos (UK), Walmart (USA) and Aldi (EU), famed for selling an even cross-section of just about anything you can imagine. While the prices are attractive and the purchase process is straightforward, you still don’t really know what you’re going to get. So what’s the answer?
In a nutshell, here’s why we think you should buy your first guitar from a music shop:
- You’ll have plenty of choice
- They don’t stock rubbish!
- You get more for your money
- They’ll look after you & your instrument
- They’ll introduce you to the community
N.B. while we’ve written this article based on guitar, the same points could apply to any instrument. This includes bass guitars, acoustic guitars, digital pianos, drums & percussion instruments, and much more!
1. You’ll Have Plenty of Choice
As we said, you can buy a guitar pretty much anywhere nowadays. But what about a guitar that you actually like? Buying your first guitar is an incredibly important step in your musical journey (to state the obvious), so you want to make it count.
When you buy from a music shop, you’re presented with a huge amount of choice that’s tailored specifically for musicians. You can get a better idea of what you like the look of, what suits your style or playing ability – and if you’re able to actually pay a visit to a music shop, you can actually feel & listen to the guitar too! This will help you make a more informed choice that’s right for you. There’s nothing quite like being able to reach out and touch your instrument before you buy!
2. They Don’t Stock Rubbish!
Further to our point about choice, you not only have more to choose from – the quality is higher. Music shops are not going to stock cheap guitars because they’re cheap. Their guitars and instruments will simply have to be of a certain quality to be in stock in the first place. This simply means that you can’t go wrong when looking for the best beginner guitar.
Rather than buy into unknown brands or copies, you’re getting the real deal. Reputable music shops stock some of the best brands in the business, including Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez, Epiphone and many more. These brands go well beyond entry level instruments, so you know that you can trust them!
3. You Get More For Your Money
We all love a bargain. And while you save a fair few pennies when buying from larger retailers, you get what you pay for. Spend the same amount, or perhaps a little extra, in a music shop, and you won’t regret it.
Expert sales advice, more choice – buying from a music shop isn’t just easy, it’s supposed to be a fun experience too! And as we mentioned earlier, whatever you do spend will be spent wisely; you’re only buying trusted gear recommended by other musicians. You can’t go wrong with that, right?