How to Buy an Electric Guitar - The Do's and Don'ts
If you are new to guitar playing then I would have to say that buying an electric guitar is probably not a good idea as a first instrument. The potential for damaging your relationship with your family and your neighbours is enormous! And seriously, a good acoustic guitar would make much more sense as a first instrument. You are not committed to all the additional paraphernalia that an electric guitar requires for a start. The style of playing an electric guitar is different to that required for an acoustic guitar, and in my experience, playing an acoustic guitar first would help with playing an electric guitar later. I am not sure if the reverse is true.
Having said all of that, if you are still hankering after an electric guitar, then there are a number of things that you need to consider.
In my opinion, unless you are an experienced player, or have access to an experienced player, go to a reputable store and seek the advice of professionals. You could easily blow your hard earned cash on an inappropriate instrument; perhaps because it "looks good". Many band members would argue that it is important to look good. I take the view that it is more important to play well and to sound good! One advantage of going to a big store is that you will be able to try a wide variety of instruments. Not all guitars are the same, even if they are the same brand. Not all Stratocasters play the same.
Make sure that the guitar you want sits comfortably with you and the the full neck is accessible. Make sure that the strings don't rattle when you place your fingers behind the frets, a sign of the action being too low, and equally, make sure that the action is not too high. In other words. make sure that the strings are not too far away from the fret board and are not too hard to press down to make a clean sound.
Try all the knobs and switches on the guitar, and make sure that they all work correctly, without producing any crackling sounds.
You will be committed to buying an electric guitar amplifier with your electric guitar, so it would make sense to buy an amp at the same time. A guitar may play well, but if you play through a nice amp at the store and then go away and by a different amp somewhere else, you may end up feeling disappointed with the guitar. It takes two to tango when buying an electric guitar.
Not all of your appearances will be front of hundreds of thousands of people at sports arenas, so producing large volume is not critical. It is far more important to be able to produce nice clean sound at low volume, so that you can practice properly (you will practice, won't you?).
If you use a plectrum (pick), then maybe try a few new ones at the store. They do change the sound that you get, so try a few out.
You will need to tune the guitar, so if you don't have a means of doing so, get some pitch pipes or other means of keeping your new guitar up to scratch.
Perhaps the answer for the beginner is an all in one electric guitar package?
