Little Boy Receives a Starter Guitar for Christmas

How to Choose a Starter Guitar to Give as a Gift

With the holiday season upon us, today I’m sharing how to choose a starter guitar to give as a gift. We all love gift giving but if it’s a beginners guitar you plan to give, unless you know something about guitars, you’ll need some help. Also, I hate to say it, don’t expect the sales person at a large guitar store to provide accurate advice.

Video – How to Choose a Starter Guitar

Guitar Type

The Yamaha F335 is a very basic guitar priced at approximately $150 and easily found in most Guitar shops. I’m not necessarily suggesting this specific guitar, but it’s a starting point.

If you prefer to not watch the video above, here are some of the tips we covered.

  • Ask the sales person to tune the guitar for you. There’s no real way to make a determination with a guitar that is out of tune.
  • If you know a simple chord or two, give them a try. It’s best to use a pick when doing so. If you don’t know any chords just strum the strings.
  • Be sure to closely inspect the entire guitar, front and back. Look for any small cracks or defects. Yes, I’ve seen guitars that are damaged and sometimes it’s very difficult to spot.
  • Sight with your eyes to verify the neck is perfectly straight and inline with the neck. Use the strings as your straight edge. You really need to watch the video to see what to look for.
  • Play the notes by firmly placing a finger on each string, holding it down tight to the neck between each of the frets. You don’t need to know how to play to do this. Make sure you don’t hear any odd, unwanted vibrations. Be sure NOT to touch the frets.
  • Whomever you are gifting will appreciate receiving a decent starter guitar as their gift. If you know what to look for, you should be able to get a decent instrument for less than $200.00. The Yamaha is okay and runs about $150.00

Beginning Guitar Instruction

As a professional guitar instructor I’ve taught hundreds of beginning guitar students. I teach in my own private studio here in Santa Clarita as well as the schools in the San Fernando Valley.

I hope you found this post helpful and your comments are welcome.You may also contact me directly with any questions about how to choose a starter guitar as a gift.

Contact Mike at (661) 857-1717 or visit my contact page and complete the form.