Guitar Major Triads

I gave a few general things to think about if you are planning to start playing the guitar, mostly focused on getting that first guitar and a bit about pain. This time I want to discuss the cost of some of the things you’ll be obtaining.

Before we talk money, I need to bring up a sensitive subject. How much of a snob are you about the brand and model of guitar that you are seen with? Will you pay extra for a guitar that sounds the same as a less expensive model but has a different brand name on it? Will you pay more for a guitar that is made in one geography versus another? What kind of car do you drive? This is something you will have to decide for yourself.

makes a broad range of guitars and their least expensive Fender brand is . (Incidentally, Fender including Gretsch and Jackson.) The Squier line includes non-US made copies of higher end Fender models such as the and the . A high end Squier Strat can sound just as good as a lower end Fender Strat and be less expensive, though there are people who will pay more to have the non-Squier model.

Similarly, is made by and the high end Epiphone Les Paul Models compare favorably with the Gibson models costing hundreds of dollars more. Note, however, that I’ve played a $2500 Gibson Less Paul and its sounded much better than my much less expensive Epiphone Les Paul Classic. It also felt much better to play: it was more comfortable and responsive. So while it is true that you can get what you pay for, when there is overlap in the categories, you need to factor in the snob factor and just play the guitars a bit.

Let me quickly add that Epiphone has several model lines that do not overlap Gibson and they are very respected in their own right. There are also other guitar companies such as that have this same low end/high end dichotomy.

So how much should you pay for a guitar? If you are serious, I think you should avoid any guitar costing less than $100 new. I’m not even going to consider a guitar in that category. It’s probably going to be hard to play, hard to keep in tune, poorly made, and not sound very good. While I’m sure there are exceptions, in general, I stick by this advice.

There is a difference between the so called MSRP–Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price–and the “street price.” The street price is usually 20 to 40% less than the MSRP. To get a feel for this, visit or online. If there is a sale, you can do better. Manufacturers discontinue models from time to time, and this is also a way of getting a better deal, though ideally you would understand why the line was shut down. Sometimes this is normal evolution of the product and other times it is because no one bought it in the first place. It’s OK to buy a guitar for the first reason, less so for the second.

It is frequently the case that the same model will come in different finish options. While it is true that guitars in the same model line made from different woods or synthetic materials may sound or feel different, I sincerely doubt if that flame red guitar costing $50 more is going to sound better than that white guitar. It’s your choice, though, especially if you’ve always wanted a flame red guitar!

Other than the guitar, there are several accessories you will want or need. The first is a guitar strap, if you ever plan to play standing up, and I think you probably will. Prices start around $5 and go up from there depending on how fancy you want to get. I think budgeting $20 for this is reasonable. You will probably pay less.

If you plan to get an electric guitar, you’ll need some picks (some people insist on using the fancy name plectrum for a pick). Many acoustic players use them as well. If you are starting out, you’ll want a selection of weights from thick to heavy and $5 will cover this. If you are just buying one weight, get medium.

It’s a time honored tradition to browse in guitar shops and then only buy a couple of new picks if you feel guilty that you should purchase something. For a couple of dollars you can experiment a bit in this way with different brands, sizes, and weights.

There is a lot of literature about how to tune a guitar. For example, you first somehow tune the low (6th) string to E and then hold down that string at the fifth fret to get an A, and tune the fifth string to that. That’s good to know. You must learn the basic tunings of the strings and over time you will learn much more about where all the notes are. You could buy a pitch pipe or a tuning form, but don’t bother. Just buy an electronic tuner. has some nice models. You can get your tuner for $15 to $20, without tax.

Where are you going to keep your guitar when you are not playing it? I think you should get a stand and a case/bag of some sort. Guitar stands are fairly independent of the type of guitar and you can get a cheap one for about $8 or pay several hundred dollars for a custom wooden one. It depends whether you consider it a utility or a piece of furniture. If you do plan to get more than one guitar, it’s not a bad idea to have the first stand you get be able to handle two or three guitars.

Buy the case once you pick out the guitar. High end guitars come with their own cases and if you buy an all-in-one package there will be some sort of bag (usually called a “gig bag”) in it. Think of the case as insurance on the guitar. If you never plan to have the guitar leave your house, you can get by with something lightweight to keep the dust off. If you will be transferring the guitar in a car to play with friends or at church, you need something more serious. You should assume that you will drop the guitar at least once onto a hard surface. Will the case protect it?

If you are getting a gig bag rather than a hard case, make sure it has padded shoulder straps and good pockets for picks, tuners, and some music. Again, online stores like Musician’s Friend can give you an idea of . Budget $50 to $60 for a gig bag or a hard case. You may decide to spend more and if you are planning to check your guitar for an airplane flight, you’ll need to spend much more.

Next up is an amp if you are getting an electric guitar or an acoustic-electric such as an . The big amps you may have seen at a live show are not the ones most beginners use, nor the ones that most landlords or significant others would tolerate. You want to start with a practice amp. Crate, Fender and Drive all make good starter models. While you can get by with a 10 watt model, get a 15 or 20 watt model if you are serious. Budget $100 for a decent 10w model, $150 for a 15 watt model ().

Acoustic amps sound different from electric amps when you are playing an acoustic guitar through them. These are usually more expensive than electric guitar amps. Also, if you get an electric guitar amp with a lot of special effects, most of them will sound pretty terrible when you play an acoustic-electric.

Once you get above the cheapest amps, the better brands will have both reverb (echo) and gain (distortion) controls. These are the basics. Some practice amps also have effects such as drum machines, flanging, sustain, chorus, and blues (don’t worry if you don’t know what these are or sound like). While there is no question that these are a lot of fun, if you decide to get a new amp, you lose them all. If you just want to play casually or aren’t sure of your commitment, this is a great solution. If you are in it for the long haul, get a good practice amp without the special features and then add those on independently later. I’ll discuss some of those in a future entry.

Finally, you will need a cable for that electric guitar. If you just buy one, get it at least 10 feet long and 20 would be better. A midrange cable costing $15 or less will be fine. If you are like me, you’ll acquire cables over time. One thing to note: if you eventually get an effects box, you’ll need one cable from the guitar to the box and then another to your amp. The sound quality will be most degraded by the worse cable. That is, if you have one lousy cable in the wiring, it doesn’t matter how good that $50 dollar one is.

While there are always more accessories you can get, and what hobby would be complete without them, that’s enough to get you started. we’ll look at what we’ve gotten so far and talk guitar prices.