What do I look for in buying an electric guitar?

Answer 1

Most beginners will look at how "cool" their guitars look.
Don't do that.
What you should look for is how the guitar sounds and the feeling while playing it.
Before you buy a guitar, plug it into an amp, and start playing. If you are comfortable with it, then get it.

Many beginners will get Squiers or box guitars for their first guitar. These cost from under $100 to $200.
However, I recommend saving up $400 - $500 and getting an actual Fender. A Guiter Center will always have a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster for around $500 or less.

If you are a little more advanced at playing, I recommend getting a Gibson. I have a a Gibson myself and I am very satisfied with it. However, Gibsons are much more expensive. Fenders start around $400 and can go up over a thousand dollars, but Gibsons start around $800 and can go up to over $3,000 dollars.

So be careful what you choose.
Look for sound and tone of the guitar. If you like playing metal, get a guitar that is more played for metal, and same with rock or blues.
Play the guitar first: so you can get a feel of the guitar before you buy it, and so you can check if it is broken before you buy it (many people at guitar stores mistreat the guitars that aren't even theirs).
Don't go for looks. The B.C. Rich guitars have a certain look that teenagers love, but I tried them out and they totally suck.

Also, don't get a guitar just because a famous musician you know has the same guitar. I've heard about many spend $2,000 on a Gibson Les Paul just because they see Jimmy Page play it, however they try out a $800 telecaster and they like that better and it seems they have wasted $1,200.

Go to a store with some ideas of what you want and the employees there will help you out.
"Hi, I'm interested in buying an electric guitar. I am an intermediate player and I play hard rock. I'm looking for a price range around $300-$800" is much better and the employees will take you much more serious than
"Hi, I wanna buy the same guitar What's-his-face plays on MTV. Or a guitar that girls will love." and you will most likely end up with a guitar that you will not be satisfied with.

Good luck, hope this helps
and Rock on!

Answer 2

For a beginner (I'm assuming you are one), the most important consideration should be the "action."

This means, the height of the strings above the guitar neck; or how easily they can be pushed down to the neck.

More beginners quit because their fingers are just too tender and they have a guitar with bad action.

You do NOT have to spend a bundle of $$ to find good action. There are very cheap guitars on the market that may not have the highest power pickups, but the action is quite good.

Go to a reputable music store and ask them to show you the best action they have in your price range.

You can always buy a better guitar, but make it easy on yourself as a beginner.

Answer 3

well. you can't go wrong with a classic. basically most vendors know what they are talking about, and tell them what kind of music you like. i.e. a les paul/hollow works better for blues, but then a strat is a better treble sound for like rockn out. first decide if you want hollow or solid. then humbucking generally is better, for obvious reasons (liek the anoying hum) but it has drawbacks, like a loss of tone.

Answer 4

Look for the name Fender, then buy it LOL...

Answer 5

Here ya go...do some window-shopping...
http://www.guitarcenter.com/