Cheap Guitar Accessories

Guitar Pickup Preamp

Freddie Green Guitar Style

The guitar has become so popular that there are hundreds of manufacturers competing for your dollar, which means that there are more high quality inexpensive guitars out there than ever. Freddie Green Guitar StyleBeginners never had it so good. This article gives some suggestions for how to find a really great guitar that's right for you.

Electric or Acoustic?

Before you shop, you'll want to decide whether to buy an electric or an acoustic guitar. The lines between electrics and acoustics have blurred, and many acoustic guitars now come with on board pickups and preamps. Even so, if most of your playing will be plugged in, and you want to sound like your favorite rock guitarist, you'll want an electric guitar, while if you'll be playing folk music, or playing unplugged, you'll probably want an acoustic.

Steel or Nylon?

You'll also want to decide whether you want a steel stringed or a nylon stringed guitar. This mostly applies to acoustic guitars, but there are some nylon stringed electrics available. If you're mostly interested in playing in the classical or flamenco styles, you'll definitely want a nylon stringed acoustic guitar. For jazz, you may want a nylon stringed acoustic or electric guitar, but you can certainly play jazz on a steel stringed guitar as well. For most other styles, you probably want to stick with steel strings.

Another consideration with strings, especially if you're just beginning to play, is that nylon strings are easier on the fingers than steel strings. But this only makes a difference for the first few weeks until you develop some callouses on your fingers, so I wouldn't make too much of it.

How Much To Spend

Okay, so now you've decided on either electric or acoustic, either steel or nylon strings. The next thing you need to know is, what's your budget? At the high end, you can easily spend thousands -- or even tens of thousands -- on a guitar. But most beginners -- and even most advanced players -- won't be in a position to do that. So let's assume that your budget falls into one of three ranges: under $500, $500 to $1000, and over $1000. You can find a great beginners guitar in any of these price ranges.

The key, especially in lower price ranges, is that you should stick to reputable manufacturers. Most of the big manufacturers have been in business for a long time, and they make high quality instruments that hold their value. Realistically, if you're a beginner, you may not be still playing the guitar in a year. You may lose interest, or you may move on to another instrument. Or, you may be ready for a better guitar. Either way, you want your first guitar to be one that will hold some value in case you want to resell it down the line. Also, you want to ensure that you are getting quality for your money.

Good Manufacturers

Play EXISTING riffs and patterns with speed and accuracy click here

If you're buying an electric guitar, I'd recommend buying a Fender, Epiphone, or Yamaha. These manufacturers all have very high quality standards and have instruments in all price ranges. For an acoustic guitar, consider Epiphone, Takamine, or Yamaha, or if you can spend more than $500, Martin or Guild. Again, all of these companies have very high quality standards and most have instruments in all price ranges.

Consider Buying Used

You may want to consider buying a used instrument -- sometimes you can get more for your money by buying used -- but if you do this, you need to be extra careful. Buy from a reputable dealer, or, if you're buying from an individual, take along a friend who knows guitars. And again, stick with the reputable manufacturers.

Try Before You Buy

You'll definitely want to play some guitars before you buy. If you feel like you can't play that well, or are embarrassed to play in front of people in a store or in someone's home, bring along a friend who can play. If you take lessons, ask your teacher to help you pick out a guitar. But if you can play a few basic chords, try them out on a few guitars and find one that's comfortable and that looks and sounds good to you.

Find a Reputable Bricks & Mortar Dealer

If you're buying new, or even if you're buying used, it's a good idea to buy from a reputable shop in your area. You'll get better service than if you buy online, and if there are any problems after you buy, it can be easier to resolve them by going back to the shop than by dealing with an online business. Buying used from a dealer can give you more assurance of quality and service than buying from an individual

If you follow these tips, you should be able to find a great beginners guitar in your price range. Have fun shopping, and enjoy playing your new instrument!

CREATE patterns and riffs anytime of the day or night Click here

About the Author

Play with that star guitarist that you

always admired. Click here

Acoustic Guitar Pickup???

I'm going to get my boyfriend an acoustic guitar pickup but don't really know much about them. I'm hearing about preamps and that they are needed? He wants a cheap one but I don't want to get him a crappy one that stinks and he doesn't use.

So I guess my questions are:
1. Should I get something a bit more expensive, like will it be worth the money??
2. What is a preamp and will it be necessary for the use of the pickup?
3. Any suggestions for what brand of pickup?

Go to Gibson, Yamaha, and SeymourDuncan. Their websites, I mean. The first two are guitar manufacturers, and the last is a pickup manufacturer. Their websites should give you an idea of what to get. Some pickups are so weak, they require a preamp to send a strong enough signal to an amp.
Some are so strong, they will overpower an amp's inputs. Just do some research, based on the guitar he uses, his playing habits/music likes, and what amp he uses, and you should get to the right one for him!

DIY universal guitar preamp

Shadow Nanoflex Pickup With 2-Band Eq And Preamp $143.2 Shadow Nanoflex Pickup with 2-Band EQ and Preamp

Shadow Sh Ec22 Preamp With Undersaddle Pickup And Microphone $187.22 Shadow SH EC22 Preamp with Undersaddle Pickup and Microphone

Dtar Wave-Length Undersaddle Pickup And Preamp $111.3 Dtar Wave-Length Undersaddle Pickup and Preamp

Shadow Shnfxep-C Nanoflex Pickup With Endpin Preamp - Classical Guitar $154.4 Shadow SH NFX EP-C Nanoflex Pickup with Endpin Preamp for Classical Guitar

Yamaha A3m All Solid Wood Dreadnought A/E Guitar W/ Srt Preamp/Pickup $799.99 Yamaha A3M All Solid Wood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar with SRT Preamp/Pickup

Yamaha Ac3r All Solid Wood Concert A/E Guitar W/ Srt Preamp/Pickup $899.99 Yamaha AC3R All Solid Wood Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar with SRT Preamp/Pickup

Yamaha A3m All Solid Wood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar With Srt Preamp/Pickup $695.99 Yamaha A3M All Solid Wood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar with SRT Preamp/Pickup

Yamaha Ac3m All Solid Wood Concert A/E Guitar W/ Srt Preamp/Pickup $799.99 Yamaha AC3M All Solid Wood Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar with SRT Preamp/Pickup

Yamaha A3r All Solid Wood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar With Srt Preamp/Pickup $782.99 Yamaha A3R All Solid Wood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar with SRT Preamp/Pickup

Yamaha A3r All Solid Wood Dreadnought A/E Guitar W/ Srt Preamp/Pickup $899.99 Yamaha A3R All Solid Wood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar with SRT Preamp/Pickup

B-Band U1.0 Onboard End-Pin Ukulele Preamp With Undersaddle Pickup $79.99 B-Band U1.0 Onboard End-Pin Ukulele Preamp with Undersaddle Pickup

Shadow Sh 965 Nfx-B Nanoflex Pickup With Preamp For Upright Bass $243.2 Shadow SH 965 NFX-B Nanoflex Pickup with Preamp for Upright Bass

Fishman Prefix Pro Preamp And Pickup System In Narrow-Format $289.95 Fishman Prefix Pro Preamp and Pickup System In Narrow-Format

Lr Baggs Five.O Uke Pickup System With Endpin Preamp And Volume Control $149 LR Baggs FIVE.O Uke Pickup System with Endpin Preamp and volume control

STARCASTER BY FENDER STARCASTER BY FENDER...

Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Condenser USB Microphone $105.00 The Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Microphone offers studio-quality articulation and intelligibility. The AT2020 USB plugs right into your computer's USB port, and functions seamlessly with your favorite recording software. Equipped with a USB digital output, the AT2020 USB is perfect for home studio recording, field recording, podcasting, and voiceover use. Based on the renowned AT2020 The AT2020 USB ...

Audio-Technica AT2035 Large Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone $105.95 The Audio Technica AT2035 Condenser Microphone features a large diaphragm capsule that provides smooth, natural sound and low noise. The AT2035 is intended for use in any number of professional applications including vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, pianos, drums and more. The AT2035 also features a high SPL rating with wide dynamic range that delivers unmatched versatility. A switchable 80 ...

Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone $234.99 The C01U USB Studio Condenser Mic is the first affordable studio condenser mic with a USB interface. For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances. Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer...

Guitar Amplifier Handbook - Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds (Softcover) $14.30 There's a huge amount of hype and mythology surrounding tube amplifiers in the guitar world. For years, experts have argued over the tiny details of exactly how they do what they do, and how their various components interact. What's undeniable is that, far more than being just a "loudness booster," the unique combination of tubes, capacitors, resistors, and transformers in these amps can contribut...

Guitar Electronics for Musicians (Guitar Reference) $15.52 All you ever wanted to know, and more, about guitar electronics and pickups. By Donald Brosnac. 128 pages....