Start here

Just starting out.

A first guitar does not need to be good. It needs to be playable, and it needs to be set up. Those are different problems, and only one of them costs money.

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What actually matters

Playability beats tone at this stage. If the action is too high you will press harder than you need to, your hand will hurt, and you will quit before tone is ever a question. A cheap guitar with a good setup beats an expensive one with a bad one, every time.

• 01Action — string height at the 12th fret. Above about 2.5 mm on the low E is fighting you.
• 02Neck relief — a slight forward bow. Too flat buzzes, too much makes it hard to press.
• 03String gauge — 9s or 10s on electric. Heavier strings are harder to bend, not more serious.
• 04Intonation — the 12th fret should be the same note as the open string, an octave up.

What to ignore at the start

Tonewood, finish, brand history, resale value, and anyone telling you to spend more before you can play. None of it changes whether you practise. Pickup type changes the sound, but a beginner cannot yet hear what it changes, and it does not change the playing.

If you are small, or unsure, consider a ukulele

Four strings instead of six, nylon instead of steel, and a scale short enough that small hands can reach every chord shape. It teaches the same left hand and it costs less. It is the cheapest way to find out whether you actually enjoy this.

Entry instruments in the archive

Not recommendations — this archive does not rate things. These are the instruments catalogued here that sit in the entry tier.

• 005Artist Series — Alvarez
• 006Masterworks / MPA — Alvarez
• 007Yairi (AY) line — Alvarez
• 057Earth series acoustics — Cort Guitars
• 058G Series — Cort Guitars
• 059Little CJ — Cort Guitars
• 060X Series (X-6/X-11) — Cort Guitars
• 069DAG-1 acoustics — Donner
• 070DTC-100 — Donner
• 071HLX-500 — Donner2026
• 072HUSH-I EVO2 — Donner2026
• 082Nexg — Enya
• 083Nova X1 / X3 — Enya
• 084Casino — Epiphone1961
• 085Dot — Epiphone1959 (as ES-335)
• 086Explorer — Epiphone1980s+
• 087Fatoumata Diawara Signature SG — Epiphone2026
• 088Firebird — Epiphone1963+
• 089Flying V — Epiphone1980s+
• 090Futura lineup (stainless frets) — Epiphone2026
• 091Hummingbird / Dove / J-45 EC — Epiphone1960s+
• 092Inspired by Gibson Custom line — Epiphone2020
• 093Les Paul Standard 50s/60s — Epiphone2019
• 094Riviera — Epiphone1962
• 095SG Standard — Epiphone1963+
• 096Thunderbird — Epiphone1963+
• 132FFDC / FFLG / FFTH — Firefly
• 165Country Gentleman — Gretsch1957
• 166Duo Jet — Gretsch1953
• 167Electromatic line — Gretsch1990s
• 168G6120 Nashville / Chet Atkins — Gretsch1955
• 169Gretsch basses (White Falcon bass, Electromatic) — Gretsch
• 170Jet — Gretsch1950s
• 171Streamliner — Gretsch2016
• 172White Falcon — Gretsch1954
• 173White Penguin — Gretsch1955
• 184CST-24 — Harley Benton
• 185Dullahan — Harley Benton
• 186Fusion Pro — Harley Benton
• 187Plus / Retro series — Harley Benton

Amps to look at

• 403Black Cat 30 — Bad Cat Amplifiers
• 404Cougar series — Bad Cat Amplifiers
• 405Hot Cat 30 — Bad Cat Amplifiers2000s
• 406Artist FR series — Blackstar2026
• 407HT Club 40 / HT-5 — Blackstar2008
• 408ID:Core / Dept. 10 — Blackstar
• 409Series One — Blackstar
• 410St. James — Blackstar2020
• 411TV-10A / TV-10B — Blackstar2026
• 412Ecstasy — Bogner Amplification1991
• 413Helos / Goldfinger — Bogner Amplification
• 414Shiva — Bogner Amplification1999

What to learn first

Open chords, in this order: Em, Am, C, G, D, A, E. Then the F barre, which is the wall everyone hits, and which is only finger strength and repetition. There is a practice plan for the first month.

Chords · Practice · Acoustic guitars · Electric guitars