Start With a Guitar That Plays Easily
The best starter guitar is the one a beginner will actually pick up every day. It should be easy on the fingers, sized to the player's body and suited to the music they want to play, with the strings sitting low and the tuning holding steady. Brand, timber and price all matter less than those things.
A modest guitar that plays well teaches more than a costly one that fights back. At Joondalup Music Centre we have served the Perth music community for 20 years, selling guitars and carrying out Services & Repairs, and this guide draws on both sides of that work.
Choosing Between Acoustic, Classical and Electric
For most players, the best starter guitar is the type that sounds like the music they love, because that is the guitar that gets practised. Folk and pop fans tend to suit a steel-string acoustic, classical students need nylon strings, and anyone drawn to rock or blues stays keener on an electric. Looks count too, since a guitar the player is proud of tends to stay within reach.
Nylon strings are softer on new fingertips, which is why a classical guitar is a common first instrument. The counterpoint is a wider, flatter neck that some younger children find a stretch, so smaller hands are often better served by a 3/4 size classical guitar. Steel-string acoustics are louder and brighter and need no extra equipment, which is much of the appeal of a straightforward model such as the Yamaha FG800 acoustic.
Electric guitars usually have slimmer necks and lighter strings, which many beginners find easier to fret. An electric needs an amplifier and a lead before it makes a useful sound, though, so the budget has to cover all three. Squier, Fender and Epiphone are among the brands we carry, along with Vox, Boss and NU-X, and our electric guitars range is a good place to start.
Playability Keeps Beginners Practising
A guitar that is hard to press down is one of the quickest ways to lose a new player. On a first guitar, look for low string height, known as the "action", a neck shape that suits the player's hand, and tuners that hold pitch. These count for more than the finish or the badge on the headstock.
Guitars can leave the factory with the action set high, and timber moves after shipping and a Perth summer. A setup corrects this by adjusting string height, nut slot depth, the slight bow in the neck and intonation, which keeps notes in tune further up the fingerboard. That work is often what separates an affordable guitar that feels like hard work from one that feels comfortable. If a guitar at home already feels stiff or drifts out of tune, our Services & Repairs team can look it over with a free quote in-store, and we also handle re-strings and parts.
Fitting a Guitar to a Child or Adult
For a child, the best starter guitar is one that fits their body now, not one they will grow into, because an oversized guitar is awkward to hold and hard to fret. Most adults and older teenagers suit a full-size guitar, while younger children usually need a 3/4, 1/2 or 1/4 size guitar, or a mini electric.
Age charts are only a starting point, because children the same age vary widely, and a quick check in person is more reliable. First, sit the child with the guitar on their leg and check they reach the first fret without leaning forward or locking their arm straight. Second, have them form a simple chord shape and see whether their hand wraps the neck comfortably. Third, if they will stand to play, put the guitar on a strap and see whether they can hold it steady.
Once they stretch for the first fret or the body sits cramped under their arm, it is time to move up a size. Our children's guitar sizing guide covers the size bands, and mini electric guitars suit young players set on an electric. Adults with smaller hands, or who want a travel guitar, can also look at a parlour or short-scale body.
Budget, Starter Kits and Red Flags
Spending the most does not guarantee the best starter guitar, but spending the least rarely finds it either. Aim for a guitar that plays in tune and can be properly adjusted. The very cheapest instruments are often a false economy, because the saving is lost to poor tuning, action that cannot be lowered, or a beginner who gives up.
Each product page shows the current price, and our acoustic guitars can be browsed online in under $500 and under $1000 brackets. Budget for the whole kit as well: a tuner, picks, spare strings and a bag or case, plus an amp and lead for an electric. Our guide to beginner acoustic guitar packages explains what a good bundle includes. To talk through a first guitar and budget, call the store on 08 9300 0033.
Clip-on tuners are among the accessories that can contain button or coin batteries. Retailers supplying them must meet the mandatory button battery standards enforced by the ACCC, which require secure battery compartments and warning information, so in a home with young children it is worth reading those warnings and keeping spare batteries out of reach.
Be wary of very cheap guitars bought sight unseen. Red flags include strings sitting well off the fingerboard, sharp fret ends along the neck, tuners that slip out of pitch and a neck with no truss rod adjustment. Whichever business sells a new guitar, the ACCC explains that the Australian Consumer Law gives automatic consumer guarantees that goods are of acceptable quality, fit for purpose and match their description, with a repair, replacement or refund when a guarantee is not met.
Protecting a New Acoustic From Perth Heat
Perth summers are hard on acoustic guitars. Keep a new acoustic out of parked cars and away from windows, air conditioner vents and hot, dry easterly winds, and store it in its case or bag between practice sessions through the warmer months.
Heat and dry air make timber shrink and can soften glue. The signs are sharp fret ends poking from the side of the neck, a bridge lifting at its back edge and, at worst, a cracked top. Laminate tops generally cope with swings in temperature and humidity better than solid tops, which makes them a forgiving choice for a first acoustic. Solid-top owners should consider a humidifier in the case over summer, and any of these signs is worth having checked early, before a small fault grows.
Lessons Help Decide the Right First Guitar
Arrange lessons at the same time as the guitar, because the teacher's style often decides the instrument. A classical teacher will expect nylon strings, while a teacher working through rock or pop may prefer an electric or steel-string acoustic, so ask the teacher before buying rather than after.
Music tuition at Joondalup Music Centre is offered through the Joondalup School of Music, and our music tuition page is the place to start. A new student gets more from their first lesson on a guitar that is already sized and comfortable to play.
Parents booking lessons with any teacher in WA can ask to see the teacher's Working with Children Check card. Teaching music to under-18s, including online, is child-related work under the Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004, and cards are issued by the Department of Communities.
Knowing When to Move Past a Starter Guitar
Upgrade when the guitar is holding the player back, not on a set timetable. The usual signs are chords that ring clearly on a better guitar but buzz on their own, a sound they have outgrown, or tuning and intonation problems that adjustment cannot fix.
For electric players, a better amp can change the sound as much as a new guitar, so weigh up both. Acoustic players moving up often look at solid-wood and hand-built instruments, and our range extends to Maton, Cole Clark, Takamine and Fenech, along with Pratley Guitars, each hand-crafted with precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tuning a Guitar for the First Time
A clip-on tuner is the simplest method. Clip it to the headstock, pluck each string and turn its peg until the display shows the right note, which in standard tuning runs E, A, D, G, B, E from the thickest string. New strings stretch and drift for a while, but if tuning still will not hold once they settle, the tuners or setup need attention.
Where to Buy a First Guitar
Buy where the guitar can be tried and adjusted before it goes home. Comparing a few side by side quickly shows which feels easiest, and a shop that also repairs guitars can fix high action or sharp frets rather than leaving a beginner to struggle.
Ease of Playing a Beginner Guitar
A well set-up beginner guitar is easy enough to learn on, though sore fingertips are normal at first on any guitar. The test is the first fret: if pressing a string there takes real force or the note buzzes, the action or nut slots are probably too high.
Options for Left-Handed Beginners
Left-handed players can learn either way. Some learn right-handed so they can play any guitar they pick up, while others find left-handed playing natural from the start. Decide before lessons begin, and ask in store which left-handed models are available, as they are less common.
Checking a Second-Hand Starter Guitar
Sight down the neck for a warp, look for deep grooves in the frets, check the bridge is not lifting and the top is not cracked, and on an electric turn every knob to listen for crackle. Old strings and scratchy controls are usually minor fixes, while a warped neck, lifting bridge or seized truss rod can cost more than the guitar is worth.
Trying Guitars In Store at Winton Road
An online list cannot tell whether a guitar suits a particular pair of hands. Bring the player to Unit 4/101 Winton Rd, Joondalup, open 7 days, to try guitars side by side and check a child's size and fit in person. Call the store on 08 9300 0033, or the Joondalup School of Music on 08 9300 0965 about lessons, and players outside Perth can shop online with shipping Australia-wide.