There are several things that any budding guitar player should know before they go to a music store. The instrument that someone starts off using is very important, so getting the best gear when you are starting out is very important.
The first thing to consider is the guitar itself. You can choose from a wide range of acoustic and electric guitars, there are some which are actually a combination of both of these. Both of these styles give of very different sounds but are flexible in a number of ways. The brand of guitar you buy is a very important thing to consider. If you go for a brand like Gibson or Fender you are going to pay a premium, but you are going to get a guitar that sounds fantastic and is going to last you for many many years. Never buy a guitar that you are not able to pick up and hold in your own hands. Like wands in Harry Potter, guitars are either made for you or they are not. If you get your guitar through mail order or online you don’t get the chance to hold it in your hands.
Then you have to think about protecting the instrument. If you are going to be taking the guitar out of your home to play it elsewhere then you will need a guitar case to carry it from place to place. You can get these cases in two main styles, hard guitar cases and soft guitar case. A soft case is cheap and light, it will protect your guitar from scratches and also from lighting bumps and knocks. Hard cases are normally made from a hard plastic or metal and give your guitar total protection against scratches and denting and even protection from the weather.
Finally, if you have bought or are buying an electric guitar, or even some acoustics you will want an amplifier. The smallest amps can be pretty cheap, costing about $75, but they don’t have all that much power. You are able to get larger amplifiers that can cost over $5000, but these are going to be a bit beyond your needs.