Advice for Buying A Guitar

The Ultimate Learn 2 Play Guitar e-Book Resource Kit

Types of Guitar:

Nylon String Guitars:

Acoustic nylon string guitars are used for Classical and Spanish music. Popular for Learners, usually the cheapest guitar on the market.

Steel String Guitars:

Steel string acoustic guitars are used for folk, blues, country, acoustic rock and popular styles. These guitars usually have a truss rod adjustment (to bend the neck concave or convex) so you can bring the strings closer or further away from the fret board. (Very handy.)

12-string Acoustic Guitar:

A 12-string acoustic guitar offers its own unique sound. Though 12 strings may seem intimidating, in reality a 12-string guitar is played exactly like a 6-string. On a 12-string, each open string (E, A, D, G, B, E) has a second string right next to it. On the three top strings (E, A, D), the second strings are identical in pitch, while on the bottom three strings (G, B, E) the second strings are tuned to the same note but one octave higher. This creates not only a doubling effect of every note and chord you play, but an increase in the higher tones thanks to the one-octave-higher bottom strings.

Acoustic Electric Guitars:

Players who anticipate playing live with their acoustic guitars and want the freedom to move about while they play may want to consider an acoustic-electric guitar. Acoustic-electrics use a pickup system that allows you to simply plug into an amplifier or mixing board rather than having to stand stationary behind a microphone.

Electric Guitars

Electric guitars are used for rock, blues, grunge, heavy metal, country and popular styles of music. They are quite versatile because you can select different sounds from your amplifier and effects pedals (e.g: distortion for heavy metal). The guitar itself will cost no more than an acoustic steel string of the same quality, however you will need to buy a guitar amplifier to hear what you are playing.

More detailed information about Acoustic and Electric Guitars

New or Second Hand?

You can pick up a new guitar from eBay or one of the musical instrument stores listed here for $100-$200. If you want a slightly better sound, then spend $200-$300. Remember that if you choose an electric guitar you will need a practise amplifier, 10-20 watts is heaps. This will be more than adequate for you to start learning. Most stores will have beginners packs that will include the accessories you need to get started. 

Quite often a second hand instrument will be as good as or better than a new one. You can pick up a bargain this way if you shop around. You may even be able to pick up a few extra things in the purchase like a carry case, amplifier, sheet music or whatever as part of the deal...I would expect to pay between $100-$150 for a good second hand learners acoustic guitar and $150-$250 for a good second hand learners electric guitar (including an amp). 

Once you have weighed the pros and cons of each type of instrument, spend as much as you can afford. But remember to leave a little in the budget for a learning package and other resources like sheet music to practice with.