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Basically, there are three ways to buy a guitar: In music stores, in pawn shops, and over the internet. Nowadays, you can even buy one at Wal-Mart, but I'm a little skeptical about that. Buying a guitar can be an overwhelming experience, as there is such a wide variety of brands, styles and features to choose from. Do you want an electric or an acoustic? Even if you decide to buy a guitar from a real world store, you can still do a lot of research over the internet to get some insight into instruments that catch your eye before you go to make a purchase.

Acoustic guitars are more lightweight and with them you can always have music- at the beach, in the woods, or at home when the power goes out. One downside to acoustics is that they usually are more difficult to fret than electrics, due to the higher string tension needed to make the notes project from the guitar body. In electric guitars, a lot of this job is done by the magnetic pickups. Also, the hollow construction makes acoustics less durable and more vulnerable to damage from heat and cold, but if you take good care of your instrument (as I hope you do), then it shouldn't be a problem.
Electric guitars are not as portable, as they require electricity and an amplifier to really project sound, but they open up a whole new world of amplification, distortion, and processing that you don't get with an acoustic. If you really need amplified guitar in the middle of a forest, Fernandes, along with some other brands, market battery power guitars with a built-in speaker and effects processor. In response to warnings not to buy Asian or Mexican made guitars, this is becoming ever more difficult. More and more companies are having their guitars built overseas. The components are the same, but the labor is much cheaper. If you can get over exploiting impoverished people, then pretty decent guitars can be had fairly cheaply.
I have bought guitars from music stores, pawn shops and the internet. Retail stores and pawn shops allow the opportunity to actually play the instrument before you buy it, as well as usually insightful employees who can help in your search. It is typically more expensive to buy guitars this way. One of my biggest pet peeves is walking into a pawn shop and seeing a raggedy used guitar for $400 when you can get the same thing, but brand new, for $300 on the internet. Pawn shop guitars are supposed to have character and be cheap. Use your brains; sometimes it seems like pawn shop owners are preying on the ignorance of consumers.
Websites such as Musician's Friend, Sam Ash and American Musical Supply offer huge selections that you can browse over the internet at great prices, but the disadvantage is that you don't know how the guitar will feel or play until it arrives at your house. A shrewd buyer could always go try the guitar in person at a store and then probably find a better deal on the internet. I bought an LTD Viper FM-100 from Musician's Friend and was very satisfied with the whole experience. Of course, there was the mystery of how it would play and sound, but if I had been dissatisfied, I could've just returned it.
I can't say the best place to buy a guitar, but I can tell you that you don't have to spend $500 or $1000 to get a good quality instrument. The biggest difference between a $200 "starter" guitar and $1000 "pro" guitar is the quality of the pickups, and you can always upgrade those later.

Learn more about this author, Billy Sunshine.
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