Buying your first electric guitar is exciting and if you're not informed about them can be a little overwhelming and daunting as well. However, with a few things to keep in mind, it can be a great experience. Don't just expect to go into your local music store and buy the first which catches your eye. As for any major purchase do some research and sleep on it in order to make the best informed choice.

Keep the following four points in mind and you'll be on your way to rocking out in no time.

1. Style (of music)

2. Sound

3. Cost

4. Appearance

Which type of music do you most prefer? Classical? Rock? Metal? Country? Or perhaps you're looking for a guitar which will be good or many genres. If you're more into rock I suggest a Gibson, or if you're not looking for such an expensive guitar, Epiphone is a subsidiary company of Gibson which also make great guitar for much less money. Fender provides quality guitar at a wide range of prices for a wide range of genres. For metal enthusiasts, you definitely cannot go wrong with a Dean or ESP. The right company is essential for the right style, truly it would be a shame to buy a guitar and soon after realize it's not to your liking.

Sound is based on many things; the type of wood the guitar is made of, the pickups in the guitar as well as the type of amplifier to name the most relevant. The type of wood the guitar is made of determines whether you'll get a more bassy tone or higher pitched with more treble. The main things to look for are the body type, body top and fret board. Here is a great link which goes into detail what each wood delivers:

Guitar Wood Types and Tones

The right pickup choice is vital in getting the right sound you want. Dimarzio, EMG and Seymour Duncan offer great rock and metal sounds pickups while Fender and Gibson offer great all-around sounding pickups. Other elements of sound include how the guitar is put together as well as strings. Heavier string gauge offers a deeper tone than lighter gauge strings. As for how it is put together I'm referring to whether the neck is bolt on or set through the body. Necks that are bolted on are less expensive but offer less sustain. Sustain is the duration of a note plucked once. Also ensure the intonation (evenness in the full tonal range) is set up properly before purchasing.

Of course not everyone can spend thousands of dollars on the guitar of their dreams and more often than not that's the deal breaker. Guitars of varying budgets are as follows:

Low- $100-$350

Medium- $350- $750

High- $750 and up

Guitars of lowers budgets posses low quality woods, pickups and electronics; inevitably you get what you pay for. Medium budget guitar have decent pickups a good quality wood and a nice finish. AS for high budget guitars, they have superior pickups, wood and finish. However if your not in the market for spending that much I suggest buying a medium priced guitar with a nice finish, the type of wood you want based on the type of sound you want but don't worry about the pickups. As time goes on and you have the funds to upgrade, buy great pickups and switch them out for the old ones (great pickups range from $80-$150). Electric guitars can come with a variety of features. However, as the amount features goes up- so does the price. Tremolo systems offer the use of a whammy bar. Whether the guitar is solid-bodied or hollow bodied is nice for a change in tone. Some higher end guitars even offer advanced electronics which changes the tuning digitally.

Appearance is essential as well; of course you want it to be to your liking. Do you want a graphic on the body? What inlays on the frets do you what? What style or shape of body do you want? Do you want a translucent color or a solid color? Keep these things in mind while browsing.

In conclusion do some research before making this purchase and don't forget to play it before you buy it. Online stores offer great deals as well - if a music store isn't accessible for you, here are two great ones.

Guitar Center

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Learn more about this author, Julian Klazinga.
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