by Julian Klazinga

Created on: November 04, 2009   Last Updated: November 05, 2009

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

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