Things You'll Need:
- A budget
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Step 1
Figure out your budget. A guitar purchase should be considered an investment, so treat it as such. It's better to spend more now then it is to go through the process of selling that guitar and buying another one that fits you better. A good price range for a beginner guitar player is $300-500. Anything drastically lower then that and you run into quality inconsistencies and durability issues.
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Step 2
Decide whether you want an acoustic guitar with steel strings or nylon strings. A steel string guitar is what most people think of in a acoustic and is used often in pop music. A nylon string guitar, by contrast, is known as a classical guitar and is designed for finger picking and guitar instrumental work. If you do not plan on learning instrumental classical songs by Bach or traditional flamenco music, then a nylon stringed guitar is probably not for you! Another thing to keep in mind is that a nylon stringed guitar is not intended for heavy strumming, as most songs with lyrics include.
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Step 3
Assess the features you want in the acoustic. Do you want a twelve string or a traditional six string? A twelve string will offer you a more rounded sound but is slightly more difficult to play naturally then a six string guitar.
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Step 4
Consider a used acoustic guitar. However, find them at a reputable dealer like a local guitar store rather then Craigslist. As a rule of thumb, you should always strive to play a guitar before you purchase one, especially on used guitars. Remember, unlike things such as cars, used acoustic guitars tend to get better with age because of the tonality of the wood.
