I still remember my first week learning guitar. My fingertips turned into hamburger, the high E string cut into my index finger like a cheese wire, and the action on that cheap dreadnought felt like I was pressing the strings down onto a two-by-four. If that sounds familiar, the problem was not your hands. The … Read more
Picking up the best beginner electric guitars for the first time feels exciting, but the moment you walk into a guitar shop or open a shopping page, the choices explode. Six strings suddenly turn into six hundred options, and nobody tells you which one a 7-year-old, a 16-year-old, a working adult, or a 60-year-old retiree … Read more
Finding the best acoustic guitars for low prices used to mean sacrificing playability for cost. After spending 90 days testing 10 budget acoustic guitars with our team, I can tell you that the current crop of sub-two-hundred-dollar instruments is genuinely impressive. Several models in this list sound and feel like guitars costing two or three … Read more
Finding used electric guitars under $500 used to mean scrolling through classifieds, chasing local pawn shops, and crossing your fingers that the Craigslist deal wasn’t stolen. I spent three months buying, testing, and inspecting ten of the most popular budget-friendly models to figure out which ones survive the used market and still play well after … Read more
If you have spent any time shopping for an acoustic-electric guitar, you have probably noticed one brand that looks completely different from the rest. That brand is Ovation, and their rounded Lyrachord backs have been dividing opinion since the late 1960s. Our team has spent months comparing Ovation guitars against each other and against the … Read more
My uncle picked up a guitar at 68 and still plays three nights a week at 74. The reason he stuck with it? He started with the right instrument. Finding the best acoustic guitars for older people is less about brand prestige and more about comfort, scale length, and a neck that won’t punish aging … Read more
Picking up an electric guitar at 50, 60, or beyond is one of the best decisions I’ve seen friends make. Most of them wish they’d started decades ago but figured it was “too late.” It isn’t. In fact, as an experienced player who’s spent years helping older newbies find their first instrument, I can tell … Read more
Fingerpicking on an electric guitar feels different from strumming. Your right hand needs space to move between strings, the neck has to sit comfortably in your palm, and the action needs to be light enough that you can play for an hour without your fingertips going numb. We spent six weeks comparing eight starter kits … Read more
Hard rock guitar is a different beast from blues or classic rock. You need thick, sustaining humbuckers, a fast neck that doesn’t fight you during palm-muted chugging, and a bridge that stays in tune after dive-bombing a Floyd Rose. After our team spent weeks A/B-testing dozens of solidbody electrics through high-gain amps and clean channels, … Read more
Fender’s own research found that 90% of new guitarists quit within the first year. That single number is why choosing the best beginner electric guitars for juniors matters so much for parents. I have spent years helping families navigate this exact decision, watching both wins and disappointments. The right junior electric guitar turns a “maybe … Read more