*See below for Guitar brand recommendations

Selecting the Right Guitar

Your guitar should feel and sound good to you. A guitar’s size and shape will determine how it feels and sounds; which is why you should go play some guitars yourself. As a beginner, you won’t be able to determine which guitar you prefer as well as a more intermediate or advanced player. Keep this in mind as you go through your guitar journey: as you progress on the guitar and play more guitars, your idea for what you want will evolve. 

Nylon vs Steel Strings:

Choosing nylon or steel strings should be determined by what style of music you want to play. This is something to take into consideration since nylon and steel strings are not interchangeable on the same guitar.

 

Steel String guitars are more common and primarily used for Rock, Blues, Folk, and Country. They have a bigger and brighter sound that is associated with that classic acoustic guitar sound.

 

Nylon Strings have a more soft and mellow tone and are primarily used for Classical, Jazz, Flamenco, Bossa Nova, and other Latin Styles; although they are still used in Pop, Folk, R&B, and others as well. Nylon string guitars are often considered more comfortable to play for beginners because they are softer on the fingers and usually have more forgiving fret and string spacing.

 

For kids or students with small hands, I recommend a smaller size guitar - Orchestra Model (OM) or smaller. Refer to the list below.

 

Guitar body types from largest to smallest:

Jumbo, Dreadnought, Concert, Auditorium, OM*,  000, 00, 0, Parlor, Baby, Jr, 3/4, 1/2, etc.

Steel String Brands

My picks:

$ - Epiphone, Yamaha

$$ - Eastman, Teton, Breedlove, Seagull

$$$ - Martin, Taylor, Gibson

$$$$ - Collings, Santa Cruz, Beddell

 

Other popular brands: Ibanez, Fender, Alvarez, Washburn, Guild, Burgeois, Thompson

 

Nylon String Brands

My picks:

-Cordoba

-Alhambra

​

Other popular brands: Godin, Yamaha, Esteve