It’s hard to describe the power of a first guitar. (Or any first instrument for that matter.) It is for many, a watershed moment. Joy, anticipation, admiration. So many emotions accompany a musical instrument. And the first one carries just a little more weight.

When do you get a first guitar?
That’s easy – NOW.

If you are reading this – you are thinking about it. Whether for yourself, or for a child, a loved one or friend… Now. It is NEVER too late to start. And for the most part it is never too early. Just choose well, and lean on your shop’s experts to help you do so.

For young folk – it needs to be easy to play, it needs to be balanced and comfortable. An early success could yield a lifetime of joy, satisfaction and learning. It’s not much different for people ready to start later in life – but more defined physical ability certainly makes the options a bit more varied.

What do get for a first guitar?
Also, easy – What you LIKE.

If you have a guitar hero – and you can get something similar to what they wield – that gives you pride and leg up with the new instrument. If you know your loved one is into X, Y or Z – then those are where you should start. It’s more important to ‘dig’ what you start with than be perfectly practical.

Lastly – what do you learn on your first guitar, for your first touches.
Easiest of all – What you LIKE.

As the author of this article – and someone who taught hundreds of students for years – I can tell you that while the basics and core information are important – it is not as important as playing things that inspire a new player to WANT to play. A song they like, even in a rudimentary form can be much more enticing and force you/them to spend time with the instrument – WAY more than a basic chord, scale or finger exercise. If you/they get ‘attached’ and stick with it – you will open your/their minds to WANT to learn the other things and sprinkle it in.

Here at MGR STL we are experts at curating gear for new, intermediate and experienced players alike. But we would be lying if we didn’t say we get a bit of extra joy from sending someone home with their first guitar (or other instrument). It is a blessing to us to be at that crossroads for that particular journey.

How lucky are we?