How to Choose Your First Guitar: A Beginner's Guide

The best first guitar is not the most expensive one - it is the one you keep picking up. A guitar that is the right size, easy to press and stays in tune makes the first few months enjoyable instead of painful. Here is how to choose one with confidence.

Acoustic, semi-acoustic or electric?

• Acoustic guitar - no amplifier, no cables, just pick it up and play. Ideal for singing along, home practice, bhajan and campfire songs. See our guitar range.
• Semi-acoustic (electro-acoustic) - an acoustic guitar with a built-in pickup and equaliser, so you can plug into an amplifier or speaker for college programmes, church, stage or a café gig. It plays exactly like an acoustic when unplugged.
• Electric guitar - lighter strings that are easier to press, but it always needs an amplifier and a cable. A good choice if rock, blues or metal is what you want to play. Browse amplifiers.

Get the size right

Guitar size is measured in inches from end to end. Most adults are comfortable on a 40 or 41 inch guitar. Younger learners and players with smaller hands often do better on a 38 inch guitar such as the Manaslu Shree 38, or a compact travel guitar like the Manaslu Yatri. If you have to stretch your arm over the body to reach the strings, the guitar is too big.

Steel strings or nylon strings?

Steel-string acoustic guitars have the bright sound you hear on most Nepali and Hindi pop songs. Classical guitars use nylon strings that are softer on the fingertips but sound mellower. Steel strings do hurt the fingertips for the first two or three weeks - that is normal, and it passes as your fingers toughen up. Never put steel strings on a guitar built for nylon.

What to check before you buy

1. String height (action) - strings sitting too high above the neck are hard to press and make chords buzz. Ask us to check it for you.
2. Tuning stability - a guitar that keeps going out of tune will discourage any beginner.
3. Comfort - sit with it the way you will practise. The neck should feel natural in your hand.
4. Sound - play a few open chords. Every guitar sounds a little different; trust your ears.

Good first guitars to look at

For a first acoustic, the Manaslu range from Nepal's own guitar brand is a sensible start: the Manaslu Yatri is compact and easy to carry, and the Manaslu MG5 is a full-size step up with a built-in pickup. If you know you will perform, a semi-acoustic such as the Manaslu MG2 or the Hex GA70CE saves you buying a second guitar later.

The accessories you will actually need

• A clip-on tuner - a guitar that is out of tune makes even correct chords sound wrong.
• Spare strings and a few picks.
• A padded gig bag to protect it on the way to class.
• A capo, so you can play songs in any key with the chord shapes you already know.

Buying from ECA Music Store

Every instrument we sell is 100% genuine, our instruments come with warranty, and our team is happy to help you compare models before you decide. We deliver across the Kathmandu Valley.