It’s a fact, although becoming less so, that many guitar teachers and not a few parents view electric guitars as something to be avoided by beginners. That’s a shame in my view, because I believe far more people, including children, would persist with their lessons if they could just put down the acoustic of classical guitar for a while and have some fun.

There seems to be a number of reasons for the prejudice against electric guitars, and I have to hold my hand up in this respect. When I started learning I believed the myth that one should learn on an acoustic and only switch to electric once the basics had been conquered. It is much easier, so the belief goes, to switch from acoustic to electric than the other way around.

Personally I am no longer convinced that is true and even if it is, what rule says you will ever want to make that switch? I know plenty of guitar players who don’t even own an acoustic and at least one leading player who has had a hybrid built to his specifications. It looks like a classical guitar until you get up close and see the solid body, built in electronics, the pickups and so on.

Here’s the real skinny on electric guitars for beginners:

1. They are quieter than acoustics. Now I know that’s going to stop a number of Moms and Dads in their tracks, but think about it. When did you last see a volume control on an acoustic? Or a plugin for a set of headphones? On top of that, despite what you may have been told, you do not have to amplify an electric axe in order to practice on it. It still plays faithfully in tune, just not very loudly.
2. They are cheaper than acoustics. Dollar for dollar you will get more bang for your buck with an electric and a much better quality of sound. That doesn’t mean looking to buy one of the cheap electric guitars on sale everywhere. It just means whatever your budget is you will get a better instrument for that amount if you go electric.
3. You do not need an expensive amp. I use a Roland Micro-cube with a 2 watt output that cost me less than $50 second hand. You won’t want anything louder in a domestic setting, at least at first.
4. They do not go out of tune easily. Well, some of the cheaper ones do and a whammy bar will have you crying with frustration. There are two things you can do about that: buy a good make such as a Fender Squier and remove the whammy bar. It just unscrews. Throw it away. You won’t need it for a long while yet.
5. Electric guitars are much easier to learn on, especially for kids. The strings are lighter and easier to fret, and the whole thing is a lot more fun.
6. They are just as portable as acoustics and a lot less fragile. Amps are portable too. My Micro-Cube runs on batteries if necessary and there are small belt amps available that are also battery driven.
7. They resell more easily.

I hope I’ve helped dispel some of the mystery and myths surrounding buying an electric guitar for beginners. In later posts I’ll dig a bit deeper into what to look for when buying an instrument, the sort of prices you can expect to pay and what to avoid when shopping for one.

photo credit: the other Martin Taylor