Quick Buying Guide The Rough Guide to Buying an Instrument 1. Instruments as Gifts 2. Which Instrument Should I Buy? 3. Acoustic Guitars 4. Electric Guitars 5. More On Electric Guitars 6. Basses 7. Amplifiers

Which Instrument Should I Buy? Again, asking the recipient about their preferences is never a bad idea, but dig a little deeper. If your child likes guitar, find out which artists or songs they enjoy. Listen to their favorite radio station or borrow a few CDs. Involve them in the process, so that they feel a personal stake in the matter. If the gift is a surprise, you will have to put on your spying hat and observe their behavior around music. The clues are out there. Children and young adults tend to identify with music created in their own time. Each generation has its own music, which draws on the music that came before it. You and I know that Led Zeppelin rocks, man, but the youngster will prefer the modern day equivalent to Zeppelin (and no, I'm not going to go out on that limb and propose who carries that particular torch). Today's bands are no scarier than those that scared our parents as we developed our own musical taste. And the excitement that youngs people feel when music speaks to them can be transformed to excitement about playing the music. A greater understanding of the recipient's musical taste will lead you to the right instrument type. Next: Acoustic Guitars ©2003-2004 Too Many Guitars.