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

Electric guitars will appeal more to the punk fans, the heavy metal fans, the alternative fans and the rock 'n' rollers. These instruments are capable of great beauty and subtlety...look at what Chet Atkins and Wes Montgomery were able to achieve. On the other hand, you have your Jimi Hendrixes, Pete Townsends (The Who) and Angus Youngs (AC/DC). These are more likely to be a young person's early guitar role models. The noise, the excitement, the larger-than-life image of these performers is meat and potatoes to adolescents. The variety of electric guitars is dazzling. Because an electric guitar is basically a slab of wood with a neck and some electronics stuck inside, it can take any shape, from a bat-winged monstrosity to an beautiful piece of art. But aesthetic considerations aside, choosing an electric guitar is pretty easy. There are only two main things to consider, assuming that the instrument itself is of reasonable quality and condition. 1. The neck. Ideally, you want your future musician present to hold the neck with the left hand and feel the width and thickness of it. If the neck is too wide or too thick, it may be difficult to play. Remember, though, that neck widths vary to suit styles of play. The popular rule of thumb states that wide necks are better for playing scales and solos, and narrower necks are more suited to strumming chords. This is by necessity a blatent simplification, as evidenced by the myriad of neck styles available. The final factor will be the player's hand and preference, which they may not yet know. Be patient and try a variety of guitars. Neck styles fall into two main camps: the 25 1/2" neck and the 24 3/4" neck. While we can't name brand names, the 25 1/2" neck is featured on guitars used by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. 24 3/4" neck guitars have been famously used by Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Slash (Guns N Roses) and many others. The 25 1/2" tend to be narrower, the 24 3/4" guitars tend to be wider. Again, a gross oversimplification, but you now know more than 95% of the parents wandering into a guitar store. Next: Electric Guitar Pickups ©2003-2004 Too Many Guitars.