How to choose your first electric guitar
Nirvana Player Experience·
The best first guitar is the one you want to pick up every day. Everything else is detail — but a few of those details matter more than the rest.
Start with the neck
Your fretting hand spends the whole session on the neck, so its shape decides how comfortable you are. A slimmer profile suits smaller hands; a fuller one suits players who bend strings hard.
Then the pickups
Single coils are bright and articulate. Humbuckers are warmer and quieter. Neither is better — they are two different starting points.
Weight
A solid body that looks perfect on the wall can be a burden after ninety minutes standing. If you plan to play live, try it with a strap before you commit.
Set a budget you can keep
Spend on the instrument, not the accessories. A proper setup from a technician will do more for playability than a more expensive model straight out of the box.
