The Best Beginner Guitars

Start with the music you want to play. That advice comes up again and again on r/Guitar and r/LearnGuitar, and it holds: if you dream of riffs, an acoustic won't pull you back to practice, and if you want to sing songs on the porch, an electric and a small amp won't either.

The practical differences are real. An acoustic is self-contained; Guitar Center's beginner guide notes that it isn't tied to an amplifier, a cable or a power outlet. Its steel strings are heavier, so fingertips take a few weeks to toughen. An electric usually has lighter strings and lower action, which many players find kinder to the hands at first, but it needs an amp before it makes a useful sound.

If you truly have no preference, the acoustic is the simpler purchase. If you lean even slightly toward electric music, go electric.

A guitar that is physically hard to play is one of the quickest ways to lose momentum. The usual culprits are high action, the height of the strings above the frets, and poor tuning stability.

Guitar World describes a setup as a professional adjustment of string height, intonation and neck relief, and points out that even new guitars can benefit, because they may have sat in storage for months. Set aside a little money for one at a local shop. Buying from an established maker helps too: University of Rock's buying advice ranks tuning stability and build quality above tonewoods for a first acoustic, and Yamaha's consistency is a recurring theme on r/guitarlessons.

Scale length is the distance from the nut to the saddle. Guitar World explains that a shorter scale brings the frets slightly closer together and lowers string tension, which can feel easier for smaller hands. The Taylor GS Mini's 23 1/2-inch scale is noticeably shorter than the FG800's 25 9/16 inches, and its body is far smaller than a dreadnought.

Nylon strings are the other gentle route. They are softer under the fingertips, which is why some teachers on r/guitarlessons suggest them, but a classical neck is wide: the Cordoba C5 measures 52 mm at the nut against 43 mm on the Yamaha FG800. That suits fingerstyle and classical study better than strummed pop chords.

Most adults don't need a 3/4-size guitar. A full-size instrument with a good setup is usually the better long-term choice.

A pack bundles the guitar with the things you would otherwise buy one at a time. The Squier Sonic Stratocaster Pack, for example, includes a Frontman 10G amp, a padded gig bag, a cable, a strap, picks and a three-month Fender Play subscription.

Packs assembled by the guitar's own maker are a sensible shortcut. Be warier of anonymous bundles where the guitar is an afterthought; commenters on r/guitarlessons regularly steer beginners away from the cheapest guitar-and-amp combos. Many Amazon listings also add third-party accessories and a DVD to a well-known guitar. Those are fine, but compare against the bare instrument's price first.

For an acoustic, the true essentials are short: a clip-on tuner, a few picks and a gig bag if one isn't included.

Lessons and a chord chart cost nothing: our guitar chord chart and chord finder shows the shape, fingering and notes of every first chord, and plays each one so you can check yours by ear.

• Strum and sing, no gear: Fender CD-60S, or the classic Yamaha FG800 for about $50 more.
• Rock, blues or pop on electric: Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V plus a small amp, or the Squier Sonic Stratocaster Pack if you want everything in one box.
• A smaller frame, or a guitar to keep for years: Taylor GS Mini Mahogany.
• Classical, bossa nova or quiet fingerpicking: Cordoba C5.

Between the two electrics, Guitar World describes single-coil pickups as brighter and humbuckers as thicker and quicker to distort. The Pacifica has both; the Squier has three single-coils. The Pacifica also has a vibrato arm, and Guitar World notes that a fixed bridge holds tune more reliably, so leave the arm in its bag for the first few months.

If fingerpicked steel strings are what drew you to the guitar, the open tunings of Hawaiian slack-key guitar make good listening while you learn.

• No-name guitars at the very bottom of the market. Guitar Player notes that at $200 and under there will be some trade-offs in materials and build, and advises sticking to brands with a history of good acoustics.
• Used or open-box guitars as a first instrument. Guitar World's view is that most new players can't yet spot problems in a second-hand guitar, so buying new is the safer start.
• Electronics you won't use. A pickup adds cost. On r/AcousticGuitar the usual advice is to skip it on a first acoustic unless you plan to play out or record.
• Tonewood rabbit holes. A solid top matters. Beyond that, comfort and setup decide far more than wood species.