Your First Guitar - Acoustic or Electric

• Think about the type of music you want to play - if it's rock or heavy metal then an electric guitar will be most suitable. If you want to play folk music or strum along to your favourite songs then an acoustic guitar will be better
• In general electric guitars are easier to play than acoustic guitars, they have smaller bodies and smaller knecks so are easier to handle, although the profusion of knobs and buttons can be confusing to start with and an amplifier is needed. An electric guitar has thinner strings than an acoustic guitar which are easier on the fingers when you first start playing.
• Think about the places you want to play - are you planning to play as part of a band or jamming with your friends where an electricity supply is available - then buy an electric guitar. On the other hand if you want to carry your guitar around and play anywhere an acoustic guitar will be better
• Acoustic guitars tend to be cheaper than electric guitars so if you're not sure if playing a guitar is going to be a long term commitment then a cheaper acoustic guitar will let you try it out without spending too much money.
• How much commitment do you have to learning to play ? If you want results quickly then an electric guitar would be the best choice. However, if you are the type of person who can spend time practising and are not too worried if it takes a while to learn to play then an acoustic guitar would probably be a better choice.