Tips on buying an Acoustic guitar

Few things to keep in mind while buying an acoustic guitar

First one should decide the playing style that one wants to pursue

Steel String guitar- recommended for chord playing and beginners

Steel String guitar with Cutaway- This is great if you also want to play notes beyond 12th fret along with chord playing, but this guitar will not have too much of bass like the above guitar.

Classical guitar- This guitar is great for finger style, but not stuff like Andy Mckee or Eric jhonson, this guitar is used in symphonies etc.

Flamenco guitar- This guitar is used for styles like those of rodrigo Y gabriella, el matiarchi etc it has a very bright sound.

Ovation Guitars- These are not completely made up of wood, they focus on very specific frequencies and are great if you plan to connect the guitar directly to an amp and perform. Would not recommend for home playing with out an amp!

12 String guitars- These are great for chord playing and plucking but not great for lead notes or solos

High End Steel String Guitars- These guitars cost >700$ and have lowest possible guitar action best for playing Andy mckee kind of stuff.

Guitar Action- It should not be more than 1/4" i.e. inch

Difference between classical and flamenco guitars

Flamenco guitars have a low action so that on playing aggressively fret buzz is caused which is intrinsic to percussive flamenco playing.

Classical guitars have a brighter bass and bit of high action as fret buzz is not appreciated.

Things to remember while in the shop

• Guitar action is the gap between guitar string and fretboard. For finger style playing this should be low but for chord playing it should be higher. But remember higher action will make soloing bit painful for the fingers.
• Guitars of same the same model in the low range i.e. <200$ never sound similar THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH LOW COST GUITAR MANUFACTURERS!
• i.e. 2 low end guitars of same model and manufacturer will definitely have different feel and sound so low end guitar is bit tricky to buy.
• Note- make sure you always try out 2-3  pieces of the same model and same manufacturer of the guitar, if the shop has only one piece left then better you move to other shop, where you have options.
• Prefer having a guitar with a decent pick up so that you can connect your guitar to an amp occasionally.
• Intonation Check-  it is a manufacturer defect, be careful with this attach a tuner to the guitar. Play any fret on any string note the tuner reading and then move +12 frets from the fret on the same string and play the note again and note the tuner reading . Both must be same, if different then chose another piece.