Don’t handicap your child

Learning to play guitar is a challenge enough, why make it harder on your child.  We see many parents, especially this time of year, who make the mistake of buying too cheap. The reasoning is sound. Why spend alot of money until I know that my child will stick with the guitar.  The problem is that you get what you pay for. A cheap guitar is a guitar that’s made cheaply. If it costs $100 that’s exactly what it’s worth.  You’re probably buying a plywood guitar which is what the big box stores push this time of year.  Built in Asia, the strings are almost always rusted from the slow trip over. The action will probably be high and the guitar will likely drift higher as time goes by making it harder and harder to play.   How many parents have heard their child say, “Mom, it hurts to play?” A cheap guitar is one sure fire way to ensure you child doesn’t make it as a guitar player.  

Just today we saw a customer in our repair shop who bought a guitar on line and found it virtually unplayable. Guitars are largely made of wood and wood is susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity. Mail ordering a guitar made in a tropical country from a warehouse in a different climate zone, you can bet the guitar will need major set-up work. Our customer today paid an additional $80 which translated into $50 more than he could have spent buying it from us pre-set up with new (un-rusted) strings.

Bottom line- give yourself or your child the best chance of success by buying a guitar that’s been inspected, set-up and adjusted to play, feel and sound it’s best from the pros at your local music store (Northwest Guitars, of course)!