Ever since rock 'n' roll became a household word, the Guitar Hero has ruled supreme. From Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry through Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, right up to Tom DeLonge and Mark Tremonti, it's the Guitar Hero that gets the attention. 

Now you or a loved one have decided to join the ranks, and you need some help determining what's important when buying that very first guitar. Well, you've come to the right place! We'll go over some of the basic things you'll want to take into consideration to make the best possible choice. 

How does it feel? 
Whether you're going acoustic or electric, your interaction with the guitar is very important. If you are drawn to a jumbo acoustic, you'd better have the arms to reach around that big body! Electric guitars are comparatively small, but some electric guitar bodies are made from solid pieces of hardwood that are quite substantial. If you can't handle slinging ten to twelve pounds of wood and metal around your neck, you'd be better served with something lighter! 

Whatever guitar you choose, do yourself a favor and pick one that looks good to you and will give you room to grow and learn. Spend too little on your new guitar, and you might as well toss that money into the trash can. You don't need a thousand-dollar guitar to start with, necessarily, but if your new axe is so cheaply built that it won't stay in tune and feels like a 2x4 with bailing wire attached, you won't want to play it for very long, you won't practice, and you'll never become a guitar player! Whatever you choose - be it classic, electric, acoustic, inexpensive, or heirloom-quality - take your new guitar to the local guitar shop and have it set up properly. 

What type of guitar? 
This is the easy part - if your favorite bands are hard core rockers or heavy metal thrashers, a Mr. Natural acoustic is probably not the ticket - look more towards a powerhouse multi-humbucker electric with a body style that shouts "attitude," like a BC Rich, for example. 

If you're more into jazz, blues, pop, or other comparatively lighter forms of music, a straight-up solid-body Strat or Tele, or a hollow-body, like the Epiphone Dot would be a great choice. 

If you want to sing around the campfire, prefer to go unplugged, or if artists like Dave Matthews and Indigo Girls are more your cup of tea, an acoustic guitar will give you the vibe you want. 

Do flamenco and bossanova move you? Are your favorite composers Bach and Debussy, not Beck and Dimebag? A classical guitar will deliver those mellifluous tones you love! 

How does it play? 
If you're new to the guitar, you'll find it can be a little hard on the fingers until you build up some calluses. If you're not ready to start playing in a band, and you want to have a gentle break-in period, you might consider a classical guitar with nylon strings. The lower tension will help your fingers get used to pressing down on strings, and the ease of playing will help you develop speed and confidence. After your fingers develop those hard pads on the tips, you can make the transition to steel strings with ease.