@beautifulguitar

How to Buy a Guitar Online

2020-10-31T23:20:09.136Z

Online retail has taken over our lives, and especially in times of social distancing, it seems there's nothing we can do to drive ourselves away from shopping online. Clothes, cosmetics, electric instruments, shoes and jewelry are all just part of the enormous selection the World Wide Web has to offer to us. And really, that's not even a bad thing. As we move along, things get much simpler, easier and more convenient – and that's exactly what online stores provide us with.

But some things are still debatable when it comes to online purchasing. Musical instruments, and guitars in particular, are among these. At first, many have objected to the transition, claiming guitars can only be sold and purchased in "the real world", meaning you have to get your hands dirty playing them before purchasing. But as time flies, more and more people tend to contain the online guitar shopping trend, understanding that buying a guitar online has many unquestionable benefits to it.

Before you go shopping for a guitar, decide what you’re willing to pay. Then look within that price range for an instrument that meets your needs in terms of guitar properties, material quality, craftsmanship, playability, and visual appeal. These should be your main guidelines like in every purchase.

To help you through the process even more in details, we're here to provide you with the complete how-to on purchasing a guitar online, and what to consider before landing that deal. Whether you're looking for a handmade acoustic guitar for sale or even just any acoustic guitar, we've got the guidelines:

The brand's reputation might be the most important thing. Don't skip the preliminary research, make sure to go over reviews (a video review where you can hear the sound and see the quality of the build is preferred), or even ask your musician friends if they have anything insightful to say about the company. Usually, for most top guitar brands that operate online, there's no actual risk, but better safe than sorry.
Know all about the proposed shipping methods. Make sure the rates (if charged) still make your deal worthy, especially if it's an international deal. If the answer to that is shaky, you would want to reconsider the purchase. The distribution center of the company plays a factor as well – you don't want to be waiting on your new guitar for too long.
Make sure you're getting the right model. Meticulously read through the item description so you don’t make a mistake when choosing your guitar. For any unfortunate mistakes that may happen, especially when it comes to an investment like a new guitar, it's always better to make sure there's a legit and responsive customer support division operating in your brand.
Return policy and a legitimate warranty card are of highest importance. If you're taking somewhat of a risk when ordering online, you should know that you should be covered in case you're not satisfied. Most companies go for thirty day policies, but some go for even more than that.

Blues Guitar 101

2020-09-30T03:33:36.939Z

Blues is one of those unique and distinguished tastes in music – if you're into it, you probably have the biggest passion for it - one that you can't even put into words. Other players who don't consider themselves blues fanatics also can't deny the big impact blues music has on their playing routine and overall taste in music. If you feel like you're starting to get the fuzz, and you're wondering whether you could fit in and actively start doing your own blues music thing – we're here to set things in place for you.

When you think of the blues, some of the biggest names in the history of music come to mind: starting from B.B. King, to the legendary Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and many others. But not only legendary past names rely on blues music – music from bands like ZZ Top is largely inspired by the blues, as well as music by contemporary pop stars such as John Mayer.

Blues may sound outdated to some, or unrelatable to many players, but the truth is that blues has profound qualities that underlie a large part of contemporary music, with your playing habits included. Blues guitar permeates almost every rock genre derivative. If you want to improve your guitar playing skills, learning how to master the blues guitar could definitely help you sharpen your ear and level up.

Blues Guitar

Blues guitar is an influential style of contemporary rhythm guitar typically built around a 12-bar chord progression. Almost every subgenre of rock, from country to metal, incorporates some blues guitar. Rhythmically, it’s a very predictable style. Theoretically, there are two basic pieces of information you need to understand to play the blues electric guitar: the 12-bar chord progression, and the Minor Pentatonic Scale.

The 12-Bar Chord Progression

Think of it as a foundation of a house that everything else is built upon – this chord progression is the backbone of blues music. This is the main base of your blues playing routine, and so it is recommended to master this crucial, yet pretty simple foundation. Free teaching materials are accessible across the internet: from YouTube to other online music and guitar academies, so nailing it can be easier than ever.

The Minor Pentatonic Scale

The Minor Pentatonic Scale is a derivative of the natural minor scale, excluding the 2nd and 6th tones. This makes it a 5-tone scale rather than 7 tones like a diatonic scale. There are five positions of the scale, as for most scales. Once you master those five patterns (which are also widely available across the web), you'll be one step closer to nailing the blues guitar. This might be the most important and scale to learn for guitar players, so you want to keep that on spot.

To conclude, adding blues guitar to your playing skillset could really pay off for you in expanding your expertise both as a professional and an amateur player. You might want to start off by purchasing a magical blues vintage guitar, subscribing to free teaching services, and the rest will follow.

Acoustic Guitars - The Magic of Mahogany

2020-08-27T04:07:19.856Z

A beginner’s guide to your first mahogany acoustic guitar -

When you are buying a guitar it is important to consider certain factors. At the end of the day you are wanting to produce a sound that resonates with you. By nature, an acoustic guitar is an instrument that is felt as much as it is played. There is a soulful quality to its sound and acoustic guitars come in all shapes and sizes. One of the important things to consider is the material that your guitar is made out of. Typically, an acoustic guitar is made out of wood and in this article, we will look at a few of the different kinds of woods and see why an all mahogany guitar might be your best choice.

Up to nearly 90% of an acoustic guitar’s body is made of wood and the type of wood can have a significant impact on the sound. “Tonewood” is the type of wood used to produce the tone, and there are a couple of different tonewoods out there. If you are looking to buy a guitar, then you need to understand what each wood offers and how it can impact your sound. For example: Spruce wood is a highly popular choice due to its loud, rich tonal notes. Rosewood has more reverberation and a mid-range tone while Maple is heavier sounding clearer than other woods. The wood that I would like to focus on is mahogany and give you a few tips when choosing the best of all mahogany acoustic guitar.

Mahogany is a medium lightweight wood and is popular because of quite a few aspects. Grown in Central America it can be found just below Brazil and Bolivia. The mahogany tree is so iconic that the country of Belize has made it their coat or arms. It is a beautiful tree and it makes for a beautiful instrument. The wood color ranges from a light to dark brown and has hints of red running through. The tone of a mahogany is balanced with quite a resonant sound. Mahogany produces a more balanced, warmer note. The feel of mahogany in the neck of a guitar can also add to the overall feel and control. Mahogany is one of the most balanced tonewoods and is great for all levels of musician.

The great thing about handmade acoustic guitars is that they can last for a long time, if you take care of them. If you are looking to buy your own you can easily find sellers online. Remember, a better guitar will not necessarily make you sound better but craftsmanship is very important. If you are looking for a handmade acoustic guitar for sale, then start asking around or get on the web. It is an investment for life and if you do decide to get a guitar, why don't you try the magic of mahogany.

In the beginning you may not be overly concerned with the specific types of wood but when you start to get more adept and you start to find your own personal style and sound these little differences can be very important.

Here’s why vintage and handmade guitars are so great...

2020-07-29T03:16:12.025Z

Have you ever googled the price of just about any famous vintage acoustic guitars, or vintage electric guitars for that matter? You will be severely shocked at the price these instruments fetch, and this is not even at an auction, where the prices can scale to ludicrous amounts.

So, why are these vintage guitars so popular and sought after? Surely they cant be that much better than the Average-Joe-Guitar of today. They are all just wood and glue and paint and strings right?

This is where you are wrong – and there are several reasons for this.

The wood

The popular acoustic and electric guitars made in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were all made with very high quality wood. These include your Spruce, Alder, Mahogany, Brazilian Rose Wood and Ash Wood varieties. These woods have great resonance and made great musical instruments. Unfortunately today, many of these varieties of wood are endangered and cannot be harvested anymore.

Today, spruce, cedar and maple are popular wood choices for making guitars, among others. These are also good quality tonewoods, but tend to sound a bit different than the vintage varieties.

The production

These days many guitars are made in factory setups, where many or all of the parts are mass produced. This often causes a loss of quality compared to the top electric and acoustic guitars found today. Vintage acoustic and electric guitars as well as all the top guitars of today are all handmade. The more effort goes into a guitar’s production, the higher the quality of the sound your will get out of the instrument.
As a downside, production of these handmade electric guitars and handmade acoustic guitars do take a bit longer. The quality, however, is so much better. This is why the top acoustic guitars and best electric guitars today are all hand made, with love and effort and hard work.

Time

Vintage guitars do often sound better simply because their wood has settled over time. Electric and acoustic guitars that were made in the 60’s have had roughly 40 years for the wood particles to settle, causing them to vibrate less than newer woods. This improves the wood’s resonance, giving it a fuller and warmer sound that is often preferred.

Quantity

The fourth and final reason why vintage guitars are so popular and expensive is because there were not so many of each model made back in the day. You see, things were all hand made – the wood was shaped individually for each guitar, the pickups were wound by hand and the guitars were painted individually. This all took a lot of time, plus the demand was not that high – so there was no need to mass produce electric guitars like there is today.
Lastly – the chances of someone famous touching it was just so much higher. I mean, who would not want Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 electric, or Eric Clapton’s 1956 Blackie?

Modern hand made guitars have three of these reasons in common with their vintage forefathers - the great choice of wood, the careful hand made production, and the limited editions. The only thing missing is time, and as they say – good things come to those who wait. You may even get someone famous to hold it if you practice hard enough!

Different Types of Guitars

2020-06-29T05:35:05.634Z

There are so many different options for guitars that you have to choose from, especially when it comes to acoustic guitars. If you are just starting out or may not have a lot of experience with guitars, these options can be very overwhelming for people. With this article, you can learn about some popular choices for acoustic guitar so that you can determine which one is the best one for your needs.

Ziricote Guitar

Ziricote guitar may not be an option that you are familiar with, but this is a very popular choice for people who play flamenco, baroque, or classical music. The reason why people love this type of guitar is because it has a booming and rich bass response. But that’s not the only great thing about this type of guitar. It also has amazing treble on it, making it a great choice for people who want to create classic sounding music. This type of guitar also has a natural reverb, making an appealing sound for the musician and their audience. The aesthetics of this guitar is often compared to the look of Brazilian rosewood guitars, though it has darker grey tones and very black lines that make it look as great as it sounds.

Redwood Guitar

The redwood guitar has that deep beauty that it gets from the redwood trees that they are derived from. Before getting into the sound of the guitar, what’s great about redwood guitars is that they contain the tannins from the wood and bark of the tree, which acts as a natural protectant against fire, rot, and insects. As far as the sound goes, there is a distinct richness in the tone of redwood guitars and a level of responsiveness that can be hard to beat. If you strum with a pick, you can enjoy a crisp and punchy sound that adds depth to your music. If your approach is to play the guitar with your fingers, you will love the rich and highly complex overtones of the guitar.

Thin Neck Acoustic Guitar

Thin neck guitars are all about the comfort when you play your instrument. When talking about a thin neck guitar, you are looking at the width of the neck. Thinner guitar necks are a lot easier to play, especially if you have smaller hands or want something that is easier to fret. You are looking at the nut width when looking at the specifications of a guitar. There are thin neck options for both acoustic guitars and electric. These also are made from different types of wood, so you really can find the perfect thin neck guitar for your play style and the sound that you want to achieve.

Conclusion

These are 3 great options to consider when looking for a guitar. It’s a good idea to get a feel for the guitar before you buy it to make sure it has the sound that you’re looking for and feels right in your hands. You want to be comfortable, but you also want something that will achieve the sound that you want.

Why is it Better to Buy a Guitar Online from a Known Brand?

2020-06-01T03:28:22.626Z

If you are thinking of buying a guitar for your musical needs, you must be in a dilemma right now. The importance of brand names and the advantages or disadvantages of buying a guitar online should be going in your head. After all, buying an instrument like a guitar is not a small deal. Especially if you are starting your musical journey, the first significant investment you make is always on your device. You wouldn’t want a distorted guitar only to develop a bad taste in music, that too in the early stages of your career.
In this article, we will discuss why is it better to buy a guitar online and that too, from a well-known brand:

You’ll get online testimonials about the supplier and the brand.

One of the top benefits of buying anything online is the buyers’ reviews and testimonials. Say if you are looking for a vintage guitars brand online, you will get tens of brands offering similar pricings. The first thing you need to do is to check out the reviews and testimonials from the verified purchasers. A well-known brand will not risk its business by putting in fake reviews so, you can rely on the testimonials present on their website.

Quality Matters.

Always try to get a quality guitar from a top acoustic guitar brand if you are serious about your music. Music is an art which requires full dedication and proper set of practices. If you don’t have quality interment, you may not get trained in the manner you would want. If your guitar is from a brand which doesn’t have much experience in constructing solid quality guitars, then you may find yourself in the middle of nowhere. Make sure that you do all the due research that is needed before making a decision and completing the transaction.

Many tier-2 brands do not take their distorted guitars back.

If you purchase your guitar from a not so well-known brand and it doesn’t entirely turn out what you expected it to be, you are at fault. Yes, there are many tier-2 musical instrument brands which do not offer a replacement or returns your money even if their instruments fail to function correctly. This is how they make money. Always try to make the purchase from a well-known brand. Check out the best brand of acoustic guitar and go through its website. You should find out the return and replacements policies mentioned there somewhere. All the big brands have a streamlined system for their customers’ grievances and support.

Cheap price will get you cheap quality.

As you must have figured out by now, guitars from well-known brands do not come cheap. But trust us, they are worth the investment. From the quality of guitars to the promptness in their customer support, you will not waste your money if you decide to purchase your acoustic guitar online from a known brand. However, if you land up buying a cheaper priced guitar from a local brand, the quality pf your guitar’s built, and the music it produces will suffer a significant blow.