StudioPros

Technology can be a great tool. It can help you come up with your next masterpiece, and it can give you the means of recording your latest creation.  And I don’t know about you, but it sure does make me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I buy a shiny new piece of gear for my home studio.

That is, until I plug it in.  You see, technology is something of a double-edged sword.  Even though buying new gear is really fun, it also means you have to invest a ton of time into learning how to use it well. That’s why the fuzzy feeling starts fading as soon as my new piece of gear is out of the box.  I’m faced with the daunting task of the dreaded musical equipment learning curve, something I may have time to get the hang of, but rarely have the time to master.

And there’s the real kicker–even when you get used to using new gear, it still takes a lot of time, experience, trial and error to be able to use it to its maximum potential the way a top professional would. While it would certainly be nice to get to that point eventually, I don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the recording I’m doing now to work towards the goal of great recordings later.

It’s because of this that technology, while seemingly freeing initially, can really put unnecessary limits on your song’s production and ruin your creative process!  Talk about a catch-22… Every minute you spend figuring out how to maximize your gear’s potential is taken away from time you could have spent composing, creating, and expanding your artistic horizons.

There is, of course, the obvious solution to this dilemma: put your music in the hands of a professional who already knows what they’re doing with today’s best technology.  But that sure sounds easier said than done–it’s not like you can just hand your stuff over to a Grammy-nominated engineer who will mix and master it to radio broadcast standards without forking over your life savings, right?

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Buying new music gear can be fun–there have been very few times that I felt more excited than when I buy a brand new guitar, amp, pedal, or other piece of gear. But along with the excitement can come a lot of other feelings: confusion, frustration, and anxiety over whether you’re buying the right thing. With the price of instruments and gear often so steep, it can be a little nerve-racking to think you might not be spending your money well!

Luckily, with a few simple guidelines you can arm yourself with the knowhow to get an awesome piece of gear for years to come. Today, I’m going to be talking about buying an acoustic guitar. There are literally hundreds of guitars to choose from, so how do you know which is the right one for you? Here are three things to ask yourself when shopping for an acoustic:

What is my price range?

The range of prices for acoustic guitars can run from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars. That’s a pretty big difference! With that in mind, you can narrow down your choices greatly by specifying what price range you can afford, and what you’re willing to pay. Prices vary depending on several factors, including what kind of wood the guitar is made out of, whether or not it has pickups built into it, where it was made (USA-made guitars tend to be more expensive), and the quality of its construction. You’ll find with most music gear that you get what you pay for, and acoustic guitars are no exception. More expensive models will generally sound and play better and last longer, because more care has been taken in their construction. But be careful what you’re paying for, because some guitars are expensive because of fancy inlays and designs or because they are limited editions.

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