Guitar teacher's advice for buying a guitar in Leeds
Leeds guitar teacher shares the essential tips you need before buying a guitar 🎸
Hey guys!
I get a lot of new students asking me for advice on buying guitars in Leeds. My advice has always been to go to a shop. Don't buy online. Going to a guitar shop is one of the most exciting things you can do as a guitarist. The whole day out (when you know you've got money to burn) is something you want to experience. This is not something you do in one click on Amazon. You need to pick guitars up, try them out, see them in the flesh. You might see one online and think "that's the one!" but then when you get the shop you realise the one you didn't think you wanted pops the most in real life. It's also about the feel, the sound, the smell. Everything. They'll be a guitar that'll gravitate to you when you pick it up. You'll just get a feeling. The wand chooses the wizard. It'll just fit you, your style, your hands. Harry Potter wouldn't just order his wand online without trying it out first. Nor should you buy a guitar online. Whether it's your first or your hundredth.
Plus the shopkeeper will be able to help guide you through everything i.e. show you the different starter packs where you can double up with an amp plus all the extra bits i.e. cables, plectrums etc. All of your questions will be answered in the shop!
The problem in Leeds now is the big guitar shop I used to send everyone to for new electric guitars, PMT, is now closed. You still have Hobgoblin Music on the Headrow in Leeds City Centre. They specialise in acoustics and classicals so if that's what you're going for then I highly recommend you pay them a visit. You also have Northern Guitars on Call Lane which is awesome for second hand stuff if you're interested in that. Sadly now the nearest and best place to shop for a hefty new electric guitar range near Leeds is Gear For Music in York. It may be a forty five minute drive (not that much tbh) but the trip is worth it. They have an insane amount of guitars. The image at the top of this blog post is their showroom. The trip is worth it, trust me.
If you're serious about wanting to learn, then I can't stress enough you should be happy to make the journey to any of the above shops I've mentioned. If you're not and just want the first one you see in the click of a button, then maybe you're not really serious about learning the guitar?
Finally, if you really are right at the beginning, you may be thinking – "do I go electric or acoustic"? The basic foundations are the same for both and many guitarists I know (at least in this country) started out on a cheap nylon string classical style guitar (probably one that their school got for free and had tucked away in the back of the music storeroom). So if you're unsure, getting one of those is a safe bet and then you have some more time to figure out which way you want to go after that. If you know deep within your heart you just want to rock out, by all means get the electric guitar starter kit. If you want to go fingerstyle like Bob Dylan, try out the acoustics! But the nylon stringers are super fun to play and it doesn't make sense spending a load on an instrument before you've really had time to sit down with one to see how you go. If after six months to a year you're still absolutely loving it and have a hunger for more, maybe then you go and get yourself your first electric or acoustic. Or both! Or you stay classical.
Hope that helps. Drop me a line if you want any more tips.
Huw 🙏
