How to Choose Your First Acoustic Guitar – A Beginner's Guide

Buying your first acoustic guitar is an exciting milestone — but it's also one of the easiest places to go wrong. Walk into the wrong corner of the internet or a discount store, and you'll find shelves of instruments that look like guitars, are priced like guitars, but play like nothing you'd ever want to practise on. At Music Bits, we see the consequences of this every week in our repair workshop. So before you spend a penny, read this.

Toys vs. Real Instruments: There Is a Difference

Not everything with six strings and a soundhole is a guitar. At the very bottom of the market — think unbranded instruments sold on marketplace sites for £30–£60 — you're often buying a guitar-shaped object. The wood warps, the frets buzz, the tuning pegs slip, and the action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard) is so high that pressing a chord feels like a workout. These instruments don't just make learning harder — they make it nearly impossible.

A real beginner's guitar holds its tuning, has a playable action, and is built to a standard where it can actually be set up and maintained. That's the baseline.

Why "Cheap" Is Usually a False Economy

We understand the logic: try it cheap first, upgrade later if they stick with it. It sounds sensible. In practice, it backfires more often than not.

Here's what we see regularly in our repair shop: parents or partners bring in a guitar bought cheaply for a beginner — sometimes barely played — asking us to make it playable. The frets need levelling, the nut needs replacing, the neck needs adjustment. By the time we've quoted the work, it often costs more than the guitar is worth. In some cases, more than a decent new guitar would have cost in the first place.

A poor instrument also discourages practice. If every chord sounds buzzy and every note is a struggle, beginners assume they're the problem — when really, the guitar is.

What to Look For

You don't need to spend a fortune to get a proper instrument. Here's what matters at the entry level:

• Playable action — strings shouldn't be miles off the fretboard. A well-set-up guitar makes an enormous difference to how easy it is to play.
• Stable tuning — decent machine heads that hold their tuning through a practice session are non-negotiable.
• Solid build quality — look for clean fret ends, a straight neck, and no obvious gaps in the binding or bracing.
• A known brand — established entry-level brands have quality control and reputations to protect. Unbranded instruments have neither.
• A proper setup — ideally, buy from a shop that will set the guitar up before it leaves. This alone can transform a decent guitar into a great one.

What to Avoid

• Unbranded marketplace guitars — if you can't find any information about the manufacturer, walk away.
• Suspiciously low prices — a full-size acoustic guitar cannot be made well for £40. It just can't.
• Buying without trying — if at all possible, play it (or have someone play it) before you buy. Even a few open chords will tell you a lot.
• Ignoring the setup — a guitar that hasn't been set up properly is a lottery. Always ask.

Our Recommendation: The Brunswick Range

For beginners who want a proper instrument without overspending, we consistently recommend the Brunswick range. Brunswick guitars are built to a real standard — they hold their tuning, they're comfortable to play, and they're made to last. They sit at a price point that's genuinely affordable without cutting the corners that matter.

We stock Brunswick acoustics here at Music Bits and are happy to set them up before they leave the shop. Whether you're buying for yourself or as a gift, it's a range we trust — and one we'd recommend to our own families.

Browse our full Acoustic Guitars collection →

Still Not Sure? Come and Talk to Us

Choosing a first guitar doesn't have to be stressful. If you're unsure what size, style, or budget is right, pop into the shop or get in touch — we're always happy to help you find the right instrument for the right player. No pressure, no jargon, just honest advice from people who love music.