Finding Your Voice: Jack Baker’s Guide to Choosing Your First Acoustic Guitar

A Journey That Started in 1970

I opened Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan in 1970 to teach fingerstyle folk guitar and bluegrass banjo. Thousands of students have come through since then, and most of them had to pick out their first acoustic guitar before we could get to work. That part trips people up more than you'd expect.

What Actually Matters

Guitars are not all the same, and looks have almost nothing to do with it. When you're hunting for your first instrument, a few things are worth your attention.

Action comes first. Action is the distance between the strings and the fretboard. If it's too high, you'll fight the guitar every time you try to press a string down, and you'll quit. A lot of cheap guitars come with bad action right out of the box.

Body size matters too. A parlor guitar and a dreadnought play very differently, and if you can't reach around the body comfortably, the size is wrong for you. Try it sitting down before you buy.

Tone is last, but it still counts. Does the sound do anything for you? Fingerstyle folk needs clear, articulate notes. If you're playing rhythmic backing, you probably want more bass. The guitar should match what you're trying to do.

The Fingerstyle Perspective

We specialize in fingerstyle here, so I'll say this plainly: fingerstyle is not flatpicking. The technique depends on the instrument responding to your fingertips, which means construction and setup matter more than the brand name on the headstock.

For beginners coming in for fingerstyle or folk work, I usually suggest looking for a slightly wider nut width. It gives your fingers room to actually place the patterns without cramping. A guitar is a tool. It should make the work easier, not harder.

Finding Help

Buying your first guitar in Manhattan can be disorienting. If you can bring someone who plays, do it. If not, a teacher can at least tell you whether the instrument is set up properly before you spend money on the wrong thing.

At Fretted Instruments School, we work with technique once you have something playable in your hands, whether you're after Travis-picking or banjo rolls. Lessons run in-person in Manhattan and through our online program. Get in touch if you want to schedule something.