What happens if you wake up one morning and decide that today is the day you’re going to buy yourself an electric guitar?
Images of Joan Jett rocking out to “I love Rock n Roll!” have inspired you and you know you were born to rock..
So you put on your boots and some lippy and head down to your local music store filled with images of you cranking up your new guitar to a packed Wembley Stadium (dreaming big baby!).
But joy turns to dread as you set foot into your local music store.
You seem to have walked into man territory.. Everywhere you look there are men swarming around inspecting the vast array of guitars on display. Some of them are playing killer riffs, others talking very knowledgeably about “fret boards”, “hot pickups” and “low action”. (Erm,say what?) 
And all of them looking like they totally belong there, like mechanics in a garage.
Yep, feels awkward.
…and the group of grungy looking rockers eyeing you out from behind the counter are not helping…
“Can I help you?” – ironically one of them asks as he approaches you. You muster up some courage and ask to try out the nearest pretty looking guitar – a white Fender Stratocaster.
“Great choice!” He says as he grabs it off the wall and plugs it into the nearest amp, which happens to be right bang smack in the middle of the store. He hands you the guitar. Performance time. You wish you had a Hendrix-style riff prepared. You don’t. You wish the guy shredding the Gibson SG next to you would stop showing off. He doesn’t.
You might as well have charged entrance at the door the way people are watching you …
…waiting to hear what kind of sound a “girl” can make on an electric guitar.
You turn to face the wall, lower the volume way down and try to summon up the chords to the best cover you know. You forget half of them from sheer nerves and only just manage to strum out a few well thought out chord progressions before putting the guitar down, thanking the amused rocker assistants and leaving in a rush without looking behind you.
There was probably not as much sniggering coming from your impromptu audience in reality as there was in your head, but you definitely felt way out of your comfort zone.
And a million miles away from the safe and empowered space that you need to be in to make an important decision about which guitar you will buy with your hard earned cash.
Most guitar shops are not catered towards the female clientèle.
The rock scene is dominated by men, so as a young woman you’re up against a special flavour of sexism when shopping for kit.
No wonder buying an electric guitar is so hard for a girl! But does it have to be? Women are pro-shoppers. We need to be able to apply this expertise to the world of musical instruments as well!
So here is my girl’s guide on how to prepare for, source, and BUY your first electric guitar!
1) Decide on your budget.
Remember this should include enough for the guitar, a strap, a new set of strings, plectrums, a couple of cables and an amp (yep, you are going to make some noise).
2) Which one do you want??
OK, so you know you want an electric guitar, but do you know what type? You can pay anything from £10 for a second hand one, to thousands of pounds for a state of the art custom-made one. For your first one I would recommend not paying more than £100 for a great beginners model like a Squier or Ibanez. Stick to what you can afford. You can always upgrade your guitar later one once you’ve earned your stripes with this one!
3) Online or in store?
It’s definitely worth buying your first guitar in store, because you will want to play as many models as you can before you decide which to get. But to avoid the horror of my personal account above don’t just walk in to any music store, particularly any of the small vintage ones frequented by ‘vintage rockers’. Your best bet is to find one of the big superstores that have a huge range of instruments, private practice booths, and very knowledgeable and patient staff to help you out.
My all-time favourite stores in the UK are GuitarGuitar in Epsom and Andertons in Guildford.
4) Plan your shopping spree!
Now you know where you are going and what you’re looking for, so pick a day and psych yourself up for it! Choose a quiet time of the week (Monday afternoon?) and block out a couple of hours for the deed so you’re not in a rush. And then actually spend time visualising that you are going to get the most helpful and knowledgeable assistant in the shop!
You’ll be lucky if you get Ben from GuitarGuitar or Gavin from Andertons. These guys know their stuff, are very patient and will help you get the guitar you want…
5) Ask and you shall receive
Expect to be treated as the valuable customer you are. Ask for a private practice booth, ask to try every single guitar within your price range (no matter how long it takes), don’t budge from the practice room until you’re good and ready, do draw on the expertise of the person helping you, do ask for a discount, and do make sure the guitar you end up choosing isn’t too heavy, feels fun to play, and has a sound you enjoy hearing. And do choose the right colour for you!
6) Play, play and play some more.
Once you’ve found your instrument BUY IT! Then take it home and play it until your finger’s bleed! (as Bryan Adams put it!)
You no like it no more?? Then keep the receipt and return it for another one! You know the drill 😉
And after following my own advice I am now the proud owner of this beautiful custom-made PRS electric guitar. Meet my Cherry Bomb!
Rock On sista!!
\m/
