Are you planning to buy your first guitar soon? You’re in for a wonderful musical journey! It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with the choices—should you go acoustic or electric? what price point should you choose? Nylon strings or steel?—but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at the points to consider before bringing home your new guitar:

What style of music do you want to learn?

If you’re a hard rock fan and want to learn how to shred, it might not be a good idea to get a classical guitar as your first choice. There are definitely positive points for learning on either an electric or an acoustic guitar, but it all comes down to your own preference. It’s important to choose an instrument that inspires you to practice and play as much as possible. Think of your favorite genres and go from there.

How much are you willing to spend on your first guitar?

You can now get fantastic guitars at very reasonable prices, so don’t think that you’ll need to shell out a lot to get started on your dream hobby. However, you’ll be doing yourself a great disservice if you go ahead and just choose the cheapest instrument in the shop. Remember that these are often cheap for a good reason, and they’ll end up giving you more trouble than they’re worth. We’ve heard horror stories of guitars that never stay in tune, feels horrible to hold and play, or has terrible intonation.

Are you willing to put in the time to learn how to play the guitar?

For every time that you see your favorite guitarist perform, remember that they’ve gone through hundreds—even thousands!—of hours of practice just to get where they are. Consistent discipline is a must to see things through. Learning to play guitar is not always an exciting activity and it can take a lot of hard work and time. This might sound like a depressing thought, but don’t think we’re trying to scare you off! The pros all have gone through the highs and lows of learning to play their chosen instrument and they know how fun, rewarding and fulfilling it can be when they reach their milestones.