Najprej ugotovimo kaj je zares dobra kitara in koliko stane? Dobra kitara je tista, ki vam ustreza, da svoj repertoar zaigrate najlepše. Ima take tonsko akustične in ergonomske lastnosti, da uživate(!) ob igranju nanjo. Ali je taka kitara tudi zelo draga? Ne nujno. 

V kolikor ste premladi in ne veste kako izbrati kitaro zase, potem ne hitite z menjavo instrumenta. Ko se podate na pot nakupovanja je pomoč učitelja povsem dobrodošla, a instrument, ki je namenjen predvsem vaji učenca, naj ne bo astronomsko drag. Naj ne obremeni pretirano denarnice staršev. Kitare v življenju menjamo in tiste "drage", kupujmo rajši sami, ko dosežemo nivo te sposobnosti. Ko dosežete nivo svojega glasbenega izraza je pomembno, da instrument izberete sami, saj je namenjen vam in vi boste nanj ustvarjali ter igrali svoj repertoar. Tonsko akustične lastnosti in ergonomija mora ustrezati vam in ne vašemu učitelju. On igra na svojo kitaro in igra svoj repertoar s svojim glasbenim izrazom.  Predvsem se morate tudi nekaj naučiti o instrumentih preden se podate na pot menjave in (pre)dragih nakupov. 

Ročno delane kitare se začnejo nekje pri dveh tisočakih (EUR) in navzgor. Povpraševanje na trgu po določenih izdelovalcih  "pomaga", da nekatere kitare po ceni presegajo tudi srednji avtomobilski razred. A treba je vedeti, da dražja kitara ni nujno tudi boljša. Niti približno. Z vsako dobro kitaro je nekje okoli 200 in več ur dela. Ne glede na to, ali je cena tri tisočake ali pa 15 tisoč EUR. Vsak izdelovalec (ki ni serijski) se trudi okoli vsakega instrumenta, ki ga izdela, da izpade kar najbolje možno. Zato lahko najdete zares dobro kitaro v kateremkoli cenovnem segmentu ročno delanih kitar. A katera vam ustreza?

Recent conversations at one of the music schools have encouraged me to write some thoughts about the purchase of a new instrument - guitar. What surprised me was the financial pressures parents are subjected to when some music teachers put them in front of the fact that their child has reached a level where he needs a serious cutting-edge instrument for his career ... otherwise they might not progress... . These pressures can be so unfavorable that parents leave the choice of (too) expensive instrument to the teacher himself, as he is an expert ... He is a concert musician... And all this is actually true. And then it can happen to buy somewhere abroad, of course, under the choice of the teacher, from "eminent" guitar dealers, for the value of a small or medium new car. Ufff... Has this opened the door to the "high" music world? Does a young guitarist really need such an expensive instrument? Will he ever exchange such an expensive instrument?

Is it really necessary to do so?

Opinions are certainly divided here, with conflicting arguments, but as I am something of a musician myself, and above all a pretty good guitar maker, let me be allowed to offer a few thoughts on this, very often heard, story.

First, let's find out what a really good guitar is and how much does it cost? A good guitar is one that suits you to play your repertoire at its best. It has the tonal-acoustic and ergonomic qualities that you enjoy(!) playing it. Is such a guitar also very expensive? Not necessarily.

If you are too young and do not know how to choose a guitar for yourself then do not rush to change the instrument. When you embark on a shopping journey, the help of the teacher is completely welcome, but the instrument, which is primarily intended for the student's exercise, should not be astronomically expensive. Don't overburden your parents' wallets. We change guitars in life and those "expensive" buy them ourselves when we reach the level of this ability. Once you reach the level of your musical expression, it is important to choose the instrument yourself, as it is intended for you and you will create and play your own repertoire. Tone acoustic properties and ergonomics should suit you, not your teacher. He plays on his guitar and plays his repertoire with his musical expression.  Above all, you also need to learn something about instruments before embarking on the path of exchange and (too) expensive purchases. 

Handmade guitars start at around two grand (EUR) and upwards. The market demand for certain makers "helps" some guitars to be priced above even the middle car class. But it is important to remember that a more expensive guitar is not necessarily a better guitar. Not even close. With any good guitar there is somewhere around 200+ hours of work. Whether the price is three grand or 15 grand. Every maker (who is not a serial maker) works hard around every instrument they make to make it come out as good as possible. That's why you can find a really good guitar in any price segment of handmade guitars. But which one is right for you?

The best way to solve this dilemma is to do a lot of testing of different guitars. Whenever you have the opportunity to test an instrument, take it. Call the makers around you and they might bring some guitars for you to test, or simply visit them and arrange a test. Bring your guitar and a fellow guitarist and do a comparison test. You may or may not like one of them. No big deal. But without benchmarking in the same acoustic space, creating the tone and ergonomics you're looking for is impossible. That's why it's important, even when you're not in the process of changing instruments, to benchmark from time to time. It can be fun and informative, but most of all it can result in the purchase of a great instrument, not necessarily from a world-renowned maker, at an astronomical price.

Prestige in musical instruments is an expensive thing, and in the long run it can be disappointing. It is not a guarantee of your musical excellence. That's why it's worth investing a little energy to find the guitar that's right for you at a reasonable price.