| Feature Article Fender , Gibson, DC Montana, Musicman - Which Bass is right for you? Remember, your honest assessment of your ability and goals should be the deciding factor when choosing an instrument. In other words, what do you want to do? If you are a working musician, a serious hobbyist or on the verge of your first paying gig, an entry level beginners guitar will probably not be appropriate. Now, how much to spend? Your personal financial situation will dictate the amount you spend, however, if the guitar you want costs $500 and you currently have $350... Don't Settle! It's a mistake you will regret for years to come. You should expect to pay between $400-$600 for a good quality "step-up" guitar. One that will offer most of the features you desire and also hold up well under the rigors of everyday practice, rehearsing and gigging. If you are a serious player/gigger then you should look at investing in a professional instrument like a DC Montana or a Musicman. One of these can cost up to $2000 but it will be a worthwhile investment as you`ll have an instrument you can rely on and reliability is very important. Acoustic? Electric? Now that you have assessed your talent and have a ball park figure of what to spend, what's it going to be? An Electric? An Acoustic? Or maybe an Acoustic/Electric! Don't worry, eventually you will end up owning a small arsenal of instruments. But for now, stick with the one that caters to your current musical taste and performance needs and get a few gigs under your belt. This will justify your "need" for another quality instrument, (and probably keep you out of the doghouse too). Which Brand? There are many brands out there. The most common brands are Fender, Gibson and Musicman. If you want a guitar that will perform well but are not too concerned with looking that great then you`ll be very happy with a Fender. Fender produce some nice guitars and you can pick them up at low cost. Musicman and DC Montana make top quality instruments but they do have high price tickets. I always recommend a high end used instrument over a brand new low end. High end guitars are built to last so even if it has a few scratches on it you are still going to get a better sound than buying a shiney new one thats a few leagues below. Look around, there are some bargains out there and dont be afraid to barter on price.
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