Now, I hate over-analysing the costs that I would spend on my guitar hobby. But jumping into the pursuit without some ballpark idea of how much you should be spending is an equally tragic mistake.
In this post, I attempt to dissect the potential cost of playing the guitar. This is important for anybody who does not possess an unlimited budget, since any pursuit can become a potential money sink.
If anything, this post will give some potential areas in which you could possibly be spending money, an important thing for beginners to know.
Do note however, that these prices seem reflect the prices within the scope of my residence (Melbourne, Australia), and may be cheaper or more expensive elsewhere in the world. However, I can say that prices generally do not vary too much; you can easily get a price range that is in the ballpark.
There are three broad categories of costs to consider when buying a guitar. The baseline cost of purchase, the cost of maintenance, and the cost of potential enhancement.
The cost of purchase
This is straightforward. If you’re buying an acoustic guitar, then this refers to the cost of the guitar. If you’re buying an electric guitar, then the cost is that of the guitar and amplifier.
Of course, this is subject to price ranges. In general, a cheap plywood acoustic guitar can be as cheap as $50 brand new [1]. A solid wood acoustic will probably cost a minimum of $150. This price range can then extend all the way up to a couple of thousand dollars. As an anecdotal note, I could not tell the difference between an off-the-rack $900 acoustic and my friend’s $3000 acoustic (of which the wood had been treated and aged). But then again, I’m a hopeless acoustic player, and the difference was certainly too marginal for myself to detect.
With electric guitars, the price ranges will vary more. A starter kit with guitar and amp can go as low as $150-200. An entry-level branded guitar could cost a minimum of $400. Make that above $1000 for one tier up, to $2000 for the mid-tier, and in excess of $4000 for limited editions and signature models.
As with amplifiers, $100 will probably get you a cheap 10W amp (enough to disturb the neighbours, mind you) that has only a volume, tone and distortion knob. As you increase the price, you get more power, and more functionality. Increase it to $2000, and you could probably get a 60W Marshall with multiple inputs, volume and tone controls, overdrive and clean settings, amidst other things.
The cost of maintenance
Maintenance is probably an inaccurate word, but it conveys the meaning well enough: the ongoing costs of your guitar playing.
The basics could include the cost of your string replacement, guitar cases and cleaning materials. If you want to be pedantic, electric guitar players can even consider the cost of electricity (not much).
This cost can vary of course, depending on your string type and replacement frequency [2]. Of course, it also varies according to how beat up your equipment gets (generally more so for careless people or people who play live).
Assuming that you are a beginner, your case likely came free or at a low cost, the cost of electric (if applicable) is miniscule, strings that need to be changed pretty infrequently (I used to play until my strings broke), and some basic cleaning and polishing of your guitar, then we are probably looking at a cost of $50 a year. This, of course, depends. Either way, it should not be too significant.
The cost of potential enhancement
This the cost of making your equipment better.
Needless to say, the potential cost of this varies a lot.
You could get the best amplifiers available, get the best guitar, the best set of pickups, [3] the best recording microphone, the best set of effects hardware, the best editing software, and the best , not to mention the best strap and picks, foot a bill of $20,000 and then realise that you now want to make your own studio. Then you realise that 1 guitar isn’t enough, and you need a custom-made flying-V with an EDGE-pro tremolo.
Any hobby will be subject to the amorphous yet strongly addictive power of consumerism. I’ve got no other recommendations there. One could easily spend $100,000 on this ‘hobby’. For beginners there can be easy recommendations, come to the advanced stage, when your equipment begins to matter, the only thing you can do, is to use your own sensible discretion.
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Notes:
[1] I had a friend who got his guitar in China for 20RMB. It was lousy, the fretboard was slightly uneven, and the tone quality was bad. But hey, it’s a guitar.
[2] In a tropical and more humid climate, your strings tend to wear down faster. Having lived in Singapore, I can vouch for the fact that after 1 month of daily playing, my strings were basically starting to rust and lose tone. Here in Melbourne, if I’m not doing a performance, then string quality doesn’t seem to deteriorate even after 2 months. Hence I changed strings once a month in Singapore, and about once every 2-3 months in Melbourne. Given that each set of strings costs $6-10, that represents at least a $50 difference.
[3] I’m going all out to say that I’m biased in my preference for certain brands. Namely, Ibanez guitars, DiMarzio Pickups, Marshall Amps, and Korg Effects. With regards to software though, I’ll pick anything that’s good.
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