At the checkout the other day at my local Walmart, I noticed a new “music” section. I was amazed to see acoustic guitars, electric guitars, guitar strings (only 10-46 though), and even XLR microphone cables. I must say that I'm excited to have a place to pick up an extra mic cable or a set of guitar strings at 3am. However, I'm also a little skeptical of the quality.

We all know that Walmart is known for given average quality products at mega cheap prices. The “average quality” thing is just fine when most of us are buying deodorant or paper towels. I can handle average quality in set of guitar strings, too. However, when it comes to playing a musical instrument, a higher standard of quality if often required.

Guitars that won't stay in tune, have strings sitting 3 inches above the fretboard, or that just simply play poorly will often set back a beginning guitar player. When a kid is getting his first guitar, the ONLY thing that matters is getting him/her to stick with it. The musician types forget that an overwhelming majority of people quit playing guitar before they really even started. The last thing you want to do is make the process of learning guitar more difficult than it has to be. In other words, finding a cheap guitar that plays well and will allow the beginning guitarist to learn without too much unneeded difficulty is a priority.

How Do Walmart Guitars Compare To “Real” Guitars?

So out of curiosity, I wanted to see if Walmart could hold up against some of the other super high quality, mega cheap guitars that have sprung up in the past year or so (You may be sick of me screaming about how good AGILE guitars are). So, I let my girlfriend write the check while I noodled..... OUCH! The guitar I played had horrid action, generally played horribly, and had a few string buzzes. The guitar costs around $150 if I remember correctly.

Basically, Walmart guitars fall into that same category that molded bread does. It's a little cheaper, but it just isn't acceptable. To anyone looking for a guitar, I HIGHLY recommend that you AVOID WALMART GUITARS LIKE THE PLAGUE!! (based on the two guitars I played...maybe you'll have better luck).

There Are Better, Cheap Options

I want to make it clear that, yes I've got my share of guitars that cost WAY more than the average beginner's guitar. However, I've not lost touch with reality. For $200, you can find guitars made by AGILE that are giving $2,000 guitars by Gibson and Fender a run for their money. I highly recommend them to ANYONE....not just beginners. In fact, I own 2 of them.

If you have any questions about buying your first guitar, feel free to ask questions on the Guitar Forum

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