Now that the summer has arrived, it seems like the perfect time to take up a new hobby. I've had a few people approach me for tips on buying a guitar, but there's a lot to know, and watch out for. You'll want to get the most for your money, because unlike an outfit or a phone, this purchase will last you a lifetime.

So in the spirit of summer, and the extra time we have on our hands, here is a comprehensive guide to buying an acoustic guitar.

To begin, I recommend an acoustic because of their versatility and relative low maintenance. Sure, electric guitars are crazysexy- cool, but they require amplifiers, patch cables, and often batteries.

Acoustic guitars are fairly inclusive - the sound resonates through their body and out the hole, so no additional amplification is required. They're portable, individually characteristic, and often have a much richer, more beautiful sound.

Choose with your ears
The most important thing you can do to choose an acoustic guitar is to play it. You need to be able to sit with it, hear how it sounds, and get a feeling for it in your hands. Very few acoustic guitars are alike.

While you can often find them at yard sales or pawnshops, I can't stress enough the importance of shopping for them in real guitar shops. There, the instruments are all kept in good care and properly presented to you. I was in a pawnshop one day and decided to look at a guitar, but it was strung with strings that don't even belong to guitars. Tuning it and listening to it was impossible, and you should never spend that much money on an instrument without knowing how it sounds.

Choose with your hands
A lot of people know the shape of the guitar's body comes in many sizes and cuts - from small backpack-sized travel models, to much larger grand or dreadnought models - but not many people realize the cut of the guitar's neck varies as well.

The back of the neck, where your hand rests as you hold the guitar, can have a standard C shape to them (a simple curved piece of wood), a U shape (curved, but much shallower) or a V shape (which makes hand placement much stricter) to them, and this factor alone can make the difference between a guitar feeling very comfortable or very weird.

Choose with your mind
Pay particular attention to the action of the guitar you're trying out. The “action” refers to the height of the strings as they sit above the fret board. With electric guitars, adjusting the action is a simple task, but this isn't so with acoustics; they traditionally have heavier (thicker) strings than electrics, so every little thing you can do to make it easier on yourself to play it is a good idea.

When you have a guitar chosen, be sure to ask the shop you're in about having it properly “set up.” Guitar shops make a point of having technicians on staff that can intonate and tune the guitar for you, making any possible adjustments to the guitar itself to ensure it sounds its best. They also usually do it for free.

The staff may recommend a lot of additional items when you make your purchase; but you need little in order to enjoy your new guitar. It would be wise to pick up an extra set of strings while you're there, so you have a set you know are the right size.

Also, you should definitely also purchase a tuner to help you keep your guitar in tune - a simple tuner from a guitar shop shouldn't cost you more than twenty dollars. As an alternative, there are a number of applications for iPhone or iPod Touch that act as a tuner, as long as you have some sort of microphone for your device to hear your guitar.

It's a lot of information, but it's everything you need to be a guitar- shopping expert. For a wide selection of acoustic guitars to sample and staff who have a good understanding of them, I recommend Belle Air Music's Richmond Street location. I also recommend you let me know when your guitar party is going to be, and I will see you there.