Finding your next electric guitar or bass can be a torturous process. Yes, it's great that there is so much choice but that's the problem. Well, Fender's new online gear buyer's guide might just help you pluck your Excalibur out of the ether.
Simply point your browser of choice to FindYourFender (opens in new tab), click on the 351 pick on the centre of the screen to get started and you'll be asked a series of questions. What are you looking for? Well, choose from the following categories: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass and ukulele.
Next up, you can enter your budget on a slider, pick some colours that you like, and then answer some questions as to which style of music you would like to play. Thereafter the gear finger gets a little more specific.
This is an excellent feature for beginners. We particularly like the tone profile section because when you are just starting out you need a reference to compare, say, a warm tone to twang.
It'll ask questions as to your size, too. After all, a larger-bodied offset electric guitar like a Jazzmaster can feel a little unwieldy if you've still got some growing to do.
Full disclosure: we were matched with a Fender Player Stratocaster. An excellent choice – it's one of our favourite Strats of all-time.
That said, there is a ceiling of 1000 bucks, so if you are agonising over a 70th Anniversary Broadcaster or an American Original 50s Telecaster there's just no helping you. But you knew that already...
See Fender (opens in new tab) for more details.