How to Choose Your First Electric Guitar in Berlin

You've been thinking about an electric guitar for a while. Maybe you played in a band in school and you've been telling yourself you'd get back to it. Maybe you bought an acoustic at 22, played for a year, and never quite committed. The desire is real - what's been stopping you isn't a lack of motivation.

It's that walking into a guitar shop on a Saturday when you don't know what you're looking at feels like walking into a car dealership in a foreign country. There are seventy guitars on the wall, twelve different price tiers, an enthusiastic 24-year-old who wants to talk about pickup tonewoods, and you have ninety minutes before you have to be somewhere else.

So most people leave with nothing. Or worse - they leave with the wrong guitar.

This is the guide for the returning musician in Berlin who's ready to actually do it. We'll cover what to decide before you walk in, where to buy, what to try, and what you'll need beyond the guitar itself.

Before You Walk In: Decide Two Things

Most people get this backward - they ask about price first. Price doesn't matter until you've decided what you want to play and how the guitar should feel.

Style of music. If you want to play blues, classic rock, indie, or jazz, you're broadly in Stratocaster / Telecaster territory - single-coil pickups, brighter sound. If you want to play harder rock, metal, or heavier indie, you're in Les Paul / SG territory - humbucker pickups, thicker sound. Both genres can be played on either kind, but the guitar should be biased toward what you'll actually play.

Body comfort. Les Paul-style guitars weigh 4–5 kg. After 90 minutes of standing rehearsal, you'll feel it. Strat-style guitars are noticeably lighter and have a curved body that sits more comfortably. If you have any history of shoulder or back issues, this is a bigger deal than the brand on the headstock.

That's it for the homework. Style + comfort. Now you can walk in.

Three Ways to Buy a Guitar in Berlin

Berlin's guitar shop scene has changed in the last few years - the big mainstream chains that used to dominate are gone. What's left is a healthier-feeling network of independent shops run by people who actually play, plus the European-wide online giants. That's not a downgrade. It's a different way of buying that tends to suit hobby musicians better, once you know the paths.

Three of them, in the order that most beginners should think about them.

1. Thomann (the volume default - and use the return policy)

Thomann is the largest music retailer in Europe, based in Bavaria. It's where most German hobbyists buy. Wide selection, fair prices, fast shipping, and the secret weapon: a 30-day return policy with free returns.

This changes how you buy your first guitar. Order two or three you're interested in, try them all at home with your own amp for a week, and return the ones you don't keep. It's essentially "take guitars home and play them in your living room before deciding," which no shop can match. The only real cost is your time.

Visit thomann.de.

2. Independent Berlin shops (where to go in person)

If you want to actually try guitars side by side, talk to someone who plays, and walk out with something the same day, Berlin still has a strong network of independent shops. The five things worth knowing:

Berlin Guitars (Motzstraße 9, Schöneberg) - The largest review base of any Berlin guitar shop by a wide margin. Strong on mainstream electrics, in-store shopping, and delivery. Best general first stop if you've never been to a guitar shop before.

American Guitar Shop (Goethestraße 32/49, Charlottenburg) - Specialist in US-made guitars (Fender, Gibson). 4.9 stars with hundreds of reviews. If you're set on a Fender Player Strat or an Epiphone-into-Gibson upgrade path, this is the room.

Tribu Music Store (Schönhauser Allee 133, Prenzlauer Berg)-Broader musical instrument store, not guitar-only, but strong reviews and a friendly first-visit feel. Good if you're not sure what you want and want general advice.

Acoustic Music Store (Berliner Straße 29) - Despite the name, also stocks electrics. Solid neighborhood option in Wilmersdorf with consistently strong reviews.

Cogg Guitars (Lübbener Straße 5, Kreuzberg) - Smaller, more boutique. Fewer reviews, but the ones it has are perfect. Best if you've played before and want a more curated conversation.

One extra worth bookmarking, especially if you buy used: 

Baboushka Guitars (Weserstraße 38, Neukölln) is a guitar repair shop and workshop ("Gitarrenwerkstatt"). If you buy a used guitar from Kleinanzeigen, take it here for a proper setup - €30–€80 of work can turn an okay used guitar into one that plays like a much more expensive one. GuitarDoc (Köpenicker Straße 8A) is the other reputable repair option.

3. Kleinanzeigen (used, the local route)

Kleinanzeigen is Germany's main secondhand marketplace. Filter by Berlin, set a price range, and expect to message ten sellers to land one or two in-person tries. Used is where most experienced players actually shop - you get more guitar for the same money, and a played-in instrument often feels better than a new one off the shelf.

Rules for use: always play the guitar before paying. Tune it, plug it in, try every fret, listen for buzzing. A €300 guitar with a warped neck is worth nothing. Meet at the seller's home or a public spot, and never bank-transfer money before trying the instrument.

Reverb is the international alternative if Kleinanzeigen doesn't turn up what you want - slightly higher prices, but stronger buyer protection if something arrives broken, and a much bigger pool of listings, including new and B-stock from shops worldwide.

Five Guitars Worth Trying On Your First Visit

These are the guitars that come up over and over again for people getting back into electric guitar — easy to find in Berlin shops, hold their value, and good enough that you won't outgrow them in six months.

• Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster (~€400) — The honest answer for most beginners. Plays like a Fender for a third of the price.

• Yamaha Pacifica 112V (~€350) — Universally praised as a first guitar. Versatile pickup setup, holds tune well, well-built.

• Epiphone Les Paul Standard (~€500) — If you want the Les Paul sound and feel without the €2,000 Gibson price tag.

• Fender Player Stratocaster (~€700) — A real Fender, made in Mexico. The step up most people grow into. If you can stretch the budget, this is the one you won't replace in two years.

• Harley Benton (~€150–€250) — Controversial pick. Genuinely playable budget guitars from Thomann, mail order only. Good if you're not sure you'll stick with it and want to keep total spend under €400.

  
  

Don't Forget the Rest of the Setup

The biggest budget mistake people make: spending everything on the guitar and forgetting they need things to actually play it. Realistic starter setup:

• Amp - €100–€200 buys a solid practice amp (Fender Frontman, Boss Katana Mini, Yamaha THR5). Don't go bigger than 30W for home practice — your neighbours will hate you.

• Cable - €15–€25. Buy a decent one once; the €5 ones fail.

• Tuner - €15 clip-on (Snark, D'Addario) or free on your phone (GuitarTuna, Fender Tune).

• Strap, picks, spare strings - €30 all in.

• Headphones for the amp - Most modern amps have a headphone-out. €40 for a basic pair will make every rehearsal possible.

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Realistic total for a starter setup that you won't immediately want to replace: €500–€900, depending on the guitar. Spend less than €500, and you'll be upgrading within a year.

Once You Have the Guitar: Practice It

The hardest part isn't finding the right guitar - it's keeping at it once the novelty fades. Most people stop because they don't know what to practice and lose momentum in week three.

A tool that helps: Guitar Zone - a free practice platform built by a former Bandster specifically to help returning musicians prep songs. Pick a song, get the chords, the tabs, and a practice loop in one place. No more chasing seven tabs across YouTube and Ultimate Guitar.

Use it for two weeks. If you're still picking up the guitar by then, you're past the hardest part.

When You're Ready to Plug In With Other People

Practicing alone gets you to a point. Past that point — when you've learned a handful of songs, and you're starting to feel the limit of your living room — the next step isn't another lesson. It's playing with other people.

Most people who used to play stop here, too, because finding the right band feels harder than finding the right guitar. We've written about why that's the real friction and what removes it. Short version: book an audition, and a few weeks later, you're in a room with three other people at your level, working through a setlist with a mentor. No logistics, no hassle. You just show up and play.

And if you want to see where Berlin's musicians actually go to hear other bands play - for inspiration, for community, for the simple reminder of why you're picking up the instrument again - here's our guide.

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