For a new lead guitarist, purchasing a new guitar can be a little overwhelming since there are so many different guitar types. When you walk into your local music store and see the hundreds of different types of guitars, it can be hard to decide.

Well, don't worry. Making sure to pick a guitar that's your type isn't too difficult if you know the different things to inspect. Here are a few different things to examine a guitar for if you're looking to play lead guitar.

* It should be easy to wrap your fingers comfortably around the guitar neck.

For almost any guitar type, you want your fingers to wrap around the neck with ease. If something feels odd or different when you sit down and try to play, it may not be the guitar for you. Make sure it's very comfortable since lead guitarists need to rely on very fast playing action.

* You should be able to press the guitar strings to the fret board easily.

Try playing different chords and notes on the guitar. Is it easy to do? If it isn't, you may want to look at another type of guitar. For a lead guitarist, having the ability to press easily on the fret board is essential to developing fast riffs with light fingers.

* The strings shouldn't be elevated too high on the bridge.

If the guitar strings are elevated too high on the bridge, if can be difficult to play different fast picking styles. A good solo guitarist can double pick at incredible speeds and with the strings to high on your type of guitar, you might be held back.

However, guitar bridges can always be adjusted. Count on different guitar types to arrive in the store exactly how they were intended to be adjusted though. If you make a minor adjustment on it later, I'm sure that it could sound fine.

* Make sure the fret board markings are easy to understand to you.

Personally, I like the type of fret boards that have markings on the side of the guitar for easy viewing. If the fret markings are easy to understand and you can move to them quickly, then that guitar might be just right for you.

* See if there are enough frets for what you're going to play.

Different guitars can have a different number of frets to play on. Standard guitar types usually go up to 21, but I've seen fret numbers as high as 32. Different guitars like those are custom-built and not all that desirable.

If you're looking to play extremely high tones, check out a guitar with around 24 frets. If you're not looking to delve into anything too fancy, 21 frets may be right for you.

* Is the guitar well-crafted?

Last, is the type of guitar you're looking at well-made? Do all the pieces fit together well without cracks or gaps? Is the paint job unscathed? Are the pick-ups secure and not loose?

Make sure to check these different aspects of the guitar because the worst feeling is knowing that you bought a faulty instrument to begin with.

Owning a different type of guitar that you're used to can be really exciting. For lead guitarists out there, make sure you pick something that feels comfortable and it's made well and I hope that it's exactly right for you.