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Las Vegas is a great place to be a musician with many opportunities to join casino shows, entertain in local venues, or tour nearby states. With densely populated California, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and other large communities located within about a half-day's drive, you have great opportunities to take guitar lessons in Las Vegas and become a bona fide paid musician. Whether you are looking to simply learn to play the instrument, join a band, become a session player, or even compose music, it all begins with taking guitar lessons in Las Vegas.

Before Starting Lessons When you undertake guitar lessons in Las Vegas, you will want a good instrument that is set up properly. Among the best local sources for guitars are Today's Music, Ed Roman Guitars and Cowtown Guitars, in addition to the usual assortment of chain guitar dealers and online retailers. Today's Music offers quality instruments at good prices that aren't sold by larger chain stores. Among available brands are LTD, Schecter, Cort, Ibanez, and others.

Ed Roman and Cowtown are boutique stores that sell new and used guitars ranging from popular Fender and Gibson guitars to more off-brands, like Reverend. You also can have fun checking out the city’s many local pawn shops and find a gem for a reasonable price before you take guitar lessons in Las Vegas. When considering any guitar, you should ensure the neck is one that you find comfortable and playable. Locking tuners generally are preferable to standard wind-up tuners. It also helps to have a guitar that enables intonation adjustments at the bridge.

Guitar Setup and Repairs in Las Vegas If your guitar isn't set up properly, you likely will find yourself struggling with your instrument. When you buy a guitar, you should take it to a luthier or technician to ensure it is set up and will play flawlessly. Despite having a large number of musicians and guitarists residing there, Las Vegas is limited on the number of available luthiers and guitar techs. Fortunately, those that are in area are quite good and can make your guitar play properly for when you take guitar lessons in Las Vegas.

The best luthier in Las Vegas is Neil Smith, who owns Las Vegas Guitars in the southwest side of Las Vegas and only works by appointment. You might have to wait a couple of weeks before you can get your guitar in, and it likely will take a few days to a couple of weeks to complete the setup. Smith handles the guitar setups and repairs for the many Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas and has a large clientele base due to his advanced training, exceptional skills and ability to do outstanding guitar repairs and customizations.

Guitar Doctor Bob working at Today’s Music is noted for fast and affordable same-day guitar setups. Bob is a guitar tech and not a luthier, but he has many customers, including professional touring guitar players. Bob does basic guitar setups, repair work, and guitar building. Appointments generally aren't needed, but it helps to call ahead and let him know you are coming in with your guitar and any issues you might have with it.

Other locations for getting repair work done include Cowtown Guitars and Advanced Guitar and Repair. Both locations are known for doing quality restoration work, but the wait time to get it done can be several weeks and sometimes more. When you take guitar lessons in Las Vegas, your guitar instructor should be able to recommend the best option.

Local Venues

Because Las Vegas is the world's entertainment capital, you have endless options for catching great guitarists. Fremont Street has three free band stages with featured touring artists on summer weekends. Many clubs also promote great local music, with the famed Sand Dollar Lounge on the west side ranking among the best blues clubs in the West and is known to have famous guitarists sit in over the years, including B.B. King and Joe Bonamassa.

The Brooklyn Bowl, Hard Rock Live and several clubs along Fremont Street also have great bands. If you are looking for greater sophistication, the Smith Center near downtown and Ham Hall at UNLV offer great classical and jazz performances that will help to inspire you as you take guitar lessons in Las Vegas.

Annual Events Las Vegas has an ever-changing rotation of events, including music festivals and conventions. Among the best are the annual Rockabilly Festival, which pays tributes to early rock roots, the DjangoVegas Gypsy Jazz Festival, which honor the legacy of jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt, and the Life Is Beautiful Festival, which features a wide range of rock and pop music artists. The Big Blues Bender being held in September offers a multitude of the best contemporary touring blues guitarists.

Taking guitar lessons in Las Vegas will open you up to a wealth of performance opportunities. Have fun and good luck!