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when it comes to guqin selection, the first thing you need to figure out is your local weather condition, as it may affect the guqin sound quality heavily. As it is relatively hot and humid in south China, so the guqin made there would adapt to such humid condition more easily, and if shipped to dry area, it may crack, you know, the wood material has to be stored and let it dry naturally for a long time before it is used for Guqin making, and it already adapt such condition well.

For those made in north China where in most cases it is dry, if the guqin made there is shipped to humid area, it takes a long time for the guqin to fully “recover” from such transition, and in the first year, the Guqin sound may sound not deep and far-reaching as it should be.

Another thing you need to pay attention to is the style, there are a lot of style available, Jiaoye style (Banana Leaf), together with Zhongni (Confucius) and Fuxi (Namde after the man who invented the 8 primary elements, so-called Ba-gua in Chinese), they are among the most prefered styles.

Of course, the wood material is of much importance, you would find that most instruments for the beginner are made of paulownia wood, while those made of aged China fir wood are the better choice for the professional players. Of course, the craftsmanship would have final say over the sound quality,  those paulownia wood instruments can have an excellent quality when crafted by the top makers.