Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Electric Guitar - How To Buy The Right One
One of the most challenging tasks facing any guitarist is selecting the right electric guitar for their musical needs. Whether you are young or old, a beginner or a master musician, there is no sound in the world like a finely tuned electric guitar. The thing is that it can be overwhelmingly difficult to choose the right guitar.
The basic construction for a guitar is the same for almost all of the different types of guitars. All electric guitars are comprised of the same parts: a body, a neck, a head stock piece, electrical pickups and a bridge.
Unlike an acoustic guitar, electrical guitars require an amplifier to broadcast the guitar's sound. The sound for an electric guitar is generated when a musician plucks the strings and the vibration of the strings is transmitted through the pick-ups to the amplifier.
Now, there are two very important considerations when purchasing the perfect electrical guitar: price and sound.
Electrical guitars can be priced as low as ninety-nine dollars all the way up to twenty thousand dollars, so knowing your budget is crucial. A beginning guitarist should look for starter kits that will include a guitar, amplifier and some instruction books.
Electric guitars are divided into four different categories: Acoustic-Electric, Electric, Hollow Body Electric and Steel Electric and each one is designed to generate a different sound.
Acoustic-electric guitars are acoustic guitars with pick-ups installed so that they can be wired into an amplifier or a public address system. These are some of the most popular types of guitars for touring bands as they are well built and last a long time.
An electric guitar is typically made of a solid wood body and sound is only generated through the pick-up system. An amplifier is required to increase or decrease volume. These are the most popular models of guitars for beginning enthusiasts and prices can range from $99 and up. Most manufacturers like Fender and Gibson have beginner electrical guitar kits that come with a guitar, an amplifier and training manuals to get started.
A hollow body electric guitar is constructed in the same way as a traditional electric guitar with one exception. A hollow-body guitar has 2 chambers cut out of the body. The end result is that the guitar generates additional sonic resonances because of the chambers and delivers a completely unique sound. These guitars are most often played by Jazz enthusiasts and are available in many different sizes and tones.
The last type of electrical guitar is the steel guitar. Steel guitars are so different in design from traditional guitars that it requires many years of specialized training to learn to play them properly. The steel guitar was made famous by Jeff Healey and is played on its back as opposed to being strung around the player's neck. The strings are often elevated above the fret board and allow for the use of a 'tone bar'. A tone bar is a cylindrical tube that is worn over the middle finger of the fret hand, and provides the classical steel guitar 'whine'. The steel guitar is most often used with country and western style music.
Regardless of whether you are looking to purchase an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar it is always advisable that you research thoroughly. Speak with employees of guitar shops and test every guitar you may be buying. Search the internet to decipher between the different manufacturers and models available until you are certain you have found the electric guitar of your dreams and then buy it!
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