Guitars are one of the most versatile instruments out there. You can hear them in almost all genres and styles of music out there. There are so many types of guitars out there and the choices can get overwhelming, especially for beginners. So with this blog post I'm going to try and describe the different types of guitars out there and hopefully it will give you a better idea of which type to pick, based on what your goals are on your guitar journey.
1.Acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitars are the best choice for beginners, mostly because they don't require any extra equipment to get sound out of them. They are very easy to setup too. They come in a few different sizes and shapes. The have a hollow resonating body that allows the sound to get amplified. Below are a few types of acoustic guitars.
Steel String Acoustic Guitar
These are the most common type of acoustic guitars. They have a rich and metallic tone with a beautiful resonance. They're great for small venues, campfires, living room jam sessions, etc. They bring a very intimate feel with their sound. It's widely present in genres like country, blues, pop, bluegrass and many others. They're usually harder to play than electric guitars, but once you get used to using an acoustic guitar, most other types of guitars will be very easy to play.
Some steel string acoustic guitars have pick-ups on them that you can connect to an amplifier or speaker system. They are usually hidden in the resonant body. They sometimes come with a basic equalizer and volume control too. They're usually called electro-acoustic guitars. They're a good choice if you want to perform live in larger venues and need amplification. This beats placing a microphone in close proximity of an acoustic guitar in a live environment. You can get a more consistent sound in a live venue with an electro acoustic guitar.
Classical guitar
Classical guitars are basically acoustic guitars with nylon strings. They have wider necks than steel string acoustic guitars. The tone is warm and very distinct. They aren't as bright sounding as their steel stringed cousins. They're widely used in Spanish music, Flamenco style and sometimes in Jazz and pop music too. Its usually played by using a finger style picking technique where you have to grow out your nails in your picking hand.
2.Electric guitar
Electric guitars are a versatile type of guitar. They come in many shapes and sizes. They always have some sort of pick-up system that needs to be connected to an amplification source in order for sound to come out. The style of these pick-ups is the main decider of the tone of the guitar. Most electric guitars come with multiple pick-ups with a switch that allows you to choose between them to properly dial in the tone you like. Below are a few styles of electric guitars that exist today.
Legacy Style
These are classic guitar shapes and have been around for decades. They have very distinct pick-up designs along with body shape designs. The tone of these guitars have been etched into popular music over the years. So if you want to get a very versatile tone that is universally used in multiple styles of music, these guitars are where you should look first. They have a sound that you've probably heard before.
Gibson Les paul
Fender Stratocaster
Modern Style
These guitars are more prevalent in modern heavy metal and Djent style music. They sometimes have more than six strings and can go up to 8. They usually have pick-ups that output a very clean sound that is low in noise and analogue distortion to complement the musical styling. They are also sometimes made with new age materials like composite fibres or resin to give a unique feel.
Modern style guitars sometimes have special bridges that are designed to be perfectly intonated and hold a tuning no matter how much you punish the strings with your playing style.
Hybrid Style
Hybrid electric guitars are hollow bodies guitars that are shaped like electric guitars. They have pick ups very similar to standard electric guitars but they have a very unique open tone because of the fact that they have a resonant body.
Fender acoustasonic guitars bridge the world between acoustic and electric guitars beautifully. The design is really unique and the tone is exquisite.
Gibson have their own offering to this space with their ES series, famously used by blues legend B.B. King.
3.Resonator guitars
Resonator guitars are made of steel and create sound by vibrating resonant cones present in the body. They are louder than standard acoustic guitars and were designed to cut through louder brass sections in an orchestra. They have a twangy tone and are often played with a glass or metal slide.
They are widely used in bluegrass and country music. They have a very distinct aesthetic and they can come in various colours, but the most traditional is a raw steel look.
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