Electric guitars are cool and that’s a fact! People love playing them, and the ones listening, love to hear the bombastic sounds of a great riff or the jaw-dropping skill of a masterful solo. When you want to purchase a new electric guitar, you certainly don’t want to get the wrong one. Whether you’re just starting out or are in the market for an upgrade, here are some tips that can help you out when buying a new electric guitar.
Things to Consider Before Buying
Before you start shopping for a new electric guitar, you first need to answer some important questions. What type of music do you want to play? Are you more of a rhythm guitarist who plays riffs and chord progressions, or a lead guitarist who performs melodies and solos? You should also decide how much you’re willing to pay for a new instrument, as that will affect which ones are available for you. While you can find great guitars of different styles for almost any budget, anything beyond a beginner’s model will start at around $500 and go up from there.
What You’ll Need To Play
In addition to the guitar itself, you’ll need some additional gear before you can start playing. Since an electric guitar is, by its nature, electric, you need an amplifier in order to properly hear it. They come as combos, or single units that combine the head and speaker, and separate units of the head and speaker are called half-stacks or full-stacks, depending on whether you have one or two cabinets respectively. Most electric guitars also prefer to use picks when they play. As explained by the guitar experts at https://www.allstringed.com/, thinner picks have a higher-pitched sound and less volume, because they can move faster, while thicker ones add more chunk and are better for rhythm guitarists. They also come in a variety of materials, so you can choose the one best suited to your personal preferences.
Each Guitar Body Type is Different
One of the main things to consider when buying a new guitar is what body type you want. There are three basic styles: solid body, hollow body, and semi-hollow body. Each one has different characteristics that will offer a unique sound when you play. All body types come in a variety of designs and use different wood types, each one offering its own tonal properties that can give the guitar a unique signature sound.
- Solid-Body: These are the most common body type, and are made from a single block of wood. They are used by musicians in almost every genre of music, particularly pop, rock, blues, and country guitarists. Their sound is clean and depending on the model you get, their tones can be anything from warm to bright.
- Hollow Body: These are completely open on the inside, like an acoustic guitar, and give off more resonance. They are favored by jazz musicians due to their deep, rich tones and powerful bass response that gives the instrument a strong, full sound while playing.
- Semi-Hollow Body: These are similar to hollow bodies as they’re mostly open on the inside, but there’s a solid block of wood in the center. They are a good balance between the other two types, offering more resonance than a solid body, but having less feedback and more attack and sustain.
Your Choice of Pickups Can Alter the Sound
After a guitar’s body type, their pickups will do the most to change how the instrument sounds. Single coil pickups will offer a bright, crisp sound, but have a tendency to produce a steady hum, and can be affected by magnetic interference. Humbuckers, as their name suggests, significantly reduce the hum, and give a thicker, more powerful tone to the guitar. There are also piezo pickups, which are installed in the saddle of the guitar and let you have a synthesizer-like digital sound, similar to an electronic keyboard. You can even mix and match the pickup types if you want to be able to rapidly switch between their sounds.
Electric guitars come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. No matter what type of music you play, you can definitely find the right one for you. While you can listen to other guitarists to get an idea of what sound and tone you’re looking for, the only way to find one that suits you is to play it yourself. Keep these tips in mind to help you out when you’re ready to get a new electric guitar.