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Cheap Electric Guitars: Saving Room for Cheap Electric Guitar Gear

Cheap Electric Guitars: Saving Room for Cheap Electric Guitar Gear

Buying cheap electric guitars is a great way for beginning guitar players to save money, but you’ll need some other important accessories before you become the next guitar god.

Let’s be optimistic and assume you found a gem of a cheap electric guitar for a price within your means. Remember to keep some room in your budget for a few more items necessary to rock your block off.

The most expensive companion for any beginner guitar is an amplifier. Amps can cost just as much, or even more than the nicest guitars. You’ll need to roll up your sleeves and continue to dig for bargains in order to keep your guitar dreams from breaking your bank account.

You may be able to find a good deal on an electric guitar package that will include a cheap electric guitar and amp combo. Lots of music stores will offer combination deals like this for beginner guitar equipment. Do the math and see if this kind of purchase makes financial sense.

Once you’ve secured a good deal on an amp or guitar/amplifier combo there’s one more essential accessory left to buy. You’ll need a cable to connect the two. Such a simple thing it would seem, yet this is one item you shouldn’t cheap out on. Cheap electric guitar cables are likely made with poor quality and won’t last long at all. It’s best to spring for a top notch brand of guitar cable that won’t give you problems. Otherwise you’ll be back at the store in just a few weeks buying a better one.

Once you have your guitar, amp, and a cable to connect the two, you’ll be ready to rock. If you have a few extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket there are a few more items that will enhance your shredding experience.

You can probably persuade the person selling you the guitar to give you a pick or two, but you may want to buy some on your own. Guitar picks are cheap, but come in various levels of thickness. You should try out a few different versions to find the type that suits your style. There’s also a wide variety of novelty guitar picks that may have cool designs or might even glow in the dark.

Picks won’t cost you much so hopefully you still have a few spare bucks to buy a strap for your cheap electric guitar. A strap is not a necessity for a beginning player. You’ll find it easier to learn while sitting down. But there will come a time when you master your first riff and the urge to stand up and play like a pro will be irresistible. When you’re shopping for a strap be sure to try it on to see how it feels. You shouldn’t be concerned with looks; only comfort.

Hopefully you can acquire all these items within your budget. With some patience and a touch of bargain hunter savvy, you’ll have all the gear you need to rock out on a cheap electric guitar.


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The Items That Should be Learnt in Guitar Basics

The Items That Should be Learnt in Guitar Basics

The idea of being able to produce great sounding music is an idea that many of us dream about. To be able to play these fabulous pieces of music however, you should first have knowledge about some of the guitar basics.

These guitar basics will help you not only to understand how to play the guitar, but also how to make sense of the various music pieces which accompanies the guitar.

When you look at the many places that have the ability to teach guitar to you it may be a good idea to see what their guitar basics cover. This overview of the class will provide you with a good idea of whether you will learn anything of worth from these classes.

Among the many items that should be learnt in guitar basics is that of finger placement. Chord positions are also very important, as is how to tune your guitar so that you can set your guitar to produce meaningful sounds.

The other items that should be covered in the very first lesson of guitar basics is that of music notation and how they apply to guitar music. These first few items are of great importance as you will need to know these steps before you will be able to make any progress with your music lessons.

Once you are satisfied with how the various guitar basics are covered in the guitar class of your choice you can see how to enroll in that class. This will facilitate your learning to play the guitar even quicker and more professionally if that is your aim.

In the class one of the very first ideas of guitar basics that you will have to become accustomed to is that the great sounds you hear from professional guitar players are mainly created from the chords and the mixing of the body strings on the guitar.

Once you are comfortable with these different chords you will be able to change the beat of your playing and see how the sounds of the chords change along with the increased beat. In your guitar basics class you will also be shown how to tune your guitar strings and to use the pick to move the strings properly.

These are all items that you will need to know and understand for your guitar playing to become a successful endeavor. After you have progressed through the guitar basics in a proper sequence you will be able to think about joining an advanced guitar class or even try out another style of guitar playing altogether.

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Popular Brands of Electric Guitars

Popular Brands of Electric Guitars

Are you an guitar freak? Do you want to know about the popular brands of electric guitars? Then here is the just what you want.


There is a long list of popular electric guitar brands. Information about some of the most popular ones among them is given below.


Fender:


Fender is a very renowned name in the arena of electric guitars. Mr. Leo Fender introduced this company in the year 1946. For times, Fender has supplied series of brilliant electric guitars. Their guitars are used in every genre of music. Like, rock, pop, rock and roll etc.


They have got different models of electric guitars like, VG Stratocaster, American Deluxe telecaster, Showmaster FAT HH (Flame Ash Top), Showmaster QMT HH (Quilt Maple Top) etc.


Ibanez:


Ibanez is another popular brand of electric guitars. Mr. Hoshino Gakki started this company in 1978.


Ibanez have a varied range of electric guitars. Like, Ibanez RG220, Ibanez IJX40, Ibanez GRG170DX, and Ibanez SZ320 etc.


Ibanez has made some brand new guitars in 2007. They are, Xiphos XPT700 (X Series), V Blade VBT700 (X Series), RG 8 String RG2228 (RG Series).


Gibson


This is one of the best among popular brands of electric guitars. Mr. Orville Gibson founded this company in 1902.


Some brilliant models of Gibson electric guitars are, Gibson ES175 Reissue Electric Guitar, Gibson ES137 Custom Electric Guitar, Gibson Standard SG Electric Guitar, and Gibson SG Standard Left Handed Electric Guitar.


Washburn:


This company was started in Chicago, in the year 1883. From then on it has not stopped creating quality guitars.


Washburn WI66PRO Idol Pro Electric Guitar, Washburn HB30 Hollow Body Electric Guitar, Washburn WI64DL TBL Electric Guitars are some of their high in demand guitar models.


Yamaha:


Yamaha is a very old and reputed company. They are somehow different from other popular brands of electric guitars. This company is in the instrument circuit since the end of 1800. But at that time they used to make organs. In 1900 they made piano. And in 1942, they started making guitars. Their guitars are very much popular and loved by various musicians all over the world.


Some very popular Yamaha electric guitar models are, Yamaha AES420 BL Guitar, Yamaha AES420 RM Guitar, Yamaha PAC012 Pacifica Electric Guitar Pack BL, and Yamaha PAC012 Pacifica Electric Guitar Pack DBM.


ESP:


ESP is a very famous brand now. E.S.P. stands for Electric Sound Products. At first they used to make replacement parts of other guitars. But from 1976 onwards they started making guitars.


ESP LTD Standard M100 guitars, ESP LTD H200 , ESP LTD Standard EX50, ESP LTD Deluxe EC1000 etc.


These are some popular brands of electric guitars. These brands of guitars are useful, user friendly, stylish and of good quality. Sometimes they are a bit expensive. But it is worth spending handsome amount of money for real good brands.


Overall these brands are very famous and they have a reputation to keep. So you can rely on them and can believe that they won’t let you down.

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Learning to Play Acoustic Guitar for the Beginner

Learning to Play Acoustic Guitar for the Beginner

The very first step toward learning to play acoustic guitar is to develop confidence and to destroy that “I can’t do it” mentality. Your biggest obstacle in your acoustic guitar playing is not going to be money, time, or the absence of a good teacher. The biggest obstacle is going to be you. You are your own worst enemy. Once you learn how to tame the negativity inside, you will be that much closer to becoming a good acoustic guitar player.


Frustration is normal during the learning process. Learning anything new is not meant to be easy. Resistance is what helps us grow. So the next time you are working on a scale, or chord progression, and you find yourself fumbling or messing up, don’t throw down the guitar with frustration, instead welcome the challenge and have patience in it.


YOUR FIRST GUITAR


Buying a first guitar is an important step for the beginner guitarist. You should have a good understanding of the acoustic guitar as a whole as well as a good idea of what your goals are as an acoustic guitar player. By educating yourself in these areas, you will be able to make an intelligent purchase that can provide you with years of enjoyable playing.


There are two kinds of acoustic guitars that you can purchase and they are your classic or nylon string guitar and your steel string guitar. One is not necessarily better than the other as it is really a matter of personal taste, but each guitar does have its own unique feel and sound. The classic or nylon guitars produce a round or dull tone, where as the steel string guitars are much different, producing a bright tinny or metallic sound. You will certainly develop your own preference the longer you play, or like many guitarists, you will enjoy using both. Only time will tell.


Another thing you will have to consider is the body style of your acoustic guitar. Acoustic guitars come in a variety of different body sizes from small to jumbo. Each size has its own distinct sound. Smaller body guitars have more treble and midrange sounds and are much easier to hold. Lead guitarists tend to favor smaller body guitars because they tend to have a more balanced sound to them and are easier to make out when playing with other musicians in a band. Your larger body guitars have more bass and are more difficult to hold. The only way to really know what body style is right for you is to try one out for yourself. Your best bet is to find a guitar that you are comfortable holding and playing. Guitar playing is challenging enough in the beginning and you do not need any added difficulties.


Guitar quality will differ depending on the model and brand. Sometimes two instruments of the same make and model can differ as well. It is therefore important to try out as many guitars as possible within your price range. It is also recommended that you bring along an experienced musician when you go guitar shopping. An experienced guitar player will be able to better judge the quality of a guitar.


Buy the best guitar that you can afford. Many of the guitars that sell for under 0 are poorly made for the most part. If you cannot afford to spend more, then save up and wait until you can. A well made guitar will be easier to play, more appealing to the eye and more responsive. If you enjoy playing your instrument more, you will then be more inspired to play. You can find a fine beginner acoustic guitar for under 0. Some brands to look into are Seagull, Martin, Yamaha, Fender and Ibanez to name a few. You may also want to look into the used acoustic guitar market. You may be able to find some real gems out there at great prices, but you have to be very careful with used guitars. Make sure you take an experienced guitar player with you if you decide to buy a used guitar.


LEARNING & PRACTICE


There is probably no substitution for a good guitar teacher, but it can be rather expensive over time, so many guitar players are left with no other choice then to learn on their own. For those of you who may not be able to afford a professional instructor right now, below are some guidelines for helping you get the most out of your practice time.


Practice as many days out of the week as you can for at least twenty to thirty minutes, more if possible. The more often you play the faster you will learn. Be careful not to overdo it though and take breaks of course. Your brain can only absorb so much information before it needs a break and your hands and the rest of your body need time to recuperate as well. When you practice do not rush through any of your exercises. Twenty minutes of quality focused practice is much more effective than an hour of sloppy practice


Study Your Instrument


Take some time to learn more about the parts of your acoustic guitar. Learn about how it is constructed and how all the parts work together to produce those beautiful sounds that you hear.


Learn How to Tune Your Guitar


You can find free step by step guides online for tuning your acoustic guitar. Make certain that you spend time learning how to do this. Purchase a guitar tuner at any local music store and practice tuning your guitar with the guitar tuner. When you begin to develop a better ear, try tuning it without the guitar tuner. Then use the guitar tuner to check and see how accurate your ear was. This will help you develop a good ear.


Learn the Right Posture


If you are accustomed to just grabbing your guitar and sitting down to play in any old position, then you are at risk of injuring yourself and developing bad playing habits. Make sure you understand the correct way to sit and hold your instrument for optimal performance.


Learn Your Chords & Scales


Learn as many different chords and variations of the same chord that you can and practice your scales. This will give you a well rounded familiarity with the frets on the guitar and it will build up strength in your fingers and hands.


I hope this article has helped with your acoustic guitar learning. Keep a positive attitude and practice! Before you know you will be playing acoustic guitar like a pro. I wish you well. God Bless.

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What You Need to Know About Bass Guitars and Amplifiers

What You Need to Know About Bass Guitars and Amplifiers

Leo Fender and George Fullerton are the founders and inventors of the electric bass guitars that was first introduced in the 1950s. The split up feature of the first bass guitar was introduced in 1957. This feature is the one responsible for producing the humbucking effect attributed to bass guitars. A violin shaped guitar was then released by Gibson followed by a more modern designed six years thereafter. Because of the success and popularity of guitars, several small guitar companies followed the ranks of Fender and Gibson and manufactured their own versions of bass guitars. In the 1960’s, rock music became widely popular making bass guitar a common household name.

Wood and graphite are the most common materials used to manufacture bass guitars. But each part of the bass guitar uses different types of materials like alder for the body, maple for the neck, and rosewood for the fretboard. Lacquer, wax and oil are used for the finishing of the bass guitar. Bass guitars are usually flat or curved. Some bass guitars appear to be headless with the tuning machines in the bridge. More expensive types of bass guitars and acoustic bass guitars are usually made of ovangkol, wenge, or ebony.

Electric guitars and bass guitars have similar amplification functions. To connect an amplifier to a speaker, a patch cord is used. Most electric bassists use a combo amplifier, with the amplifier and the speaker in one cabinet.

Musicians who regard playing instruments and creating music as a real career path spend a great deal of their time and effort in practicing and improving their talents on playing the bass guitar. Plucking techniques differ with each guitarist; pizzicato style would be when the strings are plucked with the fingers. James Jamerson played his “The Hook,” a style of plucking that only involved his index finger.

Several musicians from different genres use the slap and pop style of plucking. Funk uses tones and percussive sounds by slapping a string with the thumb and snapping the strings with the index or middle fingers. Rock and Fusion also use this method and this was popular all throughout the 80’s and 90’s.

When a guitarist wants to speed up his play, picks or plectrums is used to make the strumming more articulate and sound perfect and distinct. Picks for bass guitars are thicker and heavier because of its heavier strings.

There are several different bass guitars and amplifiers you can choose from. You can single handedly search online for the best types and even find several accoutrements you might be interested in.

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This is the Most Effective Way to Learn to Play Guitar Scales

This is the Most Effective Way to Learn to Play Guitar Scales

Every guitar player in the world has to learn to play guitar scales at some point in their guitar journey, and the creators of guitar lessons for beginners online are here to teach you to learn to play guitar scales as well as anything else you want to do with the guitar. Wow, this stuff gives you everything and more just so you can learn to master guitar, guaranteed. I’m serious. Let me tell you about everything that comes with it to learn to play guitar scales.

Guitar instruction software includes so much more besides guitar lessons to help you to learn to play guitar scales. First, there is a video database with hundreds of videos covering every guitar technique in the book. Also, the lessons are taught by some of the finest guitarists in the world. You will have everything you ever need to learn to play guitar scales.. any of them. There is also a forum where you can discuss anything and everything about guitar with guitarists from all over the world. Get ready to learn to play guitar scales for free right now.

Along with guitar lessons for beginners online, you will be able to use all the tools provided to learn to play guitar scales. For example, after you learn to play guitar scales with the video lessons, you can use the jam station to play along to over two-hundred professional backing tracks. Also, after you learn to play guitar scales, you can play in tempo using the metronome that comes with guitar instruction software. Then, if your guitar falls out of tune, use the tuner to get in tune; it also provides for other popular alternate tunings. There is so much that comes with guitar instruction software that you will learn to play guitar scales as well as anything else, guaranteed.

Learn to Play Guitar Scales Today!


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Acoustic bass guitar

Acoustic bass guitar

History

The first modern acoustic bass guitar was developed in the mid-1950s by Kay of Chicago[citation needed] but the design did not show up again in a production instrument until the early 1960s when Ernie Ball of San Luis Obispo, California began producing a model . Ball’s aim was to provide bass guitarists with a more acoustic-sounding instrument that would match better with the sound of acoustic guitars. Ball stated that “…if there were electric bass guitars to go with electric guitars then you ought to have acoustic basses to go with acoustic guitars.” Ball notes that “…the closest thing to an acoustic bass was the Mexican guitarron…in mariachi bands, so I bought one down in Tijuana and tinkered with it.”

Ball collaborated with George Fullerton, a former employee at Fender, to develop the Earthwood acoustic bass guitar, which was introduced in 1972. Production of this instrument ceased in 1974, resuming a few years later under the direction of Ernie Ball’s employee Dan Norton, who still works for Ernie Ball Inc., until production finally ended again in 1985. The Earthwood acoustic bass guitar was quite large (and deep) in contrast to most instruments in current production, which gave it more volume, especially in the low register.photo 1photo 2photo 3 The Ernie Ball company describes Ball’s design as “an idea before its time”; the instrument was little-used in acoustic musical performances until the late 1980s, when the acoustic basses were used in performances on the MTV Unplugged television program.

Construction and tuning

Unlike the electric bass guitar, which is generally a solid body instrument, the acoustic bass guitar usually has a hollow wooden body similar to (though usually somewhat larger than) that of the steel-string acoustic guitar. The majority of acoustic basses are fretted, but a significant number are fretless instead. Semi-fretted versions also exist, although they are quite rare.

Like the traditional electric bass and the double bass, the acoustic bass guitar commonly has four strings, which are normally tuned E-A-D-G, an octave below the lowest four strings of the 6-string guitar. Like the electric bass guitar, models with five or more strings have been produced, although these are less common. In part, this is because the body of an acoustic bass guitar is too small to produce a resonance of acceptable volume at lower pitches on the low “B” string. One solution uses the five string acoustic bass to add an additional high string (“E-A-D-G-C”) instead of adding a low “B”. Another solution is to rely on amplification to reproduce the low “B” string’s notes.

Because it can be difficult to hear an acoustic bass guitar without an amplifier, even in settings with other acoustic instruments, most acoustic basses have pickups, either magnetic or piezoelectric or both, so that they can be amplified with an instrument amplifier or a public address system.

There are also semi-acoustic models fitted with pickups that are intended to be used with an amplifier. The soundbox of these instruments is not large enough to amplify the sound; instead, it is designed to produce a distinctive tone when amplified, similarly to semi-acoustic electric guitars. Thin-body semi-acoustic basses such as the violin-shaped Hfner made famous by the early Beatles and several Fender models are not normally regarded as acoustic basses at all, but rather as hollow-bodied bass guitars. There are also semi-acoustic basses such as Godin Guitars’ “A-Series” that, once amplified, sound much closer between acoustic bass guitars and Upright Basses, and have been used in professional circles to “simulate” one when it would be impractical for transportation and other reasons to use a full-sized Upright bass. As with semi-acoustic electric guitars, the line between acoustic instruments fitted with pickups and electric instruments with tone-enhancing bodies is sometimes hard to draw, especially when some instruments can also be equipped with a variety of pickups such as piezo pickups, the “standard” of acoustic-electric instruments as well as synth pickups which can replay “virtual” Upright bass sounds and bring a semi-acoustic bass much closer to a Double Bass sonically.

Saga Musical Instruments produces a four-string bass resonator guitar under their Regal brand name.videos National Reso-Phonic Guitars also produce three models of resonator bass guitar.

Manufacturers

Other manufacturers of acoustic bass guitars (not mentioned above) include Alvarez, Ibanez, Applause, Breedlove, Cort, Crafter, Jerzey, Dean, Eko, Epiphone, Eston, Furch, Gibson, Guild, Washburn, Maton, Ovation, Michael Kelly, Prestige, Ribbecke Halfling Bass, Sunlite, Takamine, Tacoma, Tanglewood, Taylor, Larrive, Warwick, Fender and Martin.

Mexican bass guitars

Mexican guitarrn acoustic bass guitar

Traditional music of Mexico features several varieties of acoustic bass guitars. The baja sexto, with six pairs of strings, resembles a twelve-string guitar tuned an octave lower. The heavy gauge strings generate a large string tension, yet the guitar is built relatively lightly. The baja sexto began to be used in Texas in the 1920s with the rise of “Tex-Mex” music, where it continues to be used to play the parts which would be played by the piano in traditional American popular music. A Mexican variation of the baja sexto is called bajo sexto and matches the standard tuning of a 12-string guitar, one octave lower. The tuning of these instruments is (capital letters are an octave lower than small letters):

BAJA SEXTO – Ee Aa Dd Gg Cc Ff

BAJO SEXTO – Ee Aa Dd Gg Bb ee[citation needed]

The guitarrn or chitarrone is a very large, deep-bodied Mexican 6-string acoustic bass guitar played in Mariachi bands. Other Latin American acoustic bass guitars exist as well, see: Bordonua Also, since the classical contrabass guitar shares the same range as an ABG, it is a type of acoustic bass guitar, found in Mexico

References

^ a b History of Ernie Ball Strings and Music Man Guitars – Ernie Ball

External links

Guitar portal

Acoustic bass guitars

The Tinozza Acoustic Bass Guitar Description and downloadable plans for a flattop ABG

The Uccello Grasso Acoustic Bass Guitar Description and downloadable plans for an archtop ABG

The Bassola Acoustic Bass Guitar Description and summary assembly instructions for a large archtop ABG

Discover a Hobby: Online guide to learn Bass Guitar

5 string ABG tuned B-E-A-D-G

Ribbecke Guitar Co. – http://www.ribbeckehalfling.com

Play Bass

Categories: Guitars | String instruments | Bass guitars | Bass (sound)Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from November 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2008

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What are the Basics of Buying Electric Guitars?

What are the Basics of Buying Electric Guitars?

Just about every kid ever born wants to be a rock star. They see their favorite stars up there on stage playing the electric guitar to a crowd and want to do the same. Problem is, it’s not easy learning to play the electric guitar.

And of course before you learn to play the guitar you need to own a guitar, or at least borrow one. When you’re just starting out learning the electric guitar you don’t need one like Jimmy Hendrix would play, but you still need to get your hands on an electric guitar that will be adequate for the beginner. And if that’s you then there’s a few things that you need to know about electric guitars that may help in understanding a little more about them.

First thing to remember about buying your first electric guitar is that you don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands to do so. Be happy with a cheap electric guitar while you’re learning, and maybe once you hit the big time spend up big. However a cheap electric guitar will do the job for the first few years.

You also need to know exactly what style of music you will be playing on your guitar. Different styles of music require different styles of electric guitar. You need a different guitar to play rock, for example, to the guitar you’d buy if you were playing jazz.

So spend a little time researching the types of electric guitar that should be used by different music styles.

Electric guitar types boil down to 2 basic types, solid body and hollow body. As the name suggests a solid body guitar has no hollow space inside, and is usually, though not exclusively, made of solid wood. Different types of timber can produce different sounds, so as you get better you may want to research more on the type of timber you need to produce the sound you want, but in the early stages if you’re buying a cheap electric guitar don’t get too carried away getting the ideal timber, you may find it more expensive than you need to be paying, and it’s not essential at the start.

And there’s a few unusual terms you’ll need to become familiar with if you’re buying an electric guitar for the first time. Here’s a taste.

Pickups. The pickup is a magnet with a coil of wire wrapped around it placed right under the strings. This receives the vibrations of the strings and turns these into an electric signal for the amp to use. There are 2 types of pickup. The single coil, which produces a sound that sounds good for playing rock, blues and country. Humbuckers are a pickup with 2 coils next to each other that produces a warmer sound which is great for metal and rock in particular. Some guitars have a combination of single coils and humbuckers, and there is usually at least 2 pickups utilized.

Bridge. The bridge is where the strings connect to the body of the guitar. You can have a fixed bridge or a Vibrato bridge which allows you to move the bridge to tighten or loosen the strings. The fixed bridge is better for beginners who can graduate to a Vibrato bridge after they’ve mastered the basics.

Hollow body electric guitars are the second basic style of guitar. These, as the name suggests, have a hollow body although there is also a variation of this which is the semi hollow. As the player plays his guitar the hollow space helps the body resonate which produces a quite distinctive sound. These are good guitars for jazz. These hollow body guitars also utilize pickups, including single coil and humbucker.

That’s really just the start when it comes to understanding electric guitars, and for the enthusiast it’s a lifetime job learning all there is to know about them. And finding out exactly what it is that you need to play to produce exactly the sound you want to produce. That’s part of the fun of playing the guitar, it’s a constant learning process, not just about how to play but what to play as well.

However remember, the most important piece of advice. If you’re a beginner don’t spend up big the first time. Buy yourself a cheap electric guitar first, then learn to play that and take it from there. It’s the best way to kick off your rock star career.


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What are the Basics of Buying Electric Guitars?

What are the Basics of Buying Electric Guitars?

Just about every kid ever born wants to be a rock star. They see their favorite stars up there on stage playing the electric guitar to a crowd and want to do the same. Problem is, it’s not easy learning to play the electric guitar.

And of course before you learn to play the guitar you need to own a guitar, or at least borrow one. When you’re just starting out learning the electric guitar you don’t need one like Jimmy Hendrix would play, but you still need to get your hands on an electric guitar that will be adequate for the beginner. And if that’s you then there’s a few things that you need to know about electric guitars that may help in understanding a little more about them.

First thing to remember about buying your first electric guitar is that you don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands to do so. Be happy with a cheap electric guitar while you’re learning, and maybe once you hit the big time spend up big. However a cheap electric guitar will do the job for the first few years.

You also need to know exactly what style of music you will be playing on your guitar. Different styles of music require different styles of electric guitar. You need a different guitar to play rock, for example, to the guitar you’d buy if you were playing jazz.

So spend a little time researching the types of electric guitar that should be used by different music styles.

Electric guitar types boil down to 2 basic types, solid body and hollow body. As the name suggests a solid body guitar has no hollow space inside, and is usually, though not exclusively, made of solid wood. Different types of timber can produce different sounds, so as you get better you may want to research more on the type of timber you need to produce the sound you want, but in the early stages if you’re buying a cheap electric guitar don’t get too carried away getting the ideal timber, you may find it more expensive than you need to be paying, and it’s not essential at the start.

And there’s a few unusual terms you’ll need to become familiar with if you’re buying an electric guitar for the first time. Here’s a taste.

Pickups. The pickup is a magnet with a coil of wire wrapped around it placed right under the strings. This receives the vibrations of the strings and turns these into an electric signal for the amp to use. There are 2 types of pickup. The single coil, which produces a sound that sounds good for playing rock, blues and country. Humbuckers are a pickup with 2 coils next to each other that produces a warmer sound which is great for metal and rock in particular. Some guitars have a combination of single coils and humbuckers, and there is usually at least 2 pickups utilized.

Bridge. The bridge is where the strings connect to the body of the guitar. You can have a fixed bridge or a Vibrato bridge which allows you to move the bridge to tighten or loosen the strings. The fixed bridge is better for beginners who can graduate to a Vibrato bridge after they’ve mastered the basics.

Hollow body electric guitars are the second basic style of guitar. These, as the name suggests, have a hollow body although there is also a variation of this which is the semi hollow. As the player plays his guitar the hollow space helps the body resonate which produces a quite distinctive sound. These are good guitars for jazz. These hollow body guitars also utilize pickups, including single coil and humbucker.

That’s really just the start when it comes to understanding electric guitars, and for the enthusiast it’s a lifetime job learning all there is to know about them. And finding out exactly what it is that you need to play to produce exactly the sound you want to produce. That’s part of the fun of playing the guitar, it’s a constant learning process, not just about how to play but what to play as well.

However remember, the most important piece of advice. If you’re a beginner don’t spend up big the first time. Buy yourself a cheap electric guitar first, then learn to play that and take it from there. It’s the best way to kick off your rock star career.

Music video for Prefab Sprout’s 1997 single ‘Electric Guitars,’ taken from the album ‘Andromeda Heights.’ Brought to you by www.prefabsprout.net
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Vintage Guitar Amp Speakers

Vintage Guitar Amp Speakers

It’s really important to tune your guitar properly, one reason beginners often struggle to play a tune that sounds right is because their guitar isn’t in tune, so make a point of tuning your guitar every time you play it.

Vintage Guitar Amp Speakers

Before you start check your guitar strings are not worn out or rusty. If they are, or if it’s been a few months since you change them (or less if you play your guitar every day) then fit a new set before you start.

There are two ways to tune a guitar, either manually or with an electronic tuner. If you are a beginner, we would recommend an electronic tuner if possible as this makes it so much easier to tune your guitar so you can get on with learning to play it.

Here are the notes for each guitar string from thickest (lowest pitch) to thinnest (highest pitch)

6th – E – thickest (lowest pitch)5th – A4th – D3rd – G2nd – B1st – E – thinnest (highest pitch)

Tuning your guitar with an electronic tuner:

The tuner has a microphone built in that picks up the sound as you play each string, it then compares this to how the note should sound and a meter or a light shows you how close the sound was, all you need to do is adjust the string with the tuning peg until the meter tells you it’s at the correct pitch. Repeat for each string and you’re done.

Tuning your guitar manually

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To tune accurately you need a reference (like a tuned piano) so you can compare the sound made by your guitar’s 6th (E) string to the first E below

middle C on the reference, you then adjust the string until it matches the reference. This is absolute tuning and will ensure that your guitar is correctly in tune. However if you’re playing alone or with several instruments that have all been tuned together it’s not absolutely necessary – it’s only necessary that the guitar is in tune with itself and with the other instruments in the group.

First step is to tune the E string as this will be used as the reference. You can tune this by comparing to a reference as described above, or by ear.

The E string is the thickest so doesn’t go out of tune easily, so it should be close to the correct pitch.

To tune the A string (5th)Place the first finger of your left hand behind the fifth fret to play A on the E string, then pluck the A string and compare the sounds. Use the tuning peg to adjust the pitch of the A string until it sounds the same.

To tune the D string (4th)Place the first finger of your left hand behind the fifth fret to play D on the A string, then pluck the D string and compare the sounds. Use the tuning peg to adjust the pitch of the D string until it sounds the same as the same.

To tune the G string (3rd)Place the first finger of your left hand behind the fifth fret to play G on the D string, then pluck the G string and compare the sounds. Use the tuning peg to adjust the pitch of the G string until it sounds the same as the same.

To tune the B string (2nd)Place the first finger of your left hand behind the fourth fret to play B on the G string. Note the change of fret. Now pluck the B string and compare the sounds. Use the tuning peg to adjust the pitch of the B string until it sounds the same as the same.

To tune the E string (1st)Place the first finger of your left hand behind the fourth fret to play E on the B string, then pluck the E string and compare the sounds. Use the tuning peg to adjust the pitch of the E string until it sounds the same as the same.

Your guitar should now be in tune. Remember to retune every time you play your guitar.

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PG’s Brett Petrusek is On Location at the 2008 Arlington Guitar Show and Auction. While on the floor in Arlington, we decided to get the dope straight from the dealers. In this segment, we tackled vintage guitar market questions and concerns with several dealers and buyers. For more gear news, visit www.premierguitar.com
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