The Electric guitar

The electric guitar changed music more than probably any other instrument. Rock, blues, jazz and many other forms of music were enhanced tremendously when the electric guitar became available.

The electric guitar basics are the same today as they were when first developed. Magnetic guitar pickups pick up sound vibrations from the strings on your guitar and pass these signals to an amplifier which produces the sound.

What guitar you need partly depends on the style of music you are going to play and what kind of sound you want to create. If possible, try out several types and models to determine what tone you prefer.

For rock, the old-school standards are the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster. Most new guitars today are built on these models or a variation. The Stratocaster is a solid body guitar while the Les Paul has a semi-hollow body.

An acoustic electric guitar is basically an acoustic guitar with a pickup mounted on it. The tone is more mellow than a standard electric guitar.

Some of the more popular electric guitar manufacturers are:

Fender

Gibson

When purchasing an electric guitar you'll also going to need the following:

guitar amplifier - there are many options.

guitar cables - to connect to your amplifier.

guitar straps - the wider the strap, the more comfortable.

guitar picks - picks range is size, stiffness and color.

guitar cases - pick a hard body case that fits your guitar properly.

electronic tuner - electronic tuners are very inexpensive these days and are well worth the investment.

The way a guitar sounds can be influenced by many factors.

Strings come in different thicknesses (gauges) which cause different sounds.

The pickups on the guitar vary by manufacturer, type and position on the guitar body. Electric guitars can have active or passive pick-ups. Guitars utilizing active electronics have pick-ups that boost the sound coming from the guitar before reaching the amplifier. Active electronics provides more control over the tone being produced by the guitar and the volume also. Heavy metal guitar players prefer active circuitry because of the ability to boost the sound before amplification.

Additional information about purchasing a guitar