An Introduction to the Types of Guitar

The guitar is one of the most popular musicalblues. There are also variations of the resonator guitar:
instruments today. There are different kinds of guitarsthe square-neck resonator guitar is played on the lap
that are available out for different guitar players.like a piano or organ; and the round neck resonator
Guitars are different in terms of playability, overallguitar is played like a common guitar. Resonator guitars
appearance and sound quality.work very well with glass or metal slides.
Here are some of the types of guitars that guitar5) Archtop
players or aspiring guitar players can choose from:The archtop guitar was inspired by other instruments
Acousticsuch as the violin and the cello. An archtop guitar
If you want go get into the guitar world, you can startusually has the f-hole design. Jazz players prefer
learning with an acoustic guitar.archtop guitars. Some archtop guitars can command a
Acoustic guitars are dependent on their structures andprice of about $25,000.
body shapes for resonating sounds. Unlike the more6) Acoustic Bass
modern electric guitars, they don't rely on otherAcoustic bass guitars are bass guitars without
external devices to enhance sounds. The naturalelectronic pick-ups. The body of the guitar is used to
vibrations of the strings are resonated by the body ofproduce the sound. They are usually 4-stringed guitars
the guitar.but there are acoustic bass guitars which have 5 or 6
Acoustic guitars are generally made out of wood. Thestrings.
neck is usually made from mahogany and the fretElectric
board is made of maple or rosewood. There areElectric guitars make use of electronic pick-ups to
many kinds of acoustic guitars, here are some ofamplify the vibrations of the guitar strings. They are
them:usually connected to electric amplifiers. Electric guitars
1) Classicalhave a solid or semi-solid body type and they don't
Classical guitars are very popular and are usually theuse the body for sound resonance so usually make
choice guitar for beginners. The strings are usuallyvery little or no sound when played without an amplifier.
made from nylon. They are usually played in aThe concept used by electric guitars is that the energy
standard sitting position and used in playing classicalof the strings is diverted into electrical impulses and not
music. Classical guitars produce whole sounds whichdirectly into sound so that they are able to achieve an
are very pleasing to the ear.amplified sound.
Flamenco guitars are similar to classical guitars,Electric guitars usually have control knobs for changing
however, they produce crisper and thinner sounds thanthe volume or the tone of the guitar. There are also
the other classical guitars.pick-up selectors in electric guitars and many electric
2) Steel-topguitars use multiple pick-ups to achieve the best guitar
Steel-top guitars are much similar than the classicalsounds. These pick-ups gather and produce different
guitar but are constructed to be more resilient. Thetones from the guitar. The tone knobs are used to shift
parts of the steel-top guitar are reinforced and theirfrom a bass-intensive sound to a treble-intensive
bodies are significantly larger than the classical guitars.sound or vice versa.
They also produce a warmer tone than the classicalSome electric guitars also have whammy bars. These
guitar.bars are attached to the guitar to shift notes without
3) 12-String guitarchanging the finger positions on the fret board.
A normal guitar usually has 6 strings, but the 12-stringWhammy bars are used to produce "crying" guitar
guitar, as its name implies, has 12 strings. Each string issounds and are a very useful tool when performing
accompanied by another string with the same note butrock and roll songs or even ballads. The use of the
is usually tuned in a higher octave. This guitar produceswhammy bar in less expensive guitars is not advised
a semi-chorus effect which is very pleasant to the ear.because it may cause the strings to go out of tune.
4) ResonatorThese are some of the basic types of guitars that are
This type of guitar is similar to the steel-top guitar, butavailable for everyone. Guitars are made to fit the
the steel in the middle of the soundboard is used topreferences of the player in terms of playability and
amplify the sound from the vibration of the guitarsound. Choose the guitar that best fits your
strings to produce a very thin and distinct sound.preference.
These guitars are generally used when playing the