Tools of the Trade: Types of Guitars
Not all guitars are created equally. Some are better suited to campfire gatherings and folk songs, while others are designed for ripping solos in a death metal band. No matter the style of music you’re playing, you’ll want to use the right type of guitar. While there are numerous guitar manufacturers and hundreds of styles and models, there are only a handful of guitar types.
Acoustic Guitars
First up, we have the traditional acoustic guitar. It’s wide hollow body and steel strings help to create its unmistakable sound. It can be played with a pick, or you can pluck and strum the strings with your fingers. Since it’s an acoustic instrument, it requires no amplification to be heard. That being said, some acoustic guitars contain a pickup that allows users to amplify them while retaining their iconic sound qualities. Acoustic guitars typically have 18-20 frets, which is fewer than on most electric guitars. They’re much better suited to strumming chords as opposed to intricate guitar solos with many notes played in rapid succession. New guitarists may find pressing down on the strings after a while to be slightly painful at first, but once calluses form, the discomfort goes away.
Electric Guitars
There are dozens of different models of electric guitars, but they all generally work the same way. Their bodies are much skinnier than acoustic guitars and are solid wood instead of hollow. As a result, they need to be plugged into an amplifier in order to be heard. Electric guitars contain at least one pickup, which is a device that converts the vibration of the strings into an electrical signal that can then be manipulated and amplified. They usually contain 21-24 frets, but some specialized models may have as many as 27.
One of the biggest perks of electric guitars is the ability to drastically alter their sound using a wide array of effects. Some amplifiers have a built-in spring reverb or other basic effects, but beyond that, there are hundreds of other effect pedals available that can be chained together to create endless sonic possibilities. Strings on an electric guitar generally don’t feel quite as stiff as on acoustic guitars and the action is typically a bit lower, making it easier to press strings down onto frets. Electric guitars usually have more frets accessible, allowing for a greater range than acoustic guitars. Their body shape also makes it easier to reach the very highest frets, often featuring a cutaway to accommodate the fretting hand. These days, electric guitars are used in most styles of music, but are especially featured in pop, rock, and metal music.
Semi-Hollowbody Guitars
Combining elements of both acoustic guitars and electric guitars, semi-hollowbody guitars have a body that’s mostly hollow aside from the solid core that runs the length of the body beneath the pickups. Semi-hollowbody guitars are much thinner than your typical acoustic guitar. They still require an amplifier to really be heard, but have a warmer tone and less sustain compared to an electric guitar with a solid body. They don’t handle high gain or heavy distortion well (you’ll get tons of feedback), but are perfect for smooth, clean, round tones. Guitarists that play a lot of jazz and blues typically prefer a semi-hollowbody instrument.
Classical Guitars
While also technically an acoustic guitar, classical guitars have a couple of key distinctive features. They have nylon strings instead of steel strings, their body is slightly smaller than typical acoustic guitars, and their neck is slightly wider with the strings spaced out a bit more. The spacing between the strings makes it easier to play with fingerpicking, which is the primary way of playing a classical guitar. The nylon strings are a little thicker and softer compared to the steel strings on an acoustic guitar so beginners find them very comfortable to play on. They have a rounder, more mellow sound than acoustic guitars with steel strings. They’re typically used in low-volume music and are not easily amplified as they don’t contain a pickup.
12-String Guitars
12-string guitars contain 6 pairs of strings where the strings in each pair are so close to one another that it’s essentially impossible to pluck just one. The super tight spacing of the strings in each pair makes pressing on a fret feel like you’re only pressing down on one string. The strings in the 4 lowest pairs (E, A, D, and G) are tuned an octave apart from one another, while the 2 highest pairs of strings (B and high E) are tuned to the same note. 12-string guitars come in both acoustic and electric varieties. They have a rich, somewhat shimmery tone compared to regular 6-string guitars. The neck and headstock on these guitars are usually a little bigger to accommodate all of the additional strings.
Extended Range Guitars
Feeling limited by the range of your standard 6-string guitar? Some styles of modern music, particularly progressive metal and death metal, use guitars that have extra strings that are tuned even lower than the low E string. Unlike the strings on a 12-string guitar, these additional strings are spaced evenly, requiring a wider and often slightly longer neck to accommodate them. The lowest string on a 7-string guitar is usually tuned to a low B. On an 8-string guitar, there’s yet another lower string, typically tuned to F#. These lower strings significantly extend the range of the guitar and allow it to dabble in a lower register that’s more often played by the bass. The guitar below on the left has 7 strings and the one on the right has 8 strings.
Learning to Play
Do you already own a guitar but don’t know how to actually play it? Consider signing up for our group guitar class, the Guitarist’s Roadmap. This class is designed for people that have zero prior experience with playing an instrument. You’ll learn alongside like-minded individuals that are eager to acquire the fundamentals of the guitar while becoming integrated with a growing community of musicians. Click the button below to learn more.