What are the Different Types of Guitar?
One of the most daunting tasks when starting to learn how to play guitar can be choosing between the different types of guitars that are on the market. Everybody knows the two 'main' types of guitar - acoustic and electric - but there's much more to it than that.
In this guide I'll take a look at different types of acoustic guitars, before going into some detail about the different types of electric guitars and what they mean for learners, players and audiences.
The important thing to remember is, there's a type of guitar for every learner and every player. From lighter solid body electric guitars, to versatile electro-acoustic guitars, to the rich and warm tones of archtop guitars, I can help you find the instrument for you.
If you are ever in need of guitar repairs, there are many choices of luthier in Leeds and West Yorkshire.
Classical Guitars
Classical guitars are one of the main types of acoustic guitars. They are also known as nylon string acoustic guitars, because their strings are either a single length of nylon, or are made of nylon wrapped with wire.
A lot of people who start to learn acoustic guitar opt for classical guitars without even knowing there is an alternative - and that's fine, because they're a perfectly good place to start.
The nylon strings give classical guitars a more mellow sound, which makes them a popular choice for folk, jazz and pop music, as well as for the classical music that gives them their name.
Acoustic Guitars
There are two main types of acoustic guitars. One is classical guitars, which we've already looked at. The other is steel-string acoustic guitars. On these, the strings are either single strands of steel wire, or are wound with wire.
Metal produces a very different sound to nylon, and this can take some learners by surprise when starting to learn acoustic guitar. Steel-string acoustic guitars give a brighter-sounding tone and are used not only for pop and folk music, but also for genres like country, bluegrass, rock and blues.
Electro-Acoustic Guitars
Electro-acoustic guitars look and function like acoustic guitars, but have a jack to connect to an amplifier. They also have a small control panel on the base of the guitar itself, where you can adjust the volume and built-in audio equaliser settings (EQ).
These hybrid guitars are not the same as fully electric guitars - in fact they have more in common with the conventional types of acoustic guitars, and can even be played without an amp attached for a traditional acoustic sound, ideal in smaller venues for acoustic open mic nights.
Electric Guitars
Electric guitars use an amplifier to increase the volume of the output. But they can do much more than that. Because of the way the sound is produced, you can alter the tone of an electric guitar in many different ways, as well as adding effects like reverb, sustain, distortion and pitch adjustments.
Just like acoustic guitars, there are also several different types of electric guitars. Because they have more features, there are many more types of electric guitars than there are acoustic guitars.
Here we will look at some of the main types of electric guitars. We won't go into specific guitars from different manufacturers, but instead we'll look at the different types of electric guitars you can choose from across the whole of the market.
Solid Body Guitars
Solid body electric guitars do not use resonance to produce sound at all. Instead the vibrations of the strings are detected by the 'pickups', which then transmit them as an electrical signal to the amplifier.
Because the body is a solid piece of wood, there is less workmanship needed to build a solid body guitar. They can still be of very high quality, but often cost less than hollow body guitars because of this easier construction.
Since solid body guitars can be heavier than hollow body guitars, you may need to adjust how long to practise guitar, for example taking regular breaks.
Due to their versatility, solid body guitars are commonly used for a wide range of styles, especially for rock music as hollow body guitars run the risk of having feedback noise when the signal is overdriven/distorted. Contact me for more information on this topic, or sign up for some rock guitar lessons to improve your playing.
Hollow Body Guitars
Hollow body guitars have a hollow interior, similar to traditional acoustic guitars. They may have f-holes, similar to a violin, either side of the bottom end of the fretboard. You can also get archtop guitars, which have a slightly arched front to increase the interior space even more.
The hollow interior allows the sound to resonate around the guitar body, just like on an acoustic or electro-acoustic guitar. The result is a fully electric guitar but with a richer, more rounded tone that can sound much warmer to listeners.
Widely regarded as offering the warmest tone of any electric guitars, hollow body guitars are also among the most expensive, due to their more complicated construction. They are popular for genres like jazz and blues, where the guitar is part of an ensemble and playing in the rhythm section. If you are interested in learning more about these styles, get in touch for some jazz guitar lessons.
Semi-Hollow Guitars
A semi-hollow guitar has a solid block of wood in the centre of its body, with some amount of hollow space around it. This has a couple of effects. The tone of the guitar sounds less like that of an acoustic guitar, but the sustain increases on the notes played.
The solid block helps make semi-hollow guitars more resistant to unwanted feedback when playing at loud volumes. Like hollow body guitars, semi-hollow guitars have a thicker body, due to the cavity inside. This can make them feel more natural to acoustic guitar players who want to make the switch over to electric guitars.
Siblings of Guitars
Guitars of all kinds rely on plucking and strumming strings, and as such they are part of the same family that also includes bowed instruments like violins and cellos.
Some examples of similar instruments to the guitar include the banjo, popular in country music, and the ukulele, a four-stringed guitar-like instrument that has its origins in Hawaii.
The three-stringed hollow body balalaika comes from Russia and has a distinctive triangular body, while the lute - the parent of the whole family of plucked and bowed string instruments - has been traced back beyond 3,000 BC.
If you're new to learning guitar and need some personal advice on the different types of guitars you can choose from - or if you're switching from acoustic and want help choosing from the different types of electric guitars - drop me a line today and I'll be happy to help.
