Electric Guitars buying guide: Learn about the various types, and factors to consider before buying one. What makes it a bit more challenging than buying an acoustic one, is that you need to know basics of an amplifier, as you’ll need one for your electric guitar.
Most Youngsters are quite fond of electric guitars, and quite understandably so! Go checkout any rock show or music concerts, and it is most likely that the guitarists and singers will take centre-stage.
The electric guitar is also used in most modern styles of music. Some of the most popular songs have been played on the guitar, and there is no dearth of star guitar players.
No wonder then these music instruments have a huge following.
But before you can select a Beginner Electric Guitar, it is important to understand a few basic concepts, and to be sure about the style of music you want to play.
Electric Guitar: Quick Overview
Here’s a quick overview of the important features to look for in an electric guitar.
- You get various types of electric guitars such as solid body, chambered body, semi-acoustic, full hollow-body, electric acoustic.
- You also have choices of 6-string and 12-strings (bass guitars can have 4 strings)
- On electric guitars, the sound is created by the vibration of the strings that is then amplified before coming out through the speakers. That’s why you need an amplifier.
As with most things, learning to play the guitar seems difficult initially, but after a few weeks you should feel more comfortable playing it. If you are really passionate, then you should be able to overcome the initial hiccups.
As a beginner, it is better to buy a simple electric guitar, and start learning the basics. After a few months or a year you can think about upgrading, if you have progressed really well with your playing.
Types of Electric Guitars
There are a number of choices in electric guitars, so its important to understand the anatomy of the guitar which will help you purchase the right type of guitar.
There are different types of electric guitars.
Body of the Guitar
The guitar comes in 3 different body styles, namely:
- Hollow body, which produces an acoustic sound and is prone to feedback at high levels of amplification.
- Semi-hollow Body Guitar, is best when acoustic sound of the guitar is required with high level of amplification.
- Solid-body Guitar, If you need loud amplification and lots of effects, a solid body is the best choice.
Hence it is important for you to know the type of body style you prefer before buying a guitar.
Hollow Bodied Electric Guitars
Hollow-bodied guitars generate brighter sound, the acoustic resonance in a full hollow-body construction gives the sound a a bit of “twang” and you get a fuller sound. The better ones gives out a sweeter tone.
You can even play these electric guitars without using an amplifier, but you may not get the same fullness of sound as you would find in a traditional acoustic guitar. But for practicing at home, you can definitely play it without plugging it into an amplifier.
I’m sure if you have played guitar for some time now, you would obviously have come across these guitars. It is very easy to get impressed with these hollow-bodied guitars but then they are expensive and out of reach for most beginners. There are a few moderately priced ones also but compared to the other types of guitars, these are priced on the higher side.
The other problem that inexperienced players may face is that of feedback, especially if like to play at high volume. It is usually not a problem at moderate levels of volume, but if you still want to play at high volumes, switch to a semi-hollow or solid-body guitar.
Alternatively play around with the placement of the amp in relation to your location while playing. You may even choose to buy Doug’s Plugs to deal with this problem, good investment and it doesn’t affect the tone either.
Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitars
Musicians like the sound of semi-hollow bodied guitars because they’re known for having their own type of resonance with good sustain.
Full hollows, though more like acoustic, are more prone to feedback especially at higher volumes. And because they are more like acoustic they have a woody tone. Semi-hollow electric guitars on the other hand have less feedback issues and have more sustaining sound; basically these have more “bite” to their tone.
Some of the semi-hollows are constructed in such a way that it has a center block, typically made of maple, to support the pickups so that feedback is reduced considerably. The flip-side to this approach is that the block can make these guitars heavier. Some of he expensive ones use other lightweight wood material like Balsa to make it much lighter.
Hollow-bodies electric guitars can sound almost as loud as the acoustic ones and are great for playing unplugged. Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitars on the other hand are quite versatile because of their louder, nastier, sustaining sounds and can be used for playing in different genres of music.
History & Evolution
The sound on Electric Guitars is what drives most wannabe guitarist towards the guitar. Most youngsters who visit a rock concert get fascinated by the sound of the drums and the distortion electric guitars, and the dream of playing like a lead guitarist drives most of them towards the guitar. It is another thing that most of them start learning the acoustic guitar but the fact remains they all want to play the electric guitar someday.
But ever wondered how the electric guitar has transformed over the years? How was the electric guitar in terms of make, in terms of the strings it utilized, and what sort of amplifiers were used?
Earlier Years of Guitar
Few decades back, guitarists faced this major problem that their rhythms were not heard above the other instruments. Perhaps the biggest issue using these electric guitars was that feedback seemed to be returning from the guitar amp out of the vibration from the guitar’s body. This is what prompted manufacturers to come out with a new model and this gave birth to the solid body electric guitar. This was way back around the nineteen thirties.
But the earliest guitar, the acoustic ones dates long back, probably around the fourteenth century. It comprised of four courses of double strings and had a much rounded body. But the popularity started taking place, especially among the middle and lower classes of Europe in mostly around the sixteenth century.
Genesis of Electric Guitars
By the nineteenth century, the body of the guitar was flattened out and made wider. In the twentieth century the wooden tuning pegs were replaced by metal machine heads, used primarily to adjust the tension of the strings. This was the genesis of the modern electric guitar. Another important guitar accessory, the pedals, were introduced sometime in the nineteen sixties. Effects boxes were introduced that added fuzz, delay, echo and the wah-wah sound to the already varied sounds that were available to guitarists.
Now it is possible to have guitars that do not have sound holes and can be heard clearly through amps. But the earliest electric guitars had a hole. An engineer with the Gibson factory used a magnet to change guitar string vibrations into electrical signals, which could be amplified through a speaker. This is how the electric guitar was born.
Modern Electric Guitars
Contemporary electric guitars are constructed with several slim sheets of wood fused with each other. The highest coating is usually a more appealing wood to offer the guitar an attractive visual appeal, and the other tiers are of a wood that gives a great tone. The application of laminates gives the instrument a sturdy physical structure and tonal quality that will be extremely hard to get with one layer of wood. Manufacturers of today have made solid body electric guitars with genuine concepts, exclusive designs and brand-new components blended with contemporary technologies to create more potent and extremely versatile electric guitars. Electric guitars nowadays generate tones that range from semi-acoustic sounds to some cool cutting-edge music.
Factors to Consider When Buying an Electric Guitar
Important things to keep in mind:
- These are available in solid, hollow, and semi-hollow bodies.
- Each produces their own distinctive sound so you choose depending on what you’re looking for.
- Solidbodies offer greater sustain whereas the hollowbodies have a warmer tone.
- Hollowbodies are more susceptible to feedback, these are used by experienced players who know how to handle the feedback problem using humbuckers, amp settings and effects processors.
- Majority use solid bodies, which also offers infinite variety of shapes and designs.
If you read some of the most popular guitar forums, you’ll come across comments saying that you cannot play a particular style using a particular guitar, which is actually not true. Though there could be some limitations, you can overcome those using techniques, which you gain through experience. As you get more experienced you’ll know that when it comes to arts. There are usually no fixed rules so you’re free to experiment. At the end of the day, it’s all about having fun playing the guitar and making good music.
Some one may say that you can’t play jazz with a Les Paul, and so on. However, I know of many guitarists who play country on a Mosrite (with humbuckers), or a Les Paul (with P90s), or a fully hollow build (with Strat pickups), or a steel bodied tri-cone, there are many jazz guys who play LPs and other non traditional jazz guitars like tele’s, nylon string guitars etc, and guess what? They all work just fine, provided you know how to deal with the issues (and there are definitely ways to deal with them).
If you’re a beginner, you really don’t have to go after a brand name (I know its fun to show off to your friends), and spend lots of money, as its not going to automatically make you a better musician. Most Epiphone guitars are carbon copies of the more expensive Les Paul models, and they do sell well.
- Pickups: Pickups are of 2 types. The one closer to the neck produces a thicker sound while the one close to the bridge produces a treble sound. You can also switch between pickups or blend them with a 3 position switch.
- Neck: The neck of the guitar is different in every guitar. Choosing a guitar also depends on the size of your hand. Some of the shapes of the guitar are – c-shaped, wide-thin, thin etc.
- Frets: If you want to play with full octave, you should go in for a guitar having 24 frets. Usually, you will find the guitar with 22 frets.
- Type of Wood: The type of wood also affects the sound of the guitar.
- Scale Length: The scale length is the distance between the nut and the bridge. The scale length affects the tonal quality as well as the tension of the string at certain pitch. There are 3 scales that are commonly found- the Gibson scale, the Fender scale and the third scale used by Paul Reed Smith.
- Bridge: Tremolo and Stoptail are the 2 different kinds of Bridge in a guitar. With the Tremolo, you can bend all the strings at once. But it may also make the strings out of tune. In comparison, Stoptail is fixed to the body of the guitar and is much more stable when it comes to tuning it, as compared to Tremolo.
Buying Tips for Beginners
Most wannabe guitarists have this dream of owning an electric guitar and strumming it in front of a live audience, but before you can do that you need to buy a quality electric guitar and learn to play it.
Buying a guitar involves doing research and familiarizing oneself with the various parts of a guitar, and also knowing about the various brands that are available in the market.
Can be Expensive: There are several factors that impact the overall quality of an electric guitar. The wood quality, pick-up, neck, frets all add to the overall sound in some ways or the other.
Most beginners will find that an electric guitar is comparatively expensive compared to some of the entry level acoustic guitars. However, if you are an intermediate guitar player, do choose a premium quality guitar as it will really inspire you play more and do better.
However, on most budget guitars for beginners, you can expect average quality wood, pick-ups, and other hardware, which is okay (considering that these are cheaper yet functional). If you are a beginner guitar player looking for your first guitar or trying to upgrade to another budget guitar, its perfectly okay to pickup a budget guitar.
Can Have Jaw Dropping Sound & Finish: Some of the top electric guitars can actually make your jaw drop when you see and hear them. The better ones will have a much better finish, perfect intonation, smooth frets, no buzzing sounds from the strings, and so on, something that you see in the budget guitars.
However, beginners should choose something that is easy to play and affordable, so that you can upgrade to a better model when you have outgrown this one. Most beginner guitars sound good, though the finish may look like a budget one.
Feel Free to Replace the Strings
Some of the guitars may come stringed, but you may choose to go in for better strings like the Ernie Ball Super strings. It costs only a few dollars more but if you are comfortable with the one that you have, just don’t bother. Again, if you are comfortable playing with lighter strings by all means do that. There are many students who prefer beginner electric because it is easier on the fingers as opposed to a basic/budget acoustic guitar. Personal choice, I would say.
On some guitars, a couple of frets could be high and may interfere with some of the strings, but then this is something that can be worked around or you may restring to do the necessary adjustments.
Can You Practice Using Headphones?
Regarding the amplifier, check if the jack on the amp can be used to connect a headphone. If not you will need a converter cable. Being able to connect headphones is a good option for silent practice at weird hours.
Go for Bundled Kits
If you have the budget, go in for those complete kits, you will get also get a amplifier, tuner, cable and picks, along with a carry case. Some may even throw in a distortion pedal. These may not be of the best quality but do their job well, and these are good to have as a beginner. With new guitars it is a good practice to tune it before you start playing. The tuner, though might look cheap, but is accurate enough to use.
With electric guitars, you also need an amp to hear the sound. In most cases, you do get bundled packages that also include an amplifier along with the guitar, so look out for such options in case you don’t already own one.
Here are some tips that you may consider, if you are looking for a beginner electric guitar.
Consider inexpensive guitar kits if you’re buying for your child or for yourself and if you’ve never played guitar. It is possible to find good budget ones for around 200 bucks, including the amp.
Guitar Kits are better because unlike acoustic guitar, electric guitar requires an amplifier, so even if you’re a first time buyer, you’ll need to invest in both.
Buy an electric guitar that is of the adequate size.
Here’s a useful video on Buying an electric guitar for beginners:
If you are a serious student, short on case, you could consider buying an older amplifier from a great maker and putting the bulk of your cash toward your new guitar.
Visit music instrument stores and talk to the sales guys there. It is quickest way to learn a lot about these instruments, and to see, hear and feel the instruments in person.
Be sure to check out few of these guitars in your local music store, to get a hang of how they feel and sound. You will also be able to ask questions to their experienced staff.
Feel free to ask questions about the various parts.
See how accessories such as guitar strings, picks, and tuner look like
Check if you can postpone buying some of the accessories
Find out what should be the guitar to upgrade to, once you know how to play
It is important that you devote some time to learn more about these instruments.
Prices for electric guitars can range from a few hundred dollars on the lower side, and can easily go as high as a few thousand dollars. On the other hand, you can always buy an electric guitar later on, once you have learnt to play on an acoustic one.
Best Electric Guitars…
Here are some things to keep in mind when looking for your first electric guitar in this price range.
If you’re a beginner its best to stick to something basic, such as a Fender stratocaster or perhaps the ones from Ibanez and upgrade to a better one down the line. If you need a guitar for playing in any particular style (such as metal), you may also need the right amp to get sound you’re looking for.
Most experienced guitar players look at construction, components and intonation, before buying a guitar. The good thing is that the major brands have good quality controls in place so you can expect the guitars to be of reasonable quality, even if they are cheap.
Experienced players would agree that new players should buy a guitar WITHOUT a tremolo bridge, as All drop tuning plays havoc with the bridge (tremolo bridge). You should ideally go with something that has a fixed bridge. If you plan to drop tune, consider a hardtail bridge; its anyway a better idea for a new guitar player.
The good guitars in this price range usually don’t come with a tremolo system (the ones that have are just about okay). Good tremolo mean something like the Floyd Rose style locking tremolo, which costs more.
- Affinity Strats by Squier, BC Rich, Epiphone, Ibanez, ESP are good choices in this price range
- Don’t forget the amps, Line 6, Peavey, fender Mustang are good amps
- You may also buy used stuff, that automatically doubles your budget (requires more knowledge of guitars though)
In case you are not going in for a bundled package, go in for a good amplifier such as the ones from Peavey or the Line 6 Spider IV series.
Irrespective of what brand you buy, you need to remember that you can play almost any type of music with any guitar. You may need the right pick ups though (easily replaceable). So go ahead and pick up your favorite telecaster, stratocaster, ESP, Ibanez, or any other brand. And if you’re not happy with the outcome, take it apart and install new pickups.
Best Electric Guitar Brands
There are several good guitar brands out there that you may consider when purchasing one. Fender, Epiphone, and Squier electric guitars are quite popular.
Fender Standard Stratocaster is among the better choices for beginners. Many professionals and musicians have used the Fender Stratocaster at some point in time in their careers. The best part is their aftermarket collection which makes it the best option for customization.
Epiphone and Yamaha electric guitars are also quite popular among the guitar playing crowd and have a good variety of guitars.
Electric Guitar Prices
So how much do the entry-level & the more expensive electric guitars cost? You probably have an idea how much how much do the beginner guitars cost, if you have spend some time on this site. But do you know, how much can the more expensive ones cost?
One of the main reasons for the popularity of the electric guitar is because it is used in several modern genres of music such as metal, rock, and blues, just to name a few.
The pro-level instruments can be quite expensive with some of them even costing around a few thousand dollars. However, you do get budget guitars as well that are perfectly suited for beginner and intermediate level guitar players.
Electric guitars from the likes of Fullerton Classic, Fullerton Classic Deluxe, Dean EVO XM, Squier Mini, Squier Bullet Strat, and Baja Nashville, sell for just under 100 bucks, that is actually quite cheap for an electric guitar.
For less than 150 bucks you will find electric guitars and electric guitar packs like the Fernandes Skull Pack II, Hohner Guitars Child Size Electric Guitar Pack, Aria STG003DX, BC Rich Bronze Warlock Spider Graphic, Aria STG003, Epiphone SG Special, Squier Affinity Strat, Squier Affinity Fat Strat, Washburn X10, and Aria Double Fat STG.
So, it’s easy to find low electric guitar prices, and beginners should be delighted. After all, you only need a guitar that you can grow with.
Guitar Accessories
Just buying an electric guitar won’t help; you need to buy the right accessories to go along with it to get the right sound out of your electric guitar.
Some of the accessories that you will need for your electric guitar:
- A guitar strap lock is very helpful in locking your strap to the guitar using a ball bearing, which will prevent the guitar from falling.
- Electric tuner which will help you tune your guitar.
- Amplifier with a headphone jack. A headphone jack will enable you to connect your headphones and practice without much disturbance to others.
- A multi effects pedal will help you play many different effects simultaneously.
- If you are moving around with the guitar a lot, you should get a hard shell case which will protect your gear while travelling.
Alternatively, you can also consider going in for electric guitar kits, which comes bundled with most of the required guitar accessories.
Can the Skills Be Applied to Other Guitars
Yes, it can be. If you learn to play the guitar, the skills can definitely be applied to various types, including other stringed instruments such as mandolin.
There is no fixed rule as to whether you should start on an acoustic or an electric guitar. Whatever you are comfortable with, and the style of music you’re interested in playing, should determine what you start learning on.
It is very common for experienced guitarists to own both kinds of guitar. There are many who practice on acoustics and perform on electrics. Usually, it is easier to play on an electric, so if you learn something on an acoustic, you can play it better on an electric.
But then, you should really not be governed by any rules here. You should select something that you want to play. If you want to play the electric guitar, just go for it.
More Expensive Ones
But how about expensive guitars? What if you’re an intermediate level guitar player who wants to upgrade?
Well, on the other end of the spectrum, electric guitars can cost well over ten thousands dollars also. That’s correct! Ten thousand dollars for one guitar, and some of the most famous musicians on earth do own these.
The list of the more expensive guitars includes the likes of Gibson Custom 1958 Korina Explorer, Gibson Custom 1959 Korina Flying V, Gibson Custom Custom Authentic Jimmy Page Les Paul, Gibson Custom 1959 LP Reissue Custom Authentic, Gibson Custom Pete Townshend LP, Gibson Custom Historic 59 LP Reissue, and the Fender Merle Haggard Tribute Tele, and more.
And even if you’re not there yet (a famous guitarist), there are lots of electric guitars available in the $1000 to $3000 price range .
These expensive electric guitars are perfect for the pro guitarists, for those who make a living from music, and for musicians with deep pockets.
Summary
Guitars are available in various types, such as acoustic, classical, electro-acoustic, and electric guitars and have their own characteristic. Depending on what style of music you like, you may choose an appropriate one. However, for most contemporary music and genres such as rock, metal, blues, jazz, and country, electric guitars are apt. The sound on electric guitars originates from pickups, which is heard over an amplifier. An electric guitar also provides you with lots of controls to modulate the sound that is produced, and that also explains the rising popularity of these instruments among musicians.
Buying an electric guitar can be quite confusing initially as it requires you to understand the guitar anatomy well. There are also a number of choices in brands such as Fender, Gibson, Yamaha etc., from which you can choose. An electric guitar also needs the right accessories to go along with it, such as an amplifier, a hard guitar case, strap lock etc. So think about these when you buy an electric guitar.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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