How to Buy an Electric Guitar: Get to Know the Essential
“How to buy an electric guitar” is a commonly asked question once you realize there are many options. So, don’t be ashamed and get ready to know the essential details that you need to check before giving your money to any guitar company.
Let’s talk a bit about electric guitars!
The electric guitar has been a “technological breakthrough,” to say the least.
The guitar began as a simple instrument, but as the years have gone by, it has taken on different forms, and its use has expanded within other genres. When the electric guitar appeared in the 30s, it was a primary instrument. Yet, as the years went by, new elements were added, allowing its users to unique new sounds.
Its main evolution began to be noticed when new metal parts, made of aluminum, among other elements, were added to the classic formula in the wooden structure.
These elements were tested with several purposes, mainly to achieve a greater amplification of the sound, since what was the goal sought with the creation of this guitar, having a more robust sound?
We can say that the beautiful thing about this instrument came from its creation. However, with the passing of the years, we could see how the guitars influenced different genres.
From listening to the electric guitars within the classic rock, blues, and even pop to hear a little heavier tunes, like heavy metal, and thrash, among other genres that used and still use this instrument.
Besides, it was not only the fact of using the guitar within these musical genres, but people also saw the possibility of exploring new horizons. They knew that although it was still a guitar, the horizon of opportunities it opened was different from the classic sound.
Are you excited? We will discuss some tips that will help you buy your next guitar. The first thing that you should know is that there are different kinds of electric guitars:
Types of electric guitars
Today, like many other instruments, we know that there is a wide variety of electric guitars, each with a unique function, so to speak, that will make you think twice when buying a new one.
Within this section, we will be talking about the most common types of guitars in the market:
Solid-body guitars
This type of guitar is made with a single piece of wood of solid consistency to give a better finish.
Within this type of guitar, you can get classical guitars. In this case, we can mention the Fender Stratocaster, which in a certain way is among the best ones you can find on the market. Something well known is that solid body guitars have these advantages:
- First, they’re more robust because they’re a single wood body.
- This type of guitar usually has a better sound than others.
Within this section, we can mention the following guitars:
- Stratocaster: It has a tremolo that allows variations in its sound, and its use can distort the sound.
- Telecaster: It has a strident high range of sound.
- Super Strat: The preferred ones in rock and heavy metal have a higher dispersion threshold.
- Les Paul: It has a cleaner sound, ideal for almost all genres.
- SG: It is the lightest of the guitars. It allows high frets.
Semi-hollow body guitars
Besides its semi-hollow body, this type of guitar’s main feature is a “tone block” that runs through the instrument. Being built in this way, the guitar is ideal for specific musical genres, such as jazz, since its sound is of a high resonance, accompanied by a hollow tone, thanks to its design.
Although this type of guitar is mainly used for genres such as jazz, it is also used for genres that do not require large amounts of good gain.
Hollow body instruments
This type of guitar allows seeing old aspects of the guitar since its construction makes the sound more acoustic, observing that the resonance and the tone of the same one are more significant than the other types of guitars.
Although they have a similar sound to the semi-hollow body, the main difference is their acoustic tone, which is not observed in other electric guitars.
What characteristics should I evaluate when buying an electric guitar?
We already looked at the different types of guitars that can be found on the market, but we also noticed that their use could vary quite a bit. The main thing is to know the price range. This way, we see the range of possibilities for buying an instrument.
The other thing is to know beforehand which music genre you want to play. This will help in the latter choice of the instrument since not all provide the same result. Even though they are used in almost all genres, some serve better in a specific one.
Another thing that should be taken into consideration is your musical style. Although according to the class, you can play, and you will be able to visualize the type of guitar that best suits your needs since the main limitation here is style and skills.
Besides, you must consider other elements used by guitars, such as pedals, tuners, and amplifiers. Not all of them share the same price, so this must be evaluated when buying a guitar.
What accessories are necessary afterward?
With other guitars, the need for accessories is not so significant. But when talking about an electric guitar, it is a fact that you must have several additions to take the juice out of your new instrument.
These accessories will make the use of the guitar neater, besides having a better connection with other accessories used within the musical field.
We can mention the following:
- Metronome: It allows better guitar synchronization with the other instruments.
- Tuner: Serves to ensure that the guitar strings are in the correct frequency.
- Capodastro: Used to change the tuning of the guitar.
- Amplifier: Helps to improve the final sound. It is the most necessary with an electric guitar.
- Pedal: Allows you to add distortion to the sounds and even mask effects (The coolest ones are Wah Wah and Death Metal pedals)
How to maintain an electric guitar?
An electric guitar is an instrument that requires continuous maintenance. So, it would help if you gave it constant care so it does not deteriorate. So, it would help if you kept the strings in good condition, among other things.
The most important thing is the general cleaning of the guitar. A simple cloth is enough to start cleaning. Besides, you can use your fingers as support for cleaning. This way, the body and the strings will look better.
The other thing is the guitar’s hydration; by this, we do not mean putting water on the instrument. Just remove all the strings from the device to do this step well. After that, you should use oil and start cleaning. Again, it does not take more than half a day to do.
The body of the guitar should also be observed. Sometimes, it could be curved, suffer a blow, or something like that. In this case, the neck of the guitar must be adjusted. With the use of a couple of squares, it is enough to see where to start the work.
On the other hand, the maintenance of the neck is also essential. Apart from checking it for imperfections, it should also be polished, although the care is different depending on the type of guitar you have since you can get adverse results when doing this step wrong, such as scratching the wood of the neck.
Finally, you must check the strings. They will have continuous wear with use, so checking them occasionally is not superfluous. The important thing when doing this is not to remove all the strings at once because the work will be more tedious when assembling the complete lines.
Having said all this, we can see that an electric guitar is an instrument just as complex as any other, which has evolved from a base instrument to something more complex over the years. Besides, we know that there will be many options to buy within the market. Therefore, it is all a matter of quickly assessing what is needed.
And not only that, but you can also see that to have an electric guitar, you must take into account other elements:
- First, the genre you want to play with is the guitar.
- The details should be used to get better results when using the guitar.
- Finally, maintenance must be done to keep it in good condition.
Now you know how to buy an electric guitar. So it is time for you to start evaluating options and getting the right instrument to meet your needs and open the doors to a musical world.
Yvan Lebrun is a trusted expert in the field of product & service reviews. With over a decade of experience analyzing and comparing services online, he shares his valuable experience with readers at GoodSitesLike so consumers can make educated decisions before making a purchase.
