Electric guitar shopping guide

Gibson Electric GuitarWhen you step out to shop for an electric guitar you must be aware of the basics of a guitar in order to make the correct choice. Buying a guitar without the proper suggestions and knowledge might make your buying experience quite a challenge.

Price range

An electric guitar can range anywhere between $99 and $20,000. Prior to buying one you have to determine the budget you can afford. For beginners it isn’t recommended to spend a load of money on an electric guitar. It’s always better to learn the basics and then upgrade. An electric guitar ought to be bought on the feel it gives and not the look it carries.

Varying sounds

Electric guitars are meant to give different sounds so you have to see which sound is more preferable to you. You can make it a jazz, rock or blue all in one, whereas some guitars are more on a one side and meant for a particular music category.


Gibson and Fender Guitars

Amongst high end electric guitars Gibson and Fender hit the list at the top. A Gibson electric guitar gives more of blue sounds that are a little fatter to the hearing. Amongst Gibson, the models that are appealing are SG, Les Paul and ES-335. Epiphone electric guitar list is manufactured as nice copies of famous models for Gibson.

A Fender electric guitar produces thin sounds having a variety of sounds to the touch. This guitar has two popular sizes: Telecaster and Stratocaster. The Paul Reed electric guitar combines the excellent features of a Fender and Gibson.

Single Coil Pickup

An electric guitar with a single coil pickup has a clean and thin sound. This kind of pickup is around 2.5 inches long and 3/4th inch in width. They are mostly found in a Fender electric guitar such as the Telecaster and Stratocaster.

Necks

The neck of an electric guitar has a sound and quality that’s dependent on neck joint, wood, shape, thickness and width.

Custom Electric GuitarsElectric guitar necks are usually made out of Maple, Mahogany, Rose wood, Bass wood or Pau Ferro. An electric guitar neck made out of Maple is heavy. Mahogany necks on the other hand are flexible and lighter than Maple necks. Rose wood is more tight in grain and heavy. Basswood gives the neck the light weight and strong results.

Neck joints

The Neck of an electric guitar can be attached in various ways each giving a different feel and sound. It can be a Set neck using glue to attach it to the guitar, it can be a Bolt- on-neck: meaning wooden screws attach it to the joint, or a neck-through-body: meaning there are no joints and the neck is an extension of the body of the electric guitar.

Neck shapes

The neck shape whether it’s a C shape, U or V affects your finger settings on the electric guitar. The neck shape should be bought according to the size of the player’s hand. Width of the electric guitar neck is another factor that needs to be considered. Wide, narrow, fat, regular or thin and many such profiles are taken into consideration when buying a guitar.

Frets

When getting yourself the perfect electric guitar you need to check out the frets. The guitar manufacturer can determine the ideal match between the finger boards and fret wire’s size and thickness.

An electric guitar has 3 body styles: solid bodies give amplification and effects to the sound, semi hollow body gives more amplification with acoustic effects, hollow body produce acoustic but not high amplifications.

It might sound weary to adjust to so many specifications of an electric guitar before its purchase, but once you get into it, you’ll begin to understand the nits and grits.

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