Guitar Types

Types of Guitars

Whether it is a party, rock show or an orchestra, guitarists always gain huge applause from the crowd. They will be the ultimate point of attraction and the crowd will respond with loud cheers to every guitar strings. You may also have cheered and screamed for many live guitar performances. But, did anybody ever realized what kind of guitars are they using? If not, you must try to find out at least once, because it is sure to surprise you.

Performing with guitar is not a child’s play. Therefore, mastering all the techniques and notes is not a simple task neither. If you are a beginner, you need to know what is a guitar and the types of guitars before moving into the lessons. There are mainly 2 kinds of guitars available in the market, which are Acoustic guitars and Electric guitars.

Acoustic guitars produce sound with the help of strings. When the vibration of the string is carried to the air, it produces sound acoustically. There are two types of acoustic guitars called the classical guitars and steel-string acoustic guitars. Classical or nylon string guitars are mainly beginners level guitars created for unfamiliar fingers and they may sound very boring once you complete the basics. Whereas, steel string acoustic guitars are much louder and brilliant than classical guitars. It also allows to perform all the styles like rock, jazz, folk etc. and is much more flexible than the other one. Folk and country are the two types of music associated with acoustic guitars.

On the other hand, electric guitars are tough and heavy. Everyone wishes to be an electric guitarist since they are much more advanced than other categories and are often used to rock the stage performances. Moreover, electric guitars are much easier to learn and play because of its low string action. Rock and metal are the major types of music associated with electric guitars.

The major difference between acoustic and electric guitar is that, acoustic guitars can be played without any extra equipment whereas electric guitars need additional power supply and amps to make its sound audible.

Apart from these, there are guitars like:

• Electro-acoustic guitars: Electro-acoustic guitars are a combination of both acoustic and electric guitars. They are more flexible with their design and produces a stable sound. These guitars doesn’t need any mics and can be directly plugged into an amp.
• Twelve-string guitars: Like the name depicts, a twelve-string guitar carries 12 strings in it. A twelve-string guitar holds a set of thinner strings along with the normal six strings. They creates much brilliant sound and are mainly used as a rhythm instrument in live shows.
• Archtop guitars: Archtops are normally steel string electric or acoustic guitars. They are mainly used by jazz guitarists because of their soothing tone and violin style f-holes.
• Steel guitars: Steel guitars are different from all other guitars since they are played by placing the guitar across the player’s lap. This style is developed by the Hawaiian guitarists.
• Resonator guitars: Resonator guitars are guitars with big round shaped perforated plates and they lack sound holes. The blues and country guitarists use them more often since they are powerful.
• Bass guitars: Bass guitars are used to create high bass during live shows. Their strings are very thick and the neck length is high compared to other guitars.
• Double-neck guitars: Double-neck guitars have two guitar necks and a single body. They have the regular guitar neck with six-string and an additional guitar neck with twelve-strings. The guitarist can change the necks according to his convenience and are mainly used in live performances.