Buying an Electric Guitar
For any guitarist, the most delicate job they face is picking out the right electric guitar. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an advanced musician; a finely tuned electric guitar is like nothing else on earth. The hard part is choosing the perfect guitar for your individual need.
The basic composition of a guitar varies little from type to type; they all have the same elements:
1. A body 2. A neck 3. A head stock piece 4. Electrical pick ups 5. A bridge
An electric guitar requires an amplifier to be audible to anyone but the guitarist (and in a quiet room, at that). Just as in an acoustic guitar, sound is generated but plucking or strumming the strings, the difference being that the vibrations of the strings are "picked up" by the pickups and then transmitted to the amplifier.
The top two things most people look for when shopping for a guitar are price and sound quality.
An electric guitar can be as inexpensive as $100, or as expensive as $20,000! This is quite a large price differential, what accounts for this variation? Basically, materials used quality of the construction of the body, neck and head stock, along with the quality of the pickups. A beginner need not go with the $20,000 varieties - there are plenty of beginner's kits available which include guitar, amplifier, picks, guitar strap and usually instructional materials.
A guitar usually has a solid wood body, meaning the body will not resonate very much (this is why pickups are necessary). An amplifier is used to control the volume of the guitar. Among beginners, solid body guitars are the most commonly used.
The neck joint is an important part of the guitar and has some bearing on the sound of the instrument (more on this in a minute).
The looks of the guitar should be something that you, personally are happy with so you will enjoy playing it. Gibson's Les Paul and Fender's Stratocaster are the most widely chosen. Makers like B.C. Rich are known for eclectic body styles and custom paint schemes. All these makers have low end models that are very affordable, so you can easily lay hands on a Gibson or Fender for under $300. Some BC Rich models (even those with custom paint) can be gotten for around $200 in some cases.
Guitars are made with several types of neck joints (how the neck attaches to the body). There is the bolt-on, which is the cheapest, then the set neck and the neck through style. The bolt on type is exactly what it sounds like-it bolts on to the body. This is the most common type of neck and is very affordable.
The set neck attaches to the body by means of a tongue set into the body of the guitar, which is glued in. These necks cost a little more to build, but offer more sustain and resonance to the guitarist.
Neck through is the most expensive neck joint style, but according to many provides the best sound of any of the three types. In these joints, the neck is one piece which runs the entire length of the guitar.
Whatever the reason is that you are looking to purchase an electric guitar, do your homework. Go to guitar shops and ask questions. Play each type of guitar you are considering and see which one feels best to you.
When you find the right one, you WILL know it! Happy strumming!
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
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