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Electric Guitars

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Buying and Playing Electric Guitars

Electric guitars are used for playing all sorts of styles of music such as rock, metal, jazz, funk etc. Unlike acoustic guitars, electric guitars require amplification. The amp (or amplifier) magnifies the sound the guitar produces. Pickups, which are attached to the body of the guitar, convert the noises into electronic signals and transmit them to the amplifier. Guitar amps with different power ratings are available, from 10-watt amplifiers for practising at home or 100-watt plus for playing huge gigs to thousands of people. Electric guitars cost more than acoustic guitars because of the additional parts and equipment required for amplification. Electric guitars need to have steel strings which are more expensive than the nylon strings used by classical guitars. A reasonable electric guitar should cost somewhere in the region of £150-£300. Spending a bit more means a better sound and that metal guitar parts such as the machine heads should last longer.

Broadly speaking, electric guitars fall into two categories: those with a soundbox (ie they have hollow bodies); or those without which are known as solid-bodies. Most electric guitars and basses are solid-bodies which are cheaper than hollow-bodies. Hollow-body electric guitars sound different to solid-body guitars - hollow-bodies are fuller and warmer. Thick hollow-bodies are known as jazz guitars or full-bodies and are mainly used by jazz guitarists. The thinner hollow-body guitars are known as thinlines, semi-acoustics, or slimlines.

Different types of electric guitar have different sounds but you can change the sound by using different strings, pickups and/or playing techniques. For instance using a guitar pick sounds very different to using finger tips. Many singers play the guitar as well because it is so versatile and suitable for such a vast array of different styles of music. There are many types of electric guitar which have been designed to play certain styles of music. Bass guitars are designed to play lower notes than standard guitars.

It is possible to play an electric guitar without amplification, or unplugged, which will give you an idea of how the instrument sounds. However, if you are testing the guitar with a view to buying it, you should play it through an amp as well. Hollow-bodies, particularly, should be played without an amp as the soundbox has a big influence on the sound. Electric guitars can have active or passive electronics. In guitars and basses with active electronics, the signal is boosted by a built-in preamplifier before passing to the amp. This gives the guitarist more control over the tone as instead of merely reducing certain frequencies, as with passive electronics, he or she can boost high or low frequencies as well, increasing the range of tones available to him/her. Active guitars have more overall power as well which makes them popular with metal bands.

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