Last Updated on: Sep 12, 2023
What is guitar and How Many Types Out There?
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that basically has six long strings. A guitar is generally played with both of the hands by strumming or by plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the fingers or fingernails of one hand, while at the same time fretting (pressing the strings against the frets) with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the guitar through vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the one big hollow chamber of the guitar (for an acoustic guitar), or through an electrical amplifier & a speaker.
Types of Guitar
A guitar is one of the widely played instruments. It is amazingly versatile & is used in many different genres of music.
Acoustic Guitars
Basically, there are 2 types of acoustic guitar: namely, the steel-string acoustic guitar & the classical guitar. Steel-string acoustic guitars give a metallic sound that is a distinctive component of a wide range of popular genres. These guitars are sometimes referred to as flat tops. The word top indicates the face or front of the guitar. On the other hand, Classical guitars have a wider neck than steel-string guitars & are strung with nylon strings. These guitars are sometimes referred to as ‘Spanish’ guitars in recognition of their country of origin.
Electric Guitars
Such guitars are solid-bodied guitars that are designed to be plugged into an amplifier. The electric guitar when amplified a sound that is metallic with a lengthy delay. The shape of an electric guitar is not determined by the need for a deep resonating body & this had led to the evolution of contoured & thin bodied electric guitars. Fender Stratocaster & the Gibson Les Paul are two most popular designs.
Electro-Acoustic Guitars
These guitars are usually referred to as semi-acoustic guitars. These guitars have pickups that are specifically designed to duplicate the subtle nuances of the acoustic guitar timbre. Electro-acoustic pickups are constructed to sound neutral with little alteration to the acoustic tone.
Twelve String Guitars
This type of guitar is a simple variation of the normal 6 string design. Twelve-string guitars have 6 regular strings & the second set of thinner strings. Each string of the 2nd set corresponds to the note of its regular string counterpart.
Archtop Guitars
These are a hollow or semi-hollow steel-string acoustic or electric guitar. The carved top, combined with violin-style f-holes & internal sound-block, creates a timbre that is acoustic & mellow.
Steel Guitars
The steel guitar is specially made. It’s played horizontally across the player’s lap. The steel guitar originates from ‘Hawaii’.
Resonator Guitars
These guitars are distinctive for not having a regular soundhole. They have a large circular perforated cover plate that covers up a resonator cone. This cone is made from spun aluminum & resembles a loudspeaker. The bridge is connected to either the center or edge of the cone through aluminum spring called the spider. The vibrations from this spider are projected by the cone through the perforated cover plate.
Bass Guitars
The bass guitar has a long neck & thick strings. The open strings of the bass guitar correspond to the 4 lowest strings of the guitar & are pitched an octave lower. The standard bass has 4 strings through 5 & 6 string basses are available which extends the range of the instrument.
Double-Neck Guitars
Such type of guitars is designed in such a way that 2 guitar necks can share one body. This design permits the guitarist to switch between either neck with ease. The double-neck guitar will normally have a standard 6-string neck & a 12-string neck.
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