INTRODUCTION
There is a parable in my country that says “ He who asks for the road, never get lost. The major worries of so many guitarists especially the ones still new to it is basically how to know the right guitar to go for, there are loads of guitars in shops or an online mart. You tend to hear people classifying guitars as follow: acoustic guitars, semi acoustic guitars, solo guitars without gear, solo guitars with gears, jazz guitars without gear, jazz guitars with gear, rhythm guitars and so on.
MEET YOUR GUITARS
For the sake of this post, I stand to be corrected. There are three broad categories of guitars which are classified as Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar and Semi acoustic guitar. I am going to take them one by one.
The Electric guitar
This is a type of guitar that needs to be connected to an amplifier before it can be audible, the sound it produces can be controlled on the guitar body as there are tones knobs, also volume knobs. It is connected to the amplifier via jac plug. It has pick ups that receives the sound produced when either strummed, using fingerstyle, tapping etc. sending it as electronic signals into the amplifier. The voicing can be improved by using effects. Guitar effects are devices that can be used to manipulate the electric signals sent from a guitar. The way it works is that instead of sending the electric signals directly into the amplifier it goes into the effect first.
However for an amplifier to produce sound a speaker which is an output device is needed and this is connected to an amplifier, in other words, amplifier can be regarded as the intermediary between the guitar and the speaker.
The Acoustic guitar
The word Acoustic in music simply means the ability of a musical instrument to produce audible sounds without the use of amplifier. This implies that acoustic guitar is the type of guitar that needs no electrically enhanced or modified means to make an audible sound. It has no volume knobs and also no tone knobs, hence, the way it sounds can not be tampered with or connected to an effect. It has an airspace which makes it audible without been amplified. It is suitable for rehearsal and travelling companion.
The Semi acoustic
This type of guitar combines properties of both Electric and Acoustic guitars, and its ability to serve dual purpose, makes a few number of people choose them over other types of guitar.
HOW TO OWN THE CORRECT GUITAR WITH NECESSARY ACCESSORIES
When it comes to making a choice on which guitar you should buy there are few things to be considered. First of all if you are a beginner, I suggest you get an acoustic or semi acoustic guitar, and that is because It is more advantageous than electric guitar in the sense that it needs no amplifier, making it possible for you to play or rehearse guitar anywhere and anytime so far there is no do not disturb inscription where you are. However, if you are a little bit advanced there are so many tips that will guide you to purchase the best guitar. I will discuss only the most important ones
Do not go for second hand
Going for a second hand guitar is a very serious mistake a guitarist can make, especially when you are new to buying it yourself. The guitar might be faulty unknown to you. Always go for new guitar
High price does not make your guitar amazing
There are so many expensive fantastic guitars out there and at the same time there are many expensive ones that suck too. Therefore the authenticity of your guitar does not depend on the amount you bought it. Ask for guide from a professional guitarist.
Never purchase online from untrusted stores
This is because you will have no direct contact with your guitar before you pay, therefore if it has issues you have to live with it or look for where to get it repaired. If you are an online buyer it is better you buy from a reputable online store or you buy a guitar you know very well. And again you can search guitar reviews online and go for the one spoken well of most.
List of basic accessories to ease your learning process
- An electric tuner: This allows you to tune your guitar to standard EADGBE, however, if you have a smart phone, an electric tuner can be replace with some apps available in respective smart phone’s app store
- Picks : It is used to play the guitar, with its help you strum or pick the strings, although there are fingerstyles. The picks are relatively small and consequently can easily get missed, so you might want to have about two or more.
- Guitar bag: This enables you to easily carry your guitar around on your back or in your hands.
- Strap belt: This enables you to hang your guitar across your neck and makes it easy for you to play while standing.
Extra strings: This is incase you break a string on your guitar, you can easily refix it . In most cases the first three string are prone to break easily, so you just have to be careful with them and be sure to have extra.
Guitars stand: To prevent your guitar from falling or being tampered with it is important to get a stand
Capo: This enables you to play easily on different keys, it can be likened to transpose in a piano.
I am open to questions and feedbacks, feel free to contribute!
Thank you
You can also check my previous posts: