The Basics Of An Electric Guitar

Amplified sound created by electrical currents caused by vibrating strings is the definition of the music created by an electric guitar. The first electric guitars in the 1930s consisted of electromagnetic transducers fastened to hollow-arch-top acoustic guitars. The Fender, created by Les Paul, was the original modern-day electric guitar. The Fender made its debut in the 1940s.

The Body of the Guitar
While some modern electric guitars have a partially hollow resonance-chamber, the electric guitar is characterized by its body being made out of solid wood with controls and pickups mounted on the surface. Because electric guitars do not use soundboards (a piece of wood through which sound is vibrated) (*it should be noted that what is known as the right handed or left handed acoustic electric guitar is very similar to the pre-cursor of the modern electric guitar, thus these do have soundboards in their design) one would think that the type of wood used in the construction of the guitar would not matter. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The type of wood still determines how the guitar will resonate. Rich sounds are created by dense wood (i. E. Mahogany, ash, and alder).

Bar
A metal bar attached to the bridge varies the string tension be moving the bridge backwards and forwards. This bar is also known as the Tremolo, Whammy, Vibrato, or Wang Bar.

Fingerboard and Neck
Maple-wood is the standard material used in the electric guitar’s neck construction. The fret or fingerboard is usually made of maple or rosewood is attached to the front of the neck. When the musician wishes to change the pitch of the sound, he or she will press the strings into the fingerboard which changes the vibrating-length. Bright pitches come from maple fingerboards. Timbres that are dark are produced by rosewood fingerboards.

The Pickups
The pickups are what makes the sound and thus they can be said to be the ‘voice’ of the guitar. They are made of magnets wrapped in wire. The strings vibrate when the guitar is played. These vibrations disrupt the magnetic field of the pickup. This creates an electric current that is then amplified.

Pickups fall into two basic categories:

Single Coil Pickups
These are pickups with only one coil. They have a bright sound but tend to produce a ‘humming’ sound. The elemental signal and harmonic matter are the basis of the hum and they are caused by magnetic-flux changes within the pickup.

Humbucker Pickups
Because of the hum distortion of the single coil pickup, the Humbucker, or dual coil, pickup was created. These pickups have a thick sound and consist of two coils wound in a mirror image of each other. The polarity is opposed within the six magnetic-coils. All of this cancels out the ambient sound or hum before it is amplified. Some guitars have the option of switching between single coil and Humbucker.

Strings of the Guitar
The guitar strings of an electric guitar vary in gauge, alloy, and winding. These are all significant factors in how the electric guitar sounds. It is important to note that all electric guitar string alloys are metal. Nylon strings would not be detected by the pickups. The strings on a right handed electric guitar run high E, B, G, D, A, and Low E. The strings on a left handed electric guitar run Low E, A, D, G, B, and high E because the guitar is played upside down.

The String’s Alloys
Most commonly used are strings made of steel because they produce vast volumes and tones that are brilliant. Stainless-steel nickel plated strings have a subdued tone. Nickel strings have a muted-round sound and are best used in rhythm and jazz.

Gauge
The thickness of the string is the gauge. Those who wish to play the guitar fast will need thinner gauged strings because they are easy to bend. Strummers who want vast volume should use strings that are medium of gauge. While hard to play because the strings don’t bend very well, a full vibrant sound can be had with strings of a heavy gauge

The String’s Winding
The winding of the string comes in four different styles: flat, ground, round, and any of the other three but nylon taped. Fast guitarists usually prefer not to use the most common winding because round windings tend to ‘grab’ the fingers. Flat windings, also known as ribbon strings, have a smooth, oily surface and are the pride and joy of fast guitarists that like subdued tones. Only electric bass guitars have ground windings. Ground windings are round wound with a machine polish. Any of these three windings can be coated with nylon to produce a sound like that of an acoustic bass guitar. This is the definition of ‘nylon taped.’

When someone puts their electric guitar for sale, deciding to buy it depends on the music type you will play and how comfortable you are with the instrument. Just remember that sonic personalities of electric guitars vary because of the assortment of wood, string, and pickup combinations.