Did you know that the first guitars were made in Ancient Egypt? They were made from cedar and had 3 strings and even a plectrum. This is proof that these incredible instruments have a long history with humanity. They've evolved a lot over the years and nowadays we have many different types of guitars. Each of them creates a unique sound and is perfect for a specific kind of music genre.
Types of Guitars
Electric
Electric guitars are some of the most popular ones. They're very versatile and come in many shapes and sizes. Each guitar is unique and has a different hardware inside. This means that each one will feel different in your hands and can do different things. Each one will produce a unique set of tones that can be worlds apart.
Just like the innovative, ultra-versatile Telecaster electric guitar. These Fender pieces are an amazing addition to any guitar collection. This model comes in so many different styles, designs and colours, they even have a limited-edition guitar you can pre-order. These guitars have a 3-way selector and a blend know that lets you move effortlessly between 6 unique voices, or even mix them together to create something new.
There’s the beautiful Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster MN Butterscotch Blonde that can do amazing things. But the first thing you notice about it is the recreation of on revolutionary design and so many details. The incredible craftsmanship is more than noticeable. This maple-made beauty also includes the original narrow 12th-fret dot spacing.
Electric guitars can be used in almost every music genre. They're the first option in styles such as rock, metal, punk and blues. The first reason why they’re so versatile is the tonal options it offers. The pickups that it has and how you change them will define the tones you get. You can even install new pickups for even more tones.
The second reason is that it allows you to connect to many gears. There are so many amps that can shape and tone the guitar in tons of different ways. With just flipping one switch you can transform a vintage blues tone into a modern metal sound. Plus, you can get pedals for even more versatility. Electric guitars are even good for beginners. The lack of string tension is what makes them easy to work with.
Bass
Bass guitars are the lowest-pitched ones in the group. They look like electric or acoustic guitars but have a longer neck and scale length. They can have 4, 6, 7 or more strings. There are a few types of bass guitars. The ABG (acoustic bass guitar) has steel strings and it’s tuned one octave lower. A magnetic or piezo pickup helps make acoustic basses audible, as it can be challenging to hear the low frequencies with simply an acoustic body.
There's also the electric bass guitar. Musicians use it to add low frequencies and grooves to the music they make. This is a very good option for beginners who love to play rock, jazz or metal. Semi-acoustic bass guitars give you a warm, clean sound. They’re very resonant and have more tones. Just like the Telecaster electric guitar, this one is good for blues, jazz and swing.
Classical
Classical guitars are also known as nylon-string acoustic guitars because they use nylon strings to produce music. They're acoustic and you don’t have to plug them in anywhere to listen and produce the sounds. 3 of its strings are completely made of nylon and the other 3 are nylon wrapped with wire. This is a type of guitar that’s mostly used in classical music. Some of the other genres it works for are jazz, folk, pop and Flamenco.
With a classic guitar, no matter how harsh or strong you pay the strings, you'll always get a mellow sound thanks to the nylon. This is a type of guitar that’s easy to handle. It's recommended for beginners and people who have never played an instrument. The thing that makes this guitar easy to play is the low string tension, meaning, you don’t have to press hard with your fingers.
Acoustic
This is probably the most popular guitar version on the market. There isn’t a single person on the planet that hasn’t heard of it or seen one. There are 2 types of acoustic guitars. The first one is steel string and the second is nylon string. These are guitars that are great for country, classical, neo-folk and folk music. They won’t work for metal or rock music like the electric Telecaster guitars would.
Steel-string guitars are also good for Celtic music such as Irish, English, and Scottish). They use open tunings such as Open G, Open D and the DADGAD. Nylon-string guitars have a warmer, slightly dampened sound. That's why they’re perfect for jazz, classical and swing music.
Resonator
Resonator guitars are essentially acoustic guitars that instead of a sound hole, have a metal cone. This is what helps the guitar resonate and produce every note played. As a result, you get a very loud sound that can surprise you if you haven’t played one before.
Some of the music genres that use resonator guitars are jazz, blues, Hawaiian, bluegrass and country. There are different types of cones inside the guitars so you can pair one guitar with a specific genre. You can play this instrument as a normal guitar, but there are players that use a slide.
12-String
12-string guitars can be both acoustic and electric. They're very similar to 6-string ones. The only difference is that each string doubles and you get 6 pairs of strings. They were a big thing in the 60s and 70s and are still popular today. Take a listen, these guitars have a very specific sound. Once you hear it, you’ll recognise it in every song that it’s used. It takes a lot of finger pressure to strike the notes on this guitar correctly because you need to add pressure to 2 strings at once. So, this is not a very beginner-friendly instrument to start with.
