Buyers Guide To Electric Guitars
Buyers Guide To Electric Guitars
Live rock concerts were the rage in the 70’s and they are still the rage. The essence of rock music does not just lie with the lyrics; it also lies with the electric guitar and the various sounds that it can produce. There are so many kids across the block who would give up anything to play like Ritchie Blackmore, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Kirk hammett, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page etc. These men are not just some of the best guitarists of their times, they are legends.
Now if you are interested in learning how to play the guitar then the first thing you will need to buy is a guitar. Most people start with an acoustic and graduate to the electric guitar. It is quite difficult for anyone to choose the right electric guitar since there are hundreds of models and several brands out there in the market. If you are buying an electric guitar then you will need to also buy amplifiers, pick-ups, pick, tuner etc.
Electric guitars are available in a lot of variety, colors, and designs with the aerodynamic designs being one of the most popular. Don’t go for the first electric guitar you see. You need to look around a bit and check out the prices and models before you buy one. In fact, one of the best ways to choose a guitar is by the brand or by the style. Here’s our take on the four important styles:
Stratocaster
This certainly is a show stealer and has a typical style. The most famous is the red and white color combination, which was extensively used by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. The Stratocaster is from Fender and has a neck bolted to the guitar body. Apart from this, it has double cutaway sides, 22 frets accompanied by a tremolo system or the wammy bar and three single-coil pickups. Fender designed the first Stratocaster in the early 50’s. Some of the popular designs include:
1. Fender Deluxe Stratocaster: approx $600
2. Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar in Rosewood: Approx $1200
3. Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Maple: Approx $400
4. Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Rosewood: Approx $600
5. Fender Stratocaster Eric Johnson Signature model: Approx $1800
Telecaster
The Telecaster is another creative instrument from Fenders. It is more than just a guitar it is a complete orchestra. It is a solid body electric guitar and comprises of dual pick-ups. The first Telecaster was manufactured by Leo Fender in the 1940’s and has a single cutaway body. It doesn’t have the tremolo or wammy bar but has two different single-coil pickups. Some of the popular Telecaster models include:
1. Fender American Telecaster HS guitar: $900-$1000
2. Fender Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar: $400-$500
3. Fender 63 Telecaster Relic Solid Body Electric: $2500-$3000
4. Fender 72 Telecaster Custom Electric Guitar: $700-$800
Les Paul
This is a classic guitar that has been designed by Gibson. The salient feature of a Les Paul’s is its set neck construction, which means there are no joints or bolts. The body is a single cutaway and rounded. It is equipped with two humbucker pickups as well as a raised scratch-plate. If you want to play distorted sound then the Les Paul’s will provide you with a varied range of such sound. Some of the legends who use the Les Pauls include Eric Clapton, Kirk Hammett (Metallica) and Slash (ex-G’N’R). Some of the famous Les Paul models include:
1. Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar: $3000-$3500
2. 1959 Les Paul Standard Guitar: $5500-$6000
3. Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Electric Guitar: $700-$800
4. Les Paul Classic Electric Guitar: $1800-$1900
Gibson
Gibson is one of the greatest brands in music and all their guitar models are classic and can’t be compared to any. Gibson was actually started in 1902 by Orville Gibson and has been responsible for giving the world some of the best acoustic and electric guitars. Some of the famous models include the arch-top Gibson L5 model, the ES-150 electric, Gibson Explorer, Flying V etc. Some of the legends who have played a Gibson or are still using it include Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Ace Frehley (KISS), Frank Zappa, and Toni Iommi (Black Sabbath) to name a few. Some of the popular Gibson models include:
1. Gibson Flying V Electric Guitar: $500-$600
2. Gibson SG 61 Classic Electric Guitar: $1500-$1600
3. Gibson Faded SG Special Electric Guitar: $550-$600
4. Gibson Explorer Pro Electric Guitar: $1100-$1200
These are the best brands in electric guitar. The other aspects that will help you to pick up a guitar include fretboard, the pick-ups, and the body. Full-bodied guitars are normally preferred as they can produce some of the best sounds that you will ever get to hear.
An Easy To Learn Guitar Tunes
An Easy To Learn Guitar Tunes
When you first start learning to play the guitar you really want easy to learn guitar tunes to start with. Otherwise it is the equivalent of trying to understand German when you have only learnt the basic words.
By starting with easy to learn guitar tunes you are setting yourself up for a much quicker learning curve and you will find that you will pick up learning the guitar much quicker and easier then without using tunes or songs to base your guitar skills on.
How to find easy to learn guitar tunes?
There have been many books written on easy to learn guitar tunes, usually the book is written from a guitar teachers point of view so you know you are getting great advice on how to pick and learn guitar tunes/songs.
Can I Just Learn Any Guitar Tune?
Yes you could start at any guitar tune and try to learn it, but why would throw yourself in the deep end? You are much better trying to learn an easy guitar tune then starting off on a more advanced tune.
The entire purpose behind easy to learn guitar tunes is that they focus on the basics of learning guitar which ensures that not only are you having fun learning your guitar tunes but you are also building your core guitar skills at the same time.
This will eventually lead to you playing much better guitar and having a better learning experience.
Also when trying to pick an easy to learn guitar tune it is usually best if you can listen to that tune as well as reading the sheet music. This lets you attack the songs from both angles.
1. You are learning the tune through sheet music so you are getting a feel for how to read guitar sheet music.
2. You are developing your play by ear skills which will be extremely helpful for you later when you are trying to learn the more advanced tunes.
So just remember, when you are looking for easy to learn guitar tunes don
An Alternative Way To Adjust Your Guitar Nu
An Alternative Way To Adjust Your Guitar Nut
Most new guitars arrive from the factory with the nut just barely playable. Older guitars may have the nut filed or worn down so much that fret buzz cannot be eliminated by neck or string height adjustment. If you have a new guitar, or you are replacing the nut with a new one, here is an alternative method to file and adjust the nut material to make your guitar play like the professionals guitars play.
Before adjusting anything, make sure your guitar is strung up correctly and that your neck is straight and not bowed or warped. If your neck is bowed you first need to adjust the truss rod. If your neck is warped it will require a more extensive repair. For the lowest possible action or to avoid fret buzz all across your finger board it may be necessary to have your frets leveled and crowned first.
You will need a set of nut files (available from Stewart MacDonald), and a good set of feeler gauges as well. Different grades of sandpaper are very useful too.
Fret each string individually, starting with the High E, between the second and third fret, use your feeler gauge to check the amount of space between the bottom of the string and the first fret. You should have approximately .005″ of space between each one, with the string barely touching the second fret. If this measurement is close or dead on then move on to the next string right up to the Low E string. You may want to record the gap on a scrap piece of paper as you move across the fret board, to see the nut slot’s height in relation to the fret board as you do so.
For most players a string height (also known in guitar slang as
Guitar Lesson How To Practice Guitar
Guitar Lesson - How To Practice Guitar
If desire is the most important part of learning guitar(without it you wouldn
All About Sheet Music
All About Sheet Music
Sheet music is an important tool for established musicians and those who want to learn. If you do not know how to read sheet music, don