Most new guitarists aren’t sure of what kind of guitar they should buy when they decide to buy one. Here is a list of things to look at when trying to make a decision on which guitar to choose.
Tone – This is probably the single most important thing to look at in a guitar. Whether you are playing electric or acoustic, country, rock, blues, or jazz, you need to have a tone that fits your musical genre. You wouldn’t want to play a guitar that is perfect for country music in a heavy metal band. Which guitars have the right tone for you?
Blues – If you are playing blues, you need a guitar that has a bluesy tone. The important thing to achieve a bluestone is your strings. In blues, the heavier the string, the better the sound. You can’t achieve the right sound using extra light gauge strings. They won’t have the resonance, the bottom end or the mid range of the heavier strings.
Country – Country music needs a brighter tone from the electric guitar. To get the brightest tones, it is best to use a guitar with single coil pickups. The two best guitars for this category are Fender Strato casters and Fender Telecasters. Using a Tele, it is as easy as plugging in and playing really. On the Strat, there is a secret that a lot of guitarists don’t know that I am going to share with you. The amplifier plays a big key on the sound of an electric guitar as well.
Jazz – For jazz guitarist, a good semi-acoustic electric guitar is almost vital. The pickups on these guitars are usually hum buckers. For tone, a medium gauge set of strings is suggested. As far amplifiers go, just about any ‘natural’ sounding amplifier will work.
Rock – Last but not least, let’s look at rock and roll. Getting the right tone for rock and roll is tricky. Maybe you want a heavy sound that a standard 6 string can’t give you so you get a 7-string guitar. If you don’t want a 7 string but want that same tone, you can get the same tone from a 6 string using heavy gauge strings. The guitar should have hum bucker pickups to get better tone as well.
Playability – The way the instrument plays determines a lot on your happiness with it. You can have a guitar that makes the most beautiful sound but you hate to play it. It is said that the perfect guitar will be like an extension of your body.