Guide to Guitars

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Kinds of Guitars include the following:

Acoustic guitar

• An acoustic guitar is made of wood.
• It does not need any external amplifier.
• Its resonance and shape provide its own acoustic amplification.
• It can have built-in power and electronics for improved amplification.
• Its subtypes include the folk, steel string, archtop, and 12-string guitar.

• The Baroque/Renaissance guitar is the forerunner of the classical and modern guitar.
• It is made of light wood.
• It is more compact and fragile than the modern guitar.
• It produces a quieter resonance.
• It has four to five string courses.
• It was originally used as an ensemble rhythmic instrument.

• The classical guitar is an acoustic guitar made up of a wooden body and nylon strings.
• It is played while sitting down.
• It is commonly used in classical music and polyphonic solo arrangements.
• Its subtypes include the flamenco, guitarron, requinto, bandola, and tiple guitar.

• The Portuguese guitar is a type of acoustic guitar with a long neck and a shorter, rounder body.
• It is believed to have originated from the Medieval period.
• It is the combinations of the Arabic lute and the Medieval citar or cistre.
• It is made up of 12 strings.
• It is a popular instrument used in Portugal’s traditional song, the Fado.

• The flat-top guitar is an acoustic guitar with a reinforced yet narrow necks, and a large body.
• It is also called the steel-string guitar.
• Its body is usually made of rosewood or mahogany that can withstand its higher steel string tension.
• It produces a louder sound and a brighter tone than the other acoustic guitar types.
• It is popularly used in blues, old-time, and folk music.

• The archtop guitar is an acoustic guitar made up of thicker, steel strings, a hollow body, and a distinctive curved top resembling the f-hole design of the violin.
• It produces a louder volume compared to other acoustic guitars.
• It is popular in country and jazz music.
• It can come in an electric type that produces a unique sound ideal for rock and roll music.

• A resonator guitar is an acoustic guitar resembling the flat-top guitar.
• It is made up of a wooden body and steel strings.
• It has a distinct metal resonator that amplifies its sound replacing the open sound gap, making it similar to banjo in appearance. However, the metal resonator is slowly being replaced by the electrical amplifier.
• It can have one to three resonator cones--one on the right side and two on the left--aided by a metal spider bridge.
• It is played using a glass or a metal slide.

• A 12-string guitar consists of six pairs of steel strings just like a mandolin.
• Each pair is tuned one octave apart from the other or in unison.
• It is available in both electric and acoustic types.
• It is popularly used in rock and roll, folk, and blues music.

• A Russian guitar is an acoustic guitar with seven strings.
• It has a wooden body.
• It is tuned to open G major.
• It was popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.

• An acoustic bass guitar is tuned like an electric bass guitar.
• It has four steel strings.
• It produces an extremely low sound resembling that of the big bass or double bass viol.

• An electric guitar requires an electric amplifier to increase its resonance.
• It can have a hollow, solid, or semi-hollow body.
• It is made with an electromagnetic pick-up that translates steel string vibrations into electric signals, which are transported to an external amplifier through a radio or cable device.
• It uses different techniques done on the lower fretboard such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, tapping, volume swells, pinch harmonics, and effects pedals to produce different sounds.
• It can have six to 12 strings.
• It is popularly used in rock and roll, jazz, and blues music.

Skill level: If you are an amateur guitarist, choose an inexpensive wooden acoustic guitar to practice on. As you get better, you can move on to a high-end classical guitar or an electric guitar, depending on the music genre you want to pursue.

Body style: Look for a small, travel-size guitar  for children. A larger, jumbo to dreadnought variety is ideal for adults.

Materials used: If you are a beginner, choose an inexpensive spruce guitar. As you get better, you can move on to a rosewood guitar that produces better sound.

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