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Slash, Ed Sheeran, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Eric Clapton and many, many more. We all know them, the guitarists. Whether they use it as their primary instrument or manage to use it as a musical element for countless number 1 hits, they can command the strings like no one else.
In this post, we take a close look at the guitar, and how you take the first step into the world of fingerpicking and crazy riffs. Because what should you actually pay attention to when you’re buying a guitar, and what exactly is the difference between a Spanish guitar and a Les Paul? We cover it all right here!
📖 First, a bit of history
The guitar as we know it today was developed around the year 1850. The Spanish luthiers in particular have influenced what the acoustic guitar looks like today. They were the ones who started making the body larger and reinforcing the guitar’s interior, which meant that the guitar strings could be tightened more without the body collapsing. Since then, of course, various measures have been developed to get different sounds out of the acoustic guitar, but the shape has not changed much since then.
Later, George Beauchamp discovered that you could capture the strings’ vibrations via an electrical panel, and the foundation for the electric guitar had been laid. After World War II, the electric guitar, with the solid body as we know it today, was created and popularised by Gibson and Fender, who to this day still produce electric guitars of the highest quality.
🎼 Acoustic guitar
The acoustic guitar. This is where most people’s journey into playing guitar begins, and it provides a really good starting point for learning to play guitar. The acoustic guitar works by the strings sending vibrations down to the sound hole, after which the sound is amplified in the resonance chamber (the body).
There are both fully acoustic guitars that rely solely on the resonance chamber to create sound. But if you need it, there are also electro-acoustic guitars (they are called semi-acoustic guitars) where you have the option to connect them to an amplifier, and therefore play to a larger audience!
🫀The anatomy of the acoustic guitar
- Headstock
- Tuning machine
- Nut
- Frets
- Neck
- Fretboard
- Sound hole
- Back
- Side
- Bridge
- Top
Classical/Spanish guitar
A Spanish guitar is also what we call a classical guitar. This is the type that Spanish luthiers developed all the way back at the dawn of the modern guitar.
The sound of the classical guitar will most often be what most people associate with an acoustic guitar. This is because a classical guitar comes with nylon strings, which provide a softer, more rounded and pleasant sound. In addition, nylon strings are less stiff to press down and strum, and can therefore be gentler on untrained fingers.
Children's and beginner guitars
The classical guitar is most often the guitar you would choose as a beginner. The guitar’s body is a good size that is easy to handle for most people, and the nylon strings are gentler on the fingers, so you do not end up with sore fingertips after a full day of practice!
The classical guitar is also made as a children's guitar. The children's guitar is smaller and easier to handle for smaller people, but works exactly like a regular-size guitar.
Ukulele
Another great place to start if you are new to string instruments can be a ukulele. The ukulele closely resembles a small classical guitar, and that is not far off. It is built in the same way with a hollow body, fretboard and nylon strings; however, a ukulele only has four strings, unlike the guitar’s six. But the ukulele is tuned quite differently and produces a completely different sound than a guitar!
Within ukuleles there are several different sizes; the most common are:
Soprano ukulele is the smallest, and the one most people know.
Concert ukulele is slightly larger than the soprano ukulele. This is especially an advantage for adults with larger fingers, as there is more space between the frets.
Baryton ukulele is the largest but also the least common type of ukulele. Its larger size gives a deeper, more guitar-like sound than the smaller models.
Western Guitar
The Western Guitar is characterised by its larger body and more metallic sound. Western Guitar is the preferred guitar among singer/songwriters such as Ed Sheeran or for bands like Oasis. While the classical guitar is strung with nylon strings, the Western Guitar uses steel strings, which helps give the Western Guitar its fantastic sound.
The Western Guitar’s body and neck are usually larger and harder to handle, which also means it will most often not be the first choice among brand-new guitarists. However, smaller versions of the Western Guitar also exist, if you as a beginner have fallen in love with the Western sound!
🎸 Electric guitar
The electric guitar is arguably the most widely used instrument in music over the last 50–60 years, since it became popular shortly after World War II. Whether you listen to rock, pop or jazz, or whether you listen to The Beatles, Metallica or perhaps even Sussie og Leo, the electric guitar is present.
Unlike an acoustic guitar, the body of an electric guitar is solid, so it doesn’t produce much sound if you strum the strings without having it connected to an amplifier.
Electric guitars work by the string vibrations being picked up by the pick-up, which “captures” the frequencies and sends an electrical signal out through the jack socket and into an amplifier that can turn the vibrations into sound.
🫀The anatomy of the electric guitar
- Headstock
- Tuning machine
- Nut
- Frets
- Neck
- Fretboard
- Pick-up
- Pickguard
- Bridge
- Tone/volume knobs
- Body
There are countless different designs of electric guitars; below we take a closer look at the most popular designs:
Telecaster
The Telecaster has been produced since 1951 and is one of the most versatile guitars available. The Telecaster is considered one of the very oldest guitar models, surpassed only by the Fender Esquire, which came onto the market two years earlier but did not gain the same popularity among guitarists worldwide.
The Telecaster is used by guitarists in all genres, from Jimmy Page in Led Zeppelin to James “Jim” Root in Slipknot. The Telecaster is also called a chameleon among electric guitars, as it can be used to emulate pretty much any electric guitar sound.
The Telecaster is a great choice if you don’t know which genre you want to move into, or if you simply want to play a bit of everything!
Famous guitarists who use the Telecaster:
- Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
- Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
- George Harrison (The Beatles)
- Bruce Springsteen
- Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)
- James “Jim” Root (Slipknot)
Stratocaster
The Stratocaster, like the Telecaster, was invented by Fender. Compared to the Telecaster, the Stratocaster has a brighter tone and is more “precise” in its notes. The Stratocaster is especially used in rock, pop, funk and similar genres, which may not be quite as heavy as was the case with the Telecaster!
Names like Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend (The Who) are known for using the Stratocaster for most of their work! In addition, the Stratocaster’s rounded edges on the guitar’s body helped provide a whole new level of playing comfort, and it therefore quickly became one of the preferred guitars on the market.
Famous guitarists who use the Stratocaster:
- Jimi Hendrix
- John Mayer
- Eric Clapton
- Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
- The Edge (U2)
- John Frusciant (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
Fun fact: Apple’s guitar emoji (🎸) is based on a Stratocaster with a vibrato arm!
Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul is the one of the three models whose sound stands out the most. Les Paul guitars are known for having a darker sound, which is because it uses a different type of pickup than the other two—this is something we’ll get into later. These characteristics make the Les Paul extremely well suited to heavier/harder genres such as rock and heavy metal. So if you want to sound like Slash from Guns ’n’ Roses, then a Les Paul is the one you should go for.
Famous guitarists who use a Les Paul:
- Slash (Guns ’n’ Roses)
- Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
- Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot & Ozzy Osbourne)
- Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne)
- Ace Frehley (KISS)
- Gary Moore
What all of the above models have in common is that they are modifiable. The guitar’s sound can be drastically affected by changing strings, pickups and of course connecting various effects pedals. The most important thing is to find the guitar that feels good in your hands and has the feel and soul you’re looking for!
🔊 Amplifier
To be able to use an electric guitar at all, you need an amplifier. As mentioned before, an electric guitar says practically nothing if it isn’t connected to an amplifier—and guitar is, after all, most fun to play when you can hear what you’re playing!
There are many different guitar amplifiers; some are made for acoustic guitars and others are made for electric guitars. In addition, they have different features. Some are very simple and are basically just a speaker that “simply” amplifies the sound you send in. Others, on the other hand, are packed with various effects and functions that you would normally find in an effects pedal. What you choose largely depends on what you need the amplifier for, and whether you need more or fewer features.
Combo amplifier: A combo amplifier is an all-in-one amplifier that contains both an amp and a speaker. This means that as soon as you’ve connected a cable from your guitar to the combo amplifier, you’re ready to play. The combo amplifier is by far the most popular type of amplifier, as it’s easy to transport and easy to set up. A combo amplifier is therefore perfect for everything from the rehearsal room to the bedroom, on stage, and in fact any other place you can think of!
Head amp: A guitar head amp is an amplifier, and only an amplifier. On its own, a head amp produces no sound. But when you take the signal from the head amp and send it down into a guitar cabinet, that’s when the magic happens! The advantage of choosing a setup with a head amp together with a cabinet, rather than a combo amp, is the option to swap out the amplifier or guitar cabinets if, for example, you want a different sound from your amp setup.
Often, a head amp is also more powerful than what you will find in a combo amp. The more powerful amplifiers and larger cabinets can be an advantage especially if you need it to “keep up” with a loud drum kit in the rehearsal room, or if you want to deliver a proper amount of gain in the studio!
Whether you prefer combo or head amp setups is entirely down to personal preference, as both can make the angels sing if used correctly!
Amplug: If you live in an apartment, or simply don’t have the option to crank your amplifier at full volume, there are solutions for that too. An “amplug” is a small mini amplifier that you plug directly into your guitar, after which you can connect your headphones. This is really smart if, as mentioned, you can’t play loud, you’re on the go, or you simply don’t want to buy a guitar amplifier right here and now. Amplugs are available in different models such as metal, classic rock and blues, depending on the sound you want!
Pickups
Earlier I promised we would take a look at pickups. As mentioned, the pickup is the part of an electric guitar that captures the vibrations from the strings.
There are several types of pickups that work in different ways and each has its own sound. A humbucker pickup, like the kind found on a Les Paul for example, has a “warm”, full-bodied sound and is superbly suited to genres with more distortion, for example metal.
Tele and Stratocaster guitars come fitted with single-coil pickups. These often have a slightly brighter (more treble) sound than a humbucker, while also delivering a very clean tone. That is exactly why these models are well suited to more classic rock, funk, pop and similar genres.
💰 Cheap or expensive guitar?
It varies greatly what guitarists choose to play. The same applies to the price range their guitars fall into. Because the truth is that even an expensive guitar can easily sound absolutely terrible in the hands of an inexperienced guitarist, and on the other hand, a cheap “beginner guitar” can sound amazing if the person behind it knows how to play.
Of course there are differences in build quality, sound, etc. between a very expensive and a very cheap guitar, but don’t let that determine your purchase. The most important thing is to find a guitar that suits your needs and also fits your budget. There’s not much fun in only just being able to buy a guitar, but no accessories, an amplifier, or similar.
🎉 Guitar Accessories
When you’re either about to buy, or have perhaps just bought, your new best friend, there are extremely many extra things that can be good to pick up—now that the debit card is already out, or to add to the wish list!
Guitar bag
It goes without saying that if you have a guitar, you’ll also want to keep it. That’s why it’s important to have a good guitar bag. The guitar bag helps protect your guitar during transport, but also lets you carry all your extra gear without everything ending up in a tangled mess.
Strings
Guitar Strings are perhaps the most important part of the entire guitar—without them there’s no sound. That’s why it’s also a shame if one or more of them snap and you can’t keep playing because the notes are missing. Therefore, it’s a good idea to get a few extra strings already when you buy your guitar. Remember there is a difference between strings for classical guitar, strings for Western Guitar and strings for electric guitar.
As previously described, strings are made in different materials, and therefore they also behave differently. Nylon strings, which are typically found on a classical guitar, will initially stretch more than steel strings. This also means you’ll often need to tune nylon strings, especially when you’ve just put on a new set!
If you’re more experienced within the world of guitar, you can also experiment with different types of strings for your guitar to get exactly the sound you want! Often, many people start by experimenting with string gauge: thinner strings are usually easier to play and bend, but this comes at the expense of less volume and tone. The opposite applies with thicker strings. Thick strings deliver more volume and tone, but are in return harder to play.
Pick
A pick is a small triangular piece of plastic with rounded corners. The pick is used to strike the guitar’s strings if you’re not using your fingers. Using a pick can help create a very distinctive sound that can be difficult or completely impossible to replicate with your fingers.
Picks come in different thicknesses and in different materials. Different pick thicknesses produce different sounds, so it can be a good idea to have a few different thicknesses on hand. Generally speaking, on an acoustic guitar you’ll use a thinner pick than on an electric guitar. A standard-size pick will often be between 0,73 and 0,88mm.
Tuner
As amazing as a guitar can sound, it can sound just as awful if it isn’t tuned! Some guitarists can tune their guitar perfectly just by ear, but for the rest of us it can be nice to have a little help! That’s why a guitar tuner is an indispensable piece of gear in any gig bag!
Clip-on tuner: A clip-on tuner is a small clamp with a display that you attach to the guitar’s headstock. From its position on the headstock, it picks up the vibrations in the guitar when you strike the strings, and can therefore tell you which note the string is tuned to. Clip-on tuners are super easy to use, very accurate, and they take up virtually no space.
Chromatic tuner: A chromatic tuner works by connecting it to the guitar via a jack plug, after which it can determine the notes via the signal from the guitar. The chromatic tuner is a great choice for electric guitars, where it can easily be included in a pedalboard, so you can always be sure your guitar is perfectly in tune!
Guitar stand
When you’ve bought a nice new guitar, it shouldn’t just be lying in a corner. It should be displayed nicely on a guitar stand on the floor, or maybe it should be hung on the wall in a guitar hanger! There are countless different guitar stands that have space for 1 to 7 guitars, so it’s up to you to fill them with great guitars!
Effects pedals
Effects pedals are pedals that “colour” the sound. There are loads of different pedals, all of which provide different effects. This can include reverb, distortion, delay and many, many more!
Some of the effects pedals can “only” be used for one effect, but there are also pedals where you have the option to create several effects in the same pedal. What you choose will, like almost everything else in guitar gear, be a matter of preference. If you want the ability to put together your own sounds and effects entirely yourself, it can be a good idea to build your own “pedalboard” with your favourite pedals; if it just needs to be simple, you can choose a multi-effects pedal!
Overdrive: The overdrive pedal overdrives your signal. You could say that overdrive pushes the signal higher. Overdrive comes from “driving” the tubes in a tube amp so they overdrive and thereby create overtones. This gives a great musical effect for the guitar!
Distortion: Distortion is very similar to an overdrive pedal. The distortion pedal is used to distort the sound from your guitar. You have definitely heard a distortion pedal in use if you listen to metal, rock and the like. You can describe the sound a distortion pedal gives as if you turn a sound system up way too loud for the speakers to keep up, and it starts to “clip” the signal. A distortion pedal is indispensable on any pedalboard if you play within the heavier rock genres!
Room ambience/reverb: Room ambience, or reverb as it’s called in English, gives—as the name suggests—the sound of a room. There are two types of reverb that account for 95% of all guitar reverb: spring reverb and plate. Although today both are often recreated digitally, they originate from practical effects. Many amplifiers still have an analogue spring reverb built in. The tone in a spring reverb is created in analogue form by sending the sound through a physical spring. This creates a unique tone that fits the guitar’s twang really well. A plate reverb was originally likewise created using physical metal plates. There are very few analogue plate reverbs today.
Delay: The delay pedal is used to “delay” the sound. The delay signal can be set by how long after the original signal it should come in and how quickly it should “fade out” again. Kind of like an echo effect. Delay is a good way to make your guitar fill out the mix more among the other instruments. A very commonly used delay effect on guitar is a “slap-back” delay, which is a very short type of delay.
Chorus: The chorus pedal gives the effect of a “choir”. The chorus pedal takes the sound and doubles it, and it often detunes the second signal slightly, so it sounds as if several guitars are playing at the same time. It’s a super effective way to get a full and “big” guitar sound, or create the illusion that many guitars are playing simultaneously, even though there’s only one person playing guitar!
Looper: A looper is an extremely popular pedal. The looper can be used to record a loop that then keeps playing. This means that even if it’s just you, you can create multiple layers of guitar rhythms or riffs running at the same time. On some of the larger models, you’ll also find more features such as drum beats, various effects, and the like. A great example of how you can use a looper—if you happen to be a musical genius—can be found in Ed Sheeran’s performance at The Grammys in 2017!
Accessories packages
Want it to be easy? Then our skilled staff have put together a few different accessory packs to get you started on your guitar adventure, so you don’t have to hunt for the individual parts—we’ve made the choice easy for you!
Electric guitar accessories package
Western Guitar accessories package
Classical guitar accessories package
We hope that this post has made you ready to dive into the world of the guitar, or at least helped you understand more about the guitar and what one can do!
At SoundStoreXL, we are always ready to help you if you need it! Our sales team and customer service will be happy to answer any questions, whether you are a beginner or a professional guitarist!
