How To Choose An Electric Guitar?

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It is never easy to choose an electric guitar with the vast options available. How to choose an electric guitar for a beginner is complicated, especially if you don’t have the relevant information on what to look for. For most people I come across having issues with choosing an electric guitar, it is like differentiating darkness from darkness.

I know when buying an electric guitar, you have several options at your disposal. Regrettably, choosing a guitar can be confusing. If you face this issue, don’t fret because I will share what you need to know to make an informed decision.

Therefore, I have gathered what you should look for when you want to choose an electric guitar. It’s only a guide to determine what you need to look for in a guitar. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Shape and looks

One important feature I would recommend for you to look for when choosing an electric guitar is the “shape and looks.” Maybe in another post, I will discuss the technical aspect of checking in a guitar. However, should a guitar look play a critical role in choosing an electric guitar?

Undeniably, I know there are several good guitars available on the market, and you can find one that suits your budget. A guitar look doesn’t have much bearing on the sound but can affect how you play it. Besides the look, the shape should also give you concerns as it influences how you play it. For example, the cutaway guitar shape.

Body type

I know you will find some terms confusing for beginners, especially relating to the guitar body type. The body type can be solid, hollow, or semi-hollow. I believe you might have imagined that whatever body type a guitar may be, it can affect the sound. Electric guitars have several sound characteristics from the strings of the guitar and how they vibrate. However, the shape of the guitar body highly impacts the guitar.

I don’t want you to think something else when you hear about a solid guitar body. Solid-body guitars are manufactured using a solid slab of wood. It is the sound you hear when playing, especially for new model guitars. In addition, I find solid body guitars to be less heavy to hold; electronics impact their tones.

Tonewoods

Most beginners think that the sound is what makes the guitar. It’s one misconception I have heard among newbies. For an acoustic guitar, the tonewood is extremely critical. It’s likely to assume that the wood doesn’t produce any sound and isn’t a critical component of the guitar.

Tonewood is very important for an electric guitar and has several characteristics. Nowadays, you will find guitar manufacturers using these woods in guitars as they are highly-priced. I usually buy sturdy furniture, and seeing these woods is something essential. However, the more sturdier the guitar wood is, the more expensive it gets.

Pickups

Another vital thing to consider on how to choose an electric guitar is the pickup position. You will find the pickup on your guitar body. Specifically, it is located under the strings, and you shouldn’t ignore this when buying a guitar. I find this very important because it can affect your guitar sound.

Interestingly, the pickup is part of your guitar that senses vibrations whenever you pick or strum a string. In addition, it transforms these into electrical signals. That is how the guitar can amplify the signal. Finally, the setup of the pickups can affect the electric guitar sound.

Conclusion

How to choose an electric guitar is critical if you are a beginner. I understand the complications that come with finding a suitable guitar to practice and play with every day. I have explained the basic things you can check when you want to buy a guitar in this write-up.

Whether you like it or not, the quality of a guitar depends on several features, including pickups, tonewood, body type, looks, and shape. Importantly, look at these features before purchasing a guitar.

We do love to hear from you if you have any issues with how to choose an electric guitar. You can use the comment box to write your comment and what you think about choosing an electric guitar.

Jim Henneberry

Jim Henneberry

I love playing my guitar, and my kids got hooked along with me.
This is a family thing now - why don't you join the family fun? :)