Guitar Types - Understanding the Different Types of Guitars

By Drew Peterson

Today one very popular instrument happens to be the guitar. Of course there are a variety of different types of guitars out there. Various guitars have a different appearances, sound, and are a bit different to play. Trying to decide what type of guitar to learn and play? Here is a look at some of the different guitar types to choose from.

If you are looking for a good place to start, it would probably be best to start with acoustic. These aren't electric, and rely only upon themselves for any sort of sound. The body resonates vibrations that you make by playing the instrument, and these are normally made of wood, and the types of wood that are used may be different for each guitar.

There are many different acoustic guitar types. One type of an acoustic guitar is a classical guitar. Usually these are great guitars for beginners to start playing on. They produce beautiful sounds and come with nylon strings in most cases. Flamenco guitars are very close to classical guitars, but they sound a bit thinner and have a crisp sound.



Another guitar that you will find out there is the 12 string. It is called this for obvious reasons and belongs in the acoustic family of guitars. Each string has a sister string which makes the same note, but is tuned to a slightly higher octave. This is done so that more sounds can be produced when playing the guitar.

Another type of acoustic guitar out there is the steel top guitar. They are close to classical guitars but are made with reinforced bodies and are a bit larger than the classical guitar as well. Their tone is a bit warmer, giving them a nice, mellow sound when you play them.

Acoustic base isn't a bad choice. It's a bass guitar that doesn't feature any sort of electric pick ups. It has a great body which gives off a sound agreeable to anyone, and has four strings. You can pick up models which have more strings, five or six if you so desire.

You've probably heard of electric guitars by this point, which is what a lot of people are looking to play. They are a little more advanced, and have electronic pick ups which amplify them. In order for this to work properly you will need to locate and purchase a decent amplifier. The body of the guitar makes it impossible for noise to be emitted without an amplifier.

Many such guitars come standard with control knobs that can control volume, tone and other aspects of the guitar. There are even a few that come equipped with whammy bars that allow you to shift notes without changing your finger positioning. Bars like this are generally utilized to produce the guitar sound called 'crying.'

Those are just a few of the great guitars which you can choose and learn to play. There are many types out there, but remember it's always good to start with the basics. When you have learned the rudimentary skills, then you can go on to choose a different guitar, or stay with the one you initially chose if you so desire. - 30217

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