Guitars

Because electric and acoustic guitars are so familiar, it is easy to overlook the broad range of guitar types in existence. Not every guitar is the same, and guitar playing techniques can vary, giving guitar players the opportunity to try something new and different. Those who are learning how to play guitar, and even those who have played for a while, should take the time to examine the many options available.

Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Acoustic Guitar As famous as The Man in Black himself, the original Martin D35 was built specifically for Johnny Cash and was the first black finish guitar C.F. Martin III released and without his knowledge. This recreation of the original is built painstakingly to nearly exact specifications

Types of Acoustic Guitar

Under the heading of acoustic guitar, the most common types are flat-top, archtop and classical.

The flat-top guitar, true to its name, has a flat top and back, along with steel strings. The flat-top is the type of guitar most often seen in use by folk, country, blues and bluegrass guitar players.

The archtop guitar has a curved top and either a flat or curved back. Generally, this steel-string model features f-holes, similar to a violin.

The classical guitar is similar in appearance to the flat-top, but it usually has a wider fingerboard and is strung with nylon strings.
The acoustic guitar, however, cover a much wider range than just those three basic guitars.

Among the other types of acoustic guitars are:

Resonator guitars are similar to flat-top guitars, with the exception of the metal resonator mounted in the top. Typically, resonator guitars have two sound holes, either small round holes or f-holes, although some resonator guitars have three or four sound holes. The idea behind a resonator guitar is that an aluminum resonator cone inside the body would increase the volume of the guitar.

Twelve-string guitars are flat-top guitars with twelve strings, generally arranged as six pairs of strings like a mandolin or lute. The highest pair of strings is tuned together, while the two strings in the other five pairs are tuned at octaves.

Russian guitars are acoustic guitars with seven strings, rather than six. Popular among Russian guitar players in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the guitars were typically tuned to an open G major.

Acoustic bass guitars have steel strings and are tuned the same as an electric bass guitar.

Types of Electric Guitar

Electric Guitar come in solid body, semi-hollow body and hollow body varieties, and typically have six steel strings. There are variations on the electric guitar, though, that may or may not be familiar to all those playing guitar.

Additional strings, in a variety of amounts, modify the sound and playing style of the electric guitar. Seven-string and twelve-string electric guitars are commonly known variations of the standard electric guitar. There are also eight-string electric guitars, as well as variations in the strings used. For example, most seven-string electric guitars have a low B string, but some guitar players prefer to use an octave G paired with the regular G, a modification that allows for some of the elements of twelve-string playing to be incorporated into a seven-string guitar.

Epiphone Sheraton II Archtop Electric Guitar The Sheraton II Archtop Guitar features 2 humbuckers, gold hardware, and a Natural finish. The scale is 24.75 in. and the nut width is 1.68 in. The neck joint is set and the neck material is 3-piece Maple. The fingerboard is made of Rosewood with Block and Triangle markers. The body material is laminated Maple, as is the top.

Electric guitars also come with multiple necks. The most common neck variation is a double-neck, but some guitars even come with three, four or five necks.

All Guitar Players, no matter how many guitars they have seen, is highly unlikely to have seen or played them all. There are so many variations of acoustic and electric guitars that it would take weeks to touch them all, and years to master even a few.

The variety, however, allows even the most veteran player to never be bored with the instrument.

eMedia Guitar Pro Multi-Track Tablature Editor (Windows) Guitar Pro 5.0 is a complete workshop for guitarists at an affordable price. Guitar Pro is known as the most powerful and intuitive tablature editor on the market. New advanced notation features add drum notation, vocal notation and tablature support for any stringed instruments with four to seven strings! You can create complete scores for a band in minutes.