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Amplified sound created by electrical currents caused by vibrating strings is the definition of the music created by an electric guitar. The first electric guitars in the 1930s consisted of electromagnetic transducers fastened to hollow-arch-top acoustic guitars. The Fender, created by Les Paul, was the original modern-day electric guitar. The Fender made its debut in the 1940s.

The Body of the GuitarWhile some modern electric guitars have a partially hollow resonance-chamber, the electric guitar is characterized by its body being made out of solid wood with controls and pickups mounted on the surface. Because electric guitars do not use soundboards (a piece of wood through which sound is vibrated) (*it should be noted that what is known as the right handed or left handed acoustic electric guitar is very similar to the pre-cursor of the modern electric guitar, thus these do have soundboards in their design) one would think that the type of wood used in the construction of the guitar would not matter. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The type of wood still determines how the guitar will resonate. Rich sounds are created by dense wood (i. E. Mahogany, ash, and alder).

The Guitar’s BarAttached to the bridge is a metal bar that deals with string tension variation. It works by tilting the bridge forward and back. Other names for this component are Tremolo Bar, Whammy Bar, Wang Bar, and Vibrato Bar.

Fingerboard and NeckMaple-wood is the standard material used in the electric guitar’s neck construction. The fret or fingerboard is usually made of maple or rosewood is attached to the front of the neck. When the musician wishes to change the pitch of the sound, he or she will press the strings into the fingerboard which changes the vibrating-length. Bright pitches come from maple fingerboards. Timbres that are dark are produced by rosewood fingerboards.

The PickupsThe pickups are what makes the sound and thus they can be said to be the ‘voice’ of the guitar. They are made of magnets wrapped in wire. The strings vibrate when the guitar is played. These vibrations disrupt the magnetic field of the pickup. This creates an electric current that is then amplified.

Pickups fall into two basic categories:

Single Coil PickupsThese are pickups with only one coil. They have a bright sound but tend to produce a ‘humming’ sound. The elemental signal and harmonic matter are the basis of the hum and they are caused by magnetic-flux changes within the pickup.

The Humbucker PickupThe sound distortion caused by single coil pickups gave rise to the invention of the dual coil, or Humbucker, pickup. These are made up of two coils that are wound as mirror images and have opposed polarity within the six magnetic coils. The ambient sound is cancelled out before it is amplified, thus the hum is eliminated. Humbucker pickups have a thick sound and some guitars allow the option of switching between the two pickup types.

The Guitar StringsGuitar strings can produce various sounds based upon the combinations of alloys, windings, and gauges. Electric guitar strings are made of metal and are strung as such: high E, B, G, D, A, low E. The left handed electric guitar is strung the exact opposite.

AlloysSteel is the most common alloy because it has great volume and brilliant tones. Stainless steel strings that are plated with Nickel have a tone that is more subdued. Strings made entirely out of Nickel have a more muted but round sound which makes them ideal for jazz and rhythm guitaring.

The Guitar String’s GaugeThe string’s gauge refers to its thickness. Thin gauge is easier to bend and is preferred by lead guitarists because they can be played fast. The medium gauge stings create great volume and are ideal for strummers and pickers. Full sound can be had with heavy gauge strings but they can be rather hard to play.

The String’s WindingThe winding of the string comes in four different styles: flat, ground, round, and any of the other three but nylon taped. Fast guitarists usually prefer not to use the most common winding because round windings tend to ‘grab’ the fingers. Flat windings, also known as ribbon strings, have a smooth, oily surface and are the pride and joy of fast guitarists that like subdued tones. Only electric bass guitars have ground windings. Ground windings are round wound with a machine polish. Any of these three windings can be coated with nylon to produce a sound like that of an acoustic bass guitar. This is the definition of ‘nylon taped.’

One must do his or her homework when finding an electric guitar for sale. The prospective buyer must take into consideration the type of music he or she plans to play and how comfortable he or she will be with the instrument. Each guitar has an individual sonic-personality because of the various combinations of pickups, wood, and string.