How To Buy Electric Guitars
What is an electric guitar?
The Electric Guitar History
Instrumentpro Top (3) Beginner Electric Guitars
Let’s buy an electric guitar!
What is an electric guitar?
An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electromagnetic “pickups� to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. In contrast to most stringed instruments, the electric guitar does not rely as extensively on the acoustic properties of its construction to amplify the sound produced by the vibrating strings; as such, the electric guitar does not need to be naturally loud, and its body can be virtually any shape.
The Electric Guitar History
Electric guitars were originally designed by an assortment of luthiers, electronics buffs, and instrument manufacturers, in varying combinations. Some of the earliest electric guitars used tungsten pickups and were manufactured in the 1930s by Rickenbacker. The popularity of the electric guitar began with the Big band era, the amplified instruments being necessary to compete with the loud volumes of the large brass sections common to jazz orchestras of the thirties and forties. Initially, electric guitars consisted primarily of hollow "archtop" acoustic guitar bodies to which electromagnetic transducers had been attached.
The version of the instrument that is most well known today is the "solid body" electric guitar: a guitar made of solid wood, without resonating airspaces within it. One of the first solid body electric guitars was built by musician and inventor Les Paul in the early 1940s, working after hours in the Epiphone Guitar factory. His "log" guitar, so called because it consisted of a simple rectangular block of wood with a neck attached to it, was generally considered to be the first of its kind until recently, when research through old trade publications and with surviving luthiers and their families revealed many other prototypes, and even limited production models, that fit our modern conception of an 'electric guitar.' At least one company, Audiovox, built and may have offered an electric solid-body as early as the mid-1930s. Rickenbacher (later spelled 'Rickenbacker') offered a solid Bakelite electric guitar beginning in 1935 that, when tested by vintage guitar researcher John Teagle, reportedly sounded quite modern and aggressive.
See the entry on the Fender Telecaster for more details on the early development of the electric solidbody guitar.
Gibson, like many luthiers, had long offered semi-acoustic guitars with pickups, but it was in 1954 that the Gibson Les Paul, the instrument that would become their trademark, was introduced to the market. In the late 1940s, electrician and amplifier maker Leo Fender, through his eponymous company, designed the Fender Telecaster. In 1954 Fender introduced the Stratocaster, or Strat, which had become by the late sixties the most widely played guitar on the market. Fender is also credited with inventing the electric bass, although solidbody electric basses had appeared elsewhere as prototypes and limited production models.
Unlike the more traditionally styled and crafted Gibson instruments, Fender's guitars and basses pioneered the modular, and hence much less expensive, method of guitar making in which the body and neck of the guitar were crafted separately, using commonly available woodworking tools, and then bolted together to form a complete guitar. Today, the design of electric guitars by most companies echoes one of the two classic designs: the Les Paul or the Stratocaster.
Instrumentpro’s Top (3) For Electric Guitar Packs!
The most commonly accepted method of choosing a low cost electric guitar is to find an instrument with good quality wood, and at least reasonable workmanship. Guitar manufactures tend to cut corners with cheaper guitars, by using cheaper pick-ups, and hardware, but these are all upgradeable parts. The following are some examples of the better low cost electric guitars available.
- Behringer V-Tone Guitar Pack - You’ll be rockin’ straight out of the box! You’ll be playing within minute! The Behringer Guitar Pack is a truly amazing deal! No one is quite sure how Behringer pulled this one off. This guitar pack for only 109.99 with free shipping is ridiculously cheap. Not only is this guitar pack cheap but it sounds great too. The Behringer Guitar Pack contains everything an aspiring guitar player/enthusiast needs to start playing electric guitar. Grab this guitar and sound like a pro! You get a solid-body electric guitar featuring a 22-fret Maple neck, solid body, sealed chrome machine heads, 3 single-coil pickups, 5 way switching, and a vintage vibrato bridge. The amp gives you the sound of guitar amps! Get ready for Behringer’s great sounding rebel – the V-Tone GM108 15 Watt modeling guitar amplifier with 27 classic guitar amp sound presets, vintage-design 8 inch speaker, dedicated headphone output, and CD input.
- Fender Squire Se100 Guitar Pack – Everything you need to be a rock star. The fender squire se100 guitar pack includes squire Stratocaster guitar, gig bag, squire sp-10 practice amp with switchabe distortion, electronic tuner, strap, cable, guitar picks, and a Fender instruction book. This electric guitar truly rocks!
- Jay Turser Jt-300 Electric Guitar Pack – The Jay Turser JT-300Kit Guitar Package features classic style double cutaway body, solid body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, dot inlay, three smoling single coil pick-ups, die cast machines, white pick guard, two tone and one volume control, selector switch and a lifetime warranty! Not only do you get the great JT300 we all know and love, but you also get a 10 watt prime amp, cd with tuner and lessons, padded gig bag, strap, extra strings, picks, and a cord!
Let’s Buy an Electric Guitar!
Buying a electric guitar does not have to be complicated! You’ve come to the right store to pick out your first electric guitar. If you don’t have time to do more research you can never go wrong by choosing one of our top three picks. Remember there is never any pressure with our 30 day trial period. You can buy an electric guitar and try it out at home before you are committed to keeping the guitar. That’s right, you don’t even have to worry about shipping costs or return fees. We want you to be able to try out the guitar of your dreams in your home today without any pushy sales person trying to make his commission by selling you the guitar that his boss wants you to have! With all of that said lets get down to business…………
If you have a teacher or a friend that has plenty of playing experience under his belt, ask them for advice. Before you do that, look through the guitar and instrument magazine. Read the reviews and check the prices in the advertisements. Get a feel for what you can or can’t afford. Remember you can always give us a call at Instrumentpro and we’ll be more than happy to hold your hand throughout the process of getting your first guitar. You can always call us on our dime just to chat about the different options. We have serious musicians who thrive on the subject and would love to help you get on your way to becoming a rock star!
