Types of guitars: electric guitar
Types of guitars … There are so many. But are already some types of guitars. An electric guitar is a guitar without a body. In addition to a guitar, you also need an amplifier to get the sound out of this guitar. The neck of an electric guitar is a lot narrower than that of a classical guitar and can be compared to that of a western guitar. An electric guitar also has steel strings. So the switch from a western to an electric guitar is pretty easy. For beginners, we always recommend starting with electric guitar, as it is easier to play, less stressful for joints and muscles, and the spectrum of musical styles is almost infinite: on this guitar you can play styles from pop, rock, funk, classical to hard metal. Just as important as the guitar is the amplifier.
The choice of amplifier is very personal. Every amplifier sounds slightly different and it is best to test different models in a music store. Keep in mind for what purpose you use the amplifier. If it is for home use, 20 watts is more than enough to get by. If, on the other hand, you take it to a rehearsal room, you have to think of 100 watts to get above a drum set. Well-known and also very good brands are: Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Godin, Ibanez, PRS, etc. In short, plenty of choice! For a starter package with electric guitar and amplifier you quickly have to count on 300 euros.
Electric guitar… Some brands and figures
For a minimum professional electric guitar you quickly have to count on 1200 euros and more (for just the guitar, without amplifier and peripherals). Fender USA is a solid, professional and not too expensive brand where you get styles from pop, funk, rock to metal. Please note that Fender USA is mentioned on the back of the head, there are also Mexican Fenders as well as many copies made in Indonesia and China. Fender itself can be divided into 3 price categories (read quality labels): Fender Squier (cheap brother of Fender), Fender Mexican (split version of Fender), Fender USA (the one and only …). You can already get a good Fender, e.g. Standard Stratocaster, for approx. 900 euros. Gibson can also be divided into Epiphone (cheaper version) and Gibson itself, with a wide range of electric, acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars.
Gibson is a very good and legendary brand, but you pay for a large part the name and only then the quality. Personally, I don’t think Gibson has the right price/quality ratios. A good Gibson starts from 2000 euros, cheaper models of 1000 to 1500 euros sound rather cheap to me personally compared to the price tag. Ibanez, the most universal when it comes to music styles, and the price / quality is very correct. But please note, many models have a floating bridge, which is not always practical for certain musical styles. You already have a decent Ibanez for 1000 euros, but models by Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are quickly around 2000 euros. For those who have a somewhat larger budget, there are of course other beautiful guitar brands such as: ESP (Metallica, …), PRS (Santana, …), Music Man (Steve Morse, John Petrucci, Steve Lukather), etc.
Classical or Spanish guitar
Most beginning students start on a classical guitar. The disadvantage of this guitar is that the neck is a bit wider in contrast to the somewhat narrower neck of a western or electric guitar. This makes playing chords a lot more difficult, especially for people with smaller hands. In addition, it is also quite limited in terms of music styles that you can play on this. An advantage of this guitar is that it has nylon strings. This material is a lot friendlier to the fingertips for a novice student. A classical guitar is already for sale for 60-70 euros.
The sound of such a guitar is just not really good. When a guitar has a solid top, like the classical guitars have in a higher price range, the sound immediately becomes a lot better. You should then think of a price from about 200-220 euros. A classical guitar has a warmer sound than a western guitar due to its nylon strings. These usually sound a little clearer because they have steel strings.
Western, acoustic or steelstring guitar
Narrower neck, clear sound, fine volume and very diverse! Western (or also called Steelstring and acoustic) guitars are mainly used in pop, rock and blues music. The sound of a steel string is clearer than with classical guitar because steel strings are stretched on it. The sound box is also a lot larger, so the volume is also a bit higher. The advantage over a classical guitar is that the neck is much narrower, which is often easier for beginners to play chords. The steel strings are a point that many beginning students fall over. After some intensive practice, you will really have to give your fingertips a rest.
Of course you get used to this, but you have to take into account that both a classical and western guitar is much more stressful for joints and muscles than an electric guitar! Western guitars are already for sale for less than 100 euros. My advice is to spend a little more and buy a steel string with a solid top for about 250 euros. The sound is really much better! Please note, a good western guitar is much more expensive than a good electric guitar. For a professional and good sounding acoustic guitar you quickly pay 2500 to 3000 euros (without amplifier or peripherals).