Geni Swing Guitars

Humbucker Bridge

What are the Basics of Buying Electric Guitars?

Just about every kid ever born wants to be a rock star. They see their favorite stars up there on stage playing the electric guitar to a crowd and want to do the same. Problem is, it's not easy learning to play the electric guitar.

And of course before you learn to play the guitar you need to own a guitar, or at least borrow one. When you're just starting out learning the electric guitar you don't need one like Jimmy Hendrix would play, but you still need to get your hands on an electric guitar that will be adequate for the beginner. And if that's you then there's a few things that you need to know about electric guitars that may help in understanding a little more about them.

First thing to remember about buying your first electric guitar is that you don't need to spend hundreds of thousands to do so. Be happy with a cheap electric guitar while you're learning, and maybe once you hit the big time spend up big. However a cheap electric guitar will do the job for the first few years.

You also need to know exactly what style of music you will be playing on your guitar. Different styles of music require different styles of electric guitar. You need a different guitar to play rock, for example, to the guitar you'd buy if you were playing jazz.

So spend a little time researching the types of electric guitar that should be used by different music styles.

Electric guitar types boil down to 2 basic types, solid body and hollow body. As the name suggests a solid body guitar has no hollow space inside, and is usually, though not exclusively, made of solid wood. Different types of timber can produce different sounds, so as you get better you may want to research more on the type of timber you need to produce the sound you want, but in the early stages if you're buying a cheap electric guitar don't get too carried away getting the ideal timber, you may find it more expensive than you need to be paying, and it's not essential at the start.

And there's a few unusual terms you'll need to become familiar with if you're buying an electric guitar for the first time. Here's a taste.

Pickups. The pickup is a magnet with a coil of wire wrapped around it placed right under the strings. This receives the vibrations of the strings and turns these into an electric signal for the amp to use. There are 2 types of pickup. The single coil, which produces a sound that sounds good for playing rock, blues and country. Humbuckers are a pickup with 2 coils next to each other that produces a warmer sound which is great for metal and rock in particular. Some guitars have a combination of single coils and humbuckers, and there is usually at least 2 pickups utilized.

Bridge. The bridge is where the strings connect to the body of the guitar. You can have a fixed bridge or a Vibrato bridge which allows you to move the bridge to tighten or loosen the strings. The fixed bridge is better for beginners who can graduate to a Vibrato bridge after they've mastered the basics.

Hollow body electric guitars are the second basic style of guitar. These, as the name suggests, have a hollow body although there is also a variation of this which is the semi hollow. As the player plays his guitar the hollow space helps the body resonate which produces a quite distinctive sound. These are good guitars for jazz. These hollow body guitars also utilize pickups, including single coil and humbucker.

That's really just the start when it comes to understanding electric guitars, and for the enthusiast it's a lifetime job learning all there is to know about them. And finding out exactly what it is that you need to play to produce exactly the sound you want to produce. That's part of the fun of playing the guitar, it's a constant learning process, not just about how to play but what to play as well.

However remember, the most important piece of advice. If you're a beginner don't spend up big the first time. Buy yourself a cheap electric guitar first, then learn to play that and take it from there. It's the best way to kick off your rock star career.

About the Author

For a website totally dedicated to cheap electric guitars visit Peter's Website Cheap Electric Guitar Deals and find out about cheap Ibanez electric guitars and more, including cheap Takamine electric guitars.

EVH Wolfgang Bridge Humbucker Pickup $130.49 EVH Wolfgang Bridge Humbucker Pickup

Gibson Bridge Humbucker Cover Chrome $11.64 Gibson Bridge Humbucker Cover Chrome

Gibson Bridge Humbucker Cover Gold $16.14 Gibson Bridge Humbucker Cover Gold

Gibson Bridge Humbucker Cover Nickel $11.64 Gibson Bridge Humbucker Cover Nickel

Evh Wolfgang Bridge Humbucker Pickup $130.49 EVH Wolfgang Bridge Humbucker Pickup

Used Epiphone Bridge Humbucker 1 $10 In Store Used USED EPIPHONE BRIDGE HUMBUCKER 1

Used Epiphone Bridge Humbucker 2 $10 In Store Used USED EPIPHONE BRIDGE HUMBUCKER 2

Gibson Burstbucker Pro Bridge Humbucker Pickup Gold $179.99 Gibson Burstbucker Pro Bridge Humbucker Pickup Gold

Lace Hemi Humbucker Pickup Chrome Bridge $97.99 Lace Hemi Humbucker Pickup Chrome Bridge

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Hardware Kit Black Bridge $3 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Hardware Kit Black Bridge

Lace Drop and Gain Humbucker Pickup Black Bridge $97.99 Lace Drop and Gain Humbucker Pickup Black Bridge

Lace Nitro Hemi Bridge Humbucker Black $97.99 Lace Nitro Hemi Bridge Humbucker Black

Lace Nitro Hemi Bridge Humbucker Chrome $97.99 Lace Nitro Hemi Bridge Humbucker Chrome

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Yellow Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Yellow Bridge

Lace Hemi Humbucker Pickup Chrome, Bridge 886830064388 $78.39 Lace Hemi Humbucker Pickup Chrome, Bridge 886830064388

EMG H2 Vintage Passive Humbucker Bridge $69 EMG H2 Vintage Passive Humbucker Bridge

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Hardware Kit Chrome Bridge $3 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Hardware Kit Chrome Bridge

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Creme Bridge $3 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Creme Bridge

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Black Bridge $3 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Black Bridge

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring White Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring White Bridge

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Pink Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Pink Bridge

Gibson Burstbucker Pro Bridge Humbucker Pickup Nickel $169.99 Gibson Burstbucker Pro Bridge Humbucker Pickup Nickel

Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker Pickup Bridge Position $117.95 Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker Pickup Bridge Position

DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Violet Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Violet Bridge

Dimarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Black Bridge $3 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Black Bridge

Dimarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Creme Bridge $3 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Creme Bridge

Dimarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring White Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring White Bridge

Dimarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Pink Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Pink Bridge

Emg H2 Vintage Passive Humbucker Bridge $69 EMG H2 Vintage Passive Humbucker Bridge

Dimarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Yellow Bridge $5 DiMarzio Humbucker Mounting Ring Yellow Bridge

Lace Drop And Gain Humbucker Pickup Black Bridge $85.25 Lace Drop and Gain Humbucker Pickup Black Bridge