Nov 13 2007

Shopping An Electric Guitar ? Selecting the right kind of electric guitar

The electric guitar has long been used in many popular styles of music, including almost all genres of rock and roll, country music, jazz, blues, ambient and even contemporary classical music. It uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified.

The electric guitar can be played either solo or with other instruments. It has been used in numerous genres of popular music, as well as classical music.

Different types of electric guitars

There are various types of this popular instrument available in the market. While shopping for an electric guitar for one’s personal use, the decision should be carefully taken about which one will be the right choice and make. The types include:

Solid body
These guitars have holes for neither sound nor an internal cavity to accommodate vibration, such as those used to amplify string vibrations in acoustic guitars. They are generally made of hardwood with a lacquer coating and have 6 steel strings.

Hollow body
These guitars have a hollow body and electronic pickups mounted on its body. The hollow body vibrates and the pickups convert a combination of string and body vibration into an electrical signal.

Electric-acoustic
In these guitars the pickups do not produce a signal directly from the vibration of the strings, but rather from the vibration of the guitar top or body. So,these are also called acoustic guitars.

Seven-string
Seven string electric guitars were popularized in the 1980s.

Eight string
Eight string guitars are rare, but not unused.

Twelve string
Twelve string instruments feature six pairs of strings, usually with each pair tuned to the same note.

Apart from these there are few other types of these popular makes available in the market which are bought according to their requirement.

Selecting the right kind of electric guitar

The primary reason for buying a guitar will be playing it. But one would also look for something whose resale value will increase in time. Craftsmanship is an important element in the future value of this instrument.

Areas that require special skills, such as binding, finishing, hand shaping and inlaid work, are forever expensive and will enhance the value of guitars in the future.

Thus things to look for while buying an electric guitar will be

Good Tone Wood
Although the sound of a good guitar would seem to come entirely from the pickup, the type of wood has an important influence on tone and sustenance.

Noise free instrument
The pickups on guitars and basses should be shielded from extraneous electronic sources that can cause humming and buzzing. And they should be covered in wax or epoxy to prevent micro phonic feedback.

Checking out the Neck Joint
The neck joint should be tight and rigid so that none of the string vibration is transferred to the neck.

Testing the sustenance
An electric guitar with greater rigidity and weight, such as a solid body, will sustain longer than one with less rigidity, such as a hollow body.

Checking out the bridge
The bridge maintains intonation and action of string height. Adjusting the truss rod or changing string gauge can change intonation or action.

The Truss rod
An adjustable truss rod can correct any changes in neck curvature.

These are the basic and most important factors to be considered. But, there are various other factors to be considered while shopping for an electric version. And while buying one should remember that a good guitar is for a lifetime.

About the Author: Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, drums, drum sets, and digital synthesizers.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Nov 09 2007

Guitar Volume Pedal

Guitar volume pedal helps to control the volume of guitar and is an important component of guitar effect accessories. It helps deliver many effects.
Some of these pedals are stated below:

High Gain Volume Pedal
This guitar volume pedal is able to control dynamic sounds. Batteries are not required for this gazette.

Low impedance volume pedal
This one has a large number of effects. It can be adjusted and changed as per the requirements of the player.

Mono Volume Pedal Junior
This is a very small volume pedal. It fits in the paddleboards very easily. It does not take much electronics and it has got two different options for volume swell.

Volume Boost Pedal
Guitar sounds can be boosted and shaped with the help of this guitar volume pedal. This pedal has an option called turbo mood that can be enabled during the solo playing session.

Pan Volume Pedal
This pedal helps to control the guitar’s panning signal properly.

Volume Plus Pedal
This pedal can be used both playing lead and rhythm guitar. It has got a foot switch that helps the players to reset easily. Now, they don’t have to kneel down and reset. It saves time also.

Mono Guitar Volume Pedal
This pedal is well build and trendy looking. The best thing about it is that it lasts for a long time.

There is another kind of guitar volume pedal that can be set between the guitar and the amplifier. This volume pedal is also worth using.

These are some of the volume pedals, which are being widely used all over the world by professional guitar players.

If you are a guitar volume pedal user, then you must be aware about some of the problems that can occur while using it. You can definitely take it to a repairing shop and get it repaired. But, you can fix it on your own too. You just need to know the procedure.

The main problem normally occurs with the pot inside the guitar volume pedal. Sometimes the pots go bad. In that case, you need to change the pot. And you can change that yourself.

The first thing that you need to do is, open up the bottom portion. To do this you need some Allen wrenches. You also need a wrench whose end is open by 1/2 inch. Inside the pot, there is a brass barrel, which is wrapped around by a string. There is a pedestal that holds the string. What you need to do is open the screw above that pedestal.

After this, the brass barrel needs to be turned. You will get to see an Allen screw inside. This Allen screw needs loosening up. Keep doing this until you can slide off the pot shaft’s barrel. Leave the strings.

Now, use your wrench and loosen the pot holding nut. Replace a new potentiometer on the same spot. Take out the wires from the old pot and attach it with the new pot one by one.

Now slowly put back the other things as it was before and your guitar volume pedal is all set for use again. It sounds complicated. But once you do this, you will understand the whole procedure.

About the Author: Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: electric guitars, guitar volume pedals, drums, drum sets, and synthesizers, keyboards.
ource: http://www.articlesbase.com

Nov 08 2007

How to Learn and Play Electric Guitar

Have u bought a new electric guitar? Want to create magic with that six-string instrument? Don’t worry. It is not at all a tough job. You just need to follow some guidelines.

Once you have the guitar then go to a proper tutor. Your tutor is the best person who can best teach you how to learn and play electric guitar.

A tutor can help you in many ways. He will be able to show you the chords practically; you can discuss your queries with him and over all he can boost you up, when you are down. Remember that even though playing an electric guitar is easier than playing an acoustic guitar, you still need a lot of patience.

But if you think that you don’t need a tutor and you can do it by yourself, then here are some simple tips for you on how to learn and play electric guitar.

- Buy some books where you can find notations of different songs. Start with simple 4/4 beat songs or 3/4 beat songs like Yankee Doodle, charade etc. These notations will help you increase your reflex. It will also help your fingers move easily.

- Once you get used to these notations then go for some more complicated ones, where you will get a chance to move your fourth finger. Remember, while you are playing an electric guitar, you need to be able to move your four fingers. Only the thumb will be on the neck for support.

- Now when you have got hold on all of your fingers, experiment with the time signature. Try to play more complicated key signature notations. Play 6/8 beat, 2/2 beat, 7/4 beat etc.

- You must remember one thing, if you want to be a good guitarist; you need to be fluent on scales. Practice scales everyday. Practice both the major and minor ones, the harmonic and melodic minors.

- Try to play on different fret positions. Try to be fluent especially on the 3rd, 5th and 7th position. Remember you cannot learn how to learn and play electric guitar, unless you feel comfortable playing in every frate position of your guitar.

- Now, let us come to the chord section. Knowing to play rhythm is very important in electric guitar. Start practicing the easy chords first. Chords like D major, A major, E major, G major will be your first attempt. Play them on the nut position first. After becoming comfortable in nut position, go for the bar chords and the minor chords.

Try to play the ornamental chords like diminished, augmented, 7th chords, 6th chords etc. Practice different kinds of rhythms.

- To know how to grip the chords, go for good music books. There are lots of good books that will teach you how to grip these chords.

These are the basic guidelines. But there is something else also. If you seriously want to know how to learn and play electric guitars then you must listen to good solo electric guitar pieces. The more you will listen, the more you will get to know a lot of things.

And remember one more thing. Do practice everyday. If you do not practice sufficiently then this how to learn and play electric guitar lesson will be of no use.

About the Author: Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: electric guitars, six string guitars, drums, drum sets, and synthesizers, keyboards.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com