The Electric Guitar – A Primer
Sound created by string vibrations transformed into currents of electricity and then amplified is the basic definition of an electric guitar. In the 1930s the first incarnation of the electric guitar appeared, although it was nothing more than electromagnetic-transducers attached to a hollow arch-top acoustic guitar. In the 1940s Les Paul invented the Fender, the first modern electric guitar.
The BodyThe standard electric guitar design has a solid wood body that has mounted pickups and controls (although some do have resonance chambers that are semi-hollow). The type of wood used in the body’s construction is just as important as that of an acoustic guitar (acoustic guitars use wooden soundboards, which is the wood of the body through which sound is vibrated). Note: the right handed and left handed acoustic electric guitar both use soundboards in their sound reproduction. The electric guitar’s body wood will establish the resonation. Dense woods produce rich sounds, such as ash, mahogany, and alder.
The Bar of the GuitarString tension variation is controlled with a metal bar attached to the bridge. This bar (also known as the Vibrato, Wang, Whammy, or Tremolo Bar) tilts the bridge back and forth.
The Neck and Fingerboard of the GuitarMost electric guitar necks are made of maple wood. Laminated to the front of the neck is a strip of wood (usually rosewood or maple) called the fingerboard or fretboard. Running above the fingerboard are the strings, which are pressed into the fingerboard during playing to change the vibrating lengths to change pitch. Rosewood fingerboards are dark of timbre. Maple fretboards are bright of pitch.
The PickupsThe ‘voice’ of the electric guitar comes from the pickups. These are magnets wrapped in wire and their purpose is to capture the vibration of the strings and convert them to an electrical signal that can be amplified. Each string vibration disrupts the pickup’s magnetic field, which creates the electrical current.
There are two types of pickups:
The Single Coil PickupSingle coil pickups consist of only one coil and they tend to create a bright sound. The drawback to using a single coil pickup is that it is susceptible to having a background ‘hum.’ Ambient sound and signal created by electronics that is caused by changes in the magnetic flux of the pickup is the root cause of this hum.
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.
Strings of the GuitarThe guitar strings of an electric guitar vary in gauge, alloy, and winding. These are all significant factors in how the electric guitar sounds. It is important to note that all electric guitar string alloys are metal. Nylon strings would not be detected by the pickups. The strings on a right handed electric guitar run high E, B, G, D, A, and Low E. The strings on a left handed electric guitar run Low E, A, D, G, B, and high E because the guitar is played upside down.
The String’s AlloysMost commonly used are strings made of steel because they produce vast volumes and tones that are brilliant. Stainless-steel nickel plated strings have a subdued tone. Nickel strings have a muted-round sound and are best used in rhythm and jazz.
The String’s GaugeString thickness is the string’s gauge. Fast guitarists prefer thinner gauges because they are easy to bend. Pickers and strummers prefer medium gauges because they produce a considerable volume. A full-vibrant sound is produced by heavy gauged strings, but these are hard to play because they do not bend easily.
The Guitar String’s WindingThe winding of electric guitar strings falls into 4 categories: round, flat, ground, and nylon taped. The most common is round wound but is shunned by fast players because it grabs the fingers. Flat, or ribbon, wound has a smooth ‘oiled’ surface that can be played fast with subdued tones. Ground wound is a round wound with a machine polish and is only found on electric bass guitars. Nylon taped windings are round or flat wound with a nylon coating. The tone from a nylon taped string sounds similar to an acoustic bass guitar.
Finding an electric guitar for sale should cause the prospective buyer to do his or her homework to determine if the instrument is the right buy based upon the comfort level and the type of music that will be played. An electric guitar’s sonic character varies due to the diverse combinations of string, wood, and pickups.
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