The electric guitar isn’t a modern invention. It has been around for almost 100 years, but many people don’t know it. Jazz guitarists needed an instrument to play single-note solos while part of a big band ensemble. Blues guitarists heard how this instrument enhanced their music and wanted to try it. Over the years, more musicians took up the instrument, and it became an integral part of pop music in the 1950s and 1960s. The electric guitar remains popular today because it combines style and sound.
Electric Body Types
Electric guitars come in five body types. Some choose a solid or chambered body, while others want a combination acoustic-electric body. Semi-hollow and full-hollow bodies are also available, and those who plan on shopping for a Don Grosh guitar will likely choose a semi-hollow model. Each musician must choose the guitar that meets their needs.
Solid-Body Guitars
Solid-body guitars remain popular and have been used by famous electric guitarists in past decades. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn both preferred this type of guitar and were in good company. Eric Clapton played one, probably because the solid-body guitar minimized unwanted feedback. These guitars produce extremely low noise, so the guitarist controls any feedback and distortion. They have more control over the music they play and often create feedback and distortion by overdriving the amplifier.
Chambered-Body Guitars
The average person often can’t distinguish between a solid-body guitar and a chambered-body instrument. They look the same, but a chambered-body guitar features chambers within the instrument. Manufacturers drill these chambers to reduce the weight of the instrument. The lower weight reduces the strain of performing, and it also provides the instrument with a semi-acoustic tone. However, this tone is negligible when compared to other guitar types.
Acoustic-Electric Guitars
Imagine a conventional acoustic guitar with pickups. That is exactly what an acoustic-electric guitar offers. The guitarist can use their acoustic guitar and determine the volume. The guitar will provide an accurate tone if they record and amplify the instrument’s sound with a mic. The pickups reduce the risk of unwanted interruptions during a concert.
Full-Hollow Body Guitars
Full-hollow body guitars are often called archtop instruments, and jazz musicians use them frequently. These instruments are slightly bigger than their semi-hollow peers, but the two styles look very similar. They are ideal for jazz pieces because they produce the warm tone regularly found in this music genre. Country musicians also use full-hollow bodies today because they love the warm tone.
Semi-Hollow Guitars
As mentioned, semi-hollow and full-hollow guitars look alike. The difference lies in the solid wood block in the center of semi-hollow instruments. The block helps keep the vibrations and feedback the guitar produces to a minimum without sacrificing its semi-acoustic tone. These guitars feature at least one sound hole on the guitar’s side so the acoustics can be heard. Anyone who has seen B.B. King’s famous guitar, which he named Lucille, has seen a semi-hollow guitar.
Electric guitarists often own multiple instruments because they recognize each guitar type has its sound, purpose, and look. Having several guitars allows them to choose the instrument that will produce the desired sound based on the music they are playing. They may also collect these guitars because they add beauty to any space where they are displayed. Guitars are one of the few instruments that can do both.
