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The classical guitar generally uses nylon strings.The classical, or Spanish guitar, is the eldest of the guitar family. It consists of a hollow body and a neck without a truss rod. Nylon strings are used mostly in classical guitars these days because they give a softer sound. It isn't a good idea to put steel strings on this kind of guitar because the neck isn't designed to take that kind of force. Most often, this kind of guitar is finger-picked rather than with a plastic or steel pick. -
This is a dobro-style guitar.The acoustic guitar and classical guitar are very similar. Both are referred to at times as acoustic guitars. They both produce sound without requiring amplifiers. Most acoustic guitars are big with bold sound. They are built in the "dreadnought" style perfected by C.F. Martin Guitar Co. in 1916. Martin also was the first guitar maker to use the X-bar bracing design under the top of the guitar. This made guitars stronger and allowed the use of steel strings. -
John Lennon is shown with the other Beatles holding his Rickenbacker.The electric guitar came about in the early 1930s largely because guitarists with big bands needed to be heard over the brass. The first electrics that were built as electrics---not acoustics with microphones at the sound hole or inside---were made by Adolph Rickenbacher and George Beauchamp in 1931. These were Rickenbackers. Later, Les Paul cut a hollow-bodied guitar in half, put a solid chunk of wood in the middle and created the first semi-hollow-body guitar. He worked with the Gibson company to create and perfect the guitars that bear his name. -
The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most popular electric guitars.Nylon strings are used mostly in classical guitars. This type of guitar is known for its melodic sounds. This kind of guitar is used for both plucking and strumming. It is a favorite of the classical guitarist.
The acoustic guitar uses steel strings. It is often used in pop and rock music and frequently is accompanied by other instruments.
The electric guitar is considered an instrument of rock and blues, since it can produce loud amplified sound. -
Jimmy Page during Led Zeppelin's heyday playing a doubleneck Gibson.Within these three basic formats, there are a variety of other guitars. For example, the dobro is essentially an acoustic guitar made of metal or with a metal section. This gives a much more plucked or staccato sound. There also are 12-string guitars in both electric and acoustic varieties. The most famous were the Rickenbacker used by the Byrds on such songs as "Turn, Turn, Turn," and Beatle George Harrison, who used it on "A Hard Day's Night." There also are hybrid guitars, such as the nine-string guitar. In this arrangement, the first three strings are single to allow leads to be played while the lower three strings are doubled like a 12-string to give the harmonics. For concert playing, people like Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush all used double-neck guitars. Page and Lifeson both used double-necks, where one is a 6-string guitar and the other is a 12-string. Lee used one that had a 4-string bass and a 6-string guitar neck. - The guitar itself has been around for centuries. The guitar was an instrument with a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs and a flat back, most often with concave sides. Instruments similar to the guitar have existed for more than 5,000 years. The 6-string first was used in Spain, and all European stringed instruments date back to the earlier times of the Middle East. The Indian sitar is a related stringed instrument similar to the values of the guitar itself, but in its case has movable frets. While guitars have had many innovations over the years, most of the ones seen today are based on innovations in the middle part of the 20th century.
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Les Paul was a collaboration between Gibson and musician Les Paul.The guitars that most often are used today include the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster for electrics, and the Martin and Taylor for acoustic. For semi-hollow electrics, the choice has been the Gretsch since George Harrison strapped one on during the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. For 12-string, there's nothing like the sound of a Rickenbacker electric.
