They are ideal for making beautiful instrumental music whether it be Villa Lobos, Bach or Beatles. They can also be used for jazz and come into their own for accompanying traditional folk music. The down side is the width of the neck. Generally it is about 6mm or 1/4 of an inch wider than an acoustic guitar. While this may not sound like much it really does make quite a difference. Chords are harder to stretch and when strumming, it takes just so much longer to get across all the strings. The plus side is that you are less likely to foul the string by touching its neighbour. Classical guitars come in full size, 3/4 size and 1/2 size. Most guitar stores either only stock a few or do not carry them at all. The reason is that they sell more slowly than acoustics which itself may tell us something.
From an operational view point their main drawback is string breakages. I have seen a good guitarist break an acoustics' string during the first verse of a song and have a new string in place and tuned up before I reached the last verse. The congregation loved it! A broken nylon string takes ten minutes to change and will not settle in tune that day or the next!
Back to the guitars. If you want to play Heavy metal, then the Les Paul and SG styles are the way to go. While the Les Paul style is arguably the best, it costs more than the SG and it weighs a ton! If you are only on stage for twenty minutes then fair enough but if it is a three hour gig in a bar then hand me an SG. (And as for double necks, just forget it.)
If your music requires only subtle distortion or even clean sounds then the Stratocaster and Telecaster are best. The cheaper models do however have an annoying hum that can be intrusive. This comes from the single coil pickups and is, I am afraid, just something you have to live with unless you can afford to go up market. The
Stratocaster style has a moving bridge and a tremolo arm. This can be used to drop the pitch of the strings but is possibly not the best idea when it comes to trying to keep your instrument in tune. The
Telecaster has a fixed bridge and sounds great when complemented by a bass guitar but rather thin sounding on its own.
For the best tonal quality the electric semi-acoustic is easily the best. These are either hollow or semi-solid guitars and are ideal for playing at low volumes in small clubs, bars, churches etc. This type is identifiable by the violin like f holes on the front. The Gibson 335 is the most commonly copied model. For my money this style is the best although they are not suitable for loud metal bands as they will give uncontrollable feedback at high volume.
What do I get for my money? While the cheaper acoustic and classical guitars have tops made from ply wood, their more expensive counterparts have solid or one piece tops. Solid top guitars will eventually sound better than their plywood cousins, although their may not be much difference at first. The less expensive solid top guitar will also sound much the same as its up market brother while both are being played quietly. Give it some hard strumming and the difference will become obvious.
Guitars mature with age. The rule of thumb is that, provided they are played regularly, they get better for the first two years. Then for the next ten they hold their tone before the wood starts to dry out and the treble begins to disappear. Their is a myth, perpetuated by guitar salesmen everywhere, that the older the guitar is then the better it sounds. Folk who spend a fortune on a 1960’s whatever are probably wasting their money although there will be the odd exception and who can put a price on nostalgia? Solid electric guitars will tend to keep their tone longer than their more sensitive acoustic cousins but pick ups, like everything else, do deteriorate over the years.
Whatever instrument you go for then as you go up market, the materials used will be of better quality. A case study. A friend decided to buy a quality semi acoustic. For £500 a well known make beginning with E gave him 7 seconds of sustain. Pretty good but for £1000 an even better known make beginning with G gave him 14 seconds! Both guitars were beautifully finished and great to play but if you want top performance you have to hand over lots of cash.
Brands
It is not my place to recommend any particular manufacturer but if the whole guitar playing venture goes pear shaped and you decide to sell your guitar then you will find it easier to sell a well known brand such as Fender, Ibanez or Yamaha. The down side is that you will pay slightly more in the first place for, "The Name."
Conclusion.
If you are just starting out then, money permitting, electric guitar is the easiest on which to learn. My second choice would be the classical for, as I mentioned earlier, the strings do not hurt so much in the early stages and it does not cost nearly as much! Above all however is the question, “Whose music inspires me?” Try to get a guitar as close to your hero’s as possible and give him a run for his money!
Should you have any questions about guitars then drop me an e-mail via the contact page and I will do my best to answer.