| Electric guitars are extremely popular today, but | | | | amplifier is still necessary as the guitar on its own |
| what exactly are they, and how does one define | | | | would make virtually no sound at all, and certainly |
| them and their sound quality? There is actually a huge | | | | nothing even remotely approaching that of an |
| amount of variation in the design and construction of | | | | acoustic guitar. |
| an electric guitar - far more than the diverse range | | | | Because of the fact that the signal from the electric |
| of classical or acoustic guitars. | | | | guitar is fed electronically to the amplifier, it is often |
| The variations are in a part of the guitar which might | | | | the case that other means are used to convert or |
| otherwise be considered as definite and absolute - | | | | modify the signal, providing extra tones, or effects |
| the body. For an electric guitar the body itself may | | | | that create unique voices for the guitar. Although |
| be hollow, as in the style of a classical or acoustic | | | | often we tend to think of the guitar as being solely a |
| guitar. However, it could also be only partially hollow, | | | | part of rock music or pop music, in fact it has a very |
| and in many cases is entirely solid. | | | | healthy heritage borne through the jazz and blues |
| This is largely because of the fact that, unlike classical | | | | scene, and has managed to hold on to its status |
| or acoustic guitars which rely on the hollow body of | | | | throughout these three main genres of jazz, blues |
| the guitar to reverberate and resonate the sound | | | | and rock. |
| made from the string, an electric guitar relies on an | | | | The commercialization of the electric guitar occurred |
| electric amplifier to achieve this same resonance and | | | | in two places at pretty much the same time, with |
| sound, and the construction of the body is largely, | | | | Gibson working alongside Les Paul, at the same time |
| though not entirely, irrelevant in terms of sound | | | | as the extremely well known Leo Fender was |
| quality and resonance. Without the electronic amplifier | | | | developing the commercial model of the Fender. The |
| and equipment connected to the electric guitar, the | | | | physical structure of the body of an electric guitar is |
| instrument makes very little sound on its own, and | | | | what is most striking as it is very different from the |
| unlike an acoustic or classic guitar, cannot be played | | | | design of an acoustic guitar. But the fret board is also |
| without electric amplification. | | | | quite different too, because of the height of the |
| Fitted to the electric guitar are electromagnets which | | | | strings from the body of the guitar itself. In an |
| pick up the vibrations of the strings as movement, | | | | acoustic guitar, the strings are very close to the |
| and this vibration or resonance is transmitted to the | | | | body, so that they run very close to the edge of |
| amplifier as an electrical signal. It is therefore the | | | | the hole in the center of the body, but in an electric |
| physical resonance or vibration of the string which is | | | | guitar this proximity is not required for the simple |
| used to transfer a signal, and not the sound of the | | | | reason that the body of the guitar is not used to |
| string being struck at all which generates the sound, | | | | amplify or resonate the sound produced at all. |
| or at least, not in a direct way. | | | | Because the strings are further away from the body, |
| In many cases the electrical signal from the | | | | this allows the musician to play an electric guitar in |
| electromagnetic pickup is transmitted through a cable | | | | different ways from that of an acoustic or classic |
| directly to the amplifier, but in some cases this is | | | | guitar, with techniques such as tapping or legato |
| done through radio waves, allowing the guitar to be | | | | pull-offs being used extensively, and slurs - otherwise |
| played without any trailing cables - particularly useful | | | | known as hammer-ons as well as pitch harmonics, |
| for those who tend to move about a lot while | | | | swells of the volume and in many cases an arm |
| playing their music. The fact that the guitar is being | | | | which creates a tremolo effect. It is not unusual to |
| played without any direct cable connection to an | | | | see foot pedals being incorporated into the |
| amplifier or sound equipment should not be confused | | | | performance too. |
| with an acoustic or classic guitar in any way - the | | | | |