Picking a Guitar now a days is a very challenging job. You have so many varieties to choose from. But before picking any guitar, there are some basic components of it which should be considered in detail before buying any one of them. The main point which is considered while buying a guitar is its aesthetics, but its structure and performance should also be considered while buying it. The shape of the guitar is highly responsive factor during its selection. A more unique and different shaped guitar is preferred by musicians, especially the younger one. Other than that, the color of the guitar is also a considering factor during its selection. The color which are more attractive and attention seeking in nature is preferred by the musicians. Also, there is a new trend of multi-color guitar on the market. Considering all these things, the main factor is the sound that the guitar produces. This is the most important thing of any guitar. Also the connectivity of guitar determines its category. A guitar with high connectivity option is always considered while buying for one. The components such as Guitar picks, Guitar pickups, Guitar cables, Guitar straps, Guitar cases, Gig bags, Capos, Guitar slides, Guitar tuners, Guitar stands, etc. should be considered widely while selecting your guitar. The things to look out among these components are discussed in detail below. These things have specific features of their own, which affects the performance of the whole guitar. Thus, they need to be considered very closely while selecting.
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Popular Guitar Picks – View Full List
A guitar pick is a plectrum which is used for guitars. It is generally made of a single material mainly of plastic, rubber, felt, wood, metal, glass or stone. It is often a triangular shaped figure with corners rounded. These guitar picks are used to hit chords or to make a singular sound on even note on guitar. The picks were first shaped by the guitarists who first shaped bones, shell, wood, metal, stone or ivory to make their own picks. Later these picks were manufactured by a company which were an instant hit. Since then, the demand for these picks has increased drastically. Also the sound generated with a guitar pick is different than hand pick. The sound is more intense and thus it changes the sound of node completely. The thickness of the pick is considered neatly while buying it. The change in thickness of picks results in change of sound as well. Hence all these factors are needed to be considered while picking a guitar pick.
Best Guitar Pickups – View Full List
Guitar pickup is a transducer which senses mechanical vibrations produced by a musical instrument like electric guitar and converts it into an electrical signal that is amplified using an amplifier to generate loud music on loudspeaker and speaker sets. The magnetic pickup is done using a permanent magnet with a core of ferrite, wrapped with an enclosed copper coil. The pickup is usually attached to the guitar’s body, but it can also be attached to the neck or bridge. The magnetic field is created by the permanent magnet and when the guitar makes a noise, the field is disrupted changing the magnetic flux and by inducing electric current through the coil. The pickup is then connected to the amplifier which amplifies the signal enough to play it over the loudspeaker. A pickup can also be connected directly to a recording device with the help of patch cable. Thus guitar pickups are a very important factor which needs consideration while picking up a guitar.
Great Guitar Cables – View Full List
Guitar cable is an electrical cable or optical cable which is used to connect one electronic or optical device (guitar) to another for signal routing. Various types of devices are connected to the guitar with the help of guitar cable. The guitar cables are usually produced in different colors so that could be recognized easily. Guitar cables are often made of coaxial cables and the signal is carried in it through a shielded core. The guitar cables differs from standard copper cable by its flexibility. The guitar cables are flexible while the copper cables are more firm and hard. Also the guitar cable can be as short as 3 inches. Hence the length of the cable should be considered deeply while buying it. Many guitar cables are joined in patch to make a thicker cord called snake cable which is connected to the audio cable. This gives a great sound output, which is used in music venues and concert halls. Hence the type of wire should be considered according to its use while buying only.
Top Rated Guitar Straps – View Full List
Guitar strap is a strip with two holding ends, which is used for holding a guitar through the guitarist’s shoulders. The length of these straps is adjustable and thus enables the guitarist to keep the guitar to his most comfortable position. The guitar has many places to attach the straps. The widely used straps are steel strap pins attached with the help of screws. Every electric guitar comes with two pre attached buttons. Also strap buttons usually come along with strap lock which ensures the locking of guitar with the strap. Of these, two buttons, the lower one is usually at the bottom end of guitar while the while the upper one is near the neck end of the guitar. The odd shaped guitars have two strap buttons which are found on their backs as well. Some guitars have both buttons at the bottom end, but it is very rare that a button is provided at the top of the guitar.
Best Guitar Cases – View Full List
Guitar Cases are hard and heavy duty guitar holders used to transport guitars from place to another without damaging them. They are much heavier than gig bags, but are more shock absorbing nature. They are made up of plastic or fiber and thus could absorb big shocks as well. They are usually used during the transportation of guitars through flights. Also, they are preferred while being on the road as they can absorb continuous road shocks as well. The interior of these cases is made of softer material like foam. This holds the guitar throughout and don’t let outer shocks meet with the guitar. Thus, it keeps the guitar away from damages. Since the guitar cases are made up of plastic, they are available in various colors. Also a wide range of varieties of shapes is also available in guitar cases. A multiple color range is also available in Guitar Cases.
Recommended Gig Bags – View Full List
A gig bag is a primary way to transport guitar from one place to another without damaging it. It has usually the shape of the guitar and is made of shock absorbing material so that it could absorb any shock occurred during travelling. The alternative for gig bag is a heavy and hard shell bag which is not easy for transportation. As gig bags are more light and easy to travel with, they provide less protection than shell bags. Some guitarists prefer keeping both gig bags and shell cases and use them as per their current requirements. They use gig bags for the local work that is to transport it from home to the rehearsal place while they use hard shell bags when they need extra protection like while traveling through flight. Thus, before buying the case, the sort of its use should be considered. Since the shell bags are hard, they can come in many colors and designs while the gig bags are simpler in appearance.
Best Capos – View Full List
A capo is a device which is used to raise the pitch by shortening the length of strings by putting it over a net of string. Guitarists use a capo to raise the pitch so that they can play different keys using one finger ring while playing open. The capo is available in many designs but the most common design contains a rubber coated bar that clamps to the guitar neck to hold down the string. A capo should always be applied after tuning so that all strings have equal position and pressure. If the capo is applied without tuning, the strings will be bent and their sound will be out of tune. If a capo is applied incorrectly, it can damage the strings. For playing flamenco and folk music, a capo is used widely while it is rarely used in other styles as well. Some guitarist also uses a capo to bring the guitar tuned below standard up to standard tune.
Top Guitar Slides – View Full List
Guitar slide is a unique technique used by some guitarist to play guitar. A slide is placed on the string to vary the pitch instead of altering the pitch in the normal way. This guitar slide can be slide up and down without lifting it, thus the name. The sliding up and down on guitar, slide creates a smooth transition of pitch which in turn gives great music. The guitar slide is usually mounted on one of the left hand fingers of the guitarist. This also enables the guitarist to slide the guitar slide up and down easily. The guitar slide is up made of any smooth material. The change in weight, thickness and density of the guitar slides changes the loudness of sound generated. Guitarists who use the Guitar slide usually prefer guitars like lap steel and the pedal steel. These guitars are specially designed for playing slide in a horizontal position.
Recommended Guitar Tuners – View Full List
Guitar tuning is the adjustment of the string pitches to their desired tuning to reference pitch. Standard tuning of the guitar gives string pitches as E, A, D, G, B and E. This tuning is done from E (low E) to E (high E). Most of the guitarists use standard tuning as variations on standard tuning can be understood easily. There is also a non-standard tuning called as alternate tuning. Such tunings are used by the guitarists to make a particular music. There are many such tunings which have just a little variation than the standard tuning. In a tradition of similar music, a same tuning is shared among its guitarists. These many alternate tunings are classified into categories like dropped, open, major and minor, modal, instrumental and miscellaneous. Thus the Guitar tuning is a complicated and unique process and the desired tuning should be selected by the guitarist on his individual level. Self-tuning is also possible and is actually preferred by some guitarist.
Best Guitar Stands – View Full List
Guitar stand is a stand which is used to hold guitars. The stands are used for holding guitars when they are not in use. The guitars are mounted over these stands and are kept safe in them. The Guitar stand helps to protect the guitar from outside damages. Also, they can be arranged and kept in one corner where the guitar is safe. These stands are usually made of metal and wood. The metal stands are a little heavy, but are longer lasting. These metal stands are usually made of cast iron and can hold one or more than one guitars at a time. The wooden guitars are preferred due to its beautiful appearance. They are well groomed wooden stands which could hold many guitars at a time. Also the wooden guitar stands looks like a part of furniture which gives an elegant look to the room. Hence, while selecting the stand, the surrounding appearance should also be considered.
Conclusion
The selection of guitar is a complicated affair but it can be made simple by considering one thing at a time. The above things needs to be considered closely while buying the guitar. Other than that, the price of the product should also be considered while shopping. Some of the accessories which are not necessary could be eliminated from the shopping list. This helps to obtain a better quality of guitar. Also, there are some accessories like guitar, slide which could be bought later. This saves a lot of money which could now be utilized to get a better guitar. Also the accessory like stand can be bought only if necessary. Other than these things, the type of music you wish to play should have an impact on the guitar selection. The guitar should be bought according to the music’s type. Thus, all these things should be considered for narrowing down the guitar.