Arts & EntertainmentMusic

A Guide to Choosing the First Electric Guitar.

What makes you buy an electric guitar?

Its already 80-year history of electric guitars begin in the distant 1931, when in the American music stores for the first time appeared primitive aluminum instruments equipped with magnetic pickups. Not being accepted by the academic environment because of the imperfection of the sound, they got quite widespread among jazz and rhythm-and-blues bands, contented with the ability to bring the guitar to solo parts due to high volume. A little later, electric guitars made a revolution in sounding because of the previously considered defect of the feature of the then amplifiers "overload" amplification lamps, giving out a dirty, growling sound. What some people saw as unacceptable behavior for the instrument, others found a sea of new expressive possibilities. This is how rock music was born, which made the electric guitar in half a century one of the most popular and accessible musical instruments.

Nowadays the popularity of this tool has not fallen at all. All the same, thousands of young people dream of buying an electric guitar. As a rule, it pushes them to do the same thing, which was the motive and ten, twenty, thirty years ago - the desire to repeat what they heard from their favorite bands, and maybe walk in their tracks. Unfortunately, even in the era of the Internet and public information, the choice of the first tool turns out to be an impossible task for future virtuosos.

I will try to summarize the experience that many people have accumulated before, and to write down the most important points that should be paid attention to when choosing a tool.

Before going to the store.

So, the first thing that frightens many beginners is uncertainty. "And can I?". Here it is worth noting that the guitar is considered one of the easiest to learn tools. And electric guitar is no exception. The first results can be observed after a month or two of active activities from scratch. There is a myth that the difference between acoustic and electric guitars is enormous, including in terms of game technique. In reality, the difference is minimal and consists of only a few methods, and the features of the sound production, which you will not worry about at the first stages of the training. Therefore, if you have at least once held an acoustic guitar in your hand, even if you've limited yourself to 3 chords, you should know that everything is the same with an electric guitar. If you were forced into going to music school as a child, then mastering the instrument will be even easier.

The main limitation when buying an electric guitar is imposed by an affordable budget. Because of high popularity, demand is high. And where high demand, there are maximum efforts of producers to reduce production costs. And, of course, this affects the quality. In our time it is possible to buy an electric guitar worth 5000 rubles. However, practice shows that all such tools are of extremely poor quality. Therefore, if you are planning to purchase a tool that will please you and make you happy for a long time, then immediately get ready to spend at least 12-15 thousand only on a guitar. To consider cheaper options does not make sense - miracles, of course, happen, but you should not rely on them.

Where to buy? To whom to address with advice?

The easiest way to get the tool, the way that most of you will most likely take advantage of is to go to the nearest music store. The blessing of them is not so little. Of course, this method has pitfalls: unfortunately, the margin for many instruments can reach a third of the price. However, it is the most accessible and reliable.

Another, not so obvious drawback of buying a tool in the store is the fact that in most cases second-hand tools are much better than their new counterparts. The reason for this is the process of "drying out" of the tree, and the passed reliability test, and, often, bringing the tool "to the mind" by the former owner. When buying a used electric guitar, you can aim at the same class with the same budget. In other words, for the same 12-15 thousand there is a chance to buy a second-hand tool, which would cost you 20-25. However, there are complications. In order not to be deceived, it is necessary to understand well at least the cost of tools, and even better to have with you a familiar with the experience of choosing and buying second-hand tools. Fortunately, now there are many specialized shops and private sellers, who sell only used tools and are always ready to give advice on this issue.

More exotic in our country is the option of ordering electric guitars abroad, usually in America, Germany or Japan. This is always the cheapest option. But you will not be able to try the tool before buying it yourself, not to mention the difficulties with forwarding and delivery. Here again people who provide their services to facilitate the process of buying and transporting come to the rescue. If you are interested in this option, then you should contact proven people who have a lot of feedback on music forums, or in social networks.

Dreams and reality in sound.

A person who has decided to buy an electric guitar, in the head there are always two interfering installations:

- I want to play in this style of music. What kind of guitar should I buy?

- I want to sound like such a band. What kind of guitar should I buy?

All these restrictions have very little real basis. It is worthwhile to understand that the sound obtained by at least some popular band is formed by the technique, worth hundreds of thousands of rubles on the one hand and almost always the unique sound production of each guitarist with many years of experience on the other hand. In the case of a landscape recording, add to this extremely expensive professionally studio equipment and sound engineer's work. Get at least something similar to the budget that we set is impossible. Therefore, it is required to set a goal "to buy a quality tool and learn how to play." On the formation of high-quality sound is worth considering when the available funds will be 4-5 times more.

The first inspection of the electric guitar. Appearance, neck, frets, wood and cover.

So, you have not yet decided to buy an electric guitar and even looked at a couple of options. What should I pay attention to during the first inspection? First of all, take it in your hands and carefully examine it from all sides. All surfaces should be even, cracks and chips are categorically excluded. If painting the tool allows, then make sure there are no knots on the tree and that it is really a piece of wood, not a chipboard. Turn all the knobs on the front of the guitar, try clicking the pickup switch. All elements of the tone block should work easily and smoothly.

After that, take the guitar as a violin and look along the neck. It must be strictly straight. If the neck is inclined to the side, or a slight screw distortion is observed, the guitar is immediately rejected - such defects are extremely serious and are not easily corrected. If he bends a little on you or from you, then this is an occasion to reflect - this problem is easily solved by adjusting the anchor rod, but perhaps the reason for this distortion is the poor build quality, not just the settings.

Look attentively at the frets. The surface to which the string is pressed should be flat throughout the entire fret. Again, take the instrument as a violin - no frets should stick above or below the others. Such defects are corrected by the master, but it is better to avoid them. Try to grip the neck and hold it along the entire length. Corners of frets should not scratch the hand and even less should there be a hint of splinters.

After that, pay attention to the upper paddles ("zero fret", then, through which the strings pass on the way to the pegs). Make sure it is flat and securely attached to the neck.

Returning to the examination of the appearance, it is impossible not to mention the peculiarities of the tree. Of course, not everyone is able to distinguish between tree species, even if it is not hidden by a layer of paint. Therefore, it is better to find out from the seller-consultant, or subtract in the characteristics. Although the difference in sound can not be heard by every novice. Therefore, it is easier to remember the simple rules "what is permissible" as a material for guitars. A permissible ash (ash), maple (maple), mahogany, alder (alder), linden (basswood). Rosewood (rosewood) is also used for the fretboard. These breeds are very common and used in guitars of all price categories. As a rule, the materials of the deck and fretboard are different. Moreover, combined decks of two types of wood are possible, or from several pieces of the same breed.

A separate mention requires painting and varnishing of the guitar. It is important to understand that any coating on top of a tree affects to a certain extent its ability to correctly distribute vibrations. Therefore it is desirable to choose an electric guitar with a minimum amount of paint and a layer of varnish. Well, if you can see the texture of the tree under the paint. Remember that the appearance is not important if the guitar is not able to perform its main purpose. Remember that everything that concerns other musical instruments is also valid for guitars. Therefore, statements in the spirit of "pickups anyway, what to stand on" and "the tree is not important in electric guitars" is fundamentally wrong.

How to keep the order. The subtleties of choice of the string holder and pins.

One of the decisive elements on which the successful selection of the first budget tool depends is the choke holder. For many years of its history, many types of string holders for electric guitars have been invented. Some were more successful, others more reliable, yet others provided unusual opportunities for the performer. With a few caveats, they can now be divided into three varieties: a fixed string holder, the so-called synchronized tremolo and a "typewriter" such as Floyd Rose.

The first is the simplest, the most reliable and easy to operate. It is a simple support for strings with adjustments of the scale. Strings after the passage of this support as correctly go "in the body," where they are attached by rollers at the end. Due to the lack of any moving parts, this option perfectly maintains the system and almost does not require reconfiguration, even after many hours of playing. The change of the strings is elementary. However, it does not provide the ability to raise / lower the sound by loosening or stretching the strings with a "lever". This method is common among many guitarists, but beginners to think about it early. Therefore, almost always the choice of a fixed string holder is a good choice.

The second version of synchronized tremolo, invented by the legendary Leo Fender and used on most guitars of the Fender Stratocaster model and countless of its replicas. A simple and reliable design, extremely well-maintained and easy to configure. It is a small mechanism attached to the body of 2 or 6 screws (respectively 2-point tremolo and 6-point tremolo). For each string, as a rule, it takes its own carriage, regulated by a pair of screws in height and with a screw to adjust the scale. Strings, passing through the carriage, go into a special block of the string holder, where they are attached by rollers at the ends as well as in the case with a fixed one. On the back side of the housing is an adjustable block of springs-counterweights, allowing the tremolo to return to its original position when using the "lever". Check the quality of detunement of this type of holder, you can make sure that it is firmly pressed against the body after active use of the lever. It is a worthy choice for budget guitars.

The third option is "machines" (a different name for the strings), such as Floyd Rose. The design of such a holder is much more complicated. However, due to this, it is possible not only to lower the system at the expense of the lever, as in the synchronized tremolo, but also to increase it by "pushing" the machine into the housing. Such a double stroke of the design, however, greatly complicates the tuning of the guitar, since any change for one string immediately affects the position of the machine in space, and therefore all other strings. For a beginner, each change of strings turns into a headache. In addition, low-end floyd roses are used on budget guitars, which are unable to sustain the system for a long time even without active lever use. Thus, this option should be avoided by beginners when buying their first tool.

Another important factor affecting the ability of a guitar to hold a system is the quality of the pins. Unfortunately, there is no diversity on budget guitars. Therefore, it will be enough to make sure that no parts of them hang loose and hold fast. It is also worth mentioning that if you still chose a guitar with a Floyd Rose type machine, then the zero-pounding mechanism will have a "top-lock" locking mechanism that rigidly fixes the strings. It is worth to be convinced of the quality of the material from which it is made - the metal must be rigid and the holes for the hex key do not "break".

Note about the pickups and their selection.

One of the most important elements of the electric guitar are pickups. It is they that convert the vibrations of the strings into a signal for the amplifier. There are two big types of pickups: active and passive. Active have an internal battery and thus have a small pre-amplification, due to which a more predictable sound is formed. Many people do not like his unnaturalness. In any case, this type of pickups is rarely used on budget guitars because of its price. Passive pickups are more common, which in turn are also divided into two types: singles (single) and humbuckers (humbucker). The difference is purely constructive and we will not go into it. The importance of sound is important. The first give a more crystalline, sharper sound. The latter give more dense, more even. But when choosing a budget guitar, you should not only proceed from this. Singles, especially budgetary ones, because of the design features create an extremely perceptible background when used with an amplifier in the mode of strong overload (especially in "heavy" music styles). Humbuckers have such a shortcoming. Fortunately, the replacement of pickups with better ones is extremely simple, as is the cost of pickups of famous manufacturers is not high. Moreover, there are "mini-chambers", the size of a single, but sounding close to "older brother". Therefore, the real value when choosing the first tool is not playing.

The accompanying equipment. Amplifiers, effect pedals, commutation cables.

Of course, the electric guitar itself sounds extremely quiet and "uninteresting." To amplify the signal, it needs an amplifier. Many, however, prefer to play using a computer with special software as an amplifier, but this option is largely dead-end, since this software itself gives an extremely embellished, artificial sound that creates the illusion of "skill" for the beginning guitarist. Exactly the same disadvantage suffer and guitar effects processors, which provide dozens of varieties of sound, as well as conceal behind them all the shortcomings of performing abilities. Therefore, the most correct and cheap option for beginners is a home combo amplifier - an amplifier combining in one case both pre-amplification (forming the "color" of the sound), and final amplification (forming the required loudness), and a speaker. Basically, there are two types of guitar amplification: tube and transistor. The latter variety is cheaper, more suitable for domestic activities. However, the most expressive sound is achieved with lamp amplification. In addition, when playing on such amplifiers, the player has qualitatively higher requirements to the skills of the game, since the tube amplifiers are much more sensitive to the dynamics and subtleties of the sound. Thus, this option is ideal in any case. The lamp amplifier of the very first level can be purchased for 7-12 thousand rubles. Transistor - for 6-10 thousand. When choosing, it is necessary, first of all, to pay attention to power. As a rule, for household conditions more than enough is the value of 15 watts for transistor and 10 watts for a lamp. Do not chase and the abundance of effects, often provided in the latter - most often their quality is below any decency.

Another nice addition to the amplifier can be the effect pedals. The number of varieties of effects now exceeds two dozen. Most of them are used quite rarely, or are compensated by other elements. The most commonly used effects are fuzz (fuzz), distortion and overdrive. All of them are a kind of "overloaded" sound and used to get the characteristic "heavy" sound used in rock music. Other popular effects are the pitch-shifter, to duplicate the original signal shifted by the value of one of the musical intervals, delay, to delay and multiply the signal, to create an echo effect. But there is a certain underwater rock. All effects, other than overload effects, greatly change the sound of the guitar and very often create the impression of a good game, which in reality is self-deception. They are undoubtedly useful, but only when they are used reasonably, dosed and there is some kind of performing skill behind it. When choosing pedals for a beginner, it is better to listen to the feedback of other people. In addition, on the Internet there are many examples of the sound of this or that effect. Given the abundance of producers, and the lack of experience with beginning guitarists, this practice is perfectly normal.

Do not forget about switching all the elements. Buy quality shielded cables. Do not economize on them, because low-quality cables tend to break quickly in the vicinity of the plugs, and also cause unnecessary noise and interference.

The result.

Summarizing all of the above, it should be noted once again that the goal of buying the first electric guitar should be the goal of "learning how to play." And all that is connected with the choice of the first tool should be aimed at facilitating the achievement of this goal. Only after the guitarist learns to play on a cheap instrument, it is worth accumulating a larger budget and buying good equipment and already with his choice to pursue the necessary sound and style. And until then, it is worth to show a little zeal in mastering the guitar. And to get pleasure from this, this process should be enjoyable. The simplest rules prescribed in this article will help you choose a guitar that will itself push you forward on the path of learning the game on this wonderful instrument.

Similar articles

 

 

 

 

Trending Now

 

 

 

 

Newest

Copyright © 2018 en.birmiss.com. Theme powered by WordPress.