The electric guitar has revolutionised and shaped the sound of pop music in the last 60 years. Originally intended to fulfil the need of jazz guitarists looking to amplify the sound of their guitars, the electric guitar has since emerged a vital tool in the creation of popular music. Electric guitars usually have 6 strings, but some have more. Using electro-magnetic pickups that convert the string vibration into an electric signal, the electric guitar puts a world of tonal possibilities at your fingertips when coupled with amplifiers and effects units.
Electric guitars come in a variety of body shapes often made from solid wood, such as mahogany, ash or alder. Others include an additional piece of wood, usually maple, forming a cap on the top of the body. Each wood type helps give the electric guitar different tonal characteristics. With different materials being used for each part of the guitar, the combination of body, neck and fretboard wood allows for a wide variety of unique tonal options.
The two main types of pickups used on electric guitars are single-coil and humbucker pickups. Single-coils, used on Stratocasters, generally produce a clear, bright tone, while humbucker pickups, often found on Les Paul electric guitars, have a powerful and full tone. The electric guitar's continued popularity is largely due to icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Kurt Cobain.
With an ever increasing amount of electric guitars for sale to suit all budgets, there has never been a better time to buy a guitar from our DV247 electric guitar shop.