Few novice musicians study with a teacher or attend a music school. Most domestic guitar lovers are self-taught who got the instrument from relatives or friends. They, as a rule, also show the first chords. Choosing the right guitar for a particular artist is not an easy task. You need to know the size of the guitar, ideal for the chosen purpose, its type, to understand what sound it should make. Let's try to understand the generally accepted sizes of this musical instrument.
Type of guitar
First of all, before buying an instrument, you need to decide what type of guitar is needed:
- Classical - a six-stringed instrument with softer nylon strings.
- Acoustic - a kind of classic guitar, but with steel strings, the number of which can vary.
- An electric guitar is a guitar with an electromagnetic pickup.
- A bass guitar is usually a four-string instrument designed to extract low sounds.
The types listed are the most popular and versatile, available at most music stores. There are more rare varieties, such as stick guitar, acoustic bass, guitars with several vultures, but they are more needed by professionals.
Beginning guitarists to choose an instrument will help understanding what kind of music will be performed. So, for romances, classical pieces, flamenco or bard song, a classical guitar is ideal. It is the lightest, it is taught to play an instrument of this type in music schools, choosing the size of the guitar depending on the age of the student. For rock music, blues, jazz, country and other rhythmic melodies it is better to choose an acoustic, electric or bass guitar. The latter is the most difficult for beginners to master, since it has a longer neck and tighter strings.
Classic Guitar Sizes
You need to understand that a ten-year-old child and an adult guy are a big difference. What is convenient for a small person does not suit an adult at all, therefore, in the classical models of the instrument, an international grid of sizes has long been applicable. A person of any age and complexion will be able to choose a suitable tool.
A 4/4 guitar size (four quarters) fits an adult - it's a complete standard guitar. The 7/8 guitar is smaller than the standard, ideal for teens or short adult musicians. This size of the guitar is ideal for bards and travelers, it is lighter and more convenient to transport. A 3/4 guitar, the sizes of which are intended for children aged 8-11 years, is a popular option, because most often it is at this age that parents take their children to learn the skill of playing a string instrument. If a child is 5-9 years old, then he needs 1/2 guitar, up to 6 years - 1/8.
Sizes of Acoustic Guitars
The parameters of acoustic guitars duplicate the classical classification, but differ in the design of the body and its size. Unlike a classical guitar, an acoustic guitar has stiffer steel strings and a thin neck. The body of such a guitar is larger than that of the classic model. Acoustic instruments distinguishes the number of strings (6, 7 or 12), the size of the guitar and the shape of the body. Depending on the size (from smallest to largest) of the tool, there are:
- Grand Concert is a compact descendant of a classic acoustic guitar, which does not have the loudest sound due to the small amount of air in the case. A good option for teens and children.
- Grand Auditorium - Guitars that are slightly larger in size and often feature a convex lower deck. The sound of the instrument is deeper, more saturated.
- Dreadnought is one of the most popular designs today. A characteristic feature of the dreadnought is that the near part of the hull is much closer to the bar, and the far part is enlarged. Such models have a deeper body, which gives a special sound.
- Jumbo is an enlarged version of the Grand Auditorium guitar with a volume approaching that of a dreadnought. They were created, as competitors to dreadnought, have a more saturated sound. They are not convenient for everyone, therefore they also produce mini-versions of the Jumbo guitar.
- Twelve-string guitars have 6 pairs of strings combined, which can be tuned in different ways (usually the interval is one octave), which makes it possible to create a chorus effect.
Bass features
The dimensions of the bass guitar are significantly larger compared to the classics or acoustics (about 1.1 meters in length). But such a guitar is one of the "youngest" - appeared in the 50s of the last century thanks to the American master Leo Fender.
Bass guitars are the same power tools, but emit lower sounds. They have a one-piece housing, special sensors and control knobs. Such guitars are popular among heavy rock and country music performers. In order to hear the sound of bass, it must be connected using a cable with a plug to the amplifier and speaker. The plug or "jack" is inserted into the socket on the instrument housing intended for it, the sensor signals are sent to the amplifier, it, in turn, converts the signal and transfers it to the speaker.
What material to prefer?
Most tools are made by combining wood of different species. Plastic or metal is used less often. Experts say that there is no "best" or "worst" type of wood - you need to choose an instrument for sound and convenience.
Brand and country of origin
Brand selection is especially important when buying electric and bass guitars, as the standards for their production are not clearly defined. Different manufacturers vary the number of strings, change the shape of the body and the electronic components of the guitar. Now every brand works for a specific niche. So, Jackson - for metallers, Fender - to get a “clean” sound, Gibson produces an instrument with a “bold” sound, Yamaha - the optimal ratio of price and quality, but these are conditional signs. All of the manufacturers listed above produce fairly versatile guitars.
It is believed that serial guitars are best produced in the USA and Japan. For classical guitars of the upper price segment, the leader is Spain. However, the declared country of manufacture does not guarantee the quality of the tool, especially since fakes are often found on the market. When buying, you need to check the quality of gluing the parts of the guitar, the evenness of the neck, the absence of cracks.
Tool cost
Used tools are definitely cheaper (2-3 times). On average, starting with 5,000 Russian rubles, you can buy a tool suitable for training. Professional guitars are much more expensive. In addition to the instrument itself, you need a cover (better waterproof and frost-resistant), a tuner for tuning, and other accessories - picks, a capo, a belt. For electric or bass, you need a combo amplifier.