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15 Guitar Types of Styles Acoustic and Electric Blog

Apr 13, 2022

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And if you already play the guitar, whether electric or acoustic, and are looking to grow your skills (and the collection of guitars), you'll be able to pick up all of the guitars we'll be covering. You'll love their unique construction playing capabilities, as well as the distinctive tone.

Acoustic Guitar Types

Acoustic guitars are among the oldest kind of guitars. Their predecessors have been in use for many thousands of years. They do not require an amplifier, since the vibrations of the strings are reflected in the hollow body of the guitar , and sound comes out from the sound hole. This is why they are an excellent alternative for musicians in the car.

1. Acoustic Steel String Guitar

Though all steel string Acoustic guitars operate in the same way, there are quite a few varieties. They vary in the kind of wood used as well as their dimensions and the shape of their body that all impact the sound they produce as well as how easy they are to play.

Here are the three most common body types of steel string acoustic guitars:

Parlor

Dreadnought

Dreadnought guitars make up the most commonly used body types. They have more volume and a fuller sound than parlor guitars which makes them a good choice for players who use picks, do lots of strumming and are used to accompany musicians.

Jumbo

Jumbo guitars feature a bigger body but a tighter waist than dreadnought guitars. They're less responsive, so they're primarily used for strumming and to fill out the rhythm section of an group.

2. Classical Guitar

The classical guitar was a precursor to its steel string equivalent, and it's still widely played today particularly in classical music, jazz, and bossa jazz and bossa.

The second major distinction in steel and classical guitars lies in the way they're played. Guitarists who play steel string rest the instrument on their left knee during sitting or employ straps to secure the guitar while standing. Classical guitar players in contrast, rest your left foot upon a footstool and set the guitar down onto their left knee so that the neck of the guitar points up in a 45 degree angle.

Steel string guitar players employ the fingers of their hands or picks to pluck the strings, classical guitarists use their fingers or fingernails. The majority of classical guitarists take excellent care in growing and maintaining their nails in good shape, and this makes for a a brighter sound and more volume.

3. Flamenco Guitar

The differences stem from the reality that flamenco is a distinct genre of music. For one, flamenco musicians tend to press their hands on the top of the guitar to create percussive sounds. This is the reason why you'll usually notice a metal plate that protects the instrument's sound hole.

Also, their fingers move rapidly on the fretboard. In order to make it easier for them, the strings are set just a bit closer to the fretboard. This often produces a bit of buzzing--a sound that is unacceptable in classical music but is considered a hallmark of the flamenco style.

In addition, they tend to be lighter in weight and can be played with the standard posture (resting on the left knee).

4. Crossover Guitar

If you're trying to decide between a steel string guitar and the nylon string guitar the crossover guitar could be the perfect option for you. It combines the best two worlds: the rich sound of the classical guitar with the playability of a steel string acoustic guitar.

The crossover guitar has nylon strings, but is made and played just like the steel string guitar. For example, it doesn't feature an extended neck as classical guitars have.

This is a great choice for those who like the sound of classical guitars but don't want to learn a new style of playing. It's also perfect for beginners who would like to eventually play a steel string guitar but like the responsiveness and ease that nylon string guitars provide.

5. Archtop Guitar

Steel string as well as nylon string acoustic guitars have flat tops. That means that if you look at them from the side both the front and the top pieces of wood are completely straight and parallel to one the other. Guitars with flat tops also feature the round sound hole.

Guitars with archtops, on the opposite, sport the top of their guitars curved (and often back, too). Instead of a square sound hole, they are equipped with two holes with a shape resembling the"f" letter "f"--these are known as f-holes.

The arched shape as well as the f-holes were influenced by the violin. The guitar is able to produce an incredibly balanced, full tone, a bit less sustain than what is typical of an ordinary flattop and a bit more volume. Because of this, archtop guitars have been the most popular choice for jazz artists.

6. Resonator Guitar

The resonator guitar was invented prior to the invention of electric amplifiers as a way to increase the volume of acoustic guitars.

As all other guitars rely on the hollow guitar body to amplify the sound, resonator guitars use at least one cone made of metal for amplification. The bridge of the guitar is attached to the cones so that when the strings are played, the vibrating vibrations are transmitted through the bridge and into the cones. The cones then resonate to produce sound.

The resonator tone is clear and bright, and it almost has a metallic quality to it. It's most commonly associated with blues, bluegrass as well as country.

There are many types of resonator guitars, and they vary according to the type of resonator used (biscuit spider, tricone, the tricone) and the form of neck (round or square), and the material of the body (wood or iron).

Guitars with square necks can be set on top of the person's lap and are played using an unison tone bar over the strings. Round neck resonators can be used in this manner as well, and also in the normal position where players wear a hollow slide on the left hand and use it to glide over the strings.

Electronic Guitar Types

7. Solid Body Electric Guitar

The majority of solid-body electric guitars include two to three pickups. They're positioned in different places (usually, closer to the neck, the bridge, or somewhere near the middle). The position of the pickups affects the tone of the guitar. The neck pickup produces a warmer and more soft sound, and the bridge pickup gives a fuller, brighter tone. The switch permits you to switch between pickups.

You'll also find a few knobs on the body of an electric guitar. They can be used for volume control or to further control the tone through adjusting the frequency that pass through. Certain guitars have a tremolo bar, which allows the strings to be tightened and loosen for a short period of time to change their pitch and create a vibrato effect.

Finally, many guitarists using electric guitars will pass the signal through an effects chain before it enters the amp, adding effects such as reverb, compression, and filters. Additionally, it is commonplace to include an amplified volume pedal to this chain of effects, so that volume can be managed manually when playing.

8. Lap Steel Guitar

The very first instrument that was amplified by electricity was actually that of the lap steel guitar. The guitar is placed on the person's lap, and it is played using an iron tone bar. This style of playing originated in Hawaii in the late 19th century, and became popular by the United States in the 1920s.

With the instrument lying on your lap or suspended by a strap with the instrument in a horizontal orientation, the player holds the tone bar in their left hand and slides it along the strings in order for a smooth sound and change in pitch. By using their right hand the player uses finger picks connected to their fingers to choose each spring individually.

9. Pedal Steel Guitar

The tone bar can be described as fretting with just one hand. It's impossible to fret more strings simultaneously or create chords. The lap steel guitar extremely difficult to play.

A pedal steel guitar created in order to address this issue. It's a stand-alone instrument which resembles the piano's keyboard, but with stand. The player uses an instrument with a tone bar, as well as fingers strings just like lap steel. But there are different ways to alter the string's pitch.

The pedal steel guitar has knee levers and pedals. When these activated, the pitch of certain strings change by about a semitone. The combination of this, with the movement of the tonal bar, lets the player make chords and enjoy a lot more freedom with melodies.

Guitars with pedals usually have 10 strings per fretboard, and two fretboards for each console, with each tuned in a unique tuning. This gives them an even larger range, and more creative freedom for the player.

Acoustic-Electric and Semi-Acoustic Guitars

Some guitars have both a hollow body and pickups, meaning they are playable using or without an amp. These guitars offer the versatility of the acoustic guitar, but they can also produce a lot of volume when required.

10. Acoustic-Electric Guitar

Acoustic-electric guitars are an acoustic instrument with an integrated pickup. It is played either as an acoustic or plugged in to be played as an electric guitar.

This can be particularly beneficial for guitar players who like the sound of an acoustic guitar however require amplification for performances. The only option is to place the microphone on top of the guitar, but this method produces unsteady results and restricts how far the guitar player can move around on the stage.

You can purchase a ready-made Acoustic-Electric guitar. However, it is also possible to transform an Acoustic guitar to an acoustic with the addition of the pickup.

There are four types of pickups to choose from:

Magnetic Pickup

The magnetic pickup functions similarly as the one you'll find on a solid body electric guitar. The pickup is positioned across the sound hole and sits just underneath the guitar's strings. The pickup functions through the creation of an electric field, and then recording the vibrating of magneto-sensitive materials. This kind of pickup is suitable for steel strings, but not nylon ones.

Undersaddle Transducer

A transducer for the undersaddle is composed of thin strips of sensory material that work by recording guitar string vibrations that come emanating from to the saddle on the guitar. Because there's no magnetic field involved this device is suitable for steel string and nylon string guitars.

Soundboard Transducer

A soundboard transducer works like the undersaddle model however it's connected to the bottom of the soundboard of the guitar just behind the bridge.

Internal Microphone

A microphone inside also detects the vibrations of strings, however it does so from throughout the guitar rather than only the saddle or soundboard.

It's also common for acoustic-electric guitars to have multiple pickups. Combining different kinds of pickups in one system helps leverage their individual characteristics and produces a tone that more closely resembles the acoustic guitar's natural tone.

11. Hollow Body Guitar

Hollow body guitar is an electric version of an archtop instrument. It features the same curving sides and the top and also two f-holes below and above the strings. It's still hollow inside and produces sound on its own, but it also has built-in microphones that can be plugged into an amplifier.

Hollow body guitars have an authentic, warm tone that is perfect for genres like jazz or blues. When they are played at very high volumes or with distortion, they tend to produce a lot of feedback. This is the reason why players who prefer metal or hard rock usually opt for solid body electric guitars instead of hollow body ones.

12. Semi-Hollow Guitar

The semi-hollow guitar was created in an effort to reduce some of the feedback that hollow body guitars create in high volumes. It is hollow above and below the strings but it does have a solid piece of wood running through its middle. This is an interesting hybrid of hollow body and solid body electric guitars.

Both hollow body and semi-hollow body guitars are classified as semi-acoustic.

Other Guitars

Most of the guitars we've talked about so far feature six strings. There are however other types of guitars that have anywhere between four and 12 strings. They can produce frequencies beyond that of the typical range for the six-string guitar, and , as such, are performed in a different way.

13. 12-String Guitars

A 12-string guitar can be described as any instrument with twelve strings. Acoustic 12 string guitars are most commonly used, but all electric and acoustic guitars -- as well as in reality, every other kind of guitar that we've encountered in the past--can come with 12 string models.

The 12 strings aren't spaced equally. Instead, they're joined into six courses. That means the musician plays and frets on two strings at the same time.

Lower four pairs (E A, D, D, and G) are tuned one Octave apart. While the highest two pairs (B and E) are tuned unison.

The playing of a 12-string guitar similar to playing a six-string guitar, however, the sound that it creates is more full, brighter and louder. It essentially sounds like two guitars with six strings simultaneously.

Twelve strings put some tension for the instrument which is why, in order to relieve it, many 12-string players reduce their tuning to 1 or 2 half steps. They also make use of capso.

14. Extended Range Guitars

A guitar with extended range is one that is equipped with more than six strings. It is trickier to play, but it allows for new fretboard notes and allows the player to have more choice.

A popular extended range guitar has seven strings. There are guitars that have 8-9, 10 or even 11 strings.

A 12-string guitar doesn't count technically an extended-range guitar because it's played exactly the same way as a six-string instrument and has no strings that aren't in the E-A-D-G B-A standard tuning.

15. Bass Guitars

Bass guitars produce lower frequency than the standard guitar and is an indispensable instrument in nearly every genre of music. As part of an ensemble, the bassist acts as a bridge between drummer and the other musicians as well as helping maintain the beat.

Before the advent of bass guitars musicians played the double bass which was the largest instrument in the string family. Bass guitars were invented to be a more compact, convenient alternative.

The most popular model is a solid body electric bass guitar. It is flexible and is easily heard over other instruments. That being said, there are also acoustic, acoustic-electric, and semi-acoustic options.

The bass guitar usually has four strings. However, just like with extended range guitars, there are also models with six and five strings.

What Guitar Do You Want to Play?

Finding the right guitar can seem like a match made by heaven. It will impact the amount of enjoyment you have with playing, how frequently you work out, and the speed at which you can improve.

If you're a complete beginner, we recommend getting yourself a cheap steel string or a classical acoustic guitar and mastering the basics. There are many online courses which can help you get to where you want to be.

If you're happy and want to learn more, head to an music shop and test out different instruments--you'll need to feel each guitar in your hands and give it a test drive. It may take a few days, but somewhere among the guitar racks you'll discover your perfect partner.

In time the collection could increase to include many different styles of guitars. Each one of which is perfect for various kinds of occasions and music styles.

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