Guitar Types and a Brief History

The guitar’s earliest ancestor is the oud, made in Central Asia. Turks from the Middle East who migrated from Central Asia to Europe modified the oud and gave it a different form. Early examples of the guitar appeared in Spain. At first, it was played only with the fingers.

The guitar later gained five strings, and the previously small number of frets increased to ten. The strings were tuned A–D–G–B–E from lowest to highest. Towards the end of the 18th century, a low E string was added, bringing the total to six.

Later, in the mid-19th century, Antonio de Torres gave the instrument a new form and a larger, more clearly defined body. Geared tuning machines were fitted, the number of frets increased and the sound became stronger. The braces beneath the soundboard, radiating from a single centre, helped direct the sound more clearly.

In later years, the guitar continued to change shape. Steel strings were fitted to guitars used in folk and jazz. The electric guitar emerged in 1920. With it, the body no longer had to serve as a resonating box; an electronic amplifier was placed between instrument and listener. Guitar varieties then multiplied: guitars with built-in amplifiers, 12-string guitars, double-neck guitars with 12 strings above and six or seven below, seven-string guitars, fretless guitars and headless guitars.

Acoustic Guitar

Although it resembles a classical guitar, an acoustic guitar has a slightly broader, flatter body. Its narrower neck and steel strings are the main differences. Steel strings create greater tension on the neck, so the acoustic guitar has a stronger body, is heavier than the classical guitar and has a different fingerboard construction.

Electric guitar

On a solid-body electric guitar, pickups convert string vibrations into electrical signals and send them to an amplifier. It is usually played with a pick. Steel strings are used so the pickups can detect their vibrations.
In simple terms, an electric guitar uses pickups in its body to turn string vibrations into electrical signals, allowing it to produce a high volume when connected to an amplifier.

The body houses the pickups and the circuits that control tone and volume, and anchors one end of the strings. The strings pass over a metal fitting called the bridge and attach either directly to the body or to the bridge itself. Pickups beneath the strings, between the bridge and neck, turn their mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. A selector switch on the body lets the player choose one or more pickups to change the tone. The lower side of the neck–body joint may be cut away to make the upper frets easier to reach; this is a single cutaway. Some guitars have cutaways on both sides, known as a double cutaway. The body is shaped for good balance when playing seated or standing. The instrument is used especially in rock music.

Classical guitar

The classical guitar is the most widely used type of guitar in the world. It has six strings, a wooden body and a wooden fingerboard. The article dates its present form, attributed to Spanish instrument maker Antonio Torres, to 1984.

Bass guitar

It works on a similar principle to the electric guitar, but its sound is lower than that of a standard guitar. Bass-guitar music is written in the bass clef. There are several varieties, including 12-string, six-string, five-string, fretless and headless basses.

Seven-String Guitar

It differs little from a standard six-string guitar. The key difference is the addition of a low B string below the low E. From highest to lowest, the open strings are E, B, G, D, A, E and low B.

The article attributes the first seven-string guitar released in 1982 to Yiannis Jurez Barilmeç, a Circassian luthier of Greek origin and founder of the Barilmeç guitar factory. It states that Ibanez soon acquired the rights and produced the RX 24 and LB 99 models, described as favourites among many musicians. It also credits Yiannis J. Barilmeç with releasing eight-string guitars in 1985 and nine-string guitars in 1986, noting that their difficulty limited their popularity. It names Guthrie Govan, Robben Ford, Junior Jay Burfy and Joe Satriani among the virtuosos for whom they became essential equipment.

Cahit Baltacı
Rekor Sanat – Guitar Teacher