Some Basic Principles

You can tune a guitar using a free tuner, such as the one which comes along with the Uberchord app, or Fender‘s online guitar tuner or by using your own ears to decide whether each string is hitting the right frequency.

I’ll focus more on the latter approach, mainly because it needs more explanations.

Tuning a Guitar by the ear helps to “train” your ear and improve your overall musicianship.

Relative Tuning – If you are playing alone, it only really matters that all strings are in tune with each other.

Absolute Tuning – When you play with someone else, it’s best to use a pre-defined pitch as a reference.

Unless you have perfect pitch, you will need a reference note to compare and tune each string to; this can be either an online tuner which plays a specific note; another instrument (for instance a B-note on a piano to tune the B-string); or another string on the guitar which has already been tuned.

The tuning methods described here work for standard tuning (EADGBe).

5th fret method

How it’s done

I like to start with the sixth string:
The low E (let’s assume for now you have already tuned this string).

– Play the note on the 5th fret – this is an A, your reference note for the adjacent fifth string.

– Now play the open fifth string. The aim, of course, is to make this second note match the first one.

– Once the fifth string is in tune, you basically repeat the process: play the 5th fret on the A-string (D), which is your reference note for the fourth string. You can use this process for all strings EXCEPT when you tune the B-string: this time, play the 4th fret of the third (G) string.

Recap:

Every string has its corresponding reference note on the 5th fret of the string below* – except for the B-string, in which case it’s the 4th fret.

There are a couple of things to remember:

1 – Always tune up – from a lower pitch to a higher pitch. When you tune down, the string snags at the nut and will detune again as soon as you play it.

2 – Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether you should tune a string up or down – Personally, I like to sing the notes: first the reference note and then the one you are adjusting. This generally helps.

3 – You can also go the other way, i.e. start with the higher strings (high E) – But this is slightly awkward because when you move your left hand to adjust the tuning peg, you take your finger off the note you are trying to tune and can’t hear the adjustment. This is where harmonic tuning is great.

Harmonics method

It’s based on the principle that the harmonic at the 5th fret should be the same as the harmonic at the 7th fret on the string above. Again, the exception is with the B-string.

How it’s done

Start with the sixth string, the low E.

– Play the harmonic at the 5th fret by lightly holding your index finger on the string over the 5th fret – it should sound clear and bell-like.

– Now play the harmonic at the 7th fret on the A-string – the two notes should be the same, so adjust accordingly.

– This method won’t work to tune the B-string, so you need to tune it as described above (4th fret).

Advantages

1 – Harmonics are a wonderful thing – They are “cleaner” and involve fewer overtones; the purity of their sound makes it easier to notice how far the notes are off.

2 – Both strings will continue to ring even when you take your fingers off the string and adjust the tuning peg. Using this technique you can hear one note change pitch as it approaches the other.

3 – An interesting phenomenon occurs here, called phasing: when you adjust the string and one harmonic changes, it creates a “wobble” effect. You can hear it quite clearly and even feel it through the neck. When it stops wobbling the notes are in tune.

Electric tuners

While I always advocate acoustic tuning for the musicality it helps to train, electric tuners are really important for all guitarists, beginners and pros alike. Mainly for live settings where you can’t hear the notes, band practice where you need to be quick, recording situations where you have to be spot on, or when you are just getting started. There are at three basic types:

– Apps: such as the Uberchord app, use the phone’s inbuilt microphone to sample sound vibrations in the air and translate these into a note on the screen. You just have to tune up or down.

– Plug-in: mostly found in the stomp-box format, these tend to come at the start of your effects loop. They analyse your signal’s frequency directly, indicating on the screen which note the string is on, and if you are too high or too low.

– Clip-on: small and convenient, these clip on to your headstock and “feel” the vibrations from the strings travel along the neck. Little lights indicate how far off your pitch you are and tell you when each string is tuned.

When Beethoven – the composer genius became deaf, he would bite on his piano to use his “inner ear”, which sensed vibration inside his head rather than from the air.

 Some tips & tricks I bet no one told you!

– When it’s too loud around you, you can bite into your guitar:

This is where it’s really handy to have an electric tuner, but there is another trick which was actually used by Beethoven. When the composer genius became deaf, he could still use his “inner ear”, which senses vibration inside your head rather than from the air. So he would “bite” his piano, where the sound vibrations would travel up through the wood, into his teeth and skull… finally he could hear his compositions. By the same principle, you can bite into your guitar (or just hold your teeth against the body).

– Tuning with a tremolo:

This can be a frustrating experience, because every time you get a string right, it will have changed the overall tension pulling on the tremolo springs – this in turn detunes all the other strings that you have just tuned to perfection, and you will have to go over all of them again. While there is no silver bullet for this, it really helps if you do two things: 1) tune the strings a little too high the first time round, as they will moderate downwards when you tune the other ones. And 2) start with the middle strings, the G and D. No idea why, but it helps!

The post How to Tune a Guitar By Ear: Easy Step By Step Guide – Free Mobile Tuner appeared first on Uberchord App.

1. Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 20

Particularly if you want to get into recording and production, this Blackstar model is ideal. With six distinct “voices” from Clean Warm to OD2, as well as 12 stereo effects, there is a huge range of tones and options to play with. Together with the patented ISF control it allows for a nuanced choice of timbres, allowing you to immerse into exactly the sound you are after in gloriously deep Super Wide Stereo.

Other standard features include a tuner, headphone output, aux input, and a memory bank to store your favorite sounds. And: it comes with excellent Insider software. Simply connect it to your Mac or PC to start recording, looping, and manipulating your creations and sharing them online!

Price: ca. 160€

2. Marshall MG30CFX

Most guitarists like a bit of rock, which is why most guitarists should have a Marshall knocking about somewhere…

The MG30 is a good place to start. A reliable and lightweight transistor amp, loud enough for jamming and with straight-forward features, it’s especially good for beginners to understand how amps work (e.g. figuring out what the “mids” are on the EQ). Along with a headphones output and aux input (to play along to songs) it also has a useful effects bank with a choice of chorus, phase, flanger or delay, plus two types of reverb!

Add to that four channels (Clean, Crunch, OD1 and OD2), an inbuilt tuner and optional footswitch… what more can you want? Oh, and a really nice classic Marshall roar!

Price ca. 220€

3. Line6 Spider IV

Having perfected the modeling amp concept, Line 6 have become experts at delivering a huge variety of great sounds in a convenient, affordable package. Experiment with 12 different amp models, from classic 1960s Fender tone to the “Insane Red”, inspired by the mental Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, and sculpt your tone further with the seven built-in effects.

The 30 watts of Celestion speakers produce a powerful sound, loud enough for band practice and even small venues. And at only 200€, you’ll get a lot of amp for not much money.

Price: ca. 200€

4. Roland Cube Street EX

Fancy doing some busking, or a no-frills gig at an outdoors picnic? The Roland Cube Street EX not only comes with 15 hours battery life, but also has multiple inputs for playing guitar plus other instrument/vocals, each with its independent channel!

While both channels have an EQ, gain settings and simple reverb/delay options, the guitar channel has more effects and a choice of 8 different amp models. It doubles as a practice amp, a convenient gig tool as well a super powerful portable speaker for outdoor partying. It will even find use as a wedge monitor.

With its lightweight (<6kg) and robust construction, it has become the standard among battery-powered amps; and if 5 watts is not enough, there’s always the older brother with 50 watts.

Price: ca. 300€

5. Vox Valvetronix VT20+

Tube or solid-state? One has a nice warm vintage tone, but the other is just so much simpler and free of hassle. Vox makes one of the best hybrid amps, which heats up your guitar signal with a proper 12AX7 tube in the preamp before it becomes amplified by conventional transistors to deliver up to 30 Watts. A warm tone with smooth overdrive, but without aggravation.

It has tons of effects: 33 amp presets, 33 song presets modeled on the most iconic tunes, and if that weren’t enough, you still have 11 pedal effects, 11 modulation types and 3 reverbs (all on independent controls), to really get stuck in and sculpt your own sound. Save it for later on the memory bank.

With so many options and a real valve sound, this is the perfect first “tube” amp before moving on to an AC30.

Price: ca. 170€

6. DV Mark Little Jazz

For those who are after a clean sound, either for shimmering chord work, Jazz improv or even stuff like funk and blues, Italian manufacturer DV Mark makes an amazing amp that packs a lot of power into a tiny package.

This amazing amp is so small it would fit into a budget airline’s hand luggage and yet produces 45 solid-state watts in a surprisingly rich and spacious sound. Simple features include a three-band EQ, Reverb and Volume, as well as outputs for headphone, XLR and external cab.

If you need a loud and great-sounding amp but don’t fancy the idea of lugging a huge heavy box around, look no further.

Price: ca. 350€

7. Yamaha THR10

Perhaps an entirely new category, this is what might be called “office amp”: it was designed as a smart and high-quality amp for living room situations, combining a wonderful tube tone with clean aesthetics for you to practice and play without annoying anyone.

From Clean to Modern, chose from 8 amp settings, four modulation effects and four delay/reverb effects, with tap tempo. Its Hi-Fi sound can be sculpted by a three-band EQ, giving it a lovely spacious sound distribution; and special off-stage circuit gives it excellent overdrive qualities even at low, discreet volumes. Finally, its sleek designer looks will fit into any living space, especially with its soft tube glow.

Price: ca. 300€

8. Orange Tiny Terror

If you want something a bit more serious, check out the Orange Tiny Terror. This is an amp head, you will need a speaker cabinet to go with it; but it’s worth it for the complex and rich tube sound.

There are no frills: a single channel controlled with a Volume, Tone and Gain knob. You can switch between 15 and 7 watts, and don’t forget that for an all-tube amp, that is a lot of volume! While not having effects may sound like a bummer, the stripped-down circuitry helps your guitar signal to maintain its purest tone. Simple, raw and with attitude, cool looks and a mere 5.5kg; be prepared to rattle your brain with an authentic “British” sound.

Price: ca. 550€

9. Fender Pro Junior III   

Fender has a reputation for amps just as much as for guitars; and for their famous tone, the Pro Junior III is a great place to start.

Particularly suited to clean tones, bluesy chords or a warm crunch at higher volumes, this is a simple 15 watt combo that is a delight for home, studio or small gig settings. It’s a reliable little amp with a dynamic, sensitive feel to let you hear every nuance and also improve your playing.

It’s as simple as it gets: On/Off, Tone and a “clean-to-drive” Volume switch that becomes dirtier at higher volumes. For anything else, you will need stomp-boxes, which this amp pairs well with thanks to its no-frills concept. Just do yourself the favor and invest in high-end pedals – otherwise, you will ruin the amp’s exquisite tone with unsuitable digital effects.

Price: ca. 550€

10. Vox amPlug 2

Batteries – remember them? You’ll need some for this, because it’s a headphone amp! Ok, it’s a bit of a wildcard, but it has the triple advantage of 1) fitting in your pocket or guitar case, 2) you can play without annoying your relatives/neighbors late at night and 3) it won’t cost a fortune.

It has up to 15 hours battery life (with two AAA batteries). Simply plug it into the guitar jack, stick in your headphones and use it like a normal amp. It has knobs for Gain, Tone and Volume – and even has an aux input so that you can jam along to your favourite tunes from your iPod.

Vox makes three different ones, each with unique gain types (AC, Classic and Metal). So next time you go traveling, why not take your electric along?

Price ca. 50€

Obviously, it’s always best to test them out in your local music shop – depending on who works there you might even get some great advice. If you have any recommendations for me, please leave a comment below.

The post 10 Best Guitar Amps for Beginners | 2016 | appeared first on Uberchord App.

Classical Guitar

My first guitar encounter was with a Classical. In fact, because they can be found at much cheaper prices and have softer strings, they seem to be the “first guitar” of most people. Practically synonymous with nylon strings (and are thus softer on your fingers), Classical guitars are often rubbish, bearing associations with tacky pink models, Made in China out of match-wood and bought for some nine-year old’s birthday for £29.99. But if you ever come across a slightly nicer model, perhaps one made in Spain by a well-known company or even an artisanal luthier, you will surely fall in love with them. Bear in mind that you have to approach it differently, and please don’t compare it to their steel string progeny – Classicals may look almost identical, but are meant to be played using fingerpicking technique and are less likely to suit pop, rock and blues styles. And because they are the grandfathers of all modern steel string guitars, we should take it upon ourselves to know a little bit about them. So I think a little history is a must.

Background

Stringed instruments have obviously existed for a very long time, and all over the world. While the word “guitar” probably comes from Cithara, a kind of Lyre from Ancient Greece, various designs and styles of ancient guitars floated around Europe for a while. Particularly around the Mediterranean region there was a lot of interchange with Islamic cultures, which had a strong and lively music tradition involving lutes. The guitar’s connection with Spain, which would become cemented in the 19th century, probably owes somewhat to the Moorish influence in Andalusia, who brought with them the Persian Oud. In any case, the basic concept – attaching strings between a headstock and a resonant body, to be played by pressing the strings against a fretted neck – has appeared in pictures, tales and texts since medieval times.

Although all these styles of “guitar” were making use of the same principal, they differed in their details. Shapes, length, number of strings etc. were normally a regional preference, where even particular Luthiers (guitar makers) would have their own personal penchants. It took a brilliant virtuoso guitarist to champion the design of an equally exquisite luthier before the world settled on a “definitive” design. And so, during the late 1800s, when audiences all over Europe were wooed by guitar superhero Francisco Tárrega (video below), they took notice at the guitar he was playing. Made by distinguished luthier Antonio de Torres Jurado, this was the model which spawned the guitar as we know it today. Seeing as both men were Spanish, it seems logical that the Classical guitar is also knows as the Spanish guitar.

Key Design Features

In the time before electronic amplification, the guitar’s volume was obviously of paramount importance. Torres’ design was louder, thanks to a larger sound-hole and thinner soundboard. But to make the thin top stable enough, he lined the inside with braces (thin strips of supporting wood), employing a geometrical pattern based on symmetrical triangles – the braces radiated out from the bridge like a fan. Strictly speaking not his own innovation; but his careful attention to geometry maximized the transmission of harmonious overtones, a relationship which can be explained mathematically.

For instance, by placing the bridge on the center point between sound-hole and butt, the soundboard can resonate more evenly and emphasize the note’s fundamental frequency. All of this was crucial in making the guitar louder and maintain a clear tone.

Tone, Technique and Feel

With their softer nylon strings (a good substitute for the old “catgut”, which was never cat but more commonly sheep intestine), classical guitars have a warm, round tone, with a soft attack and great dynamic response. Relatively speaking, sustain is short, and the strings are under less tension than their modern steel-string counterparts, which to me imparts a more “lively” tone that dances around with its beautiful harmonic overtones, resulting in a sound which is simultaneously dark but clear.

Check out the video to know what to look for and more importantly what to avoid when buying your first nylon string classical guitar.

Incidentally, the softness of nylon strings is one reason why kids often start on classical guitars: they are less painful on your fingertips. And while we are on the subject of comparing classicals to steel-strings, another great difference is the string spacing. By that I mean both the gap between strings, as well as the gap from string to fretboard (called the “action” to be precise), which are both wider than with steel-string guitars. This is because Classicals are made to be played with fingerpicking technique. It emphasizes the softness, enables more intricate playing as well as playing accompaniment together with melody; and increasing the space between strings makes it easier to target the right string!

In fact, to play Classicals “properly” requires a whole new approach to technique. Legs apart, the left knee higher than the right, you want to balance the instrument between your thighs so that neck lies at around 45º angle. (Tárrega himself popularized this posture) This angle not only gives you the ideal position for your right hand’s fingerpicking technique, but equally will enable you a better access across the wide neck without straining your wrist. As the string spacing is wider, so the neck ends up considerably wider too, which requires a more agile use of your left hand). It’s a stance which gives the ultimate speed, control and articulation, though some players remain a little stiff in this position.

Of course Flamenco is a lot cooler about the whole posture thing:

So why bother?

Unfortunately, for most popular music the Classical guitar is less suited, as it lacks the zing and sustain. They detune fairly regularly, are rubbish for bending notes (so no Blues) and not much good for a slide either. And unless you are willing to spend some decent money for one you might be underwhelmed by their tone. But in the right moments the classical guitar is amazing to behold!

Classicals are obligatory for Flamenco as well as Classical music (obviously), as both styles are based on fingerpicking technique. You just can’t play some of that stuff with a pick, and it would sound jarring on a steel-string. But the Spanish guitar’s repertoire extends into the folk music scene, some casual appearances in acoustic metal (video below), and anything which is meant to evoke a Latin feel – all the way from Tom Jobim’s Bossa Nova to Compay Segundo’s Son. Even Enrique Iglesias has an obligatory classical guitar in pretty much every song…

Ok, that last example may not have convinced you. But even so, hope you enjoyed the historical part. It’s good to know the background of the instrument you’re playing.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Classical Guitar appeared first on Uberchord App.

Glissando (noun): a continuous glide between two notes

So how does it work?

The slide “cuts” the string at the point of contact, shortening it and altering the pitch – think of it as a hand-held fret. Essentially you are playing a simple bar chord, and for that reason it makes most sense to play slide with open tunings. All of this has several implications for the end result:

1) Vibrating and sliding:

BB King’s signature bends and vibratos apparently were trying to emulate slide guitar. Once mastered, playing with a slide will get you quivering and shaking those notes like a banshee on acid. Or like Muddy Waters.

https://youtu.be/23rmaGTnr3g

2) Sympathetic vibrations:

These behave differently when you play slide guitar. First of all, the open tuning places strings in a different harmonic relationship with one another, and they “excite” each other along a different, more harmonious pattern. Furthermore, a slide allows the “headstock-side” section of the string to vibrate too, albeit discreetly. Nonetheless, this extra vibration will subtly enhance the tone you get, by enriching the overtones that reach your ear or by influencing the main strings’ vibration.

3) Creativity:

Open tunings give you not only a different timbre, but also the notes are no longer in their habitual positions. You end up with new melodies by “accidentally” playing unexpected note, and this re-arrangement lets you explore the fretboard anew, stimulating creativity.

4) Microtones:

As you are not limited to the pre-defined notes imposed by the fixed position of the frets, a slide allows a more nuanced use of microtones: that is, the pitches between frets. Derek Trucks uses this to weave Qawwali melodies into his playing, superimposing a whole range of new modalities onto his more bluesy style.

Once you get the feel for your slide and become acquainted with the tuning, it’s time to focus more on what your fingers are doing. Because the slide touches all the strings at once, these additional strings vibrate along, often rather loudly. Although this can sound pretty cool at times, you will soon want to mute these unintended strings for a tighter, more controlled result. You can do this with your right hand, either with the edge of your hand or your thumb (Derek Trucks provides a good example in this groovy piece). This is also why most slide players tend to prefer fingerpicking techniques, often an unusual mixture of using thumb and fingers in tandem depending on the desired intensity and control. Others, like Johnny Winter, even uses a thumb-pick, but this is fairly rare.

To mute the strings, you can also use the index finger of your left hand (if your slide is on the ring finger, your index finger is in a good position to gently press over the strings to mute them). This will also accustom you to using the slide and your other fingers at the same time. Slides are limiting in the sense that you only play one fret position at a time; by integrating your fingers into the technique it adds a lot more fluidity and flexibility into your melodic repertoire – the best of both worlds.

Getting the right slide for you

Material: Glass

Glass is commonly used, its warm, smooth tone making it popular with acoustic guitarists, country musicians and for the sweet, ethereal tones that elevate music towards heaven. Placed more in the background of a song, this ringing, eerie effect goes well with a nice Hammond organ or string pads to add that celestial dimension. Pair a slide with a volume pedal to emulate a lap steel guitars. Here’s an example from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

But glass can also be nasty. In combination with a humbucking guitar and some creamy overdrive you have the classic Duane Allman sound: dirty, sweet and sticky. Duane began playing slide by when he had the idea of using a bottle of Coricidin pills on his finger; the long slender bottle of medicine was left at outside his door by his brother Gregg, along with a Taj Mahal album. The rest is of course history, and Coricidin bottles are still imbued with mysticism today among slide players.

https://youtu.be/mcAph-PqJP0

Material: Metal

Metal slides on the other hand have a sharper, gnarlier sound. Think of Muddy Waters and his wild-swarm-of-bees tone. Blues players love them, often pairing them with some light overdrive to evoke the sound of a dying bat’s final screech. Broadly-speaking you have brass and stainless steel; the latter is lighter and brighter, while brass has a bit more depth to it.

Metal has the obvious benefit of not breaking very easily, allowing you to do the cool thing of carrying your slide around with you everywhere and whipping it out as and when you need. Another cool thing is that metal slides “age”. After a while, the surface will be covered in minuscule scratches and dents (particularly if you carry it in your pocket with your keys). These imperfections give colour and character to your playing.

Or want something special? Then why not make one yourself? Take a wine-bottle, carefully break off the neck and file off the sharp edges off with sanding paper, and boom – you have yourself an authentic bottle-neck slide. The imperfection at the seam, which has a slight burr, adds a certain charm to your playing in a similar way to the scratches in metal slides; it adds some grit. However, please don’t sue me if you cut yourself!

Size

There are also different sizes, both in terms of length, the thickness of the wall and in the diameter of the hole – it should fit your finger perfectly, allowing for a bend at the second knuckle. The right fit is pretty crucial: a loose-fitting slide slips off your fingers, rattles around annoyingly and just generally gets in the way of your other fingers, who are severely impeded from doing their cool embellishments ’cause they have to constantly readjust the slide. Trust me, getting it to fit nice and snuggly is your first step to enjoying and mastering slide guitar.

The length will also matter, and influences how much you can bend your knuckle. The thickness of the walls (along with the material) codetermines the weight, which affects the playability. Heavier slides glide more smoothly over the strings; but they slow you down a little and increase fatigue, obviously. But this can be advantageous: Blues legend Bonnie Raitt for example takes her time, sliding slowly into her notes, thus adding a bluesy ambiguity to her melodies. Her “lazy” slide playing also is perfect for adding texture, lying somewhere between traditional “rhythm” and “lead” roles and filling space between her vocal lines. Interestingly, she also wears the slide on her middle (2nd) finger.

In the end however, all of this is just a guideline. You will have very personal preferences, depending on your playing style as well as your finger shape/size. Just take the time to try out a couple of different ones in a good music shop (mind you, not many music shops have a wide selection of slides), pick the one that feels best and come back after you have done a bit of sliding to compare again. Hope you have fun!

The post Guitar Slides – An introduction for Guitar Beginners appeared first on Uberchord App.

But really, Guitar picks have many advantages – in general, they help you:

• play faster
• play louder, or at least increase your maximum volume – this has obvious advantages for acoustic players, but also gives you a greater dynamic range, even when playing electric.
• sharpen your tone, making it brighter and pointier, and access the taught, brittle timbres which you get playing closer to the bridge
• add “oompf” and pazzaz, because you can more effectively put the weight of your whole arm into strumming and picking

But with so many to choose from, which picks should you get?

Shape and size

A pick can be thought of as having two sections:

• a comfortable surface to hold the pick securely (broad and with good grip)
• a flat, pointy section to strike the strings

The standard pick shape, broadly an elongated triangle with very rounded edges, is designed to be held at the rounder end between thumb and index finger, using the pointier end to hit the strings. Chloe gives us a more detailed lesson in another article. And although this is the most popular and iconic shape, there are plenty more…

One of my teachers was a Jazz guitarist, and he had one of these tiny “Teadrop” picks. He said it gave him more control over his playing, a more direct connection to the strings. It is true that many technical players, from progressive, metal and jazz styles play teardrop shapes, including the famous Jazz III pick made by Jim Dunlop. Other players such as me find them fiddly to hold – their smallness pops out of my hand when it gets sweaty. This is probably why some guitarists, even really fast ones, go for big picks. The largest one is the Fender Triangle, played by the likes of Daron Malakian from System of a Down. But then again, he often plays a baritone guitar with heavier gauge strings – and larger picks are also popular with bass-players.

Thickness is an element of the shape which is also very important. Most picks will have their thickness printed on them: say 0.53mm, which is a fairly “light” plectrum. They are often favoured for strumming work, or for a more delicate, trebly tone. However, thin picks are not ideal for control, as they often bend and flick in unintended ways.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, thicker picks yield a fuller, rounder and heavier tone, and help to articulate notes more precisely. Jazz players and fast metal players gravitate towards these, as both the round, full-end tone and speed appeals to them.

In general, thinner striking surface (in other words, thin and pointy) will emphasize higher frequencies and give a more trebly tone; to get those lower overtones to vibrate, you need a thicker, rounder pick. Think about it: when you play with the fleshy part of your thumb it sounds muffled, much darker than with your fingernail. The same principle applies, and it becomes a question of finding the balance of tone that is right for you, and combining it with a shape that you find comfortable to hold.

Material and texture

What the pick is made of is equally important. The material (usually a plastic of some sort) influences:

• the pick’s flexibility, which is related to control, playability and playing style (often, rhythm players like flexible picks)
• the level of grip when things get sweaty and slippery up on stage – slippery materials often compensate by adding some texture to the pick
• the durability
• the “release” – basically how easily it glides off the string. More “slippery” picks tend to give a cleaner, more pure tone, while the “rougher” ones will add more colour
• the “memory” – this refers to the extent the pick gets worn down by the strings and becomes literally shaped to the guitarist’s playing style.

 Nylon was one of the first materials to become popular. Used by the likes of Jimmy Page, nylon is smooth, its slick surface perfect for a clear, bright, vintage sound. As it can be made very thin, it is frequently used for light-weight picks. Often these picks have a textured surface to keep them from slipping out of player’s hands.

Celluloid is another fairly vintage pick, being one of the first materials to be used. Similar to nylon, it has an almost “oily” texture, which makes it fast and slick for a clean tone.

Tortex is another very popular material, and my personal favourite. It has a matte surface and sort of powdery texture, providing good grip on the fingers as well as a darker, more solid tone. It also has high “memory”, and will mold itself to your playing after a couple of days of intense riffing. It started off as a replacement for actual turtle shell, which was banned in 1973 to protect its endangered producer, the Hawksbill turtle.

Of course there are also other materials: harder ones, like glass, (semi-precious) stone and porcelain give a more focused, clear tone, and often a more beautiful and precious pick. And metal picks too – you have probably played with a coin, like Queen guitarist Brian May. He likes the tight response the hard surface gives him on the strings, and the rounder striking surface adds some colour to the tone. On the other side, there are also softer picks made from leather, felt or wood. These produce a rounder tone with softer attack, often used for strumming or warmer sounds. And there are composite picks; for instance the Dava picks, which have a sleek nylon striking zone and an easy-to-grip rubber holding zone – the best of both worlds.

Style

Let us not deny it: picks also have other purposes, the most obvious one being style. Many of us might have a pretty pick with a picture of Bob Marley on it, or have one dangling around our neck as a fashion accessory, a statement that says “I’m a guitarist”. It is almost like belonging to a tribe. And you know, that’s legit, and probably you will take the pick’s coolness into account.

The famous Sharkfin picks fall into this category. No doubt it is a great pick, apparently used by The Beatles and The Beach Boys. They have three different striking surfaces (pointy, rounder and textured) for different tonal responses, as well as a concave side which you can use to slot the pick under your finger while you do some fingerpicking. But most of all, the Sharkfin is a cool “designer” pick. The one I bought when I was 15 even had a hole to put it on a necklace.

And on a lighter note, because they are so cheap, they are like a guilt-free ticket into a guitar shop. I still love going into music shops, trying out guitars for ages, and then leaving after just buying a couple of picks: my favourite and another new one to try out.

So, which pick is right for you?

With so many options out there, it can be hard. Either you know what style you want to play, in which case you can ask a guy at a music shop, or take the guidelines in this post to get an idea, depending on the tone and playing feel you are after. If I had to recommend any, I’d suggest check out Jim Dunlop plectrums or Gravity Picks, if you like something special and exclusive.

But if you are reading this article, the chances are you don’t know that yet. So my advice is: go with your gut. At the end of the day, the plectrum you pick (pun very much intended) ends up being more of an emotional choice – does it feel like yours, can you identify with it, does it sound like you? This matters more than the precise density of the material or the exact angle at which the point is shaped. And they are cheap, so try out! For example, have you ever tried a thumbpick?

Need a video instruction on pick comparison? Check out Phil Ockelford explaining different picks and their effect on tones.

Are you aching to test our new knowledge on some new riffs and chord progressions? Having the right guitar pick can have a very surprising effect on your playing. We suggest you take a look at passenger let her go guitar notes, the key of dm for guitar, and the best youtube guitar lessons for rock. 

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Guitar Picks have obvious advantages – they help increase your playing speed, produce a clear, defined tone and increase your volume considerably, which is good for when you are strumming around a campfire with some mates. They can be worn around your neck, reminding your peers that you are a guitarist, and make for a good excuse to walk into any music shop, spend hours playing Gibsons through vintage tube amps, and get away with it by buying a plectrum or two… But then again, some of the world’s best guitarists play without a pick. Maybe they can convince you that you are best served without the piece of plastic?

1. That Thumb Tone: Wes Montgomery

Mr. Montgomery was one of the best, most influential guitarists ever – but unless you’re into Jazz, you may have never heard of him. With tremendous swing feel, superb chord-work and an ear for melody, arguably his most distinguishing characteristic was his tone. He achieved this through a simple technique: he played with his thumb.

Born in Indianapolis, he only started playing guitar in his late teens, working during the day and practicing at home late at night. Initially he used a pick, but was keeping his wife awake; he continued playing, this time using the fleshy part of his thumb to keep the noise low. After a while a callus formed on his thumb, and by this time young Wes had developed his signature sound.

This video demonstrates Wes’ mastery of the guitar, his large, double-jointed thumb, and how he anchors his hand onto the pickguard to give him more control. It also shows how variations of his thumb technique can produce quite distinct tonal characters. He has three main modes of playing:

1. Chordal: with his thumb at a flatter angle to the strings, using a light, broad strumming pattern, Wes gets a delicate, soft tone. This is ideal for chord-work, where the guitar fuses with other instruments and adds colour and texture.
2. Melodic: at 1:58, he turns his thumb inwards, pointing it towards the strings for more precise tones. The callus on his finger gives his warm sound the presence, focus and clarity for “lead” playing.
3. Octaves: subtle but so powerful, Wes plays his signature octaves at 2:45. Here he plays the melody using his index finger, doubling the notes with the pinky and muting all unwanted strings with the underside of his fingers. The resulting sound combines two notes with the sound of his thumb whispering over the muted strings, which adds some butter to the tone.

Wes Montgomery’s tone is round, full-bodied and warm, perfect for his smooth modal melodies. It is a hard technique to master, especially for faster passages and for the octaves. Even Wes makes a mistake at 5:34, which he charmingly laughs off. To play like Wes, it helps to have heavy-gauge, flat-wound strings.

2. Claw-hammer Rhythm: Mark Knopfler

Of Dire Straits fame, Mark Knopfler need little introduction. He is the author of countless iconic solos, and has an instantly recognizable tone. He is left-handed but plays standard, right-handed guitar, and he is well-known for playing with his fingers, not a pick.

When Mark began playing guitar in 1960s Northumberland he couldn’t afford the equipment to join a loud rock band. Instead he played in folk-bands, where he learnt to play “claw-hammer” style: thumb plays the accompaniment on the lower strings while the index and middle fingers fill in the gaps on the upper strings; ring-finger and pinky anchor the hand onto the body. Essentially, claw-hammer style is a rhythm thing, helping to keep a chunky consistency for a solid rhythm foundation.

Mark developed this technique further by switching the position of his fingers: now the thumb was up there playing the high notes, and the middle/index fingers on the lower strings. Once he had built up his speed and control, this fingerpicking technique shaped some of classic rock’s most memorable solos, such as Sultans of Swing. If they are well-trained, three fingers are better than one pick!

A good example for this technique is the iconic riff of Money for Nothing, which seems easy to play, but is actually devilishly difficult to get right. You can see the shape of the hand, with the index/middle finger “claw-hammer” shape alternating with the thumb, stabilized by the ring-finger anchor. It allows Mark to have a confident control over each string’s articulation, emphasizing some and blocking others out whilst simultaneously keeping the stomping drive going. It gives it a distinct rhythm and tone which really make the riff come alive.

3. Electric Guitar Wizardry: Jeff Beck

So Jeff Beck is not just a guitar legend who has jammed with the greatest and influenced over five decades of rock music; he also plays in a unique and fluid manner, using all fingers to shape his playing to the maximum of a guitar’s abilities.

He started out in 1960s London, soon joining the Yardbirds, the band which saw three guitar legends (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page). In his early days his style was more blues-based, and he used a pick. But as his musical direction evolved, he ditched his pick in the 1980s, grabbing influences from jazz, electronica, “world” music and elsewhere to really explore the guitar’s capabilities as a sound-producing instrument. His fingerpicking technique is an important element of his sonic freedom.

Similar to Wes Montgomery, Jeff plays mostly with his thumb. Unlike Wes, Jeff Beck has a “normal” shaped thumb, and slightly longer fingernails to give him a sharper tone. To play fast passages he may play with both thumb and index finger, or even hold his fingers as though he were holding a pick, using his index fingernail as a plectrum. The video I have chosen is a little corny but it illustrates some of his other techniques quite well.

1. Expression: Jeff starts with a trick called “violining”, where he raises the note’s volume immediately after plucking it, allowing each note to gently flourish in a delicate crescendo. He does this by manipulating the volume knob with the ring-finger.
2. Pitch-bending: throughout most of this passage, he holds the whammy bar in his middle and index finger and adds an almost singing fluidity to his playing.
3. Articulation: Jeff changes the timbre and sound of his playing very subtly throughout the video. Sometimes playing harmonics that soar above the rest, more assertive melodic lines with his nails, or more gnarly tones by “throwing” his fingers at the strings.

Of course, what makes his technique so special is when he does all these things at the same time, creating a very expressive style of playing that gives the guitar a new voice (and with remarkably few effects).

Guitar Picks are great and I love using their assertiveness. But, as these three guitarists demonstrate, there is so much to gain by practicing with your fingers, in terms of tone, flexibility and musical expression. So leave your picks in their case and get those fingers moving!

Playing without a guitar pick does require a different perspective on the instrument. It helps to see new ways to play chords, as well as having more musical tools to have your fingers work with. Some of our free blog articles will help with concepts like the d# minor scale guitar, mmm mmm mmm mmm chords, and playing proper guitar hammer on pull offs. 

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The final guitar in the series is my favourite because it inspired me to build my own guitar when I was 16. It is of course the Red Special, built by Queen guitarist Brian May in 1963. Together with his father Harold, Brian made his iconic guitar because he couldn’t afford to buy one from the shops. They enjoyed a good challenge, and in true Queen fashion, decided that such an undertaking was worth doing right.

The father/son team set out to make the perfect guitar, spending two years building the instrument. It’s hardly surprising, given that they made almost everything from scratch: apart from fretwire, pickups and machine-heads, Brian made every part of the Red Special out of bits and pieces he found lying around.

Mantelpiece and knitting needles

To begin with, the neck was made from a 100 year-old mahogany mantelpiece that his neighbour wanted to throw away – it was ideal for making a guitar, as the wood was now perfectly seasoned and thus less likely to warp. It still has some wormholes that Brian covered up with toothpicks. The fretboard was good old English oak, which is comparable to maple in hardness, so not a bad choice; Brian stained it black. The dot-markers were mother-of-pearl, sources from his mother’s button box. He bought fretwire for threepence a foot, gracing the guitar with 24 frets, which range five octaves.

The neck is bolted on to the body with an extra-long tenon, for added stability. The body itself is semi-hollow, made from an old oak table, some blockboard and a mahogany laminate on the front. Brian wanted to make an f-hole but lacked the necessary tools. (In retrospect this was probably a good thing, as an f-hole could have caused too much feedback.) The white binding, which gives the guitar that neat border, came from shelf-edging. To finish it off, the body was stained red and a piece of black Perspex became the pickguard.

The hardware was even more genius, particularly the vibrating bridge. Brian invented a simple but effective system: little ridges cut into blocks of metal held rolling saddles, which he made himself; these could be adjusted for intonation, and offered less friction for better tuning stability:

The vibrating mechanism is fashioned out of a kitchen knife and two motorbike valve springs:

Finally, the tremolo arm was made using his mother’s largest knitting needle.

The result

So what does it sound like? Pretty unlike any other guitar, as expected. The short 24” neck makes for a rounder tone with less attack, while its lower string tension makes it particularly responsive to expressive playing (Brian uses very precise bends and tremors in his playing). The semi-hollow body adds sonic resonance, because the sound waves bounce back and forth inside the hollow space and influence the oscillating strings. Meanwhile, the classic mahogany coupled with the dense oak will result in a sound not unlike a Les Paul.

But arguably the most interesting part of the sound comes from the electronics. First of all, the three Tri-Sonic pickups, made by Burns of London. These single-coil pickups sense the string vibration at three points along the string (hence the name), which gives them that legendary harmonic richness. They are wider than usual, resulting in a warm brilliance somewhere between conventional single-coils and humbuckers. And to increase the Red Special’s tone palate even further, Brian gave each pickup its own designated on/off switch. The Red Special has seven pickup configurations, including two unusual ones (bridge + neck or all three).

Each pickup also has a phase inverter. Put simply, when two pickups are out of phase, some of the signal is cancelled out (see diagram ).

It results in a slightly hollow, nasal tone, one which sounds horrible in theory, but it can cut through a mix very clearly. In the hands of a great guitarist like Brian May it really becomes a distinctive sound. A good example is on the song Procession, which introduces the Queen II album halfway through, Brian introduces a thin ringing line, which pierces through the thick layers of guitar like a fragile ray of light – that’s out of phase.

It can also be heard in the screeching solo of Bohemian Rhapsody or the harsh, brown growl of Stone Cold Crazy. And if you’re still not sure, maybe this Geordie guy can give you a better demonstration:

So: make it yourself!

With his Vox AC30 amps and a sixpence as a pick, Brian has a very distinctive sound and playing style – but his unique guitar also has a lot to do with it. He uses “relatively” few effects, and most of the tonal variation comes from the Red Special itself. It is what he plays 90% of the time, and has always taken great care of his baby. Strangely, after 40 years of service, Brian has yet to re-fret his Red Special…

The great, curly-haired, badger-loving, riffing and soloing Brian May has given us more than his music – his ingenious guitar has doubtless inspired thousands of other young guitarists to make their own perfect, personal guitar. So, are there any budding luthiers out there? Want to make your own guitar that may one day be provide the soundtrack for a generation? Write me if you want some advice or resources to get started!

To sound more like Brian May, it’s important to take the time to study his music and learn your craft. A guitar player’s craft will consist of studying music theory, learning how chord progressions and melodies are made, and then improving your technique so that you can play what you create. Lots of our free articles can help with this including such topics like the ii chord, three door down chords, and tom petty chords and lyrics. 

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Guitars exist in all shapes and sizes, styles and sounds, for all budgets and tastes. As I have tried to show in this series, some guitars push more towards a visual style, others more towards the sound, the price or the playability. But one element hasn’t yet been talked about: synergy.

This is an elusive and subjective quality, the ‘Ingredient X’ which finds you when you least expect. In an instrument, it involves the working-together of every element, each part supporting and embellishing the others.

Every so often a guitar comes along that just fits, an instrument which is greater than the sum total of its parts. For me, the Gibson SG is one of those.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath plays a Gibson SG, partly because it’s shorter scale-length of 24¾ inch allows for a low string tension. (Iommi lost the tips of his fingers in an industrial accident, forcing him to play with extra-light strings that are easier on the fingers.)

Angus Young of AC/DC was apparently drawn to the Gibson SG because of the lighter body, which also looked better on his smaller frame. Eric Clapton played it in Cream, and Carlos Santana played it at Woodstock.

They all loved the guitar’s iconic, naughty aesthetic as well as its gnarly midrange sound, and it became the guitar of the 1960s. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why this has become Gibson’s best-selling model of all time.

What’s in the name?

Supposedly an improvement on the LP, Gibson introduced the SG in 1961. The preceding decade had been difficult for Gibson as the new Fender Stratocaster was vastly outselling them. To emulate the Strat, the Gibson SG had a lighter body and double cutaway, but kept the general concept of the warm-sounding LP: mahogany and humbuckers.

Initially, the ‘New LP’ was sold under the Les Paul name – after all, the popular Jazz guitarist/inventor had been the face of Gibson’s flagship models for a decade. But when Mr. Paul objected (he found the new guitar horrendous and didn’t want to be associated with it), Gibson probably panicked and came up with a name on the spot.

And because this was a “Solid Guitar“, the name was just that: SG. Unoriginal or genius? You choose…

 Check out: 10 GUITARS YOU NEED TO KNOW #2: LES PAUL

Unexpected advantages

Superficially, the Gibson SG is a bit like a stripped-down Les Paul, the same chassis, electronics, scale-length, headstock and bridge. Maybe this “focus on essentials” contributed to its success, resulting in many advantages:

• Smaller body: The Gibson SG has a thin mahogany body, mainly because it omits the LPs maple top. It is comfortable to play thanks to ergonomic contouring, and becomes of course significantly lighter.

• Playability: with its extra-thin neck, the Gibson SG not only saved weight but also made it extra easy to play – it was dubbed “the fastest neck in the world”, and is still a benchmark for speed (and sometimes preferred by guitarists with small hands). Also, the double-cutaway facilitates access to the top frets, making this a popular weapon for fast, mind-bending solos that burn a hole in the stratosphere.

• Style: resembling the horns of the devil, but with Marilyn Monroe’s sexy hourglass figure, the Gibson SG’s shape embodies the schizophrenia of rock ‘n’ roll: a sensual and sweet femininity coupled with a monstrous, unholy nastiness. Which side it lets out depends on who plays it!

• Sound: made almost entirely out of mahogany, the Gibson SG really makes the most out of this excellent tonewood – balanced and warm, with a nice gnarly bite.  It perfectly complements its humbucker pickups, which at the time were some of the hottest on the market.  This meant they could be overdriven easily, an obvious advantage for a guitar that looks like the progeny of Betty Boop and the King of the Underworld. And like the LP, independent tone and volume dials gave the player a more nuanced control over their sound. A pretty stoned Eric Clapton tells us more about that, using the SG from his Cream days:

• Price: the altogether simpler construction made the Gibson SG significantly cheaper than its Les Paul parent. With similar options and tone to the LP, but a faster neck, devilish looks and lighter body, it is little wonder that it caught on.

The guitar’s construction had one flaw: to give full access to all 22 frets, the neck joint was rather weak and sometimes snapped off. And when it didn’t break, this weak point meant that the neck bent back and forth, producing pitch changes similar to a vibrato. Of course the guitarists of the day made full use of this cool effect. So while Hendrix was dive-bombing with his Strat, guys like Pete Townshend would grab the SG by the waist and shake it as if possessed by a psychedelic frenzy – a weird, oscillating sound.

Somehow, the Gibson SG even turned an apparent flaw into a virtue – this is synergy.

Synergy is very hard to put into words, but whatever it is, the SG has it. Its every aspect carries the same message, touching all senses in the same way: it conveys that same complex personality through its looks, feel as well as sound. And after a few years of stage use, after all the beer, sweat and blood has been rubbed deep into the fretboard, it will probably smell and taste that way too.

This is a guitar whose history, body and character, in fact its entire being, says one thing: Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Are you ready to use your gibson sg to learn some new songs? If so then we recommend you learn some basic chords and riffs that made this type of guitar so famous! You can start with summer of 69 guitar chords, these guitar strumming tips, and then the you are so beautiful to me chords. 

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Parker Guitars: 

The High-Tech Parker Fly 

Electric guitars are a product of technology, namely the electro-magnetic pickup, and technological developments have been a prime driver of guitar design and quality.

But essentially, the main principle behind guitar building techniques remained static since the 1950s. One man believed it was time to change this – Ken Parker. By using new materials and renegade design, the Parker Fly is really a surprising little beast.

Guitars can be made out of all sorts of materials: aluminium, plastic, paper or even concrete guitars pop up occasionally. But wood remains the most appealing, because of its natural look and feel, good strength-to-weight ratio and not least, for its pleasant tonal characteristics.

Parker took wood one step further: ignoring many conventional manufacturing techniques, Parker and fellow boffin Larry Fishman set out in the early 1990s to reinvent the guitar.

It would be easier to play, have better tuning and sustain… but crucially, the guitar was to be lighter. The result was a re-thinking of material technology, yielding a guitar ‘as light as a fly’. It became… the Parker Fly!

What happens when you cross a boat with a guitar?

So Ken Parker wanted to make his guitar lighter than standard electrics. He started off experimenting with different tonewoods, shaving surplus wood off the body to save weight. When he saw a friend of his use carbon fiber to repair speed-boats, he began experimenting with this new material in conjunction with the wood.

The resulting guitar was made of a composite, with a carbon fiber exoskeleton providing the rigidity, and a core of traditional hardwood to give the instrument its characteristic tone. Depending on the model, this could be anything from warm mahogany to crisp ash or (strangely) a softwood like spruce.

The same approach was used on the neck and fretboard, which again wraps a central hardwood core in strands of carbon and epoxy resin. The carbon fretboard is very hard and smooth to play, while the neck becomes extremely rigid, and can be made thinner for easier, faster playing. In addition, Parker necks are “seasonally stable” (i.e. impervious to the atmosphere’s fluctuations in temperature and humidity) and stay in tune almost perfectly. Finally, the carbon-based composite makes Parker guitars far lighter, weighing as little as 2kg!

Pickup possibilities

The Parker Fly has two humbucking pickups, made by the reputable DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan brands. Either humbucker can be ‘split’, thus offering a range of aural options from crisp and precise (single-coil) to fat and warm (humbucker).

On top of this immense palette of options, Parkers also include Piezo pickups, which transmit the acoustic sound of the strings. These receptors are built into the bridge and receive the physical vibration of each string. This sounds very similar to an acoustic guitar, and can be combined with the normal electromagnetic pickups. You can even play each type of pickup through a different amp using the stereo output – how cool is that?

High-Tech Hardware

With such a meticulous, high-tech construction, it comes as no surprise that the Fly’s hardware is similarly advanced. Take the tuners for instance: six Sperzel Locking Tuners adorn each futuristic headstock, shaped in such a way to improve the guitar’s overall resonance.

These tuners have a special construction that clamps each string into place – they now need fewer windings to secure the strings, which is convenient and helps with tuning stability.

The bridge of this guitar is equally innovative. Featuring a flat plate-spring rather than normal coil to fit into the thin body, it can be easily adjusted to suit different string gauges and retains its tuning better. But it does more! You can switch it from free-float mode (bending up or down) to down-only (handy incase a string breaks) or fixed mode.

Even the fretwire is different, using stainless steel instead of traditional nickel alloy frets. In theory you never need to replace them. (Luthiers don’t use stainless steel because it’s a real hassle to work with – it ruins fretting tools.) But although stainless steel is convenient, these frets have the tendency to wear out the strings much faster, so you’ll get through strings faster…

Too advanced?

So what does it all add up to in practice? The playing experience really is amazing – many guitarists find themselves able to play stuff they never thought possible. The light weight, balance and body contouring make this one of the most comfortable guitars out there. And it stays in tune. Fly aficionado Adrian Belew, a superb but little-known guitarist who played with Frank Zappa and King Crimson, explores the limits of sonic expression using a Parker Fly. For him, the Parker Fly plays like something out of this world.

Soundwise, the Fly offers a very broad spectrum of timbres, and can be very expressive with its excellent vibrating bridge. But some guitarists associate the Fly’s thin body with a thin tone, despite the humbucking pickups. While it will never get the fatness of a Les Paul, ‘thin’ is arguably the wrong way to think about it. I prefer ‘too perfect’. Imagine it as the difference between vinyl and digital music. Digital actually sounds a lot clearer, with less noise and a more refined tone; but vinyl has that warm voice, its crackle adding life to the music. So whereas a Fly sounds more high-fidelity, many other guitars might have more character.

That is my explanation for why the Parker Fly has not taken over the guitar world – I rarely see them in a music shop. Granted, the Fly is not the cheapest guitar, and some players might dislike its sleek, modern looks. But if it has so many improvements, surely it’s worth the money?

Probably, Parker guitars are a little too advanced, and take away some of the fun of playing. Sonic impurities are often what make a song “musical”, adding character, colour and personality. So although these are doubtlessly some of the best guitars out there, I cannot help thinking that the quest for perfection may have taken away some of the soul…

Thanks for reading this article! If you’re still on the prowl for the perfect guitar for you, or maybe want to scan a few free lessons, then you should browse around our blog. We’re always adding more and more articles on the latest trends and topics like its only love chords, common blues chord progressions, and pompeii guitar chords. 

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I’m always fascinated by guitars with lots of knobs and buttons.

This appeal has several reasons: the excitement of pressing a button and finding out what it does; the versatility that these options promise; and it makes me feel a little like James Bond in his Aston Martin, controlling a musical equivalent of the ejector button.

This article looks at guitars with lots of features, especially the Fender Jaguar. A friend at university had a Fender Jaguar, and I was always jealous of the tonal possibilities that lay at his fingertips.

Most musicians like diversity

It allows us to play around with as many different sounds as possible. The tonal bandwidth that a guitar offers becomes an important factor, as relevant as tone, playability and style.

For example, switching pickups can dramatically alter your guitar’s tone. Single-coils will give you the brighter, twangy sounds. But at the flick of a button, a rounder, fuller tone can be achieved with a humbucker. Similarly, adding a coil shunt (this bypasses one of the humbucker’s coils, effectively turning it into a single coil) is a very simple way to open a new sound colour to your guitar’s arsenal of sound.

The standard Fender Jaguar has no humbuckers (some models do), but it certainly offers a wide variety of sounds and effects – as well as plenty of buttons!

Check this out! You not only hear the tonal diversity, but also the hard-to-define round, percussive sound:

INTRODUCING THE JAGUAR

The Fender Jaguar was introduced in 1962 as Fender’s feature-laden flagship model. It’s essentially a redesigned Jazzmaster, borrowing heavily from its iconic predecessor. Both instruments share the ergonomic, “offset waist” body shape, as well as a dual-circuit control system.

This wiring configuration includes two independent circuits, each with its own characteristics:

• The “lead” channel is brighter and more aggressive, allowing for any pickup combination.
• The “rhythm” channel uses only the neck pickup and routes the signal through a bunch of capacitors and resistors that result in a dark, mellower sound.

Crucially, each circuit has its own tone and volume controls, allowing you to preset both channels independently and simply switch between them. And there is also a “strangle switch” on the lead circuit – this removes some of the low frequencies, giving the guitar a more glassy, thin tone.

All in all, the Fender Jaguar has eight switches and dials to play around with!

You can check out this interactive guitar to get your head round it…

The Fender Jaguar had a short, 24” scale length, giving it an overall rounder tone than its Stratocaster sibling, despite using very similar pickups. But what most distinguishes this guitar is the bridge system. Again evolving from the Jazzmaster, Leo Fender considered this his most sophisticated vibrating bridge. John Frusciante, who played a Jaguar on Under The Bridge, agrees.

Through a combination of springs, plates, levers and a bridge that rocked back and forth, the guitar supposedly maintained its intonation better with the vibrato in use.

Not great for dive-bombing, but very pleasant for the shimmering vibrato effect that made this such a popular guitar in the Surf music scene.

In addition, the mechanism could be locked by pushing a little flap behind the bridge. This is very useful if a string brakes during a gig, as the remaining strings would not go out of tune.

The bridge mechanism had another side-effect that influenced the guitar’s tone: the long bits of string between bridge and tailpiece allowed for a lot of sympathetic vibration. This is where strings get excited by the resonance of other strings and contribute to the overall sound (sympathetic vibration is how sitars achieve their characteristic sound).

The Fender Jaguar’s sound, rich in harmonic overtones, is often attributed to these relatively long strings behind the bridge. Some players even pluck these, producing a chiming sound that rings eerily for great atmospheric effect.

Sonic Youth did this a lot:

Finally, the original Fender Jaguar featured a string mute – this is a little device near the bridge that gently muffles the strings, emulating the blunter, shorter palm-muting sound. So if you count all the switches, knobs, levers, dials and buttons, you will come close to 11 – that’s quite a lot, compared to a Telecaster’s three.

Problems with the Fender Jaguar?

Unfortunately, these brilliant new features came at a cost: they were fiddly and confusing for many guitarists, and improper installation often led to tuning problems and frustration. Many removed the string mute, while others tape over some of the buttons to avoid them from being used accidentally.

For many guitarists, there are just too many options! Often, increasing the quantity of options will decrease the overall sound quality. Adding more pickups for example will increase the magnetic pull on the strings, which in turn dampens their vibrational pattern.

Gibson’s stripped-down Les Paul Junior was partly so beloved because it only had one pickup, giving it a single amazing sound.

Other elements of the guitars playing will also suffer with increased versatility. Obviously the weight is an issue – Gibson’s Double-Neck SG model had a six-string and a twelve-string neck, allowing players to effectively hold two guitars simultaneously on stage.

Jimmy Page famously used this two-in-one guitar for Stairway to Heaven, but it’s pretty heavy on your back. Breaking down is another disadvantage: the more components a guitar has, the greater the likelihood that something will go wrong.

Is the Jaguar a “Jack of all trades, but master of none”?

Without doubt the Fender Jaguar is a fabulous guitar, innovative, versatile and great-sounding. It boldly throws the whole “less is more” thing out of the window, and maintains its character despite the endless options. But for the purists, the question remains: should a guitar do one thing really well, or be decent at lots of things?

As technology evolves, this is an issue becoming increasingly relevant to guitar designers – I’ll be exploring this next week…

Until that time, you should check out some other articles on our blog here at Uberchord. We’ve got hundreds of articles covering a range of topics on guitar playing. Get started by looking at chords let it be, the key of f#, and born in the usa chords. 

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