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Besides the Gibson Les Paul Guitar, there is probably no more renowned Electric Guitar than the Fender. The Fender Stratocaster and Fender Telecaster electrics are the companys two most famous models and played by rock gods the world over (the Telecaster is especially favored by modern Country and Blues musicians, too), although Fender also makes steel string and classical guitars as well as bass guitars.

The Fender company also produces top of the line amplifiers.

Guitar players and makers began experimenting with amplification in the 1920s because the acoustic guitars sound in a jazz band was being totally swamped by the rest of the band. Eventually, in the 1940s, Leo Fender, an electronics expert and inventor from California, created the first instrument amplifiers to have built-in tone controls. However, Fender also understood that in order to fit in with modern music the guitar itself was going to need to be given a vastly greater range of tonal colors and sheer power. In 1951, Fender may have saved the guitar from oblivion in widely listened to music when he introduced his Fender Broadcaster, which was the forerunner to the Telecaster. In that same year Fender produced the electric Precision bass guitar.

In 1954, Fender emerged with what would become the most renowned rock n roll guitar in history: the Stratocaster.

Unfortunately, in 1965 Leo Fender was in failing health and sold his company to the CBS corporation. Although CBS was able to put its giant marketing and advertising budget behind the Fender line of amps and guitars to make them the premier modern guitar music equipment, CBS also failed to actually comprehend music and musicians, and by 1973 the quality of the newly produced legendary Stratocasters was definitely sinking. Todays Fender Strat collectors and players covet pre-1973 Strats, and even more they prize pre-CBS models.

With the Strat known for its exquisite tone, range of colors, and great action, in 1977 CBS added the five-way pickup selector switch to the Strat, giving the possible combination of pickup-use and the resulting tonal coloration even more variety, in hopes of keeping the Strat commercially competitive.

By the early 1980s, CBS/Fender began producing the Squire Strat, which is a deliberately second-rate and much less expensive version of the Stratocaster. The Squire was made in response to pricing competition from Japanese guitar makers.

In 1981, CBS took steps to try to re-invent Fender. William Schultz was selected as the new President of Fender and he and his assistants had a five-year business designed to focus heavily on R

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About the Author (text)

There are a number of places to shop online for Musical Instruments. www.InstrumentJunction.com specializes in Acoustic Guitars, Acoustic Electric Guitars and Amplifiers.

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There are many factors to consider when choosing an electric guitar and each factor will impact your choice of guitars available for you to buy in the marketplace.

Perhaps one of the first things to consider is whether you are looking for a famous brand, such as a fender electric guitar, an Ibanez electric guitar, a Gibson electric guitar or you may not have a preference regarding the brand of guitar that you are looking to purchase.

You then need to consider whether or not you want an acoustic electric guitar. Once youve deciphered that, even if you do choose a specific guitar maker, the following list of factors will need to be considered.

Body style
There are three basic body styles of electric guitars – solid body, semi hollow/semi solid and hollow body.

Guitar Body Shape
There are various different guitar shapes to choose from and you should try a few different ones for comfort and feel before making a decision when buying your electric guitar. Shapes available include the Strat shape designed by Fender, the telecaster shape, again designed by Fender, and also the Les Paul and SG shape designed by Gibson
guitars.

The Fender strat and Telecaster shape guitars are favoured by famous guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt. Guitar heroes such as Joe Perry and Slash prefer the Gibson Les Paul shape of guitar. Guitar shape does not have a direct effect on sound when played.

Neck
The style and type of neck for your guitar is dependent upon your hand size and what is most comfortable for you to play with. There are a variety of shapes including wide, thin and C-shaped.

Scale length
The scale length impacts the tone quality of the notes and the string tension at a particular pitch. The scale length is determined by the distance between the bridge saddle and the nut. There are most often two common scale lengths to choose from – the Gibson scale and the Fender scale. There is a third scale as well, which is used by Paul Reed Smith as well as others, which produce a different sound from the two most common scale lengths.

Intonation
Intonation is the term used to describe if the notes are in tune as you move up the neck of your guitar. Intonation can be affected by different factors such as playing style. Pressing harder on the strings can create a bow and this in time can affect guitar intonation.

Set neck/Bolt on neck
The choice between these two may leave you with less choices of the instrument you choose – Stratocaster electric guitars are bolt on necks, while the Gibson Les Paul is a set neck.

Number of frets
Most electric guitars have 22 frets, however you may choose a 24 fret as well that will give you another octave.

Finish
Even if you are looking for a pink electric guitar, the finish on the guitar doesnt impact the sound as it does with acoustic guitars.

Bridge
The choice between tremolo bridge and stop tail bridge.

Pickups
Most electric guitars have two pick ups. A 3-position switch allows you to choose between these pick ups, while others have a 5-position switch.

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About the Author (text)

Ray is primarily a computer technician but also enjoys music, guitars and bodybuilding at the gym.

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Like the Fender Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul has become a music icon, favored by guitarists in such differing styles as rock, metal, blues, jazz, and country. From Slash to Jimmy Page, the lovers of the Les Paul are everywhere. For us mere mortals, there’s usually a major drawback to owning a Gibson Les Paul. They don’t come on the cheap, unfortunately! The average street price of a new guitar is well over $2,000, which is hardly small change. What’s a Les Paul devotee to do?Look out for the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus. Aside from its trademark Epiphone headstock, an Epiphone Les Paul is a Korean-made guitar that plays, feels, and looks like a more expensive Gibson Les Paul without the expensive price tag. It even has the signature of the greatLes Paul on the headstock. So how does it measure up?We played a transparent Blue Les Paul Standard Plus Top, and I have to remark that the review model has one of the most delightful tops I’ve  in this price range. The figuring is absolutely beautiful, and is wonderfully supplemented by its creme-colored binding and chrome hardware. Aesthetically, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top is simply a killer guitar. Having used a Gibson Les Paul Standard for quite some time, I was curious to take note of how the Epiphone Les Paul would measure up, and I have to admit that I was very impressed. The slim-tapered neck reminds me of the 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard neck and in many ways was much faster than my Gibson Les Paul Standard with a 50’s style neck. The rosewood fretboard felt great and the frets were smooth and well-polished all in all, but not quite as pristine as my Gibson Les Paul. That said, the fretwork is still very good, especially given the instrument’s low cost. The alnico classic pickups deliver the classic Les Paul crunch out of the bridge pickup and a round, smooth tone from the neck pickup. I generally swap pickups out of new stock guitars and would likely do the same here. I think a Duncan JB and Jazz would sound wonderful in this electric guitar, but the replacement pickups would be more of a proclivity than a necessity. These pickups sound very good and might be what you’re hoping for without the need for replacement pickups. They did happen to make some noise a bit at high volumes, but not terribly so. The trade-offs in a model like this guitar aren’t incredibly apparent. Epiphone saves money by using a veneer flame top glued to non-flamed maple. Similarly, where Gibson Les Paul Standard bodies are made from a single mahogany slab, the Epiphone mahogany body is laminated, as is the guitar’s neck. Still, these cost-saving decisions enable the guitar to weigh considerably less than their Gibson counterparts. For the cost you pay, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top is a beautiful sounding and effortlessly playable Les Paul for a minute fraction of the cost of the Gibson model.

You can learn to play guitar on most any old instrument. This does not have to be the very best instrument out there. As you advance on your instrument you will naturally want to get a better guitar. Although the list of quality guitars is very long you tend to see the pros playing the same popular guitar brands over and over again. You will see Fender and Gibson guitars being played in nearly any style of music. On the acoustic guitar scene Martin guitars and instruments made by Guild are quite popular. This article will look at a few of the more popular brands of guitars you might see your heroes playing.

Almost anyone you can think of at one time or another has played Fender guitars. Leo Fender was way ahead of his time with the modern designs he put into his guitars. Go to any country music show even today and you will more than likely spot a Fender Telecaster guitar being played on stage. Fender guitars come in many different price ranges so most anyone can afford to own a Fender.

A lot of the all time great rockers play the Gibson brand of guitar. Almost everyone has played the Gibson Les Paul from Les Paul himself to Eric Clapton. The tone of the Gibson Les Paul has a large support group in love with the famous Les Paul growl. Many of these guitars are worth quite a lot of money.

Ask most any serious guitarist which guitar is the king of the all of the acoustic guitars and most likely you will get the answer of the Martin guitar. This brand of guitar has been made in the US since 1833. Spend the day at a major bluegrass festival and you will find performer after performer playing Martin guitars. These guitars are sought after because of the fantastic tone they have.

Although Guild guitars may not be as popular as some brands, they are fine quality guitars that are a joy to play. The jumbo models and the 12 string models are highly sought after guitars. Fender bought out the Guild Company in 1995 and continued to manufacture the Guild brand of guitar.

There are many more really good popular guitar brands available. Searching out that perfect instrument is half the fun of playing. Your style of playing will have a lot to do with what type of guitar you choose. Do your homework and pick out the right type of guitar for you. This may or not be the guitar your hero plays.

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For more information on finding easy songs to play on the guitar try visiting www.your-guitar.com where you will find tips, advice and resources about topics such as how to strum the guitar.