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An Introduction to the Types of Guitar

By:ian Williamson

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments today. There are different kinds of guitars that are available out for different guitar players. Guitars are different in terms of playability, overall appearance and sound quality.

Here are some of the types of guitars that guitar players or aspiring guitar players can choose from:

Acoustic

If you want go get into the guitar world, you can start learning with an acoustic guitar.

Acoustic guitars are dependent on their structures and body shapes for resonating sounds. Unlike the more modern electric guitars, they don?t rely on other external devices to enhance sounds. The natural vibrations of the strings are resonated by the body of the guitar.

Acoustic guitars are generally made out of wood. The neck is usually made from mahogany and the fret board is made of maple or rosewood. There are many kinds of acoustic guitars, here are some of them:

1) Classical

Classical guitars are very popular and are usually the choice guitar for beginners. The strings are usually made from nylon. They are usually played in a standard sitting position and used in playing classical music. Classical guitars produce whole sounds which are very pleasing to the ear.

Flamenco guitars are similar to classical guitars, however, they produce crisper and thinner sounds than the other classical guitars.

2) Steel-top

Steel-top guitars are much similar than the classical guitar but are constructed to be more resilient. The parts of the steel-top guitar are reinforced and their bodies are significantly larger than the classical guitars. They also produce a warmer tone than the classical guitar.

3) 12-String guitar

A normal guitar usually has 6 strings, but the 12-string guitar, as its name implies, has 12 strings. Each string is accompanied by another string with the same note but is usually tuned in a higher octave. This guitar produces a semi-chorus effect which is very pleasant to the ear.

4) Resonator

This type of guitar is similar to the steel-top guitar, but the steel in the middle of the soundboard is used to amplify the sound from the vibration of the guitar strings to produce a very thin and distinct sound. These guitars are generally used when playing the blues. There are also variations of the resonator guitar: the square-neck resonator guitar is played on the lap like a piano or organ; and the round neck resonator guitar is played like a common guitar. Resonator guitars work very well with glass or metal slides.

5) Archtop

The archtop guitar was inspired by other instruments such as the violin and the cello. An archtop guitar usually has the f-hole design. Jazz players prefer archtop guitars. Some archtop guitars can command a price of about $25,000.

6) Acoustic Bass

Acoustic bass guitars are bass guitars without electronic pick-ups. The body of the guitar is used to produce the sound. They are usually 4-stringed guitars but there are acoustic bass guitars which have 5 or 6 strings.

Electric

Electric guitars make use of electronic pick-ups to amplify the vibrations of the guitar strings. They are usually connected to electric amplifiers. Electric guitars have a solid or semi-solid body type and they don?t use the body for sound resonance so usually make very little or no sound when played without an amplifier. The concept used by electric guitars is that the energy of the strings is diverted into electrical impulses and not directly into sound so that they are able to achieve an amplified sound.

Electric guitars usually have control knobs for changing the volume or the tone of the guitar. There are also pick-up selectors in electric guitars and many electric guitars use multiple pick-ups to achieve the best guitar sounds. These pick-ups gather and produce different tones from the guitar. The tone knobs are used to shift from a bass-intensive sound to a treble-intensive sound or vice versa.

Some electric guitars also have whammy bars. These bars are attached to the guitar to shift notes without changing the finger positions on the fret board. Whammy bars are used to produce ?crying? guitar sounds and are a very useful tool when performing rock and roll songs or even ballads. The use of the whammy bar in less expensive guitars is not advised because it may cause the strings to go out of tune.

These are some of the basic types of guitars that are available for everyone. Guitars are made to fit the preferences of the player in terms of playability and sound. Choose the guitar that best fits your preference.

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Article keywords: guitar , acoustic guitar , capo , guitar techniques , electric guitar

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For More Information on Guitar Types by Ian Williamson please visit http://guitar.you-can-learn.info

Zacks` Discount Fundamental Strength Strategy Highlights American Corp., Guitar Center, Inc., Quanex Corp. and Stein Mart, Inc

Business Wire , July 7, 2006

CHICAGO -- Combining strong underlying fundamentals with low valuations can lower risk and increase portfolio returns. Zacks` Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track strategy has generated double-digit returns for five consecutive years, including a 23.5% gain in 2005. This strategy has continued to handedly beat the S&P 500. Four stocks that currently have both fundamental strength and discounted valuations are American Woodmark Corp. (Nasdaq:AMWD), Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq:GTRC), Quanex Corp. (NYSE:NX) and Stein Mart, Inc. (Nasdaq:SMRT). View the entire list of stocks for the Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2142.

Here are details about four companies currently identified by the Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track:

American Woodmark Corp. (Nasdaq:AMWD), a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) company, offers a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt/equity level of 0.11. In early June, the manufacturer and distributor of kitchen cabinets and vanities posted fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 83 cents per share, topping the consensus estimate by about 84% and surpassing the previous year`s 44 cents.

Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq:GTRC) meets the requirements of this Profit Track with a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt/equity level of 0.23. The retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment announced financial results for the first quarter in late April. Guitar Center stated that its consolidated net sales and adjusted net earnings, excluding items, exceeded its expectations.

Quanex Corp. (NYSE:NX) reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $1.07 per share, while analysts were expecting $1.06. The company has topped analysts expectations over the past five consecutive quarters. Quanex Corp. has a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt/equity level of 0.18. The Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) company sports a PEG ratio of 0.67, which can be appealing to value investors. NX`s price/sales multiple is 0.83.

Stein Mart, Inc. (Nasdaq:SMRT) recently announced total sales and comparable store sales for the month of June. Total sales were up 1.7% year-over-year and comparable store sales increased 0.9%. The company noted that best performances came from Ladies` dresses, social separates, special sizes and Men`s sportswear. Financial results for the second quarter will be available on August 17, 2006. SMRT has no debt and a current ratio of 1.86.

Discover all the current stocks currently on the Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2143.

About Profit Tracks

What is a "Profit Track"? Each Profit Track is a successful stock picking strategy with proven results through the Bear Market of 200 2002 and the Bull run started in 2003. On Zacks.com we have created these nine unique screens to offer investors great strategies to potentially outperform the market in the years ahead. In 2005, the Low Price Stocks strategy was the top performing Profit Track with a return of +51.9% followed by the Recent Price Strength screen with a +35.5% return. To see all nine strategies along with philosophy, past performance, and current stocks, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=1838

All the Profit Track strategies were created and backtested using the Research Wizard software from Zacks Investment Research. If you like this screening strategy, but want to narrow down the list of stocks and even improve the performance, then you should start a free trial to this powerful stock picking tool. Learn more about the Research Wizard free trial offer and our new special report "Top 10 Stock Screening Strategies" at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2156

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it`s your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=1841

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

(a)The S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks selected by Standard and Poor`s. The S&P 500 includes the reinvestment of all dividends, no transaction costs, and represents the gross returns before management fees.

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