You’ve decided to pick up an axe and learn to shred like one of the pros. While mastering the guitar is no easy feat itself, before you even start jamming you’ll probably find yourself looking through site after site trying to find the right instrument. It’s hard. There’s an expansive list of components to be taken into account: body styles, wood types, pickups, bridges, necks — and that’s just scratching at the surface.


Body Styles and Pickups

There are three main categories of guitar, all based on body type: solid, hollow and semi-hollow. These are both clearly defined distinctions and also have some of the biggest impact on how the instrument will sound. While all these types have the potential to be used for any type of playing, some are more suited for specific genres.

Solid Body


Hollow Body


Semi-Hollow Body


Feedback and Sustain


At the end of the day, sustain is just a fancy way of saying the length of time a note will remain audible after you pluck it. Sustain is mostly dependent on how much the body and wood of your guitar can resonate sound. Typically, solid-body guitars are the go-to source of sustain, but many pedals and amps are built with the purpose of increasing the effect. Some people prefer long sustain for certain genres; others simply are too lazy to want to pluck the string again.



The other major factor on a guitar’s sound is the pickup. Simply put, the pickup is a magnet wrapped with a coil of wire that receives the vibration of the strings and converts it into an electrical signal that can then be amplified as a sound.


Bridges and Vibrato



Making the Decision

What Sound Are You Looking For?



How Much Do You Want to Spend?

In a way, guitars are a lot like cars — spending more money can get you more performance through different specs and trims. The extra money usually goes into paying for better parts rather than more options; there aren’t a whole lot of places to add to a guitar (unless you want the ZZ Top spinner installed). Big bucks can get you better quality wood, a nicer finish, higher-end hardware, and fancier inlays. Some of these upgrades can alter the sound or simply make help playability. For example, the same guitar cut from poplar won’t sound as good as one cut from alder wood. Better tuners mean your axe will go out of tune less often. That said, some guitars will offer features that others don’t, such as tremolos and automatic tuning. Do your research and, as always, know what you need versus what you simply want.

Next Page: Our 7 Picks for the Best Electric Guitars



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