I’VE been part of two separate conversations this week where the same question was raised: “Do guitar guys really need all these electric guitars?”
“Why can’t there only be one?”
Seriously? One guitar?
Can one djent with an Epiphone Casino? Can one funk with a Les Paul? Can you achieve a brutal breakdown with a Rickenbacker?
Technically, one can play most types of music with one guitar. By the end of the day, any functioning piece of musical instrument in the hands of a capable player, will produce music. But will it “sound right”? Far from it.
If you’ve watched some concerts and noticed the guitarist changing guitars every song, it’s not just done to brag (maybe). Besides the need to play in different tunings, here are five reasons why there can’t only be one guitar for guitar players:
Wood. Each guitar is made up of different wood types, generally speaking. In most cases, the denser the wood, the fuller the tone. This is why some guitar manufacturers boast if their guitar bodies are made up of “one piece” of wood rather than two pieces glued together. This is also why heavier types of music like rock or metal are usually played with solid-body guitars than hollow-body guitars. If you can picture the guitar sound in your head, “good wood” may contribute to a wider and deeper sounding chord. Ever spottted a beautiful guitar that’s priced too good to be true? Chances are, the wood isn’t of class A quality.
Pickups. Wood is important, as stated in the previous paragraph. However, an electric guitar is, first of all, a powered instrument. And since the amplification is needed, the sound goes through things called “pickups.” Basically, there’s the single coil and the humbucker. Both pickups have their own tonal characteristics. The single coil is a little “noisy,” but the raw sound makes it perfect for blues or funk styles of music. The humbucker eliminates the “noise,” and makes the sound wider and more juiced up with richer harmonics and sustain. Get these two choices wrong, and your music will sound lacking.
Look. Everybody falls in love with the look. Beauty is still a factor. Even the properly faked “worn-out” look is a show stopper. Some brand new guitars come out of the factory looking like they’re decades old—just for the sake of look. Some people use their electric guitars for a number of occasions or for different types of bands. If a guitarist plays for a wedding band, it would be best for him to pick plain, standard looking guitars. Not unless he would like to steal the show with a B.C Rich Warlock (look it up). So yes, guitarists are collectors as well.
Features. Not all guitars are made the same. And this goes for a guitar’s features as well. Some guitars have built-in tuners; some have seven strings instead of just six; some have fixed bridges instead of floating ones. Most performing guitarists have to think of different ways to approach different gigs. The old Tom Delonge (Blink 182) Fender Stratocaster released in the early 2000s featured only one volume knob (as opposed to the Stratocaster’s standard of three knobs for volume and tone). It was more of a statement that all punk rock really needed to drive a good song home is volume and attitude.
Pride. Believe it or not, the right brand for the right price, bought at the right time, may appreciate in value. The vintage guitars available on the market right now (especially those manufactured in the ‘70s) can skyrocket in value. There’s also the joy of actually owning a particular brand and making it a part of one’s humble collection.