Electric Guitar Types: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Electric Guitar Pickups

Single-Coil vs. Humbucker

Pickups are the heart of an electric guitar’s sound, and choosing the right type is key.

Single-coil pickups, found in guitars like the Fender Stratocaster, deliver bright, crisp tones.

They’re great for genres like blues, country, and classic rock, but they can pick up unwanted noise due to electromagnetic interference.

Humbuckers, used in guitars like the Gibson Les Paul, were designed to solve this problem.

By using two coils instead of one, they cancel out the hum, resulting in a thicker, warmer sound.

Humbuckers excel in genres like rock and metal, where you need more depth and sustain.

Active vs. Passive Pickups

Active pickups, powered by batteries, offer higher output and a cleaner, more consistent sound, making them popular in metal and heavy genres.

EMG is a leader in this space, used by artists like James Hetfield of Metallica. Passive pickups, on the other hand, provide a more organic tone and are often favored in blues, rock, and jazz.

Woods and Materials Used in Construction

The type of wood used in a guitar significantly affects its tone. Alder is commonly used for its balanced, full sound, while mahogany offers warmth and resonance, making it a favorite for solid body guitars like the Les Paul.

Maple is often used for necks and fretboards, adding brightness and sustain to the guitar’s sound.

Modern guitars aren’t just about traditional woods, though. Some manufacturers are experimenting with composite materials, carbon fiber, and even recycled plastics.

This trend not only affects the tone and durability of the guitars but also reflects a growing interest in sustainability. Taylor Guitars is one brand leading the way in using sustainable materials in their designs.

Neck Types and Fretboard Materials

A guitar’s neck type and fretboard material play a crucial role in its feel and playability.

• Bolt-on necks, like those on Fender guitars, provide a snappy attack and are easier to repair.
• Set necks, found in many Gibson models, offer better sustain and a smoother connection between the neck and body.
• Neck-through designs, where the neck runs through the entire length of the body, offer even more sustain and better access to higher frets, making them popular in shredding and solo-heavy styles.

Fretboard materials also matter. Maple fretboards produce a bright, snappy tone, while rosewood is known for its warmth.

Ebony, a harder wood, offers a smooth playing surface with a crisp, articulate sound.

Each material contributes to the guitar’s overall tone and feel, so it’s essential to choose based on your playing style and tonal preference.

Understanding these components helps you pick the right guitar for your specific needs, style, and sound. Every piece, from the pickups to the wood, shapes the instrument’s personality.

Jimi Hendrix – Fender Stratocaster

Jimi Hendrix revolutionized guitar playing with his innovative use of the Stratocaster.

His ability to harness feedback and distortion, combined with his mastery of effects like the wah-wah pedal, created a sound that was groundbreaking.

Hendrix’s Stratocaster, especially when played upside down and strung for a left-handed player, remains one of the most iconic images in rock history.

Adam Jones – Gibson Les Paul

Adam Jones is the dude from TOOL and he is one of the most successful guitarists alive today. Not bad for a dude that’s only released a handful of albums over the span of three decades. 

Jones has always used a Silverburst Gibson Les Paul Custom. It’s been a staple of his sound and his playing style since day one. He does run some custom pickups inside his rather than the stock Gibson pickups. 

And this, combined with his unique, novel approach to riffs and composition, is what makes his guitar sound so bloody good. 

Tony Iommi – Gibson SG

As the lead guitarist of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi’s use of the Gibson SG helped shape the sound of heavy metal.

Iommi’s SG, with its lightweight body and easy access to high frets, allowed him to develop his heavy, riff-driven style.

Despite losing the tips of his fingers in an accident, Iommi’s playing was relentless, and his SG was the perfect partner in crafting Sabbath’s dark, heavy sound.

Slash – Gibson Les Paul

Few images are more iconic than Slash, cigarette hanging from his mouth, wielding his Gibson Les Paul.

Slash’s thick, searing tone has defined songs from Guns N’ Roses to Velvet Revolver. The Les Paul’s sustain and powerful sound helped Slash carve out a signature style that’s instantly recognizable.

Jimmy Page – Gibson Les Paul

Jimmy Page is arguably one of the greatest guitarists to have ever walked the earth. With Led Zeppelin, Page write and recorded some of the most influential and iconic rock music of all time – everybody likes Zeppelin. 

Without Jimmy, we wouldn’t have 90% of the bands we know and love today. From rock bands like AC/DC to stoner rock icons like Matt Pike and Josh Homme, Jimmy Page inspired them all. 

And Jimmy’s guitar of choice (at least on stage)? The Gibson Les Paul. He was also partial to a double-necked SG too (which was re-released by Gibson back in 2023 for the princely sum of £12,000!)

Kurt Cobain –  Fender Jag-Stang

Kurt Cobain died at 27 but is now remembered – rightly or wrongly – as the true face of grunge music.

Nirvana were the biggest band in the world during the early 1990s, and it was Cobain’s unique writing style and approach to guitar that made them what they were. 

Kurt is famous for ONLY playing crappy, knock-off Fender guitars – usually from Japan. He always switched out the pickups for something with more gain – usually Seymour Duncan ones.

And his playing style, while simple and to the point, inspired untold millions to pick up the guitar and start playing. 

Kurt he even got his own signature model too in the form of the Fender Jag-Stang, a hybrid of the Fender Jaguar and Fender Mustang.