Comparing Guitar Bodies

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There are three types of bodies: solid, semi-hollow and hollow ones. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages. Let us try to find out, what type of players these guitars are the most suitable for.

Guitars with solid Bodies

To start with, guitars with solid bodies are the least-dependent on body resonance. Due to solid sustain they provide great opportunity for sound amplification (which has minimal feedback). Another thing that is common for guitars with solid bodies is the great responsibility to effects. It happens because of lack of empty resonating chambers inside the bodies. Finally, this type has the widest range of available designs and shapes. Again, because body doesn`t influence sound quality that much.

The downsides of this type are the lack of clearness (when compared to other types) and heavy weight. So, they are not exactly the best choice for those, who only start learning to play the guitar.

Summing all of the above up leads us to conclusion that solid-bodied guitars are suitable for rock, metal, punk-rock and other genres which involve aggressive and fast style of playing combined with distorted sounding.

Guitars with semi-hollowed Bodies

Semi-hollowed guitars are something like a compromise between the solid guitars, designed for making heavy amplified music and hollow ones, created especially for clean acoustic sounding.

The advantages of semi-hollowed guitars are the rich and warm sound they provide, harmonic richness, great versatility and possibility to play low-pitched tones. However, to fully shine this type needs to be properly adjusted and amplified with tension. The thing is they are neither as good in metal as fully-amplified solid-bodied, nor as rich as simple acoustic models.

Another thing is feedback, which starts showing due to partial emptiness of the body. To reduce that, humbuckers are installed, but, again, this is some extra work, which might be way too hard for a beginner.

Therefore, the one, willing to learn to play semi-hollowed guitar has to have great patience. The payback for that is sound, which will be both powerful and rich. This type is the most suitable for rock-n-roll, jazz and power pop.

Guitars with hollowed bodies

The guitars with hollowed bodies are designed for making acoustic sound. The sound that is described as the most romantic and natural one. They are easy to play and have the best response to the player`s movements. Finally, they make great bass sounds.

However, there is a lot of feedback (which is impossible to completely get rid of), lack of possible effects to add over the natural sound, and need to adjust it often (gets distorted really easy).

Jazz-bassists and indie singers prefer hollow-bodied guitars to all the other types.

Which one to pick

As for a beginner, I would say either a hollow body or a solid one is a choice. I would personally stick to a hollow, as it makes the perfect learning material not only for exactly playing the music, but for adjusting the instrument and working with it`s parts as well.

Another important thing is that the first guitar should be fretted, so that the player could learn the notes by ear. It is much easier to adjust that type of guitars as well. As an example of such guitar I present you review Oscar Schmidt OE30. The great hollow guitar that; will serve for a long time.

Thank you for reading and good luck with your music intentions!

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