# AI Wiki - Music - Electric Guitar ## What it is An electric guitar is a steel-string guitar whose sound is picked up by magnetic pickups and made audible by an amplifier and speaker. Wikipedia puts it plainly: without a resonant hollow body it produces much less audible sound than an acoustic, so it needs an amp. The pickup is a magnet wrapped in thousands of turns of fine wire; a vibrating steel string disturbs the magnetic field and induces a small current, which passes through the volume and tone controls to the output jack. That signal chain is why the amp is part of the instrument rather than an accessory. Unplugged, an electric sounds thin and quiet (Taylor's guide says as much). Plugged in, the pickups, the amp's gain and EQ, and any effects shape the sound as much as the wood and the hands. The tone side of this is covered in [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Amps and Tone]] and [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Effects]]; this page covers the instrument. For how it compares with the other types, see [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Types Compared]]. ## Body types | Body | Construction | Sound and behaviour | Examples | |---|---|---|---| | Solid | Solid wood, no soundboard | Tone comes from the strings and pickups; resists feedback at high volume | Telecaster (1950, first as Esquire/Broadcaster), Les Paul (1952), Stratocaster (1954) | | Chambered | Solid-looking body with internal hollows | Lighter, slightly airier | Telecaster Thinline, Les Paul Supreme | | Semi-hollow | Hollow wings with a solid centre block | Warmer than a solid body, "almost as little feedback" (Wikipedia on the ES-335) | Gibson ES-335 (1958) | | Hollow (archtop) | Fully hollow, arched top, f-holes | Warm, woody; feeds back at high volume | Gibson ES-150 (1936), jazz archtops | Solid bodies were the answer to feedback: Wikipedia notes that amplified hollow bodies feed back, and early designs needed reinforced tops to limit it. The ES-335's centre block is a compromise between the two. ## Pickups Three families cover most guitars: - **Single-coil**: bright, clear, articulate; picks up mains hum. Stratocaster (three) and Telecaster (two). - **P-90**: a wide single coil; more output and midrange than a Fender single-coil, still hums. - **Humbucker**: two coils wired to cancel hum; fatter, higher output, the default for high gain. Les Paul (since 1957), SG, ES-335. Common layouts are written by position from bridge to neck: SSS (Strat), SS (Tele), HH (Les Paul), HSS (a humbucker in the bridge of a Strat-style guitar, common on "superstrats"). **Position** matters as much as type. A pickup near the neck sits closer to the middle of the vibrating string, where it swings widest and the low harmonics dominate: warm and round. A pickup near the bridge sees a stiff, short stretch of string, rich in high harmonics: bright and cutting. Neck for warm leads and clean chords, bridge for riffs and biting solos, combinations in between. ## Controls | Guitar | Selector | Knobs | |---|---|---| | Stratocaster | 5-way (since 1977; 3-way before): 1 bridge, 2 bridge+middle, 3 middle, 4 middle+neck, 5 neck | 1 volume, 2 tone | | Telecaster | 3-way: bridge, both, neck | 1 volume, 1 tone | | Les Paul | 3-way toggle: rhythm (neck), both, treble (bridge) | 2 volume, 2 tone (one pair per pickup) | The volume knob does more than set loudness: into a driven amp, rolling it back cleans up the distortion. The tone knob is a treble cut. Both are explained in [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Amps and Tone]]. Positions 2 and 4 on a Strat are the "in-between" sounds heard on a lot of funk and clean rhythm playing ([[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music]]). ## Necks, bridges and fingerboard radius - **Neck joint**: Fender bolts the neck on with screws; Gibson glues it in (set neck). Both work; bolt-on necks are easier to replace or adjust. - **Bridge**: a hard-tail or Tune-o-matic bridge anchors the strings; a Strat-style vibrato ("tremolo") lets the arm bend the pitch; a Floyd Rose (late 1970s) locks the strings at the nut and bridge to stay in tune through deep dives, at the cost of harder string changes. - **Radius**: the fingerboard's curve. Fender used 7.25" until the 1980s and 9.5" on most modern models; Gibson has used 10" and 12". A rounder board (smaller number) suits chords; a flatter one allows lower action without notes "fretting out" during big bends. Compound-radius boards go from round at the nut to flat higher up. ## Scale length: Fender vs Gibson Fender's standard scale is 25.5" (648 mm); Gibson's nominal scale is 24.75" (628 mm), and Gibson's actual figure has varied by up to half an inch over the years. For the same strings tuned to the same pitch, tension grows with the square of the scale length (D'Addario's formula), so the Gibson scale carries about 6% less tension: (24.75 / 25.5)² ≈ 0.94. In the hands that means: - **Gibson-scale**: slinkier strings, slightly easier bends, frets a little closer together, a warmer and looser sound. - **Fender-scale**: firmer strings, more "snap" and brightness, slightly wider stretches. Wikipedia's scale-length article describes the same trade-off as longer = brighter with cleaner overtones, shorter = warmer. ## String gauges Electric strings are named by the high E gauge in thousandths of an inch: - **9-42** (super light): easiest bends, thinner sound, more prone to going sharp under a heavy hand. - **10-46** (regular light): the default on most new guitars; about 104 lb of total tension at 25.5". - **11-49 / 11-52** and heavier: fuller sound, more stable in lower tunings, harder bends. Players tuning down for [[AI Wiki - Music - Metal Music]] or [[AI Wiki - Music - Alternate Tunings]] go heavier to keep tension. The G string is plain (unwound) in normal electric sets, unlike most acoustic sets, which is a large part of why bends on the G string are easy. Changing gauge changes the setup (relief, action, intonation); see [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Setup and Maintenance]]. ## Why bends and barre chords feel easier Compared with a steel-string acoustic, an electric usually has: 1. **Lighter strings** (10-46 vs 12-53) and a plain G: about 104 lb of tension against about 160 lb. 2. **Lower action**: a solid body and a flatter neck angle allow the strings to sit closer to the frets. 3. **A slimmer neck** on many models. 4. **No need to dig in**: the amp supplies the volume, so a lighter touch is enough. The result: whole-step bends are routine, [[AI Wiki - Music - Barre Chords]] need less squeeze, and fast legato is easier. The flip side is that sloppy technique is amplified too: unwanted strings ring, so [[AI Wiki - Music - Muting Techniques]] are part of playing electric. Bends are the most electric-specific technique. In A minor [[AI Wiki - Music - Pentatonic Scale|pentatonic]] box 1, the 4 (D, G string fret 7) and the b7 (G, B string fret 8) are the classic whole-step bend notes, pushed up to the 5 (E) and the root (A): ```fretboard scale: A minor pentatonic position: 1 labels: intervals highlight: 4 b7 title: A minor pentatonic box 1, bend notes highlighted ``` ```chords {title: Whole-step bends in box 1} {comment: Bend D (G string, fret 7) up to E and pick it again un-bent; bend G (B string, fret 8) up to A; end on the root A (high E, fret 5) with vibrato} {start_of_tab} e|--------------5~~-| B|-------8b10-8-----| G|-7b9-7------------| D|------------------| A|------------------| E|------------------| {end_of_tab} ``` Check the pitch: fret the target note (fret 9 on the G string, fret 10 on the B string) first, then bend until the bent note matches it. Technique details are in [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques]]. ## Iconic models | Model | Year | Defining features | Associated styles | |---|---|---|---| | Fender Telecaster | 1950 (as Esquire/Broadcaster) | Slab body, 2 single-coils, bolt-on neck | Country, rock, indie | | Gibson Les Paul | 1952 | Mahogany body with maple top, set neck, P-90s then humbuckers (1957) | Rock, blues, hard rock | | Fender Stratocaster | 1954 | Contoured double-cutaway body, 3 single-coils, vibrato | Blues, rock, funk, pop | | Gibson ES-335 | 1958 | Semi-hollow with centre block, 2 humbuckers | Blues, jazz, rock | | Gibson SG | 1961 | Thin, light double-cutaway body, easy access to the top frets | Hard rock | | Superstrats (e.g. Ibanez JEM, 1987) | 1980s | Flat radius, 24 jumbo frets, humbuckers, locking vibrato | Shred, metal ([[AI Wiki - Music - Shred Techniques]]) | ## Getting started at home An electric needs a way to hear it: a small practice amp, a headphone amp, or a modeling amp or app with headphones. A modeling setup covers clean, crunch and high-gain sounds at bedroom volume. Practise mostly with a clean or lightly driven sound: heavy gain hides timing and fretting problems. Keep the guitar's own volume knob up and set loudness at the amp. ## Key Points - Magnetic pickups + amp = the instrument; unplugged it is thin and quiet. - Bodies: solid (feedback-resistant), semi-hollow (warmer, still controllable), hollow ([[AI Wiki - Music - Jazz Music|jazz]], feeds back). - Single-coil = bright and hums; humbucker = fat and quiet; neck = warm, bridge = bright. - Strat: 5-way, 1 volume, 2 tone. Les Paul: 3-way toggle, 2 volume, 2 tone. Tele: 3-way, 1 volume, 1 tone. - Fender 25.5" vs Gibson 24.75": the Gibson scale carries about 6% less tension with the same strings. - 10-46 with a plain G is the default; lighter strings and low action make bends and barres easier. - Amplification also amplifies noise: muting is part of electric technique. ## Open Questions - How much of the "Strat vs Les Paul" sound comes from pickups and how much from scale length, wood and construction? Controlled comparisons are scarce. - **Answered** ([[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Strings and Gauges|Guitar Strings and Gauges]]): Is 9-42 or 10-46 the better first set for a returning player whose calluses are still forming? Both work: keep 10-46 if the guitar is set up for it and comfortable, switch to 9-42 (about 20% less tension) if sore fingertips cut practice short or bending is the priority, and check relief, intonation and vibrato springs after the change. - When does it make sense to buy a second, different electric (HH vs SSS) rather than a better amp? ## References - Wikipedia, "Electric guitar": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_guitar - Wikipedia, "Fender Stratocaster": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Stratocaster - Wikipedia, "Gibson Les Paul": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Les_Paul - Wikipedia, "Gibson ES-335": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_ES-335 - Wikipedia, "Scale length (string instruments)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_length_(string_instruments) - D'Addario, String Tension Chart (PDF): https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf - Taylor Guitars, "Acoustic vs. Electric Guitars: Beginner Advice": https://blog.taylorguitars.com/acoustic-vs-electric-guitars-beginner-advice - Sweetwater, "What Is Fingerboard Radius?": https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/what-is-fingerboard-radius ## Related - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Types Compared]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Steel-String Acoustic Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Electro-Acoustic Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Switching Between Guitar Types]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Amps and Tone]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Effects]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Setup and Maintenance]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Muting Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Power Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Rock Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Classical Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Classical Guitar Technique]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Country Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Harmonics]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Home Recording Basics]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Hybrid Picking]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Recording Yourself]]