There are a lot of aspects of an electric guitar that make it ideal for the heavier types of rock music. Below are three of the most important points to think about if you are picking a guitar for this music genre, or maybe upgrading your current model to make it more suitable.
1. The initial thing to take into account (this applies if buying a brand new model as opposed to upgrading your existing instrument) is the wood that the guitar is constructed from. The sound resonates from the strings, through the hardware and the wood. Great quality dense wood will sustain far better than a lighter wood. Over the years popular heavy rock guitars have included the Gibson SG model also the Flying V. Both of these models were constructed of a solid mahogany body and neck, minus the Maple top that Les Pauls had. You will find other excellent woods utilised but solid mahogany is indeed a fantastic choice for sustained heavy rock.
2. The next crucial consideration is the hardware utilised in the guitars construction. The quality of the materials used for the tailpiece, bridge, nut, tuners and maybe the tremolo unit are all essential. The cheap metals used on a number of budget guitars undoubtedly will not help achieve the crunching sound required for metal. The hardware is pretty straightforward to replace and there are some great aftermarket upgrades.
3. The new upgrade that gives the most obvious sound change is one of the more easy changes. This particular boost involves changing the stock guitar pickups with aftermarket versions. The important consideration when looking for pickups that will provide you with the tone you need is not only the price, but also the pickup's overall performance specification. If heavy rock or metal guitar is the style you like to play, then you may almost certainly playing a guitar with humbucking pickups as opposed to the thinner sounding single coil designs. All guitar pickup manufacturers will have their individual take on what makes the perfect pickup for metal guitar. You will be faced with a variety of specifications including the type of magnet used, the type of coil wire used, the number of coil winds and whether or not the pickup is built wax potted. A few makers are adamant that ceramic magnets are a better choice than alnico, and a massive coil resistance of around 16 ohms is a prerequisite of a splendid rock pickup.
You will see that there are normally sound samples on the seller's website which can help to some extent. Some aftermarket pickup makers will allow you to return any pickups that you are not 100% happy with, so there is some security when making your decision.
So there are the three areas of a guitar to pay attention to if you're specially trying to achieve a splendid heavy rock sound. If you can only have the funds for one change then go with a set of after market pickups. This is going to be your fastest route to the proper sound.
The author has performed with various bands over the years and owns a variety of electric guitars. He loves to customise his instruments and highly recommends the excellent replacement humbucker pickups and single coil pickups at TubGuitarPickups.co.uk.
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