Acoustic Guitars for Girls - The Real Deal

Acoustic guitars for girls have become big business these days. Teenagers and preteens, both boys and girls, have always been interested in music, and these days they seem to really be interested in playing music, as well as listening to it. They like most all instruments, but they seem to be especially intrigued by the guitar. Most teenagers would probably prefer to play the electric guitar because it is deemed to be cool, and many think that is easier to learn to play. However, many adolescents and teenagers and young adults are opting for the mellow, less raucous sounds of the acoustic guitar. Many teens/preteens and young adults are tiring of the loud, mind numbing clamor of the electric guitar playing rock or any other kind of loud music. Not surprisingly, many girls and young women have decided to take up acoustic guitars as their instrument of choice. As I said, this is not surprising, given that some of the biggest names in music are younger girls or women, who sing and play guitar.

Female entertainers such as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana), and others, have truly captured the imagination and adoration of young girls the world over. And because these two superstars and many others, play the acoustic, it also has gained well deserved respect. This exposure has, in turn, sparked the development of guitar lines targeted specifically at young girls and women. several brands of acoustics are now made specifically for girls and young women, and these acoustic guitars for girls are selling in larger numbers than ever before. This new guitar market spurred the manufacture of acoustic guitars built for the smaller frame and smaller hands of girls and women. They incorporate smaller bodies, slimmer necks and finishes and ornamentation aimed squarely at the female's sense of aesthetics and style. One has always been able to find a youth acoustic guitar, and smaller versions of almost every style guitar, but, not until a few years ago, could you find them made, finished and ornamented especially for young women and girls, as they are today.

Today, girls and young women alike, may find top rated guitars from well known, established brands and also, some brand names that are not so commonly known. Taylor guitars, a big name, has several guitars, including, in the Baby Taylor line, acoustics that are endorsed and named after the singer, Taylor Swift. One can also get a Taylor acoustic autographed by Taylor Swift herself, though it will not be modestly priced. The Hannah Montana name is also on some guitars, though Miley Cyrus is not known as great guitar player. Lines and brands such as Darling Divas, Daisy Rock and Luna are all marketed to girls and young ladies, although, you'll find some full size models there too. Many of these beautiful guitars come with fantastic finishes, including just about all colors and even sparkles. Some will come with great graphics also. When you start looking for nice acoustic guitars for girls or young women, I think you will be absolutely surprised at the great selection that you are going to find. You'll also see that many of these instruments are not your classic acoustic guitars any longer, and that prices can range from well under $100 to several hundred dollars. You'll also find that, these days, it is really an experience looking for acoustic guitars for girls.

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The Evolution of Ibanez Guitars

Despite the influence of electronic synthesizers and drum machines in contemporary pop music, the electric guitar and those who consider themselves die-hard "axe wielders" and "plank spankers" have not faded away. Ibanez guitars have developed a reputation for making especially good budget guitars that in some cases are better value than the same budget model from a pricier company. In certain respects, it was a lawsuit in 1977 that spurred this Japanese company with a Spanish name to creativity and innovation. However, some argue that the company was already on the path to breaking the mold well before the lawsuit.

In the 1980s, Eddie Van Halen's tinkering in the pursuit of the perfect sound had led him to rebel against the conventions of electric guitar assembly. Cutting and pasting, his guitar construction laid the foundation for a new design that would greatly impact the guitar industry. He made famous the concept of the "Superstrat". Ibanez guitars and other companies exploited this development by transforming this Superstrat design into the staple of their production lines. Ibanez guitars were widely used in hard rock and heavy metal performance. For those who yearned for a top-of-the-line Strat but couldn't fork out the cash, Ibanez guitars were one option.

The Superstrat is visually like a Fender Stratocaster but with longer pointed horns, no scratchplate, and deeper cutaways. It has a 24-fret slim neck, a Floyd Rose locking tremolo system, and a unique three pickup layout with a humbucker at the neck, a single coil in the middle, and a humbucker at the bridge. The RG series of the Superstrat has all these features plus an ultra-thin, lightweight body. It was made for heavy metal. The company focused attention on guitar solos and virtuosity. Ibanez guitars have collaborated with renowned guitarists to develop the Artist series guitars for George Benson, the Iceman for Paul Stanley of KISS, and the Destroyer for Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden. Ibanez also developed a seven-string guitar in collaboration with Steve Vai who in the past has played for Frank Zappa, Whitesnake, and now has a thriving solo career. Today, the basic design of the RG guitar has aged well, as the main elements of the guitar are still contemporary.

Ibanez Guitars are both aesthetically and aurally pleasing. The tone has been described as clear, lush, and warm. With the dominant musical genres hard rock, heavy metal, punk, and grunge, Ibanez guitars have been designed with the right features. Many of the "first" Ibanez guitars continue to increase in value and many are now highly prized collector?s items. Steve Vai's own Jem VAI2K DNA reportedly went on sale on eBay for over $25,000.

As well known for its jazz guitars as it is for rock, Ibanez has an impressive line of jazz boxes. It's also one the top selling bass companies in the world. One-time company communications director, Paul Specht, authored Ibanez: The Untold Story, an almost 300 page book, chronicling the history of these successful guitars.

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Gretsch Guitars - Their Early History

White Falcon. Chet Atkins Hollow Body 6120. These are two of the most famous electric guitars made by the celebrated Gretsch Guitar Company, founded in 1883. There have been many new reissues and similar models. Any Gretsch, though, is marked by a tendency to feedback and have baffling controls. These guitars have been described as coolly beautiful, stylishly glamorous, and tonally weird.

Founder Friedrich Gretsch started crafting drums, banjos, and tambourines. He died at the young age of 39, and his widow Rosa determined that their 15-year-old son should quit school at Wright's Business College for immediate exposure to the real world. Teenager Fred Gretsch directed his youthful enthusiasm into growing the Fred Gretsch Manufacturing Company, which would become the maker of its storied instruments.

This early growth took place in a large ten-story building at 60 Broadway in Brooklyn, alongside the path to the Willamsburg Bridge crossing the East River. Back in the 1910s, the most popular stringed instrument was not the guitar but the banjo. The guitar began to eclipse the banjo in the early 1920s and early 1930s because it was more versatile and appealing. Gretsch started to use its own name as a brand for its guitars in 1933, a line of archtop acoustics. These guitars, including the Gretsch American Orchestra Series and Broadkaster model, were not particularly unique. When the Synchromatic line replaced them in 1939, however, the pros began to take Gretsch guitars seriously. These instruments were larger, louder, and had cat's eye or triangular soundholes.

In 1940, Dick Sanford and Clarke Van Ness wrote a song called, "When I Play on my Gretsch Guitar", performed by singing cowboy Red River Dave. The lyrics went, "When the shadows grow/And the lights are low/Then I play on my Gretsch guitar/As I touch the strings/Like a voice it sings/It's the voice of my love afar".

A key addition to the guitar team was "Duke" Kramer. The company had a meeting in New York in 1946 to decide whether they wanted to pursue a jobber-distributor type operation, or whether to go for the big time and sell its products under the Gretsch logo. It was a crucial turning point. They went for their own brand reputation. On drums and guitars, Gretsch stopped selling to catalog houses and those who were only into low-price merchandise.

Fred Gretsch, Jr. wrote in the brochure Your Gretsch Guitar Guide, "A Gretsch guitar truly glorifies the talents of the artist who commands it". Hyperbole aside, this brochure heralded the new emphasis on guitars for pros. Gretsch issued a three-year guarantee for all of its guitars, covering any defects caused by faulty parts or workmanship. The market leader in electric guitars back then was Gibson. Gretsch entered the competition with its Electromatic II and Electro II cutaway body in 1951.

The early history of this guitar brand would not be complete without Jimmie Webster. A piano player and tuner, he became Gretsch's main ideas generator, combining his talents as a musician, inventor, salesperson, and global ambassador for Gretsch. He introduced the "Touch System". If you remember the "tapping" technique that Eddie Van Halen and others made famous in the 1980s, then you get a picture of Webster's way of producing chordal rhythms. His left hand would make a rapid hamming-on motion, and he would play the melody at the same time, using a pick by tapping the strings against the upper fingerboard with his right-hand fist. He would add a baseline with his thumb. This was like patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously. One Gretsch guitar sounded like two.

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