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| Electric Guitar Effects Electric Guitar Effects | ||
 When Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in the 1950's - blues musicians immediately embraced the new contraption. Since electric guitars require an amplifier (amp) to produce the sound, it is an easy matter to electronically alter the signal to change the sound. They recognized the possibilities of being able to make funky sounds with it. Click for Electric Guitar Types information. One of the first "effects" to be invented was the Reverb effect, essentially an electronic echo that diminishes rapidly. Many guitar amps today have reverb built in, it is a simple and elegant sound effect that adds a warmth to the guitar sound. Effects for electric guitars are usually created by plug-in devices, these usually take the form of a "Pedal" (as they are stomped on to activate the effect, or control it). Rock and metal guitarists often use several effects pedals connected in a daisy-chain. Newer models of effects pedals are computerized (digital) and a single device can create all possible variations of effects by itself. 
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 All present western music (rock, jazz, R&B, rap, etc) has evolved from blues, and the ability to alter the sounds of an electric guitar have been passed on to each new genre. Heavy metal, for example, almost exclusively uses the Distortion effect with electric guitars. The distortion effect does exactly what its name suggests, it distorts the original guitar sound and produces a completely new sound - bordering on screeching. Jimi Hendrix has created mind bending wails from his guitar with distortion. Many amps today have distortion effects built in, it is a very popular effect used in rock and blues music. While many variations of distortion exist, most are are "Gain" control effects. Two controls, "Pre-Gain" and "Post-Gain", alter the sound on the pre and post edge of the sound wave. This can create sounds ranging from a flat "thunk" (bluesy), to a screeching "wail" (metal). 
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 The Wah Wah effect was made popular during the sixties by bands such as Cream. The Wah Wah effect is activated by the guitarist's foot (by rocking the effect pedal), and alters the tone of the sound (going from low treble to high treble) - this creates a voice-like wah-wah-wah effect. New digital wah wah effects devices also have "Auto Wah", in which no pedal pressing is required - the computer in the device automatically varies the sound for you. Some popular rock songs use a wah wah pedal, but it is kept stationary in halfway position - this makes a unique funky sound. Many other effects are also available; such as producing an acoustic guitar sound from an electric guitar pickups, signal duplication (sounds like two guitars are playing), rotating speaker modelling (mimics rotating cone speakers used by some musicians), and many more effects. Electric Guitar Types<<<Previous Next>>>Guitar Amps
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| Guitar Care Guitar Care | ||
 Guitars are sensitive instruments and require attention and care. Acoustic guitars are very delicate since they are essentially hollow wooden boxes. Although this may seem obvious, it has be to said: never drop your guitar or bang it around! Electric guitars are a lot sturdier, but even they require care. The worst enemy of a guitar is humidity. The strings on a guitar are putting constant stress on both the neck and the body (where the bridge is attached). Excessive humidity (summertime or rainy weather) will swell the wood and cause bowing. Insufficient humidity (winter or desert dryness) will dry out the wood and crack the glue that holds the seams together. The ideal level for any guitar is 50% humidity. In areas where extreme changes to humidity occur, it is recommended that the guitar be kept in a hard case (which has packing shaped to the guitar size) to reduce the amount of air exposure. Otherwise, a humidifier/de-humidifier should be used in the guitar (this instrument is used in every form of music, from Classical to Heavy Metal) room to maintain a consistent humidity level. 
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 Once humidity is being monitored or controlled, the best place for a guitar that used often is on a guitar stand. A stand will support the guitar properly by its neck and body, preventing uneven pressure (under its own weight) from causing the wood to bow. A guitar on a stand looks way cool too, and its easy to just grab it and play whenever you get the urge. A word of caution on electric guitars on stands - NEVER leave the amp turned on when the guitar is on a stand next to it. Sound (even if its inaudible to you) from the amp causes the strings to vibrate, which in turn causes the pickups to send a signal to the amp, which again sends more sound to the strings (a feedback loop). Eventually both your amp and guitar will be fried. For high end guitars that are NOT used often (especially when you have many guitars), the best place for it is in a hard case. Cheap guitars may cost less than the price of a hard case, so it would not really be worthwhile. Note that for long term storage of guitars, you should loosen the strings and store it in a hard case - if the wood expands the tension of the strings would cause the neck to bow, or would pull the saddle out of the body. 
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 You should clean your guitar each time after you play it. The oils and sweat from your hands get deposited onto the strings and wood, causing corrosion of the strings and damage to the glossy finish on the wood. A soft cloth should be used to wipe down the wood (neck and body), and an alchohol swab can be used to wipe the strings (do NOT get the alchohol on the body!). Guitar stores sell special cloth and wipes for this purpose, it is best to get a suitable product that you know will work well on your guitar. This may seem obvious, but: NEVER wash your guitar! You will eventually have to change the strings on your guitar(s). The life of strings depends on how much you play and how you play. Whenever you hear the sound of your guitar starting to go dull, or if it constantly goes out of tune, you may need new strings. Always change all the strings at the same time - an exception could be if you break one string soon after a string change, then change only that string. When you are changing all the strings, you have the opportunity to do some more cleaning and maintenance. You CAN remove all the strings at one time - but you must get the new strings back on promptly (don't put it off for another day). If your acoustic-electric guitar has an active pickup that uses batteries that fit through the soundhole, change the battery while you have the strings off. But mainly you (or they) have the opportunity to clean the fretboard - use a damp paper towel folded flat and gently wipe the frets and the fretboard between the frets. Do NOT drip any water on the fretboard, just a slightly damn paper towel is all that is needed. Immediately wipe it off with a dry paper towel, ensuring no water is left anywhere.
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All guitars will need adjustments and/or repairs at some point in their lives. Electric guitars need to have their intonation adjusted frequently, most have a simple screw to set this and you may be able to figure it out from the guitar owners manual and using a tuner. For more complex repairs and adjustments, it is strongly recommended that you take it to a professional guitar repair shop. Neck adjustments are tricky things to accomplish, as are adjustments to the saddle, bridge or string action. Guitar Amp<<<Previous Next>>>Child Guitar
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