Editing Guitar (section)

==Types==
[[File:La col·lecció de guitarres, Museu de la Música de Barcelona.jpg|thumb|Guitar collection in [[Museu de la Música de Barcelona]]]]
[[File:Jan Vermeer van Delft 013.jpg|thumb|right|''[[The Guitar Player (Vermeer)|The Guitar Player]]'' ({{Circa|1672}}), by [[Johannes Vermeer]]]]

Guitars are often divided into two broad categories: [[Acoustic guitar|acoustic]] and [[electric guitars]]. Within each category, there are further sub-categories that are nearly endless in quantity and are always evolving. For example, an electric guitar can be purchased in a six-string model (the most common model) or in [[Seven-string guitar|seven-]] or [[Twelve-string guitar|twelve-string]] formats.  An instruments overall design, internal construction and components, wood type or species, hardware and electronic appointments all add to the abundant nature of sub-categories and its unique tonal & functional property.

===Acoustic===
{{Main|Acoustic guitar}}
{{See also|Extended-range classical guitar|Flamenco guitar|Chitarra battente|Guitarrón mexicano|Harp guitar|Russian guitar|Selmer guitar|Tenor guitar}}

{{Listen
| filename    = romanza_española.ogg
| title       = Classical Guitar Sample
| description = Spanish Romance
}}

Acoustic guitars form several notable subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: classical and [[flamenco guitar]]s; steel-string guitars, which include the flat-topped, or "folk", guitar; [[twelve-string guitar]]s; and the arched-top guitar. The acoustic guitar group also includes unamplified guitars designed to play in different registers, such as the acoustic bass guitar, which has a similar tuning to that of the electric bass guitar.

====Renaissance and Baroque====
{{Main|Baroque guitar}}
Renaissance and Baroque guitars are the ancestors of the modern [[Classical guitar|classical]] and [[flamenco guitar]]. They are substantially smaller, more delicate in construction, and generate less volume. The strings are paired in courses as in a modern [[12-string guitar]], but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six single strings normally used now. They were more often used as rhythm instruments in ensembles than as solo instruments, and can often be seen in that role in [[early music]] performances. ([[Gaspar Sanz]]'s ''Instrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Española'' of 1674 contains his whole output for the solo guitar.)<ref>The Guitar (From The Renaissance To The Present Day) by Harvey Turnbull (Third Impression 1978) – Publisher: Batsford. p57 (Chapter 3 – The Baroque, Era Of The Five Course Guitar)</ref> [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] guitars are easily distinguished, because the Renaissance guitar is very plain and the Baroque guitar is very ornate, with ivory or wood inlays all over the neck and body, and a paper-cutout inverted "wedding cake" inside the hole.

====Classical====
{{Main|Classical guitar}}
Classical guitars, also known as "Spanish" guitars,<ref name=CMUSE>{{cite web |url=https://www.cmuse.org/what-is-a-classical-guitar/
 |title=What Is A Classical Guitar? |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=April 18, 2017 |website=Cmuse.org |access-date=June 4, 2018 }}</ref> are typically strung with nylon strings, plucked with the fingers, played in a seated position and are used to play a diversity of musical styles including [[European classical music|classical music]]. The classical guitar's wide, flat neck allows the musician to play scales, arpeggios, and certain chord forms more easily and with less adjacent string interference than on other styles of guitar. [[Flamenco guitar]]s are very similar in construction, but they are associated with a more percussive tone. In Portugal, the same instrument is often used with steel strings particularly in its role within [[fado]] music. The guitar is called [[viola]], or [[Seven-string guitar|violão]] in Brazil, where it is often used with an extra seventh string by [[choro]] musicians to provide extra bass support.

In Mexico, the popular [[mariachi]] band includes a range of guitars, from the small ''[[Requinto guitar|requinto]]'' to the ''[[guitarrón mexicano|guitarrón]]'', a guitar larger than a [[cello]], which is tuned in the bass register. In Colombia, the traditional quartet includes a range of instruments too, from the small ''[[bandola]]'' (sometimes known as the Deleuze-Guattari, for use when traveling or in confined rooms or spaces), to the slightly larger [[tiple]], to the full-sized classical guitar. The requinto also appears in other Latin-American countries as a complementary member of the guitar family, with its smaller size and scale, permitting more projection for the playing of single-lined melodies. Modern dimensions of the classical instrument were established by the Spaniard [[Antonio de Torres Jurado]] (1817–1892).<ref>{{cite web
|last=Morrish
|first=John
|title=Antonio De Torres
|publisher=Guitar Salon International
|url=http://www.guitarsalon.com/articles.php?articleid=18
|access-date=2011-05-08}}</ref>

====Flat-top====
[[File:Bernd Voss - Copito Blues guitar.ogv|thumb|A guitarist playing a blues tune on a semi-acoustic guitar]]
{{Main|Steel-string acoustic guitar}}
Flat-top guitars with steel strings are similar to the [[classical guitar]], however, the flat-top body size is usually significantly larger than a classical guitar, and has a narrower, reinforced neck and stronger structural design. The robust X-bracing typical of flat-top guitars was developed in the 1840s by German-American luthiers, of whom [[C.F. Martin|Christian Friedrich "C. F." Martin]] is the best known. Originally used on gut-strung instruments, the strength of the system allowed the later guitars to withstand the additional tension of steel strings.  Steel strings produce a brighter tone and a louder sound. The acoustic guitar is used in many kinds of music including folk, country, bluegrass, pop, jazz, and blues. Many variations are possible from the roughly classical-sized [[00 guitar|OO]] and [[Parlour guitar|Parlour]] to the large [[Dreadnought (guitar type)|Dreadnought]] (the most commonly available type) and [[Jumbo (guitar type)|Jumbo]]. [[Ovation Guitar Company|Ovation]] makes a modern variation, with a rounded back/side assembly molded from artificial materials.

====Archtop====
{{Main|Archtop guitar}}
Archtop guitars are steel-string instruments in which the top (and often the back) of the instrument are carved from a solid billet, into a curved, rather than flat, shape. This violin-like construction is usually credited to the American [[Orville Gibson]]. [[Lloyd Loar]] of the [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co]] introduced the violin-inspired F-shaped hole design now usually associated with archtop guitars, after designing a style of [[mandolin]] of the same type. The typical archtop guitar has a large, deep, hollow body whose form is much like that of a mandolin or a violin-family instrument. Nowadays, most archtops are equipped with magnetic pickups, and they are therefore both acoustic and electric. F-hole archtop guitars were immediately adopted, upon their release, by both [[jazz]] and [[country music|country]] musicians, and have remained particularly popular in jazz music, usually with [[String (music)#Flatwound|flatwound strings]].

====Resonator, resophonic or Dobros====
[[File:JMT8stringguitar.jpg|right|thumb|An eight-string [[baritone guitar|baritone]] tricone [[resonator guitar]]]]
{{Main|Resonator guitar|Dobro}}
All three principal types of resonator guitars were invented by the Slovak-American [[John Dopyera]] (1893–1988) for the National and Dobro ('''Do'''pyera '''Bro'''thers) companies. Similar to the flat top guitar in appearance, but with a body that may be made of brass, nickel-silver, or steel as well as wood, the sound of the resonator guitar is produced by one or more aluminum resonator cones mounted in the middle of the top. The physical principle of the guitar is therefore similar to the [[loudspeaker]].

The original purpose of the resonator was to produce a very loud sound; this purpose has been largely superseded by [[guitar amplifier|electrical amplification]], but the resonator guitar is still played because of its distinctive tone. Resonator guitars may have either one or three resonator cones. The method of transmitting sound resonance to the cone is either a "biscuit" bridge, made of a small piece of hardwood at the vertex of the cone (Nationals), or a "spider" bridge, made of metal and mounted around the rim of the (inverted) cone (Dobros). Three-cone resonators always use a specialized metal bridge. The type of resonator guitar with a neck with a square cross-section—called "square neck" or "Hawaiian"—is usually played face up, on the lap of the seated player, and often with a metal or glass [[slide guitar|slide]]. The round neck resonator guitars are normally played in the same fashion as other guitars, although slides are also often used, especially in blues.

====Steel====
{{Main|Lap steel guitar|Pedal steel guitar}}

A [[steel guitar]] is any guitar played while moving a polished [[steel bar]] or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar in that it does not use frets; conceptually, it is somewhat akin to playing a guitar with one finger (the bar). Known for its [[portamento]] capabilities, gliding smoothly over every pitch between notes, the instrument can produce a sinuous crying sound and deep [[vibrato]] emulating the human singing voice. Typically, the strings are plucked (not strummed) by the fingers of the dominant hand, while the steel tone bar is pressed lightly against the strings and moved by the opposite hand. The instrument is played while sitting, placed horizontally across the player's knees or otherwise supported. The horizontal playing style is called "Hawaiian style".<ref name="premier-ross">{{cite magazine |last1=Ross |first1=Michael |title=Pedal to the Metal: A Short History of the Pedal Steel Guitar |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/22152-pedal-to-the-metal-a-short-history-of-the-pedal-steel-guitar |magazine=[[Premier Guitar Magazine]] |access-date=September 1, 2017 |date=February 17, 2015}}</ref>

====Twelve-string ====
{{Main|Twelve-string guitar}}
The [[twelve-string guitar]] usually has steel strings, and it is widely used in [[folk music]], [[blues]], and [[rock and roll]]. Rather than having only six strings, the 12-string guitar has six [[course (music)|courses]] made up of two strings each, like a [[mandolin]] or [[lute]]. The highest two courses are tuned in unison, while the others are tuned in octaves. The 12-string guitar is also made in electric forms. The chime-like sound of the 12-string electric guitar was the basis of [[jangle pop]].

====Acoustic bass====
[[File:Ashton ABG.JPG|thumb|Acoustic bass guitar]]
{{Main|Acoustic bass guitar}}
The acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than, that of a six-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional [[bass guitar|electric bass guitar]] and the [[double bass]], the acoustic bass guitar commonly has four strings, which are normally tuned E-A-D-G, an [[octave]] below the lowest four strings of the six-string guitar, which is the same tuning pitch as an electric bass guitar. It can, more rarely, be found with five or six strings, which provides a wider range of notes to be played with less movement up and down the neck.

===Electric===
{{Main|Electric guitar}}
[[File:Eric-Clapton 1975.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Eric Clapton]] playing his signature custom-made "[[Blackie (guitar)|Blackie]]"
 [[Fender Stratocaster]]]]
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies; solid bodies produce little sound without amplification. In contrast to a standard acoustic guitar, electric guitars instead rely on [[Electromagnetism|electromagnetic]] [[pickup (music technology)|pickups]], and sometimes [[piezoelectricity|piezoelectric]] pickups, that convert the vibration of the steel strings into [[signal (electronics)|signals]], which are fed to an [[amplifier]] through a [[patch cable]] or [[radio]] [[transmitter]]. The sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices ([[effects units]]) or the natural [[distortion (music)|distortion]] of valves ([[vacuum tube]]s) or the pre-amp in the amplifier. There are two main types of magnetic pickups, [[single coil|single]]- and double-coil (or [[humbucker]]), each of which can be [[Active pickup|passive]] or [[Active pickup|active]]. The electric guitar is used extensively in [[jazz]], [[blues]], [[R & B]], and [[rock and roll]]. The first successful magnetic pickup for a guitar was invented by [[George Beauchamp]], and incorporated into the 1931 Ro-Pat-In (later [[Rickenbacker]]) [[Frying pan (guitar)|"Frying Pan"]] lap steel; other manufacturers, notably [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], soon began to install pickups in archtop models. After World War II the completely solid-body electric was popularized by Gibson in collaboration with [[Les Paul]], and independently by [[Leo Fender]] of [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender Music]]. The lower fretboard [[Action (music)|action]] (the height of the strings from the fingerboard), lighter (thinner) strings, and its electrical amplification lend the electric guitar to techniques less frequently used on acoustic guitars. These include [[tapping]], extensive use of [[legato]] through [[pull-off]]s and [[hammer-on]]s (also known as slurs), [[pinch harmonic]]s, [[volume swells]], and use of a [[tremolo arm]] or [[effects pedals]].

Some electric guitar models feature [[piezoelectricity|piezoelectric]] pickups, which function as [[transducer]]s to provide a sound closer to that of an acoustic guitar with the flip of a switch or knob, rather than switching guitars. Those that combine piezoelectric pickups and magnetic pickups are sometimes known as hybrid guitars.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guitarnoize.com/blog/category/hybrid-guitars/ |title=Hybrid guitars |website=Guitarnoize.com |access-date=2010-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225153202/http://www.guitarnoize.com/blog/category/hybrid-guitars |archive-date=2010-12-25 }}</ref>

Hybrids of acoustic and electric guitars are also common. There are also more exotic varieties, such as guitars with [[double neck guitar|two]], three,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vai.com/Machines/guitarpages/guitar040.html |title=The Official Steve Vai Website: The Machines |website=Vai.com |date=1993-08-03 |access-date=2010-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130043815/http://www.vai.com/Machines/guitarpages/guitar040.html |archive-date=2010-01-30 }}</ref> or rarely four necks, all manner of alternate string arrangements, [[fretless guitar|fretless fingerboards]] (used almost exclusively on bass guitars, meant to emulate the sound of a [[Double bass|stand-up bass]]), [[5.1 surround guitar]], and such.

====Seven-string and eight-string ====
{{Main|Seven-string guitar|eight-string guitar}}
Solid-body seven-string guitars were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s. Other artists go a step further, by using an eight-string guitar with two extra low strings. Although the most common seven-string has a low B string, [[Roger McGuinn]] (of [[The Byrds]] and [[Rickenbacker]]) uses an octave G string paired with the regular G string as on a 12-string guitar, allowing him to incorporate chiming 12-string elements in standard six-string playing. In 1982 [[Uli Jon Roth]] developed the "Sky Guitar", with a vastly extended number of frets, which was the first guitar to venture into the upper registers of the violin. Roth's seven-string and "Mighty Wing" guitar features a wider octave range.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

====Electric bass ====
{{Main|Bass guitar}}
[[File:Hofner 500-1 Anniversary('61CavernBass)RH.jpg|thumb|418x418px|The [[Höfner 500/1]] bass guitar is famous for being the primary bass used by [[Paul McCartney]] since the early 1960s]]
The bass guitar (also called an "electric bass", or simply a "bass") is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a longer neck and [[Scale length (string instruments)|scale length]], and four to six strings. The four-string bass, by far the most common, is usually tuned the same as the [[double bass]], which corresponds to pitches one octave lower than the four lowest pitched strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G). The bass guitar is a [[transposing instrument]], as it is notated in [[bass clef]] an octave higher than it sounds (as is the double bass) to avoid excessive [[ledger line]]s being required below the [[Staff (music)|staff]]. Like the electric guitar, the bass guitar has [[pickup (music technology)|pickups]] and it is plugged into an [[Bass instrument amplification|amplifier and speaker]] for live performances.