The Inner Workings Of The Guitar

Thursday, March 4, 2010
posted by SKWiley 12:53 PM

It is sometimes quite fascinating to look at how sound is created and maintained in a guitar. In a plugged-in electric guitar instrument, sound is created when the strings are strummed or plucked and the vibration from the movement is picked up by a magnetic device called the pick-up. The sound is amplified with the use of an amplifier which is connected to the guitar via a guitar cable. Electric guitars have two or three pick-ups that come with a pick-up switch that can be controlled to determine which pickup is active and many discount electric guitars are purchased today for the eager beginner. The sound can be further manipulated and modified by turning the volume and tone dials (or knobs) of the guitar, the tuning knobs, as well as knobs of the amplifier. Most electric guitars have three knobs or dials for controlling the volume, treble and bass tones which are produced by the built-in electronics of the guitar

Basically, a pickup is made of a long copper wire that is wound or coiled around one or more magnets. When electricity passes through the copper wire, the magnet/s in the middle of the coil detects the movement or vibrations of the metal strings. Electrical impulses travel through the wire inside the pickup due to these vibrations, and when attached to the amplifier, the impulses create the sound heard from the amplifier.  Today, modern single coil pickups produce less noise than their early counterparts. The tremolo bar allows the player to quickly and easily alter the pitch of the strings, lowering or making the sound higher as the strings are being played. It is usually placed just below the saddle of the guitar. The tuners are found at the headstock of the guitar and are used to tighten and loosen the strings.  The standard tuning for electric guitar is EBGDAE but other types of tuning such as Drop-D are used depending on the preference of the guitarist and the kind of music played.

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