Dry winter weather or environments can cause serious damage to acoustic guitars, in the form of cracks in the wood. This damage may require expensive repairs or reduce the sound quality of your fine instrument.

One way to supply additional humidity to your guitar is through a device known as a guitar humidifier. These devices are designed to release humidity inside the guitar through the sound-hole. Sound-hole humidifiers all utilize some type of water reservoir with an absorbent medium such as a sponge, water absorbent floral foam or absorbent polymer. The medium is then surrounded by some type of cover which holds the water absorbent medium in place and restricts the flow of water evaporation from the medium. To get inside your guitar, they slip between your guitar strings and are held in place there. Depending upon the brand of humidifier you purchase, it may or may not touch the wood inside your guitar. Dampit is designed to lie inside your guitar, while Planet Waves and Oasis are completely suspended from the strings.

Water holding capacity and the restrictiveness of the outer cover are the greatest factors in determining how often you will need to refill the device. Needless to say, you can?t stick a quart container of water inside your guitar, but there are several humidifiers that will hold an ounce (30 cc?s) or more such as Oasis or Planet Waves. If your guitar needs several cc?s per day of water vapor, a humidifier that holds only 5-10 cc?s will need to be refilled every few days.

Planet Waves and Dampit utilize holes in the outside membrane to release water vapor. Oasis uses a fabric which allows the water vapor, but not the water, to pass through the material to keep your guitar humidified. One downside to evaporation holes is the risk of water leakage. Very careful handling can minimize, but not eliminate this risk. Oasis is a water-tight, sealed unit which eliminates the risk of water leakage.

When to refill your humidifier is one of the great mysteries which have been solved by Oasis. Since Oasis is a flexible sealed container, is shrinks as the water inside of it evaporates through the fabric. When Oasis begins to look like a prune, you need to refill it.

All of the sound-hole humidifiers work. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. As with any new product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.

David Hepple is the inventor of the Oasis Guitar Humidifier. Since the age of 13, he has played either a nylon stringed classical or flat top steel stringed guitar. For the past 14 years, he has been an active volunteer with the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society, serving as President from 1999 to 2003 and now as treasurer. Prior to being President, he booked the organization’s concert series.

The age old beginners question of which type of guitar should I buy to start off with, is best answered by asking yourself which type of music you want to play. Here is a brief lowdown and the points to look out for when choosing a suitable acoustic.

There are two main categories here – acoustic and electric guitars. Acoustic guitars are great for accompanying yourself singing in a singer-songwriter role and also can be used in a band situation for virtuoso style group playing, say in a soloing jazz style. Electric guitars are mainly used in a band or group situation for guitar solos and rhythm work.

The description acoustic guitar covers all types of guitar, designed to play and sound without further or necessary amplification. They come with either steel or nylon strings. Steel stringers sound very much different to their more rounded and mellower cousins. They can be heard on all types of music too, from Pop to Elvis, to swampy old bottle-neck blues licks, to the mighty Travis. Great for banging out moving tunes or dropping it down to subtle finger-style chicken-pickin’. They are versatile to say the least, and the most common amongst bedrooms I would imagine.

Nylon stringed guitars are typically suited to and heard in Classical, Spanish and Flamenco style music. For a wonderful example of nylon-stringed magic check out Paco De Lucia or John Williams. These guitars are also to be heard in many other popular styles, such as Sting’s wonderfully simplistic but effective fret work, in the well known and beautiful song Fragile.

Tip: If you want to play traditional classical or flamenco style guitar, get a good graded teacher ASAP.

An important point to note here is that strings are the lifeblood of any guitar so make sure to invest in a quality brand at all times. Start off with a set of medium gauge (12s or 13s) and see how you get on. The heavier the gauge the more body in the sound. The price? Harder on the fingers to play but you get used to it. A typical medium size acoustic set would contain the following size strings in a set.:

E string .013
B string .017
G string .026
D string .038
A string .048
E string .058

Experiment over time until you find a good set that suits YOUR style. Go with a respected brand-name such as Martin or Fender.

Acoustic guitars can also be amplified on stage and recorded in various ways if desired or necessary. The simplest and most direct way is to mic them up with a microphone or install/stick on a pickup. Acoustic/Electro guitars as their name suggests, are simply acoustic guitars with the ability to plug into a suitable amplifier. This just means that they can be heard over say, a noisy pub racket of cheering…yeaahhh. Normally this feature is used for live gigging. In the recording studio it’s usual to use the studio’s recording facilities to capture a guitars sound to tape. It’s far superior, but feel free to experiment in your own time.

A good tip is that when looking out for an Acoustic Electros, or a Semi-Electric as they are also commonly called, is to make sure that the guitar sounds great un-amplified as well as great when plugged in. If the guitar sounds weak un-amplified, chances are it could sound weak amplified too.

Also watch out that your chosen guitar has a nice playable action. This relates to how high the strings come up off the fretboard. A cheap and badly made guitar has a very high action, and is therefore very hard to play. This is to be avoided like the plague! If you simply lower the action on a cheap guitar it will buzz and fret out (not sound) all over the place. And so onto Electric guitars which we can have a look at next – in the meantime happy strumming.

David O’Toole is a guitar player, music fan, and musician from Ireland. He is the webmaster at the UniGTR? Center and editor at the BellaOnline Musician Site

A keen player and experienced guitar teacher, he is also the author of the popular standard, lefthand, reverse guitar, and piano / keyboard series of Basic Chord Families — Not just another random selection of 1000s of chords, but the key to fast learning and playing 1000s of songs with under 60 chords!

This article may be freely reproduced as is, provided it is keep it intact, and that the above resource box is maintained – thank you.

Playing guitar, like everything else, takes time and dedication to master. Once you do, it can be one of the most rewarding things you have done in your life. You may have had to spend countless hours practicing away, with your fingers on the edge of going numb but like any visa comercial would say, playing in front of a crowd and getting their admiration, is priceless.

Choosing the right guitar for you is something you must not take lightly. If you’re getting started, this can be the difference between becoming a master or just playing for a couple of weeks and leave it on the side.

There are a few things you want to consider, things like the quality of the wood, the bridge of the guitar, and what type of music you like. I say what type of music you like because this is what ultimately decides what guitar are you going for. First of all, there’s the sound quality, which in general terms sums up in two types of guitar: electric and acoustic.

If you like rock and you’re interested in playing with more of an upbeat, high paced, louder rithm, then an electrical guitar is a better fit for you. If you want more of a classic vibe, a more mellow organic feel on your playing then you should get a classical guitar.

If you’re a beginner, than I would suggest working your way from a classical guitar. You can find them at a better price and you can play them anywhere, which is something you definetly want to consider.

If, on the other hand, you have more free time on your hands and you want to make some serious noise, then getting an electrical guitar is more fit for you. Keep in mind, that unless you are already good and can keep up with a tune by yourself, it can become irritating really fast when you’re playing nothing but noise for a couple of hours.

In general, what you want is something that strikes the balance between what you want with what you need with your current skillset. Be sure to match up the style of your music, the type and quality of your guitar and the location you will play it in (if electric you will need power supply all the time).

After you make your choice, make sure you keep developing your skillset, and you’ll be thankful you did.

Learn Everything about Guitars with Charles Cruz CEO of Guitar Universe

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Gibson guitars have been around forever. It’s funny, but although Gibson has produced some of the most amazing guitars in history, perhaps the company’s largest contribution to music has been through their advancements in pickup technology. Gibson’s first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and is still considered one of the best sounding electric jazz guitars in the world.

In 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model in 1952. The Les Paul was Gibson’s first solid body electric guitar. In 1957 Gibson introduced the legendary Humbucker pickup on the Les Paul model, and an instant classic was born. The P-90 and the Humbucker quickly became the pickups of choice for Gibson’s expanding line of solid body electric guitars.

1961 marked the introduction of one of Gibson’s most successful models ever, the double cutaway SG. This was followed by the Firebird, and Flying V models, each a classic in its own right. In addition to electrics, Gibson produces some of the finest acoustic guitars available.

Gibson’s commitment to excellence, and support of top musicians is demonstrated most deeply through its well known Custom Shop. The Custom Shop produces specialty instruments for artists, and discerning musicians. In addition, many well known historic classics have been faithfully reproduced by the Gibson Custom Shop, allowing a whole new generation of guitarists to experience Gibson’s hallmark guitars.

Written By: Michael Casamento

Michael Casamento is the founder of Guitar Pages Online – a comprehensive resource for guitars and guitar related merchandise on the Internet.

For more information visit:http://www.guitarpagesonline.com

This article may be freely reproduced so long as the above resource box is included in its entirety.

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Perhaps no other guitar maker has touched the hearts of so many players and collectors as Fender. By producing excellent guitars at reasonable prices, Fender has been the instrument of choice for many guitarists throughout the world. Both the famous and not so famous have relied on Fender guitars to define their signature sounds.

The Fender company was founded by Leo Fender, and produced its first solid body electric guitar in 1951. This guitar was called the Telecaster, and was soon followed by the Precision Bass, and the legendary Stratocaster in 1954. Over the years many changes would take place at Fender which had a great impact on the types and quality of instruments they produced.

The first mile-stone year for Fender came in 1965. During this year, Fender was bought by corporate giant CBS. Quality began to decline during CBS’s reign, and although Fender still remained popular among players, CBS lacked the commitment and understanding necessary to satisfy the needs of serious musicians. As a result, the guitars produced during the Pre-CBS era would become prized collectors items demanding large sums of money in the vintage guitar market.

In 1985 Fender enjoyed another mile-stone year as a group of employees purchased the company back from CBS. For the first time in 20 years Fender was in the hands of musicians and artisans committed to producing world class guitars. A new manufacturing facility was built in Corona California to handle the production of USA made guitars. In 1987 the Fender Custom Shop was established, reaffirming the company’s dedication to producing top quality guitars, and catering to the needs of top musicians.

From 1985 to the present day, Fender has been steadily expanding its operations within the United States and abroad. The company now produces a vast array of musical products from strings to mixing boards. In spight of such massive growth, Fender’s commitment to the production of quality guitars remains very high. Fender remains one of the few companies that can successfully provide quality products to both the budget conscious and price no object musicians.

Written By: Michael Casamento

Michael Casamento is the founder of Guitar Pages Online – a comprehensive resource for guitars and guitar related merchandise on the Internet.

For more information visit:http://www.guitarpagesonline.com

This article may be freely reproduced so long as the above resource box is included in its entirety.

More articles at free articles database