Ok so you play guitar or are looking to learn?.but which guitar do you buy? It?s a question that guitarists the world over ponder time and time again.

Sure there?s the ever greens such as the Fender Stratocaster or the Gibson Les Paul and their inexpensive copies. But that?s a well trodden path ? what you want is a little character a little something that makes you stand out ? what you want is a hollow body semi acoustic.

Why a semi acoustic?

Ok for starters a Semi Acoustic looks the business. Take a look at a Gibson 335 with it?s smooth double cut away design and it?s elegant curves. When you step on the stage with a semi acoustic people notice. Take a look at a Strat or a Les Paul then take a look at a Semi ? there?s a stark difference first off, semi?s are big but more importantly they are much lighter than their solidbody, comfortable to play and pack a punch in the sound department.

Their sound

Coupled with it?s looks hollow-bodies have a great range of tone and musical capability. From the Epiphone Casino?s beautiful Jazzy tone to the Epiphone Wildkat that packs a rockabilly punch theirs a broad range of tones that can be generated. Hollow bodies traditionally come with two Humbucker pickups. Typically the bridge pickup can produce some great rock and roll tones whilst the neck pickups are great for jazzy Charlie Christian licks.

Their price

Although for a fully fledged Gibson 335 you may need several thousand dollars, these days there are a variety of budget alternative hollow body guitars. For example Epiphone make the Epiphone Wildkat which features a Bigsby style tremolo system for around $500. Other manufacturers such as Vintage and Ibanez all produce very good imitations of their more expensive counterparts at a much reduced price. If you shop around you?ll surprised at what you can afford.

Versatility

Hollow bodies are extremely versatile and lend themselves to a wide range of musical styles for example – Chuck Berry style Rock and Roll (Gibson 335), BB King style Blues (Gibson 335), Chet Atkins Country (Gretch Country Gent), Alt-Rock Noel Gallagher (Epiphone Sheraton) and finally 60?s Pop (John Lennon ? Epiphone Casino) semi?s lend themselves to a range of musical styles.

Their tradition.

Hollow body guitars were some of the first electric guitars manufactured. Epiphone were making adjustable pole pickup semi acoustic guitars in the 1930?s so they have a long and proud history.

So the next time your thinking of getting a new guitar ? sure a Stratocaster is nice and a Les Paul has finesse but if you want a great guitar, with great looks sound and versatility look no further than the hollow-body semi acoustic guitars at your local store.

ShanzuGuitars.com . The site offers the latest guitar news, resources, tools and tips for budding guitarists everywhere.

If you are looking for cheap electric guitars there is a lot of choice out there. You can buy a cheap electric guitar from as little as ?70 and there are a number of brands making cheap guitars.

Don?t spend under ?90 on a guitar
If you are buying your first electric guitar, I wouldn?t recommend spending under ?90. Most of these guitars are built with very cheap materials to bring the production costs down, hence the retail price. The guitar?s sound will be compromised with this lower quality and the finish will also look a bit rough. You will usually find that the guitar strings are the cheapest ones you can buy, they will sound twangy.

The other downside of these cheap electric guitars due to the low build quality is the durability. You will be lucky if you can play it for more than 1 year and not have a problem with the guitar parts. You will end up with a cheap electric guitar (cheap meaning the quality this time and not the price).

Spend ?90-?150 on a guitar
My advice is to spend between ?90 and ?150 on your first electric guitar. You will get some reasonable quality at the lower end and good quality at the upper end.

Electric guitar brands to look out for
Here is a list of guitar brands that offer beginner electric guitars within the above price range: Stagg, Crafter, Vintage, Encore, Cruiser by Crafter, Gould, Squier, Yamaha, Dean, Peavey, Epiphone, Carlsbro and Ibanez.

The Epiphone, Vintage and Yamaha are the most popular electric guitars from the above list, the Stagg offers the best value for money in my opinion.

Should I Buy My Guitar in a Music Shop or Online?
It is really up to you, but my advice would be to buy one of the recommended guitar brands above. You can do this easily online, and you won?t get a shop salesman trying to push what?s best for them rather than what?s best for you.

About the Author
Henry Genry is known as ?The Music Guru? and is the chief writer at Soundsmusical.com. Henry has spent his whole life in music. He has played various musical instruments to a very high standard and run several music and internet businesses. He loves to share with everyone his experiences and immense knowledge of music. Henry hopes that the above music article will help you save money and also make the best decisions for your life. If you have any questions you would like to ask please email: henrygenry@hotmail.co.uk.

The Electric Bass guitar has been around for over 70 years and has become an integral part in modern music. Whilst there have been a few design changes over the years the fundamental role of the instrument remains forming the rhythmic, tonal and heartbeat of the music

There are thousands of different basses on the market today but here we list 10 classics of their genre if your going to get a bass these are the ones to aspire to.

1 Fender Precision

First introduced in 1951 this was Leo Fenders baby that soon became the industry standard. Often called the P-Bass, its solid slab body with single pickup it has perhaps became the most popular bass of all time.

2 Fender Jazz

Fenders other most popular bass first seen in 1960 this one differed from the Fender Precision by having a slimmer shaped neck, two pickups and a countered body design.

3 Rickenbacker 4001

Rickenbacker introduced the 4000 series in the early 50s as competition against the Fender series there have been a number of variations within the 4000 series (the 4001 and 4002 etc) As with their 6 string counterparts the Rickenbacker basses have a unique tone and the 4001 has become the rock bass of choice .

4 Hofner

One name Paul McCartney usually seen with a 500/1 model (but this wasnt the only Hofner bass Paul had). This instrument has become iconic you picture the Beatles and you picture Paul with his Hofner. Not particularly expensive or superbly made but its association with The Beatles makes it a bass players must have.

5 Gibson Les Paul Recording Bass.

Gibsons iconic model Bass style introduced in the late 60s following its 6 string sibling Manufactured with the traditional Gibson Mahogany its a true design classic and despite various design changes over the years it remains much loved by bassists great for studio use its often referred to as the Recording Bass.

6 Musicman Stingray

This one came on the scene in the mid 1970s utilizing (at the time) innovate features such as humbucker bass pickups, active circuitry. Reminiscent of the Fender Precision (sharing a designer in Leo Fender) but with features that brought it bang upto date the Stingray has remained a favorite every since.

7 Steinberger Bass

Featuring the classic headstock-less design Ned Steinbergers guitar company were true innovators a truly composite instrument (graphite and carbon fibre mix). Steinberger released the Q and M series basses and nothing else looked or sounded quite like them immensely popular during the 80s/90s perhaps less so now but still a true innovation in bass guitar design.

8 Gibson Thunderbird

Our second Gibson on the list the Thunderbird bass was first released in the early 1960s sharing a similar design with the Gibson Firebird 6 string the Thunderbird was the direct competition for the Rickenbacker 4001 Perhaps Gibsons most popular bass it has remained popular with the hard rock fraternity over the last 20 years.

9 Fender V

Although short-lived, the Fender V bass gets onto our list by virtue of being the first 5 string bass to go mainstream, a change in the standard design this 15 fret bass had a high C string to allow bassists access to the higher register of tones. Only a handful of these basses were produced making them collectors items today and whilst generally derided the V is an important stepping stone to the 5 string basses that are common today.

10 Gretsch Broadkaster

Gretsch Hollowbody great tone almost double bass like first released in the 1960s a unique tone all of its own Whilst Gretsch are not renowned for their basses this ones a beauty somewhat distinctive from the Fender and Gibson basses – a unique sound drawing on the technology from its 6 string Gretsch counterparts.

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