Comparison Ibanez GRX40 vs Yamaha PAC012

The general shape of the body of an electric guitar.

The solid body of an electric guitar can be molded into almost any shape; hollow cases do not give such freedom, however, even among them, the options in shape can be very diverse. However, there are certain standard forms. It is not uncommon for these shapes to be named after a particular "legendary" guitar model, such as the "Les Paul" or "Stratocaster" (after Gibson and Fender instruments of the same name, respectively). It makes no sense to describe each standard form — it's easier to find an illustration in our catalog or on the Internet.

The main, and often the only point, which is affected by the shape of the body is the appearance of the guitar. Also, convenience for the musician to some extent depends on this parameter — for example, some models allow you to play while sitting, resting the instrument on your foot, for others this method is weak or not suitable at all. But whether the shape of the body affects the sound of an electric guitar is a moot point. There is an unequivocal dependence only in semi-acoustic models, but for solid bodies there is no clear answer to this question: some musicians claim the superiority of some forms over others, but this moment is largely subjective. In addition, other parameters (types and number of pickups, bridge design, etc.) greatly affect the sound quality.

Now on the market there are guitars with this body shape: Les Paul, Superstrat, Stratocaster, Jazz Bass, Precision Bass, Telecaster, PRS Santana, Flying V, SG, however, there are also completely non-standard options.

The presence of a protective lining (pickguard) on the body of the guitar.

Such an overlay is located on the upper deck, most often made of durable plastic and differs markedly in colour, due to which it is clearly visible. Its main purpose is to protect the soundboard surface from pick strikes (for example, when playing with dynamic fighting), which could damage the varnished wooden surface. The specific shape and size of the fingerboard may vary, but anyway, it covers at least the surface below the strings (when looking at the guitar in the working position), and sometimes under the strings and even above them.

The material from which the body of an electric guitar is made. For models with cutouts (semi-acoustic, see "Type"), in this case, only the material of the back deck and sides can be taken into account, and data on the top deck is given separately (for more details, see "Deck Cover Material").

Now on the market there are cases of such trees: red, maple, agatis, ash, alder.

It makes no sense to dwell on each of the materials found in modern electric guitars. Their variety is very large, however, unlike acoustic guitars, the body in this case does not play such a significant role in shaping the sound, and its material has a relatively small effect on the acoustic properties of the instrument (although the exact degree of such influence is a moot point). If you wish, you can find detailed data on a particular material in special sources, but in fact it makes sense to look primarily at the appearance of the instrument and its price category.

The material from which the soundboard cover is made is an additional overlay on the upper soundboard, which primarily plays a decorative role and gives the instrument a pleasant appearance. Do not confuse such a cover with a protective overlay (see above about it). And in semi-acoustic instruments with a hollow body (see "Type"), this paragraph may indicate the material of the upper soundboard, and a separate cover as such may be absent.

In general, the value of this parameter is similar to the material of the body (see above) — adjusted for the fact that the deck cover also directly determines the appearance of the electric guitar, and in semi-acoustic models it affects the sound more than the rest of the body. However, the main criterion for choosing this parameter may well be the aesthetic preferences of the musician.

Profile of a fretboard mounted on an electric guitar.

The profile of the neck is called its shape in section, more precisely, the shape of the back of the neck. This parameter practically does not affect the sound of the guitar, but it directly affects the convenience of playing. Ideally, the neck should “fill” the hand, but not be too large — otherwise it will not be possible to clasp it to the right extent.

Profiles are denoted by the letters C, D, V and U — depending on which letter the neck resembles in the section. Profile D is the flattest, C is slightly more convex, with almost uniform curvature along the entire length, U is more voluminous, with a wider profile in the area of the lining, and the V profile in its classic form has the form of an angle with a rounded top. There are also modifications of these options — for example, "thin", which provides for a reduced profile thickness, or "modern", with slightly improved (theoretically) ergonomics.

The most popular profile types are C, U and their "modern" (modern) modifications. The C profile is almost semi-circular, the U profile is more voluminous, at the fingerboard its edges are almost parallel and only closer to the back of the neck are sharply rounded. The terms modern C and modern U refer to various improved versions of these profiles, their f...orm may be different.

In fact, the choice of neck profile depends solely on the guitarist's personal preferences, the characteristics of his hands and his preferred playing technique. Thus, there is no "perfect" profile shape — in each case, the optimal choice will be different. The perfect option is to try several types of profile "live", decide which one will be more convenient, and choose an instrument with a neck of the same or similar profile shape.

The width of the fretboard of an electric guitar at the nut. Closer to the body, the neck may expand somewhat, but this is not necessary, and the expansion angle may be different. Therefore, the main size is considered to be the width in the region of the nut.

This parameter has two meanings. On the one hand, a wide neck is inconvenient for musicians with small hands and short fingers — it can be difficult to reach the far strings in such cases. On the other hand, a larger width means a greater distance between the individual strings, which reduces the likelihood of hitting an adjacent string when pressed incorrectly and can make playing easier (especially if the guitarist has large fat fingers). However, these moments are not absolute, and the convenience of playing is a very subjective matter, depending on many features of the musician and the technique he uses. Also, don't forget that necks can have different profiles (see above), and instruments with different neck profiles will feel differently in the hands even with the same width at the nut. Therefore, the most reliable method of selection is to try out the necks of different sizes and profiles “live”, decide on the best option and choose based on this.

The smallest neck width at the nut in modern electric guitars is about 39 mm. This size is found mainly in bass guitars (see “Type”), which have 4 strings and a neck that widens noticeably towards the body (due to which it can be made rather narr...ow from above, especially since when playing bass, notes are rarely clamped near the neck itself) . Electric guitars (including semi-acoustic) are somewhat wider — from 41 mm, an indicator of 43 – 48 mm is considered average, and in the largest instruments, the neck can be up to 55 mm wide (however, such dimensions are typical mainly for instruments with more than 6 strings) .

The radius of curvature of a fretboard mounted on the fretboard of an electric guitar.

The fingerboard is located directly under the strings, it is to it that the musician presses the strings when playing. If you look at the neck in cross section, its upper part with the overlay will have the shape of an arc; the radius of this arc is implied in this case. The smaller the radius, the more convex this arc will be, and vice versa, a large radius will correspond to an almost flat surface.

In general, it is believed that a smaller fingerboard radius is better for playing chords, and a more even, flat surface makes it easier to play technical passages with an abundance of special techniques such as bands. The average and, one might say, classic diameter value is 12", this is the most popular option among modern electric guitars. The smallest figure is just over 7", it is found in some guitars with Stratocaster bodies (both original Fender instruments and copies ). And the most flat pads have a diameter of 20" or more.

Note that there are often instruments with a variable fretboard radius — smaller at the headstock (where chords are played more often) and larger near the body (where solos are played by notes). In such cases, the radius at the nut is indicated.

The material from which the fretboard of an electric guitar is made.

The fretboard is placed under the strings, where the strings are pressed when played. The need to use overlays is due to the fact that the types of wood from which the fingerboard itself is made are often not hard enough, and dents could occur on their surface from constant contact with the strings. Accordingly, the overlays are made of a harder material that retains the shape of the surface even after repeated pressing of the strings. As such a material, both special types of wood ( ebony, rosewood) and high-quality phenolic polymers can be used.

In general, the quality of the fingerboard is usually quite consistent with the price category of the instrument, but it hardly makes sense to dwell on the detailed characteristics of each material (they are not so critical for the normal use of an electric guitar). We only note that the material of the overlay directly affects the appearance of the instrument.