If you’re a guitar player, there’s a chance that you have a favourite brand of guitar. If you’re not a guitar player but you love your music, then it is likely that you know someone who has their own favourite brand of guitar.

Ask someone why they prefer Gibson to Fender, for example, or vice versa, or substitute these two iconic guitar brands for two others. A lot of the time, the answer you will get is related to the sound, which takes us onto the question at hand. Does the sound of your guitar depend on the brand?

How Your Guitar Brand Influences the Sound

The answer to the question is “yes and no,” but mainly no. Sound confusing? Allow us to explain.

The first thing to consider is that each guitar brand produces many models of guitar, each with their own distinct style and sound. This is why the answer is mainly no. You cannot listen to a guitar and say “that’s a Gibson,” for example, because you wouldn’t know the type of Gibson it was. At the same time, you could never legislate for how the guitar was tuned. Certain models of guitar do sound the similar, such as stratocaster style guitars and telecaster style guitars, but you might struggle to identify the specific brand behind each.

However, the brand, or it may be more accurate to say the manufacturers, of your guitar, do influence the sound to some extent, as they decide on the design specs and the component parts of the guitar.

These component parts play the biggest part in determining the sound of your guitar. Here are some of the most important. It is crucial to understand that many of these components can be changed, allowing each guitarist to create a fully customised set-up for a sound unique to them.

Guitar Pickups

There is a whole range of different guitar pickups available that can help musicians to create a several sounds. Once you get familiar with the guitar and understand the difference particular pickups can make, you will have an almost limitless range of sound at your disposal. The big problem for you will be creating something unique without sounding like you’ve done something different just for the sake of it.

Guitar Strings

Thicker strings, the type of strings in terms of the alloy used, and the weight of your strings can all influence the sound you get out of your instrument. The heavier and thicker the strings, the “harder” and more aggressive the sound of your guitar will feel. Lighter, thinner strings can be great for getting a distinct sound, but this can often come across as weak and struggle to breakthrough in a group situation.

How You Play

Your own level of aggression when playing your guitar, as well as whether you use a pick or choose to finger pick, can influence how your guitar sounds. Once you understand this, you’ll become much more confident as a guitarist and really start to believe in your own style.

Legend has it that Les Paul once broke a guitar after being asked who made it; the insinuation being that it was the brand, not Paul, who had created the sound.

Your Amp

The sheer number of guitar amps available, and the range of settings that you can get with those close to the top of the market, mean that, along with your playing style, your amp has a big part to play in what your guitar sounds like. If you’re just getting started, it is best to stick to basics in terms of equipment, so that you understand what your guitar should sound like before you start playing around with effects and distortion.

The main determining factor in the sound of your guitar is you; be sure to take ownership of your own guitar sound and have the confidence to develop the sound you want.

Having a great electric guitar is one thing, but to have the best experience as a guitarist and have as much fun as possible with your instrument, you need a great amp, too. When choosing your guitar amp, there is much more to consider than what can fit your budget. Be sure to play around with different brands, as they all have their own unique quirks for you and any listeners to enjoy. If there’s a particular musician or band that you love the sound of, look up the gear they use online – it’s much easier than going around the shops trying to listen to every sound as you create it!

Here are some things to keep in mind when picking an amp.

How Loud do You Need It?

Most amps that we use at home are on the smaller side, as we have people who live with us and neighbours that we can’t afford to annoy to any great degree. Those of us who play gigs will often find that there’s equipment at the venue – even small pubs holding open mic or buskers nights will have amps available to use – although you might need to think about how this will influence your sound.

Different brands won’t make much difference in terms of volume, so bear in mind the following:

• Amps up to 15W are fine for at home or small gigs, and small enough for you to carry around hassle free.
• 15 – 30W amps are great for band situations as they ensure your guitar doesn’t get lost. These amps tend to have enough features for you to play around with, too, so you can perform effective sound checks and create the tone you want.
• Anything above this, right up to 100W, is very loud, and not something you’d want in your home.

Gain & Distortion

This is probably the most important aspect to consider as it is where your amp can have a real impact on the sounds you create. If you’re focused on one particular genre of music, this is important, too.

A Fender or Vox amp is great for those who want to play loud but always be pumping out a clean sound, though you can get some great rocky distortion from these, too. These amps are generally considered good “all-rounders,” so if you play a variety of styles they’re a safe choice.

Marshall is the best brand for rock and punk guitarists who want to get distortion and gain at lower volumes, while those who are extra aggressive and playing metal styles should consider a Mesa Boogie amp.

Egnater Tweaker amps are great for giving you the best of all the brands, and is a good choice to buy with a friend or housemate if you can share an amp, or for guitarists who want to experiment with their sound.

Playing Around

On top of these features, you just need to understand what all the features on each amp do, and whether or not you need them for the way you play. Hang out in the music shop and spend some time getting to know each amp, and when you find the one for you, be sure to snap it up.

Starting out learning a musical instrument can be intimidating.  This is especially true if you’re a fan of the instrument in question for a long time before you pick one up.  The guitar is a perfect example of this.  How many of us are inspired to learn guitar because we see our favourite musicians making it look easy?  Many of us try it but then stop doing it as soon as we realise it isn’t as easy as it looks.

One mistake we tend to make is that we might buy an expensive, high-end guitar when we’re first starting out.  Not only does this lead to us spending more money than we need to (even worse if we decide guitar playing isn’t for us after a few weeks) but the best guitars aren’t often useful for beginner level players.

Here are some top guitars for beginners that should be considered instead.

Gibson Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul is an iconic guitar, and the great thing about it is that it is manufactured and available at a range of quality points and prices.  You can start with a basic Les Paul model and then move onto something more expensive as your learning progresses.

In addition, Les Paul guitars give you a very smooth, natural sounding tone, so are great for someone who wants to pick it up and play without having had much musical exposure in the past.

Fender Stratocaster

Along with the Gibson Les Paul this is perhaps the most famous guitar of all, and as such you’ll be able to find it in music shops as well as in many general retailers and department stores.  While the Gibson Les Paul is probably better for someone interested in playing rockier styles, if you want to play blues or country style guitar then the Fender Stratocaster is the one for you.

Be aware that the Stratocaster has a number of different models, the Squire being the cheapest and an excellent entry level model.

Ibanez Iron Label

If you’re planning on skipping the basics and want to go straight into making an edgy, metal inspired sound, then the Ibanez Iron Label is for you.  It’s main feature is the EMG pickup (this is what you want for the aggressive metal sound) so you can always pick a different guitar brand if you want, but the clean black lines of this one make it a favourite option of ours.