Guitar: Discover the best 2022 models

Hi! If you came here, it means that you are probably thinking about starting to learn to play the guitar, or else you already play and are thinking of changing your faithful companion.

Either way, there is the right guitar for you, and it is somewhere now, just waiting for you to make a good sound on it! With a better understanding of the instrument and its characteristics, you will soon find yours.

Therefore, here in this post you will find a list of guitars that will delight and surprise you, as well as a complete guide about the product, its types, characteristics and purchase criteria to be observed before purchasing yours. Come on?

First, the most important

• You should guide your choice of model by thinking and defining the musical style that you enjoy and you will certainly want to play. From there, you will know the necessary tone for you to play the genre and the model that best reproduces it.
• To purchase a better quality guitar with a longer duration, you must have at least R $ 400. The investment will be greater with an amplifier and connector cable, but you will find equipment at an excellent cost-benefit.
• Before purchasing yours, it is interesting to know a little more about the main models, brands and manufacturing available on the market today. Once informed, investing in your instrument will be much easier.

You may also like:

• Guitar amplifier: Meet the best of 2022
• Guitar: What is the best model in 2022?
• Soundboard: Which is the best for you in 2022?

 

Ranking: The 4 best guitars

If you are interested in buying a guitar, you have arrived at the right place. Thinking to facilitate your search, we have gathered the best guitar models in this guide. Check out the ranking below:

1º – Vintage Guitar Telecaster V52 Reissued

 

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R $ 3,359.00

 

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The Telecaster V52 Reissued by Vintage is a classic and prominent Telecaster, with high-end materials and finishing. With a two-piece alder body and a one-piece hard maple neck, it is a special variation with relic and in Butterscotch color.

The radius of the scale is 10 inches, with medium frets and Soft C neck shape . The guitar pickups are Wilkinson and made of ceramic, as well as all the rest of the hardware, and besides being an excellent brand, it has an incredible cost-benefit ratio.

 

2nd – Tagima Memphis MLP-100 Guitar

 

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The Tagima Memphis MLP-100 is a reasonably cheap guitar, doing a good job in trying to be faithful to the Les Paul model. With a basswood body, the neck is maple and the scale is rosewood.

The neck is glued, which is very cool for a guitar of this value, and the shape of the neck has 22 frets with good leveling, so there are no tuning or fretting problems.

It weighs 4kgs, which does not make it a heavy guitar, especially for a Les Paul. The taps are from Memphis with the tulip shape, and the pickups are ceramic.

 

3rd – SX ST Traditional Guitar SST 62

 

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The ST Traditional SST 62 guitar from SX is a guitar for you who have already started studying and now want to upgrade. Made in the ST Traditional style, her body is made of basswood, the rosewood fingerboard and the maple neck.

Featuring three simple normal pickups, traditional vintage chrome plugs and classic shield, it has the factory quality of guitars like the Fenders.

 

4th – Tagima Memphis Stratocaster Guitar

 

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R $ 499.00

 

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Speaking of Tagima Memphis Stratocaster, it is important to say that its versatility, timbre quality, superior finish and great cost-benefit ratio make it an excellent guitar option for beginners and for studies.

In addition, it can also be used for different musical styles both in recordings and presentations. The chosen color, Sunburst, makes it a distinctive and stylish guitar.

 

Buying Guide

It is not today that the benefits that music causes in the brain are talked about. It improves cognitive and psychic functions. And playing an instrument increases your memory capacity, improves motor coordination, relieves stress, among many others.

If you already play the guitar, you know all these benefits. If you’re a beginner looking to find out more, keep in mind that it doesn’t stop there. Read on to learn more.

 

The guitar is an electronic stringed musical instrument. (Source: Pexels / Pixabay)

How did the guitar come about?

Before anything, like talking about the guitar or understanding how it works, it is important to get a little into the history of the instrument, since it is so interesting and rich.

The electric guitar, or just guitar (as we know it), is a musical instrument coming from the guitar. One of the main reasons for the invention of the electric guitar was the lack of presence of the classical guitar when together with other instruments.

By 1880, many bands were making music, and the shyness of the guitar was very clear, especially in musical performances at the time.

So, around the 1920s to the 1930s, the guitar as we know it was conceived independently, with the solid wood guitar being designed and improved even only from the 1940s.

 

 

Leo Fender, at the time technician specialized in repairing radios and later becoming the founder of the famous guitar brand Fender, was the pioneer in the commercial scale production of solid body guitars, which would later be called Telecasters.

Seeking its share of the market and opening up competition to Fender, the Gibson electric guitar factory with pickups asked musician Les Paul to design a model, thus beginning all the legacy we know today.

What is the guitar?

The guitar is an electronic stringed musical instrument. It works through the stress that the musician puts on the strings in a magnetic field. The pickups present in the instrument pick up the vibration frequencies of the strings and this is transformed into sound.

The pickups, magnets, windings and circuits located close to the strings in certain locations of the guitar transmit these signals to be amplified and reproduced by the guitar amplifiers, which we have already mentioned here.

But manipulating the timbre of a guitar’s sound doesn’t depend only on pickups. There are more variables, and among them are the type of wood in which the guitar was made, as well as the diameter, quality and use of the strings.

Another important thing to note is that the tone of a guitar’s sound also depends on how good the other equipment is, like the cable and the amplifier. Lower quality devices may compromise the original sound.

How is a guitar composed?

Now that you have understood a little about the general functioning of the guitar, how about we go by parts? It works like this:

The heads are on the head (that is, the top), which are directly connected to the strings and can release or tension them, a mechanism that is important for tuning the instrument.

 

 

The guitar trims serve to tune it. (Source: connie_sf / Pixabay)

These tuners can have locks that prevent the strings from loosening, leave the correct tone and the instrument out of tune.

On the arm, made of wood as well as the head, are located the frets (small scratches along the arm) that form the houses. Each house is responsible for a musical note.

To withstand the tension placed on the strings stretched and prevent the guitar neck from bending, this part is designed to resist, and some models even come with a tensioner, which is a metal plate fixed behind the neck.

The strings, made of metal alloys, make the sound when pressed. You can change the sound of the strings by changing them, moving the tension through the lever or the length to make a chord.

Usually guitars come with six strings, but the guitarist has the possibility to add more so that he can increase the number of notes that will be played.

 

The guitars come with 6 strings, but more can be added. (Source: Free-Photos / Pixabay)

Arriving at the body, guitars are commonly made of solid wood, since unlike the guitar, they do not need a hollow body to produce their sound.

But semi-acoustic guitars, in turn, have a hollow body, making use of the resonance of the strings in the air of the instrument’s internal cavity. They are very popular in the jazz and blues music genres.

As we mentioned earlier, the pickups are composed of magnets surrounded by a coil, which generates the magnetic field. The vibration of the string is then picked up by the pickup, which transmits it as an electrical signal through the cable.

Pickups can be single-coil, like the single coil, or two-coil, like the humbucker, which eliminates a hum produced by single coil. The lever you can see on guitars can change the tension at which the strings are changing the timbre of the sound produced.

 

You must observe all the characteristics of a guitar before buying it. (Source: YS-Park / Pixabay)

For it to work, the bridge, which is where the lever is attached, must be of the type called mobile or floating. If it is fixed, it will not be possible to change the tension on the strings.

In addition, before finally entering the amplifier to be played into the world, the sound in the form of an electrical signal can pass through the pedals changing them, which provide several different effects.

It looks complicated, doesn’t it? For those who are not familiar with the instrument, it may look like a seven-headed bug, causing the person to end up even losing interest in it. But calm down: the advantages are also many. Let’s check it out.

What are the advantages of the guitar?

Some of the great advantages of having a guitar are those that we obtain by bringing music to our daily lives. It improves cognitive and verbal performance, quality of sleep, relieves symptoms of depression and reduces stress and anxiety.

The benefits of playing an instrument add even more advantages to this equation. It will teach you concentration and discipline, and will provide you with fun and socializing.

 

 

Playing the guitar can improve your cognitive and verbal performance, sleep quality, relieve symptoms of depression and reduce stress and anxiety (Source: Pexels / Pixabay)

The advantages of purchasing or owning a guitar are also many. Both it and the guitar are simple instruments to understand, the first steps for those who are starting are easy to follow.

In addition, there are many ways you can learn to play your guitar. You can take private lessons with a teacher at home, or at a music school near you. You can also learn from books, magazines, friends or the internet. The reasons and benefits are many, aren’t they?

As a disadvantage – if we can call it that – is that for you to actually play the instrument, discipline is necessary. Although it is simple, it can take time, like any other instrument.

Benefits

• Improves cognitive and verbal performance, sleep quality
• Assists in depression and reduces stress and anxiety
• Improves concentration and discipline

Disadvantages

• Discipline and lots of practice to learn
• It may take a while to actually learn

What types of guitar are there?

There are two types of guitars: solid and semi-acoustic. Let’s understand more about each one.

Massive guitar

Massive guitars are the ones most commonly seen. Their bodies are massive and usually made of wood, but there are also alternative materials like acrylic, aluminum and carbon fiber.

Massive guitars, as the empty body is missing from the inside, do not have the acoustic propagation box of the semi-acoustics, so their natural sound is not very intense, and the wood with which they are manufactured is the main responsible for the timbre of the same.

 

 

The neck of the guitar can be recessed when it is made entirely of a piece of wood, glued or screwed.

The massive ones are preferred by musicians who need effects added to the guitar (such as distortion), and their use is more common in musical productions of rock, heavy metal and derivatives.

The most famous solid guitar models are the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul and SG, as well as the Ibanez, Jackson, ESP and Washburn.

Semi-acoustic guitar

Semi-acoustic guitars are guitars that have this acoustic propagation box that we talked about earlier. The size of these guitars is larger than the massive ones and their natural sound is also bigger and better.

 

These guitars are preferred by jazz and traditional blues musicians, and are instruments to be used without adding effects.

Guitar or guitar? What’s the difference?

Having decided to embark on this journey, a cruel question may arise: where do I start and what do I buy, a guitar or a guitar?

This is a very common question for beginners, and to solve it you can answer some questions like: what is your goal for the future? In a while, would you rather be playing the guitar?

If the guitar is your goal, there is no need to learn the guitar first. Since both are stringed instruments, when you learn one of them, you will eventually be able to play both.

So if you see yourself being part of a band, or just goose bumps when you hear the sound of a guitar or a solo, you already have your answer! If you intend to play just for leisure, in a circle between family and friends at the Sunday barbecue, a guitar is really the most suitable instrument.

You can also start by deciding the musical genre you would most like to play. If you feel like learning to play metal, you certainly won’t need a guitar. But if you want to take the paths of MPB, you probably won’t need a guitar.

 

 

You don’t need to learn to play the guitar before playing the guitar or another string instrument. (Source: maroti / 123RF)

Of course, the first thing we think about every time we consider learning a string instrument, is on a guitar. We think of it since it works acoustically, without needing energy to work, making it an instrument for any environment.

And this, however, is not the case with the guitar, which is less accessible in this regard and also depends on an amplifier to amplify the sound and make it easier for more people to hear.

Therefore, at the time of purchase, if you choose a guitar you will also need to invest a little more to have the necessary equipment with it, such as the amplifier and the connecting wire.

Although you have to invest a little more, this still has its advantage: on the guitar you can plug in headphones, avoiding complaints from other people – like your neighbors or the people who live with you!

This will certainly also allow you to train your instrument at any time of the day, including in the early hours.

Another nice advantage of the guitar is that it can be simpler to play because it has a smaller neck and strings that are softer than the guitar.

The effects pedals also provide other fantastic tones for you to test, and there are levers, two hands, artificial harmonics and many other possibilities to diversify and add to your sound.

How much?

Despite being an instrument that requires some extra equipment for you to start practicing, the guitar is a relatively affordable investment. You can get even better prices by buying your guitar online and researching a lot on different websites until you find the price that fits in your pocket.

It is possible to find guitars starting at R $ 300, but these less expensive instruments are not from very reliable brands and can end up spoiling more quickly.

Therefore, to buy a better quality and longer lasting guitar, you must have at least R $ 400.

But depending on your available budget, your level of learning or if you are looking for something more robust, guitars can cost, for example, from R $ 1,500 to more than R $ 100,000.

Special editions, such as brand anniversary or collaborations with famous artists from the world of music, can cost from R $ 500,000 to more than R $ 1 million.

Where to buy?

You can purchase a guitar of your choice at a musical instrument store in your city, or at chains such as Multisom, Ninjasom and PlayTech. You can also buy from these same stores through their websites.

In addition to the instrument stores, you can find a guitar in department stores, also through the internet in these same stores.

You can still find guitars from the comfort of your home and at very attractive prices by buying over the internet, Amazon.

 

Purchasing Criteria: Factors to Compare Guitar Models

Now, the guitar model that suits you is just a click away. But to be able to choose the one that best suits your needs, stay tuned to the purchase criteria that we will detail below and choose yours!

• Goal
• Brands
• Models
• Manufacturing

Below, we will thoroughly understand each one so that you can finally choose yours.

Goal

As you already know, there are several different guitar models on the market. And each model of it has certain characteristics that best serve a certain type of audience.

When thinking and defining the musical style that you like and will certainly want to play, you can come up with a type of guitar that best matches the tone needed for you to play this musical genre well.

 

After defining your purpose of playing guitar you can choose the best model. (Source: harutmovsisyan / Pixabay)

The Stratocaster, for example, has a cracked tone and more prominence in harmonics. Les Paul, on the other hand, has the most velvety and serious tone, while on the Telecaster it is drier and more acute.

In semiacoustics, which we mentioned earlier when explaining the difference between the two main types of guitar, the sound is well divided between a guitar and a guitar.

Find out what you want from your instrument, what timbre you need to extract from it, and thus you will know which type of guitar best matches the sound you want to make.

If you still don’t know what you want to play, it is recommended that you go to Stratocaster. It is a more versatile guitar model, and will allow you to play many different types of sounds.

Ideally, it mixes two types of pickups, a humbucker and a single coil. The humbucker will allow you to have heavier sounds, like rock and metal, and the single coil will allow you sounds like funk and more defined and bright chords.

Brands

Once you’ve chosen your guitar model, it’s time to think about the brand that suits you best. In this regard, affinity and taste count a lot, so if you are a first-timer, here is a little of the history and characteristics of each one:

• Les Paul : Founded by a guitarist named Lester William Polsfuss, already considered one of the best in the world by the music magazine Rolling Stone, Les Paul is undoubtedly one of the most influential brands in history.
  Some celebrities who have already shown their appreciation for their favoritism for the brand are Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Slash.
• Tagima : Tagima,  guitar brand, was born in Barueri, in the interior of São Paulo. Created by Seizi Tagima, a Japanese man in the late 70s, Tagima is the creator of the Memphis line. Musicians like Kiko Loureiro and Vernon Neilly are loyal customers of the brand.
• Yamaha : A famous brand founded in Japan, Yamaha has been a specialist in automotive engine manufacturing for decades. But in the 50s she decided to focus on music, betting a lot on string and wind instruments.
  Some musicians like Troy Van Leeuwen, Wes Borland and Jason Mraz use Yamaha guitars in their shows.
• Epiphone : Epiphone started with the Greek Anastasios Stathpoulos, who left Turkey for the United States in the 19th century. Epiphone guitars reached worldwide fame in the 1970s with the Casino model, the favorite of 3 out of 4 Beatles.
  But the Beatles were not the only ones to fall in love with the brand: John Lee Hooker and BB King were also fans of the brand.
• Fender : Fender Musical Instruments Corporation was founded in the 1940s by technician Leo Fender, and today it is one of the biggest brands in the world of guitars, being the best name for solid body models.
  With a Fender in hand, musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler, from Dire Straits, recorded albums of the greatest importance in the world of music.
• Ibanez : Ibanez, a brand by Hoshino Gakki, is today the brand of oriental musical instruments that most makes money on this side. His success is such that, in addition to musicians like Steve Vai on the client list, New Yorker Joe Satriani has his own line of Ibanez instruments, the JS1000.

There are many brands besides the ones we mentioned, but we cover the main ones in the market and that you, without a doubt, must have heard of. Choose yours and get your hands dirty!

Models

Now that you are also inside the main brands, let’s talk about the main models? There are numerous peculiarities for each one, which are completely linked to the type of sound that the musician intends to make on the guitar.

Model	Feature	Ideal for
Strato	It is versatile and has great note support	Who seeks to make lighter sounds with the guitar
Les Paul	Has dual pickups	Metal lovers who want to extract that kind of sound from their guitar
Flying V	It has a futuristic shape. With its 17 degree inclination, it offers excellent pressure on the back of the strings, thus increasing the sustain of notes	Not suitable for those who need to play the instrument while seated
Telecaster	It has a solid body and two compartments	Country and country lovers
Stratocaster	Single shield and can have up to three single coil pickups	Who wants to play any kind of music

Manufacturing

Before purchasing a guitar, it is necessary to observe details of its manufacture to avoid any future problems or defects from the factory of your new instrument.

Preferably, ask for assistance from a more experienced guitarist in this part, but if you can’t, keep an eye on the following tips:

In relation to wood, the guitar may contain parts of it that may be warped, twisted or cracked.

Generally, if the painting of the guitar is in trouble this is easily identified, but a problem in the structure for a beginner can end up going unnoticed.

Observe if the neck on the guitar is working normally, playing in each house of it to see if the tuning is correct.

Also note if the hardware of the guitar is in perfect condition or shows signs of rust on it. If you have signs of the weather, you can ask for them to be exchanged free of charge.

In addition to the hardware, keep an eye on the electrical part. It is nice to check that all the knobs (buttons that turn to one side and the other) are working without major problems.

In addition to the knobs, the switch must be working perfectly in all positions. And last but not least, make sure the input you connect the guitar cable to is also functioning normally.

So, do you already have in mind which guitar model suits you the most? We hope we helped you make your next purchase more easily and confidently! See you next time.