Electric Guitar Shapes Explained

What are electric guitar shapes and names?  There are many electric guitar shapes and names, this article will briefly review the most popular electric guitar shapes and names of those shapes.  The shape of the guitar body affects the loudness and tone that is produced by the guitar.   Here are a list of shapes and their descriptions:

Electric Guitar Shapes

Fender Telecaster - The Fender Telecaster, also known as the "Tele", was the first successful solid-body electric guitar introduced in 1951 by Fender.  It features two single-coil magnetic pickups which yields a snappy raw tone commonly found in early country, blues and jazz of the time period.  The Fender Telecaster shape has a single cutaway for easy access to higher frets.  Guitarists who have played the Fender Telecaster include Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, George Harrison and Eric Clapton.  For the traditional guitarist, buy Fender Telecaster Electric Guitar today.

Fender Stratocaster -  The Fender Stratocaster is the iconic and typical electric guitar and has one of the most popular shapes that other manufactures have modeled their own guitars after.  The Fender Stratocaster has three single-coil pickups by default, but comes in an "HSS" version with a humbucker at the bridge position.  Guitarists who have played the Fender Stratocaster include Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, John Mayer and Tom DeLonge.  For the guitarist that wants to do it all, buy Fender Stratocaster Guitar today.

Gibson Les Paul - The Gibson Les Paul offers the single-cutaway body with more rounded curves in comparison to the Fender Stratocaster and the Fender Telecaster.  It also places the pickup selector switch above the strings rather than below in order to allow easy access for quick tone modification.  The Gibson Les Paul features two humbucker pickups and boasts an unmatched sustain.  Guitarists who have played the Gibson Les Paul include Jimmy Page, Slash, Ace Frehley, Buckethead, Sammy Hagar and Eric Clapton.  For the rock guitarists that wants to do it all, buy Gibson Les Paul today.

Gibson SG - The Gibson SG was originally to be an alternative to the standard Gibson Les Paul model, but Les Paul did not want his name to be associated with it.  With its iconic "horned" appearance, the SG made the double-cutaway body shape popular and features two humbucker pickups.  Guitarists who have played the Gibson SG include Eric Clapton, Buck Dharma, Jerry Garcia, Dave Grohl, Santana, Mike Oldfield and James Hetfield.  For the alternative rockstar, buy Gibson SG today.

Gibson Flying V - The Gibson Flying V exchanged rounded curves with straight lines and acute angles in 1958 in order to offer a more futuristic looking guitar.  It features two humbucker pickups and a tune-o-matic bridge that allowed the addition of a whammy bar for bending notes.  Guitarists who have played the Gibson Flying V include Jimi Hendrix, Kirk Hammet, Steve Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Parry, Keith Richards and Eddie Van Halen.  If you want to look like a rockstar, buy Gibson Flying V today.

There are many more guitar shapes to explore, but all of the modern shapes had their start with these five models.  I hope this helps you find the right guitar shape for your playing style.