The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar also vary to produce variety of sounds (music). According to the sound they produce, different types of guitars exist but there are two main types of guitars, the Electric guitar and the Acoustic guitar.
Guitars are recognized as one of the primary instruments in flamenco, jazz, blues, country, mariachi, rock music, and many forms of pop. They can also be a solo classical instrument. Guitars may be played acoustically, where the tone is produced by vibration of the strings and modulated by the hollow body, or they may rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone. Such electric guitars were introduced in the 1930s, and they have continued to have a profound influence on popular culture since then.
Traditionally guitars have usually been constructed of combinations of various woods and strung with animal gut, or more recently, with either nylon or steel strings. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers. There are many brands of guitars, but some commonly known brands are Fender, Gibson, Dean, Gretsch, Ibanez, Martin, Jackson, Schecter, Taylor, Paul Reed Smith, B.C. Rich, ESP and Yamaha.
