9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

An integrated preamp within the guitar or pickup housing ensures noise-free operation and a low-impedance signal, guaranteeing lossless transmission regardless of the signal path's length (cable length).

A DiMarzio pickup with a weaker magnetic field. Result: slightly less output but more sustain and dynamics.

Instruments or amplifiers have undergone an artificial aging process, resulting in a beautiful vintage look.

The artistic encasement of the neck, body, or headstock, usually made of plastic, wood, or mother-of-pearl.

Supporting the guitar's top with braces in an acoustic or classical guitar. Manufacturers have developed various patterns for arranging these braces. Bracing can affect the instrument's sound. The "X-Bracing" was introduced by the Martin company.

"Clean" refers to a clean, undistorted sound. It generally avoids excessive mid-range, embracing clear highs and clean bass, imparting some acoustic character to the electric guitar's sound. The most distinct clean sounds are achieved, for instance, by going from a Strat directly into a DI box into the mixer. However, most guitarists prefer a fuller, warmer clean tone. The Fender Twin Reverb (tube) and Roland Jazz Chorus (transistor) are well-known for their good clean sounds.

Mesa Boogie engineers dubbed the third channel on their Mk. III Amp "Crunch" in the late '80s, describing a sound transitioning from clean to distorted but not sustain-rich, rather giving a crunchy feel. This sound suits riffs, rock rhythms, and bluesy solos well. The classic version is created by turning up an amp without a master volume. While modern amps often have a designated channel for it, one can generate Crunch sounds by adjusting the gain control in the lead channel. Vox AC 30, Fender Deluxe, and older Marshalls (without a master volume) are known for these sounds.

An indentation on the guitar body, allowing the soloist to access the upper frets on the fretboard.

A guitar type where three metal cones were embedded in the hardwood body for resonance enhancement. The stringing and tuning are similar to a regular guitar. In 1925, American John Dopyera built this type of instrument (National Guitar). In 1928, a fully metal Dobro entered the market, but the production of the hardwood type continued. Dobro players frequently use a bottleneck. It's often played in an open-tuning.

An FX-Loop, short for effects loop, is like a detour for your guitar signal in an amplifier. It consists of an output (preamp out/send) and an input (main in/return). This loop is where you insert effects that you don't want to be distorted by the preamp. Modulation effects like Chorus and Flanger, as well as time-based effects like Delay/Echo and Reverb/Hall, typically find their place here. It's crucial that these effects don't get overloaded by the amplified signal. Many high-quality amps allow you to attenuate the signal in the loop (e.g., -10 dB). Another option is the parallel effects path. In contrast to the serial loop, where the entire signal passes through the effects chain, here only a controllable part is sent through and mixed with the amplifier's original signal. This is particularly interesting for studio/rack effects where the direct signal can be faded out. Essentially, the guitar signal goes through the effect 100%, and then it's mixed with the original signal.

The Guitar-to-MIDI-Converter transforms the tonal signals of a guitar into MIDI notes, including pitch, velocity, and note-on information. In theory, this allows guitars to be used as MIDI input devices. However, despite advanced technology, Guitar-to-MIDI-Converters never became bestsellers because personal playing styles vary too much from the norm, leading to misinterpretations.

It wasn't until the mid-1990s that they received renewed attention with the development of the Roland V-Guitar, created in collaboration with Fender. The goal of the V-Guitar isn't to, for example, produce a clarinet sound with a guitar but rather to synthesize all imaginable guitar sounds using a personal favorite guitar.

In the early days of rock music, the lead guitarist was simply the one who played not only chords but also melodies (for example, in the Beatles, Lennon was typically the rhythm guitarist, and Harrison was the lead guitarist). With the emergence of Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Page, etc., the role of lead guitarists changed; now, they had to deliver spectacular solos with a new sustain-rich and distorted lead sound. Nowadays, the term refers precisely to this sound, which is also used for riffs, 'dirty rhythm' parts, etc. Legendary classic lead sounds were delivered by various Marshalls and Boogies. Today, the spectrum of excellent amps is incredibly broad.

The Master Volume regulates the overall volume. If distortion is generated in the preamp, distorted playing can be achieved even at lower volumes. However, amplifiers generally sound better and more dynamic when the power amp is also slightly pushed. In multi-channel amps, the Master Volume can adjust the volume while maintaining the ratio between the channels.

The Notch Filter is a specialized EQ allowing an extremely narrow and deep cut in a defined frequency response. It's used to partially or entirely eliminate disturbing frequencies like feedback or ground loops.