How Many Strings Does A Guitar Have? The guitar is said to a nuanced and complex instrument that provides a distinct sound according to the player’s technique, the guitar’s design, and its strings. The most common form of this musical instrument is the six-string guitar. But because of the innovative minds of the people, it has evolved, and it continues to do so. Today, the guitar with the most number of strings is the 36-string bass guitar.

A Must-Read: How Much Does An Electric Guitar Cost?

Guitar Types And Their Number Of Strings

There are four types of guitar, namely bass, acoustic, harp, and electric. Below is some information about each type along with the number of strings they have:

Bass Guitar

Usually, a bass guitar and a guitar, in the context of a band, are viewed as separate instruments. The bass guitar works as a bridge between the drummer and the guitarist by providing a tight rhythmic groove along with the drums. While doing so, it also offers a harmonic contradiction for the guitar.

Bass guitars usually have four thick strings. But it also comes with different variations such as the 5-string basses, 6-string basses, 7-string basses, 8-string basses, 9-string basses, 12-string basses, and the fantastic 36-string basses.

Acoustic Guitar

The most classical guitar form is the six-string acoustic guitar. It is generally the first thing that comes to a person’s mind when the topic is about guitars. But just like bass guitar, acoustic guitars also come with another variation, which is the 12-strong acoustic guitar.

This acoustic guitar variation became popular in the year 1960s and 1970s by famous guitar players like Jimmy Page and Roger McGuinn. The idea of the 12-string acoustic guitar is similar to the traditional six-string acoustic. This musical instrument is used for famous old songs like More Than A Feeling of Boston and the hit of Led Zeppelin, Over The Hills And Far Away.

Harp Guitar

Nowadays, harp guitars are rarely seen. It is a strange-looking form of guitar that is made of two parts, which is a six-string harp and six-string guitar. A harp guitar may have a traditional guitar body with 12 strings, but it has a long, curved corner that is protruding out from the top part of the guitar’s body. The six-string harp works like bass but without having frets.

Electric Guitar

An electric guitar usually has six strings. But aside from that, this musical instrument also comes with other variations such as the 7-string electric guitars, 8-string, -string, 10-string, 12-string, 18-string, and the 20-string.

Conclusion

To summarize, each guitar type offers a wide range of variations. The most common number of strings in a guitar is six, and the greatest you can find comes with 36 strings. If you want to level up the complexity of your guitar skills, explore other guitar variations that have a higher number of strings. For those who prefer the classical six-string guitar, this beginner classical acoustic guitar from Pyle is among your best choices. If you already own several guitars at home, you may also love this Walnut Guitar Rack CC34 Holder by String Swing.