Body top
The material from which the soundboard cover is made is an additional overlay on the upper soundboard, which primarily plays a decorative role and gives the instrument a pleasant appearance. Do not confuse such a cover with a protective overlay (see above about it). And in semi-acoustic instruments with a hollow body (see "Type"), this paragraph may indicate the material of the upper soundboard, and a separate cover as such may be absent.
In general, the value of this parameter is similar to the material of the body (see above) — adjusted for the fact that the deck cover also directly determines the appearance of the electric guitar, and in semi-acoustic models it affects the sound more than the rest of the body. However, the main criterion for choosing this parameter may well be the aesthetic preferences of the musician.
Fretboard
The material from which the fretboard of an electric guitar is made.
The fretboard is placed under the strings, where the strings are pressed when played. The need to use overlays is due to the fact that the types of wood from which the fingerboard itself is made are often not hard enough, and dents could occur on their surface from constant contact with the strings. Accordingly, the overlays are made of a harder material that retains the shape of the surface even after repeated pressing of the strings. As such a material, both special types of wood (
ebony,
rosewood) and high-quality phenolic polymers can be used.
In general, the quality of the fingerboard is usually quite consistent with the price category of the instrument, but it hardly makes sense to dwell on the detailed characteristics of each material (they are not so critical for the normal use of an electric guitar). We only note that the material of the overlay directly affects the appearance of the instrument.
Case
The presence of a
case or cover included with the guitar.
Both the case and the case are tool cases, with the difference that cases are made of hard materials and provide better impact protection, while soft cases are more convenient to transport (especially on the shoulders). Anyway, the case is highly desirable for storing and carrying the instrument. It at least protects the guitar from dirt, moisture, temperature extremes, shocks and other adverse effects, and when carrying it, it also provides additional convenience: the design has appropriate devices for this, such as handles or straps. In addition, cases and covers often have additional compartments for accessories (spare strings, picks, notebooks, pedals, etc.)
The presence of a case in the kit saves the musician from having to buy it separately — especially since such an accessory is optimally suited to the "native" model of the guitar. The latter is especially important for custom-shaped cases, for which it can be very difficult to find separately sold cases. At the same time, complete cases / covers may not provide the required degree of protection — often these are the simplest products, designed mainly for warm weather without precipitation. So the characteristics of the complete case will not hurt to clarify separately.
