The guitar is a portable, flexible instrument that has existed for thousands of years. It is one of the top 5 instruments people like to learn and has influenced modern culture, as seen in the popular game “Guitar Hero.”
Learning guitar has many benefits, such as improving hand-eye coordination. The guitar is unique in that you can play any song, making it appealing to kids and adults. The guitar is an easy and affordable choice for beginners compared to other popular instruments like the piano or violin. It’s no surprise that it’s in the top 5 list.
Most of the time, many beginners struggle to understand the difference between an acoustic and an electric guitar. In this article, we will discuss in detail all about acoustic and electric guitars, and we hope by the end of this article, you will have a rough idea of which type of guitar you should pursue.
Similarities Between Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Acoustic guitar is the more common guitar among the two. How do you know if your guitar is electric or acoustic? The most obvious telltale sign that a guitar is an acoustic guitar is it has a hole in the middle of it. This is the main characteristic of an acoustic guitar and is the way this guitar produces music. This hollow chamber in the acoustic guitar’s body converts the vibration from its string to sound.
The electric guitar is an instrument that is synonymous with rock and roll. The electric guitar is suitable for all genres of music and can be an exciting instrument to play and master. The electric guitar looks similar to an acoustic guitar but works differently. An electric guitar produces sounds by picking up the vibrations on the strings and converting them to an electrical signal projected through an amplifier.
Acoustic and electric guitars are two different kinds of guitars, but they have a ton of similarities between each other. This section will further discuss the similarities between these unique guitar types.
Strings, Fret and Fretboard
Both the electric guitar and the acoustic guitars are stringed instruments. This means they both use strings to generate music. Similar to Acoustic guitars, the electric guitar has six strings. Similarly, both of these guitars have fretboards and frets.
Technique
The electric and acoustic guitars use almost the same playing technique. If you have learned and mastered the acoustic guitar, you can relatively quickly learn and master the electric guitar.
Tuning
To play beautiful music on a guitar, you must first tune this instrument—the electric guitar and the acoustic use the same tuning method. Therefore, if you know how to tune an acoustic guitar, you can use this knowledge to tune an electric guitar.
Differences Between Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Acoustic and electric guitars have many similarities, but their differences make them unique. Though one can play both instruments, there are significant differences between them that can help you decide which guitar to choose.
Strings
One of the most significant differences between the acoustic guitar and the electric guitar lies in the strings. As you know, the string plays the most prominent role in producing music for this instrument. It is the vibrations that these strings give out that make up the tone of the instrument.
Generally, the electric guitar uses one single type of string that is made of steel. This is a huge difference compared to the acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar strings can be made of many different materials, such as steel and nylon strings. There are many varieties on top of the two above. There are multiple steel strings, such as polymer-coated, brass, silk, steel, bronze, and the most popularly used phosphor bronze. As for nylon, there are the following styles: titanium, clear nylon, black nylon, composite and even rectified nylon.
The string gauge in the electric guitar also tends to be thinner than the acoustic guitar.
Portability
More often than not, when people think about a portable instrument, they think of a guitar. Most do not realise that the guitar they picture is acoustic rather than electric.
One of the glaring differences between the acoustic guitar and the electric guitar is its portability. An acoustic guitar is small and can be easily carried around from one place to another. You can even travel easily between countries with an acoustic guitar.
The electric guitar, on the other hand, is not so travel-friendly. The reason for this is that to play your electric guitar, you will also need to carry an amplifier. Simply put, an electric guitar can only produce music with an amplifier. This makes this instrument a tad bit less portable than an acoustic guitar.
Overall, the general size of the electric guitar is smaller and slender compared to an acoustic guitar, but keep in mind the need for an amplifier.
Pros and Cons of Acoustic Guitar
The acoustic guitar is arguably one of the most learned instruments in the world. Let us look at some pros and cons of learning the guitar to help you make an informed decision, as it's important you choose a guitar to match your learning level.
Pros
Flexibility
One of the best things about the acoustic guitar is its flexibility, which allows you to bring it whenever and wherever you want. Unlike instruments such as the piano, you can carry it everywhere and practise it whenever you want.
Simple
The acoustic guitar is simple to learn and play. This, coupled with the strings being further attached, makes playing and manoeuvring this instrument easier.
Price
The acoustic guitar tends to be more affordable compared to an electric guitar. You just need a guitar, a pick, and some strings, which makes this instrument very affordable.
Are you unsure about which guitar is within your budget? Check out the Best Affordable Guitars for New Players!
Cons
Tougher on Fingers
The acoustic guitar has thicker strings. This tends to be harsher on the fingers, but only at the beginning stage. Guitarists who pick up the acoustic guitar tend to form calluses because of this, but you can refer to some helpful resources that can assist you in getting used to the acoustic guitar.
It Can Be a Struggle for Those with Smaller Hands
As mentioned earlier, one of the pros of learning the acoustic guitar is that the strings are further apart, making it easier to manoeuvre. This is a double-edged sword, as the neck of the acoustic guitar tends to be thicker or wider. This makes it difficult for people with small hands. It does not mean people with small hands cannot master this instrument. It might just take a little longer to get used to the positions.
Volume Can’t Be Controlled
You must practice playing the guitar as much as possible during the learning period. Unfortunately, the acoustic guitar does not have a volume control, so practising at early and late hours could be problematic as it might disturb others.
Pros and Cons of Electric Guitar
The electric guitar is an instrument that is synonymous with rock and roll. It is seen as a cool instrument, so it’s no surprise that people want to not only learn this instrument but master it as well. Let us look at some pros and cons of learning the electric guitar.
Pros
Easier to Learn
One of the electric guitar’s most significant pros is that it tends to be easier to learn than the acoustic guitar. This is mainly due to its thinner strings and slimmer neck. The thinner strings tend to hurt less for beginners, and the fact that an electric guitar’s neck tends to run thinner makes it easier for those with small hands to manoeuvre the instrument.
Variety
When it comes to electric guitars, you can consider many shapes and sizes, unlike the acoustic guitar, which comes in a specific shape with few variants in colour. When you walk into a guitar shop, you will find that the electric guitar has not only many colours to choose from but also sizes and shapes. This makes this instrument unique to each of its players.
You Can Practise or Play Any Time
As the electric guitar needs an amplifier, you can plug in a headphone and play any time of the day or night without the fear of bothering someone. This is especially useful for working adults who have decided to learn the instrument.
Cons
Equipment
This is one of the biggest drawbacks to the electric guitar. The electric guitar needs additional equipment, unlike the acoustic guitar, which can be played just like that. You will not be able to play the electric guitar without an amplifier. So, if you have decided to pick up the electric guitar and learn it, be ready to purchase additional equipment with this instrument.
Expensive
Unlike the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar runs slightly on the pricier side. Even though these guitars tend to be more expensive, you can rest assured that the quality and build are exceptional. Still, there are a variety of budget guitar choices out there for you to explore.
More Effects
Unlike the acoustic guitar, the electric guitars have additional music and tone effects such as signal reshaping and signal augmentation. This makes learning and playing this instrument fun.
While there are many online resources to learn guitar, having a teacher for feedback is invaluable. If you are looking for guitar lessons with a private tutor, Superprof is the best. All the tutors are qualified, experienced and verified, so you can be assured that the tutors you hire are some of the best in their respective fields. You can also get to know the tutor better before committing, as their first lesson tends to be free. If you’re seeking advice for guitar for beginners, our tutors are happy to assist you in picking the right guitar for you.
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