Crayon Sky Music

Acoustic Guitars?

whats the difference/difference in sound between an acoustic and an acoustic-electric guitar?

Those guitars are good for a very beginning start. Learn how to finger chords, notes, and strung or fingerpick. But they are all acoustic guitars.

The sound an acoustic guitar generates comes from the body of the guitar itself. The type of wood and craftsmanship are critical to the tone of an acoustic guitar. Most beginners aren’t aware of this, but there IS a reason some acoustic guitars are more expensive than others. You get what you pay for in most cases, but with a little hunting you might get a very good deal on a used guitar.

But the sound is generated by the vibration of the strings and is amplified inside the hollow body and comes out of the sound hole in an acoustic guitar.

While all guitars can be played without amps, acoustic guitars can be heard much better than electric guitars.

Acoustic-electric guitars, in this case, is a term for acoustic guitars which have a jack for a cable and pickups for the sound. You can play an acoustic guitar plugged into an amp and get louder sound out of it. Also, since you have a way to take the sound out with a cable, you can put your sound through pedals or distortion settings on an amp to create a different sound.

One thing to note is that you will likely have to block the sound hole of an acoustic if you play your amp loudly otherwise you will create feedback (that’s the loud screechy noise that is produced when a microphone is placed too close to the speaker) through the soundhole and the amp.

Another important point for care of your acoustic guitar is a humidifier. The wood of your guitar is so important to the tone that if you leave it in a dry place (or live in a dry environment) the wood can dry out and weaken or even crack. You can either use a regular humidifier for your guitar room or buy an acoustic guitar humidifier (that fits in the sound hole and ALSO can block feedback) from any guitar store (or online.)

When you become a more proficient guitarist there are really only two types of acoustic guitars worth buying. Taylors or Martins.

Taylor Guitars are quieter and have a slightly softer tone compared to the Martin Guitars, but have built-in electronics for plugging into amps and are very good if you plan on putting on concerts or other amped performances.

Martin Guitars are, to me, the best acoustic guitars you can buy. They do not have the same electronics as Taylors, but they invented the dreadnaught style body and have long perfected it. You can definitely hear the difference in tone when you play a Martin Guitar as well as the ease of action (how easy it is to push the strings down to create chords) and the sustain of the sound.

Hope this helped.

Fender Acoustic Guitar Starter Pack