Sooner or later you’ll want an acoustic in your hands. The catch is that the search splits in two before you’ve even picked a brand.
You can buy a plain acoustic, or you can buy a acoustic-electric with a pickup built in for plugging into an amp. They look almost the same on the wall.
That one piece of hardware is the whole decision. It affects price, upkeep, and whether the guitar can ever play through a PA.
This article compares both so you can spot the right type of acoustic for how you play, and land on the best acoustic guitar for your money. First, which one suits a beginner?
Quick Comparison
| Category | Acoustic | Acoustic-Electric | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplification | Mic it or play unplugged | Plugs straight into an amp or PA | Acoustic-Electric |
| Unplugged tone | Designed to sing on its own | Nearly identical; cutaway can trim resonance | Acoustic |
| Maintenance | No electronics to service | Battery, preamp, and jack to mind | Acoustic |
| Stage and gig use | Harder to amplify well | Made for it | Acoustic-Electric |
| Price | Simpler and often cheaper | The pickup adds cost | Acoustic |
| Strings and feel | Standard acoustic strings | Same strings, same feel | Tie |
| Overall | Pure unplugged charm | Versatility when you plug in | Depends |
Which Is Better for a Beginner Guitarist?
There isn’t much difference between these two types of guitar for a beginner. Both will work fine for your first few years of playing.
If you’re starting out, I recommend just getting something in your price range. Don’t worry about spending too much if you don’t know exactly how much you’ll need.
You can always upgrade later.
If you do decide to go with an acoustic over an acoustic-electric, keep in mind that most acoustic guitarists start off learning to play before they ever use amplification. This means you should think about buying a good-quality acoustic guitar to begin with.
You may find yourself wanting to switch from one acoustic guitar to another after some time. There are many reasons to consider switching from an acoustic to an acoustic-electric.
Some players like the feel better and may prefer the tone of an acoustic-electric guitar. Others may not care for the larger size of a standard acoustic.
Deconstructing the Acoustic Guitar
It’s the grandfather of the pack, the guitar that gave birth to all the types we’ve today. The acoustic guitar oozes so much pedigree that it’ll fit into any context, be it a punk rock anthem or a classical concerto.
And while it was once thought that its younger siblings - specifically the electric - could drive it to oblivion, acoustics remain as popular as ever. This is mainly because only they can offer tones and sound in their purest form: crisp, clear, and unadulterated by electronic wizardry.
A standard acoustic comprises a set of strings that vibrate above a hollow chamber on the main body. These vibrations are picked up by the body’s topside and transmitted into the chamber (now you know where the word ‘pickup’ comes from).
Once they’re inside, the air enclosed by the instrument’s body also begins to vibrate, magnifying the sound. And that’s how acoustics produce audible sound without external amplification.
What’s important to note is that all these vibrations (on the strings, air, and topside) occur at different frequencies. The result is that some overtones are amplified more strongly than others, influencing the guitar’s projection.
The body’s topside (also known as the soundboard) holds the most significant influence over the tones. Its large surface area can capture more energy from the vibrations than the strings would by themselves, and it offers an efficient route for the sound to get into the chamber (you’ll recall that solids transmit sound better than air).
Now it’s easy to understand why woods are so significant in acoustics. A guitar can sound bright, dark, full, or thin depending on what woods were used for its body, neck, and fretboard.
Woods also lack the homogeneity of, say, metal or plastic. Two samples of the same species can sound different, depending on where they were sourced.
And that’s before you bring in the solid vs laminate debate.
The Acoustic-Electric Guitar in Detail
Acoustic-electric, or electric-acoustic guitars (sometimes called electro-acoustics): it doesn’t matter what you call them. Both terms refer to the same thing, which is an acoustic guitar equipped with a pickup system.
This works pretty much like a microphone, capturing the instrument’s sound and sending it into an amplifier and loudspeaker in that order.
It’s worth noting that pickups are designed to capture vibrations rather than sound. Guitars with nylon strings have their pickups paired with built-in mics, since standard pickups only work with metal strings.
Whatever the case, electric-acoustics need a preamp to amplify the captured signal before it’s sent elsewhere. An onboard battery usually powers this preamp, and manufacturers take advantage of that to provide onboard tonal controls and EQ.
Before going any further, it’s important to clarify that semi-acoustic guitars don’t fall within the acoustic-electric family. Both use onboard pickup systems, but semi-acoustics are electric guitars through and through.
They’ve hollow bodies to give them specific acoustic sound properties.
Similarities Between Acoustic and Acoustic-Electric
Time to stack the two side by side and see how they compare.
Let’s start with the similarities. There are certain aspects that both acoustic guitars and their electric-acoustic counterparts have in common.
These include:
- Construction and materials: As we’ve already seen, an electric-acoustic instrument is nothing more than an acoustic guitar fitted with a pickup system, either by the manufacturer or the player (yes, you’ve that option too). You’ll often find acoustic and electric-acoustic variants of the same model, featuring the same design and body materials.
- Strings: While electrics require unique strings, acoustics and electric-acoustics have no problem sharing. You can string them with identical sets without any issues.
- The ability to play unplugged: Much like a regular acoustic, an electric-acoustic can be played without plugging into an amp, and the tones are still heard.
- Cost: The numbers may vary here and there, but acoustics and acoustic-electric guitars are usually priced in the same bracket. Do keep in mind that pricing varies with features, quality, and brand.
Differences Between Acoustic and Acoustic-Electric
Now let’s delve into the differences:
- Amplification: Or rather the ability to plug into an amp or effects chain. This is only possible with acoustic-electric guitars.
- Cutaway: Modern electric-acoustics are increasingly departing from their traditional cousins with cutaway bodies. For all the playability it offers, a cutaway body changes the character of a guitar’s sound, reducing volume and resonance. But the difference only becomes evident when you play unplugged.
- Size: To continue on the point above, size isn’t as big a concern with electric-acoustics as with standard acoustics. The reason is simple: the former doesn’t have to be huge to be loud.
- Portability: Acoustics take the prize here. There’s no need to lug around extra gear when you want to travel with your guitar. With an acoustic-electric, you’ll have to find room for guitar patch cables and an amplifier in your case, not to mention your effects chain if you want to use it.
How Acoustic and Acoustic-Electric Guitars Compare
So we’ve looked at how each guitar is built and what they share. Let’s talk about how they stack up when you’re choosing one to buy.
On pure unplugged tone, the traditional acoustic edges ahead. It’s designed to sing entirely with its own body, and there are no electronics to color the sound.
For reliability and simplicity, the standard acoustic also wins, since fewer components mean fewer things that can fail.
When you look at versatility, though, the acoustic-electric pulls ahead because it can plug straight into an amp or PA system. That makes it the more practical choice for live performance, recording, or playing with a band.
| Factor | Acoustic | Acoustic-Electric |
|---|---|---|
| Amplification | Soundhole only | Plug into an amp or PA |
| Live performance | Needs a separate mic | Ready out of the box |
| Unplugged tone | Pure and full | Very close, slightly affected by cutaways |
| Electronics | None | Pickup, preamp, and battery |
| Portability | No extra gear needed | May need cables and an amp |
| Maintenance | Minimal | Occasional battery and pickup care |
For a beginner or a player who mostly performs at home, a standard acoustic covers the bases at a similar price. For anyone who expects to play out, the small premium for a pickup system is usually worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you play an acoustic-electric guitar without an amp?
Yes. An acoustic-electric guitar still has a hollow body and a soundhole, so it projects sound naturally just like a regular acoustic when it’s unplugged.
The pickup and preamp only come into play when you plug into an amp or PA system, so you lose nothing by practicing acoustically at home.
Is an acoustic-electric guitar harder to maintain?
It requires a little more attention because of the onboard electronics. The preamp is usually powered by a battery that’ll eventually need replacing, and the pickup and output jack can occasionally need service.
A standard acoustic has none of that, so it’s slightly simpler to live with. For most players the difference is minor and easy to manage.
Do acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars use the same strings?
Yes. Both use the same acoustic guitar strings, so you can move between them without changing your string choice.
This is one of the reasons the two guitars feel so similar to play. Standard magnetic pickups work with metal strings, while nylon-string models pair the pickup with a built-in mic.
Does adding a pickup change how an acoustic sounds unplugged?
A well-installed pickup system has very little effect on the unplugged tone. The bigger influence comes from body shape, especially a cutaway, which can slightly reduce volume and resonance.
If pure acoustic projection is your top priority, a non-cutaway body will preserve more of the guitar’s natural sound.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to discount the charm of a traditional acoustic, a guitar designed to sing entirely with its own body. It sounds incredible every time with no need to tweak an effects chain, and being free of electronic components, it’s less delicate than its electric-acoustic cousin.
However, there’ll probably come a time when you want to amplify your sound for a live performance. In that case an electric-acoustic is the more prudent choice.
It gives you most of the qualities of a standard acoustic, but with the added versatility of a built-in pickup for amplification.
If you’re only just starting out, don’t overthink it. Pick the body shape and price that feel right, learn to play, and you can always upgrade or add a pickup later as your needs change.
