Video:Difference Between Acoustic and Electric Guitars

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Transcript:Difference Between Acoustic and Electric Guitars

Hi! I’m Rick Tedesco for About.com and today we’re going to talk about the differences between acoustic and electric guitars. We’re here at Guitar Hangar in Brookfield, Connecticut.

Electric Guitars Need Amplification

It’s very easy to tell the difference between acoustic and electric guitars. Acoustic guitars produce sound just by their design and your fingers strumming the strings. Electric guitars must be plugged into a sound amplifier in order to produce the sound effectively. Acoustic guitars are typically made of wood and have a sound hole in their faces that helps with the sound modulation, increasing the volume of the vibrating string.

Acoustic Guitars are Bulky but Light

Acoustic guitars look bulkier than electric guitars, but are actually lighter because they are completely hollow. Electric guitars are solid, heavy and typically smaller than acoustic guitars. They are specifically made to partner with amplifiers and have switches and pentameters that control sound manipulation and volume. Acoustic and electric guitars produce very different sounds and are used for different genres of music. Electric guitars only use steel strings, while acoustic guitars use both steel and nylon strings.

Acoustic and Electric Guitars are Used in Different Genres

Acoustic guitars are traditionally used in classical, folk, country and jazz music as they produce wonderful strumming and plucking sounds. Electric guitars are known for their sharp sounds, guitar leads and licks mainly used in rock music. Due to the their electronic nature, these guitars can produce a variety of interesting sounds with the help of pedals and distortion devices.Whether an acoustic or electric guitar is better for you, depends on the type of music you want to play. To learn more about this and other music topics, please visit About.com. Thanks for watching.