Electric vs. Acoustic: Which Guitar Is Right for You?

Learning to play the guitar is an exciting journey that provides challenge, cultivates new skills, and opens up a huge world full of new scales, songs, and artists. It also presents the opportunity to write your own music, which provides another level of creativity and fulfillment. But before they master their first chords, those who are considering learning to play the guitar have a number of decisions to make, one of the most important being whether to go with an electric or acoustic guitar.  

Electric and acoustic guitars have different roles in the world of music, neither of which is inherently better or worse than the other. Instead, it is a matter of choosing the right tool for the task—but even that can be largely subjective, as many avant-garde artists have blurred the lines between electric and acoustic music through creative crossover performances and compositions. Ultimately, the choice between electric and acoustic guitars is one of individual preference—although once a musician dives down the guitar rabbit hole, they may find that they aren’t satisfied until they have multiple models of both guitar styles.

The following considerations can help beginner guitarists to decide which style is right for them—or at least which is the best choice for their first guitar.

Pros and Cons of Electric Guitars

Electric guitars are built for performance—literally. The first electric guitars were amplified for the express purpose of making their music louder, so that they could be enjoyed by large crowds at big concerts. Of course, the reverb created by amplifying the first plugged-in guitars is what led to the creation of the solid-body guitar, which paved the way for what most people envision when they think of electric guitars. Considering the fact that these instruments were built for performance, it makes sense for musicians who intend to play concerts to opt for some form of amplified guitar—whether it’s a solid-body, semi-hollow, or amplified acoustic. 

That being said, electric guitars have a lot more going for them than simply being loud, and many guitarists who never intend to play publicly still prefer them for the style of sound that they naturally create and the wide range of effects that can be applied (including reverb, wah, distortion, and fuzz). The thin strings on many electric guitars and the effects provided by amplification also make them ideal for string-bending, tapping, and other popular guitar soloing techniques—although many of these are also possible on acoustic guitars. They also tend to have longer fret boards, providing a larger range for soloing.

Those thin strings are one of the biggest selling points for beginners, as they tend to be easier to learn on and more forgiving on your fingers. In addition, electric guitars also tend to have thinner bodies than acoustics, which makes them easier for some people to navigate when they are first learning to play. The necks are also thinner and the frets are closer together, which means beginners are less likely to struggle with pushing down hard enough on the strings

The major shortcoming of electric guitars is that they can’t really be played without an amplifier. (Technically they can be played, but the sound is extremely muted, so those playing without amps are largely doing so to practice, but less so for the purpose of making music.) This poses a number of challenges, the first of which is that electric guitarists have to spend a bit more money on equipment than acoustic guitarists, as they will ultimately need to buy amps, cords, and pedals. The other downside to this extra equipment is that electric guitars are more difficult to travel with. Guitarists either have to bring their amps and other equipment with them or have someone at their destination who can provide it for them. This also makes electric guitars less conducive for jamming on the fly.

Pros and Cons of Acoustic Guitars

Unlike electric guitars, acoustics are relatively easy to travel with, affordable to acquire (at least when it comes to basic, beginner models), and great for playing just about anywhere (since the hollow body causes the sounds created by the strings to naturally resonate). In addition, they tend to have a fuller sound, which is great for those who enjoy playing rhythm guitar and focusing on chords. They come in a number of alternative styles, including smaller travel guitars and the distinctive Spanish (or classical) guitar, the latter of which has nylon strings (which is easier to play than steel strings) and a softer, mellower sound.

Acoustic guitars do come with a number of challenges, of course, including the fact that they solo differently than electric guitars (although some people prefer this), tend to be harder to play for beginners (due to the thicker steel strings on acoustic guitars and the wider necks and lack of fret markings on classical guitars), and lack the volume of electric guitars. 

Of course, amplified acoustic guitars provide many of the best attributes of both electric and acoustic guitars, but they come with their own set of challenges, the most obvious of which is their propensity for feedback.

In Conclusion

Whether a new guitarist ultimately opts for an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, or both, there really isn’t a wrong choice. Whatever instrument you choose, it will likely bring hours of enjoyment, challenges, and music—and that’s the whole point of picking up an instrument to begin with.