Guitar For Dummies Acoustic Guitar Starter Pack (Guitar, Book, Audio CD, Gig Bag)

It depends—on you!  There is no correct answer to this question for everyone.  Several factors will affect your decision.  What type of music will you learn to play? Do you like the look and feel of the guitar?  Do you love it?

Choosing to learning to play the guitar requires an investment of both time and money.  It’s important that you really love the guitar you choose.  If you buy a great acoustic guitar and want to play classic rock and roll songs, you may become frustrated.

In addition to the type of music that you intend to play, there are other important factors to consider when choosing between an acoustic and an electric guitar.

Player Strength and Hand Size

Your strength or your child’s strength may impact your choice of guitar.  The sound of a guitar string is altered when a player presses her finger to the fret board.  The distance between the string and the fret board is called “action.”

tend to have a lower action than acoustic guitars. The strings are closer to the fret board.  Because the action is lower, it is easier to press the string to the fret board.

The sound of a guitar is made by the vibrations of strings above the sound hole on an acoustic guitar.  On an electric guitar electronic devices called “pick ups” communicate the vibration of the strings through the patch cord to the guitar amplifier.  Due to the higher action and reliance on an un-amplified sound hole to poduce sound, acoustic guitars require thicker strings.  These thicker strings, when combined with the higher action of an acoustic guitar require the player to use more force to play a note than that player would use to play the same note on an electric guitar.

Finally, the neck of an electric guitar is narrower than the neck of an acoustic guitar.  The narrower neck may work better with a young player.

Convenience

The final factor that we will address is the convenience of playing an electric or acoustic guitar.  An acoustic guitar is extremely portable.  It can be played virtually anywhere and does not require any additional equipment.

The electric guitar requires additional equipment.  Due to reliance on the pick ups transmitting sound to the amplifier, the guitar must be plugged into an amp to be heard well.  This means that your investment in a beginning electric guitar may be more than for an acoustic guitar because you will need to purchase additional equipment like an amplifier and cord.

Your acoustic guitar is sold to you “as is.”  That means that it is very difficult or expensive to upgrade that specific guitar.  You are more likely to buy a better acoustic guitar than to try to upgrade your beginning model.  The electric guitar offers more flexibility because you an make several modifications as you improve your abilities or your tastes change.  For example, you may choose to upgrade the pickups on your electric guitar.  This will alter the sound of your guitar.  You can also upgrade your amplifier or add effect pedals that will enable you to explore creative sounds with your electric guitar.

Conclusion

Again, the choice is yours.  The type of music you choose to play, the strength of the student, and convenience of playing area each important factors to consider when choosing an electric or acoustic guitar.  Ultimately, you should pick a guitar that you love!