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Whether to learn acoustic guitar or learn electric guitar is essentially down to the preference of the student. It could just come down to what type of guitar you imagine yourself playing. Or even what type of guitar you can get your hands on. I was given my first guitar – an electric – so for me it was not even a conscious choice, but it is what I would and chosen had I picked.

That said, before deciding, it should be considered what style of music you eventually want to go onto, acoustic guitar is often used for classical and folk and electric for pretty much everything else. This does not mean you can’t change later, though, as the lessons for both types are essentially the same. The look, feel and sound of them, however, is very different.

For example, I always found acoustic guitars to be quite bulky. Whenever I sat down with one under my arm it felt like I had to reach over to strum it and often found the corner of the drum to be digging into my arm (electric guitars are a lot slimmer). On top of that I always preferred the look of electric guitars, they are so varied it should be easy to find one to suit you and your personality. Something quirky? No problem. Just look at something Prince might use. A guitar shaped like a castle? Well, I’ve seen one of those too. Most of my childhood guitar heroes played electric, so that’s what I wanted to do.

But for your first guitar I suggest something simple and affordable. No point spending a big wedge of notes on a top rated axe when you can’t do it justice. And despite your good intentions, you might not be playing it in two months time and it will just be a waste of money.

Many people find acoustic guitar to be slightly gentler on your fingers, and they are as they have nylon strings. I know some found the electric to be too harsh for their fingers to begin with and changed to acoustic to harden them up first. This is fine although if you can mange 20 minutes of practice everyday you will find your fingers get used to the pain quick enough. A few weeks should build calluses on the tips of your chord hand and once you have you won’t notice it as much. Lighter, thinner strings will help for this.

Another thing about acoustic guitars is that the strings are further from the fretboard (neck) than on an electric so learning chords takes more precision as you have to press down further while still keeping the open strings clear. This also makes it harder to perform more dextrose and nimble finger movements. The neck is also longer on an electric. This won’t make much of a difference when starting out but the cut-a-ways on the body of the electric allow you to reach frets a lot further up the neck, an area more used for soloing.

The acoustic guitar sounds better. Assuming its tuned and you’er playing properly the resonance from the sound chamber is one of the nicest sounds in my opinion. The electric, of course, needs to be plugged in to an amp before they come alive. Plinking away on an electric without an amp is possible and you can tell whether the chords/rifts are clear or not. But it sounds weak and tinny and quiet. An amp with give the sound character and volume – lots of it!

If you don’t want to be disturbing the family or neighbours, however, then you can always plug headphones into the amp and this is actually the quietest method of playing. Something else to bear in mind while deciding. The amp (and lead) is an additional expense so watch out for that as well.

The point is you can swap and change later, once you’re getting the hang of playing. They may feel different but they are interchangeable and it will help broaden your playing experience if you do so.

If you still can’t decide you could go for a semi-acoustic. These guitars often sound great on their own and often have a more rounded back for comfort and use steel strings. Plus, if you want loud you can plug it into an amp.

There are many differences between every guitar, even in the same category, and it is often best to try a few out before buying. Chances are, whichever guitar you start on, it’s not going to be your last. You will want to upgrade as you progress, then get another because it has a different sound and look. You might find you have a love for guitars and before you know it have a good collection going.

Whichever you decide, you will need lessons of some sort to progress. Even people who say they have taught themselves will still have use books or some sort of guidance.

For a rough idea on how long the guitar will take to master see