Buying Your First Guitar, Part 2: Acoustic Guitars

Other parts in this series:
Buying Your First Guitar, Part 1: Electric Guitars
Buying Your First Guitar, Part 3: Buying a Good Quality Guitar

Today's blog post is about the pros and cons of buying an acoustic guitar (yesterday we talked about the pros and cons of buying an electric guitar, click here if you want to check it out).

Acoustic Guitar: Pros

Portability: Let’s now consider the acoustic guitar, and one of its distinct advantages over the electric: portability. You can play an acoustic guitar just about anywhere – in the park, at a friend’s house, school or work (probably best to leave it in the case unless you’re on lunch)… and did I mention around a campfire? Playing an acoustic around the bonfire is practically a tradition in North America, and I imagine other parts of the world. Bottom line: You can play anywhere!

Sound quality: A well-crafted acoustic guitar also has a beautiful sound, which cannot be replicated by electronics. This makes the acoustic an excellent solo instrument, and a real joy to play. You can get a very full and fleshed-out sound from an acoustic, and you can sing and strum without feeling like there is anything missing, whereas on the electric you tend to want at least a bass and some drums backing you up. When practicing, of course, it doesn’t matter, but performances with just an electric guitar tend not to have the same effect. Acoustics have a fuller sound that an electric simply can not compete with, which can be great for either solo performances or for songwriting. Bottom line: You just can't beat the beautiful sound of an acoustic guitar.

Acoustic Guitar: Cons

Harder to play: When developing callouses - something we all do when starting out on the guitar - there is usually some pain in the fingertips. Acoustic guitars tend to give better (stronger) callouses, but at the cost of hurting your fingers more. You need to press down more to get the same quality of sound on an acoustic guitar. Bottom Line: If you've got sensitive fingers, electric might be the way to go.

Easier to break: Acoustic guitars are, generally, pretty hardy instruments. If you accidentally bump your wall (or ceiling, as I often used to do) with your guitar it's not the end of the world. Nevertheless, the fact that acoustics have a hollow body makes them much more fragile than an electric guitar. Most people could stand on the body of an electric and probably get away with doing little to no damage (I had a friend who did this to one of my electrics at a party for some strange reason). But trip and fall on the body of an acoustic and you’re probably looking at irreparable damage. Obviously a responsible person has less to worry about here, but I can tell you I’ve heard horror stories of fellow performers who have had an overly enthusiastic crowd member (I.e. a drunk) knock over their acoustic guitar and put a huge hole in it. Yikes! If you’re set on an acoustic, however, this potential problem shouldn’t scare you off – just be careful and mind where you leave the instrument! Bottom line: Easier to break than an electric... great for reckless rockers on stage trashing their gear, bad for the rest of us.

Which to buy?

I've given what I think are the significant pros and cons of acoustics and electrics. As for my personal opinion, I don’t really lean in one direction or the other. If you really want an acoustic and the disadvantages to owning one don’t really scare you off, then get one. But if you want to learn nothing but AC/DC songs… well, I foresee an electric in your future. Either can be a great starting instrument, depending on your wants and needs.

How Much $$$???

As I said in the pros and cons of buying the electric guitar, the starting point for either an acoustic and electric, at least in North America, tends to be about the same – somewhere between $100 and $300 (American). Some stores even offer "package deals" where you can get the guitar with picks, extra strings, strap, and an amp (for electrics), all at one low price.

My advice? Prices can go as high as you’re willing to pay, so be sure to set a budget before you venture out to buy your first guitar! And make sure you like the look of your guitar - sound is important, but if you can't stand the way your guitar looks, you might get sick of it!

Once you have an idea of which guitar you'd like to buy (or even if you don't just yet), check out the next part in my series on buying guitars: Choosing a good quality guitar.