For any musician, learning to play the guitar is an exciting time. Once you're ready to shop for your first guitar and begin strumming, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself before the age-old dilemma: should you get an electric or an acoustic model? Many people supporting each option have a lot of arguments in favour of their beloved guitar of choice. Who’s the right option for you?

Is Acoustic or Electric Guitar Better for Beginners?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when deciding between an acoustic or electric guitar but ultimately, it's your decision. It's about selecting what's best for you and picking a guitar that sounds good with your preferred musical genres and that you'll want to pick up and play again.

Even if you have a favourite acoustic option in mind or you’ve started your purchase of electric guitars, there are many options to choose from, making your dilemma even bigger. Don’t worry! This article will provide you with all the information you need to select the ideal guitar for you. We cover the pros and cons of learning to play acoustic and electric guitars, as it can be easier to choose that way.

Acoustic Guitar for Beginners

If you like playing genres like folk, country, bluegrass, fingerpicking, blues and flamenco, the acoustic option might be the better choice for your first guitar. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of acoustic guitars.

Pros

No Amp Required

There's no need for an amplifier when playing an acoustic guitar, whether you're practising at home or jamming with friends. An acoustic guitar has everything you could ever need. Just swing the strap and start picking!

Easier to Fingerpick

An acoustic guitar is more helpful to fingerstyle picking if you enjoy the sound of flamenco or bluegrass music. It allows players more excellent manoeuvrability due to its wider spacing of strings.

Usually Less Expensive

Even though there are a lot of reasonably priced electric guitars on the market, an acoustic guitar can be a more cost-effective choice altogether. The instrument itself is all you need to play. To fully enjoy the tonal capabilities of an electric guitar, even the most affordable models will need an amplifier.

Cons

Not So Easier to Practice On

If you have small hands or haven’t developed your finger strength and dexterity yet, playing an acoustic guitar may be more difficult because of the additional pressure the strings require due to their distance from the fretboard.

Can’t Change Sound

An electric guitar allows you to alter the instrument’s tone, but an acoustic guitar doesn’t allow you to play about with different tunings. You can't modify the output of an acoustic guitar with guitar pedals or distortion because it's not plug-inable and does not have the same hardware as an electric guitar.

Not Enough Bass

An acoustic guitar isn’t a good fit if you enjoy heavier genres. An electric guitar's controls let you tweak the treble and bass to boost the low-end tone and add more bass to your performance. You cannot add more bass to an acoustic guitar; what you hear is what you get.

The Strings Can Hurt Your Fingers

Finger pain might occur when playing an acoustic guitar until you develop calluses. On an acoustic guitar, fretting a note requires greater force since the strings are farther away from the fretboard. While most acoustic guitars have metal strings, nylon-string guitars can be more comfortable for new players to learn and are an excellent choice for those just starting.

Electric Guitar for Beginners

If hard rock, blues, R&B, punk, grunge, alternative and funk are your favourite genres to play, you must purchase one of the electric guitars available. Here are some pros and cons of this iconic guitar to seal the choice.

Pros

Better Volume and Tone Control

During a practice session, plugging in your electric guitar doesn't always mean you'll wake up the entire neighbourhood! Electric guitars provide more control over tone and volume than acoustic guitars do. Tone and volume are adjustable on electric guitars using a range of knobs or switches. You can also adjust the tone to your preference by adjusting the bass and treble frequencies when connected to an amplifier. Additionally, you can practice quietly by connecting your headphones to your amplifier. You can only modify the loudness of an acoustic guitar by strumming the instrument harder or softer.

The Design Makes for Easy Learning

It's simpler to hold an electric guitar closer to your body as its body is thinner and less heavy than an acoustic guitar's structure. To play an acoustic guitar, you'll need to hold your arm farther away from your body, practically draped over the front of the instrument, due to its thicker build.

Flashy Designs

Electric guitars are available in many shapes and colours, whilst acoustic guitars frequently include natural finishes that highlight the innate beauty of their wood structure. Electric guitars can have eye-catching colours like red or green, along with vintage designs that make them comfortable on the eyes and ears. Having an instrument you enjoy looking at might be a terrific motivator to take it up and practice more often if you value style above essence.

Awesome Solos

An electric guitar's lower action on the fretboard, thinner neck, and general design were all intended for soloing. Even better, you may use built-in tone settings or effects pedals to volume up your amp and add flavour to solos.

Cons

Usually More Expensive

Even the most affordable electric guitar beginner package costs more than an acoustic starter bundle. While all you need to play an acoustic guitar is the instrument itself, you'll need to couple your electric guitar with at least a modest practice amp to hear its full potential. If you’re an electric guitar fan, though, the marginally higher price will be well worth it if you end up with a beloved instrument you’ll want to play often.

Heavier

Electric guitars are hefty – not only in volume but also in mass. Because your electric guitar has wiring and mechanisms that give it its distinct tone, its average weight might vary from 2.7 to 5.5 kilos. The hollow-bodied guitars weigh between 1 and 2.7 kilos, which is lighter than an acoustic guitar despite the latter's thicker build. Even though acoustic guitars are often lighter than electric guitars, many lighter, thinner electric guitars available are incredibly comfortable to play!