The Acoustic Guitar

The acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar that descended from the classical guitar. They are hollow-bodied guitars that in their simplest form, do not require electric amplification. The acoustic guitar usually has steel strings to give it a more brighter sound. It is also constructed more heavily to be able to handle the extra tension of the steel strings. The steel string guitar is also sometimes called a folk guitar.

There are many popular makers of acoustic guitars in America today including:

Yamaha

Ovation

Ibanez

Takamine

Martin

Taylor

Epiphone

Fender

Gibson

Washburn

Guild

There are many different kinds of acoustic guitars and each guitar has its own distinctive sound.

The Dreadnought is the guitar that comes to mind when most people think "guitar." It comes in many variations. Sometimes called a western guitar, the Dreadnought is a big instrument with a full sound and a lot of bass. Ideally, dreadnoughts are loud guitars designed to accompany singers or fit into a wide range of musical styles. For the average player, this is the right guitar.

The 12 string Dreadnought is similar in construction and styling to the six string guitar. The strings work in pairs tuned to the same notes. The first two pairs are tuned to exactly the same pitch while rest are tuned to the same notes one octave apart. This means that, although the 12 string has a fuller, richer timbre, the notes and chord shapes are the same as the standard six string. The additional string tension makes this guitar somewhat less than ideal for beginners. It's a great strumming guitar, but note bending is nearly impossible.

The Cutaway dreadnaught guitar has a cutaway to allow access to the highest register.

Parlor style acoustic guitars have smaller bodies than dreadnaughts and often are smaller than even classical guitars. Contrary to popular assumption, their reduced size isn't intended to accommodate smaller players but, rather to provide for a more even frequency response. In other words, bass, treble and all of the frequencies in between are the same volume. In an acoustically near perfect environment like a "parlor" or concert hall, this even frequency response is a must if the music isn't to be overwhelmed with bass.

Jumbo Acoustic Guitars are designed to be loud and full of bass. It's basically similar in function and usage to the dreadnaught. They're great guitars if well made. In some situations, the mid frequencies get lost, overpowered by the bass. Be aware of this if you are shopping for one and listen objectively in different sized rooms.

Resonator guitars are designed to sound a bit louder than a standard acoustic guitar and have a blues tone.

Guitarists who want a bit more volume can use an electro-acoustic guitar which can be hooked up to an amplifier in the same way as electric guitars. Electro-acoustic guitars are usually steel-string guitars modified to include a pickup which is used to pick up the vibrations of the strings and turn them into electrical signals. There are controls for volume and tone built into the guitar. These are used to control the signal which is sent out to the main amplifier.