The Third Type Of Guitar: Acoustical-electric

For a long time, I have been wanting to learn how to play the guitar. I was torn between wanting to start learning on an acoustic or electric guitar, but then I learned about a third option that combines the best elements of both acoustical and electrical guitars: acoustical-electric.

Acoustical-electric guitars have their tonal characteristics develop in their tops. Tops can be made out of a laminate,which is several thin pieces of wood glued together, or two matched solid wood pieces. Laminate tops produce a basic tone because it is a variety of woods coming together in the laminate.

Solid wooden tops produce richer sounds because the vibrations are able to travel throughout the wood with less interference from glue and different cuts. While this may seem like it would be an easy choice to choose solid over laminate, laminate tops have the added quality of being stronger than solid tops because of the reinforcement and extra strength that lamination techniques provide. A laminate top is less likely to break and will endure rougher treatment.

As with an electric guitar, an acoustical-electric has different electrical options to consider. Active electronics, dual source systems, and piezo saddle transducers all contribute to the sound quality. While each of these has a different purpose, thy are all important to the end sound of your guitar. Electric guitars depend on the quality of their electronics to convey the sound to the amplifiers. If the electronic components are lacking, that sound will be sub-quality as well.

Active electronic type guitars usually have piezo transducers. Piezo transducers are pickups that detect vibrations in a guitar's bridge or body. This enables signal loss to be prevented under the saddle and often comes with three bands of equalization. This is referred to as EQ. EQ determines what level of distortion is heard while playing a guitar.

Many electric guitar players change and adjust their EQ to match their music style. Heavy metal is defined by its heavy EQ distortion. Piezo saddle transducers are set under the saddle and are lightweight pickups that connect to a preamp that allows the guitar to connect to the amplifier. Dual source systems have a mike and amplifier set into the body and pick up interior sounds from the guitar. This is especially helpful if you pluck rather than strum your strings.

Learning what your options are with guitars makes choosing the right guitar for you easier. Or maybe not. I still have to pick out the color.