An acoustic electric guitar is a special guitar whose body is made up of the same material that makes up the body of a regular acoustic instrument. An acoustic-electric is similar to the acoustic version of the electric guitar and therefore can be played with the same type of string, but without all the added features like frets, tuning machines and other additional equipment. An acoustic-electric is commonly used in a wide range of music styles, where the sound of a normal acoustic is wanted but without the need for additional amplification, most especially during live performance. This type of guitar has become increasingly popular over recent years and is considered to be an excellent beginner guitar as well as an excellent choice for advanced players.
Acoustic Electric Guitar
Acoustic electric guitars can come in two basic types – those with pickups and those without. In the case of a pickup acoustic electric guitar, an electronic circuit located inside the pickup cavity produces the tone that is picked up by the guitar’s acoustic body. The pickup electronics is sometimes built right into the body of the guitar, while in other cases it is installed inside the pickup cavity itself. A pickup acoustic-electric is usually quite expensive, but it is not uncommon for professional acoustic guitarists to own several of these. Some pick ups on acoustic electric guitars can also be found on classical guitars. These are called tube preamp pickups, which are similar to the ones found on most amplifiers. They were initially developed for professional guitarists to help them achieve better tone control.
Most modern acoustic electric guitars feature electronic pickups as standard equipment. Some have electronic pickups with no pickup cavity at all. The most common acoustic electric guitar of this type is the Fender Strat, as it is easy to tune and produce a clean sound. Some acoustic guitars such as the Martin acoustic are also equipped with electronic pickups but have their own pickup cavities. The benefit of having electronic pickups is that they can be tuned using just one hand, which is convenient for the guitarist who needs to change the pitch quickly.
