Which guitar should you choose – classical or acoustic? This is one of the most common questions among guitar teachers, so I also meet him – at least once a week. So I decided to write a few words about the differences between classical and acoustic guitars and what they are.
Classical and acoustic guitar – how do they differ?
Classical guitar
Classical guitars are the most frequently chosen instruments for learning. They have a slightly smaller structure, warm sound and are definitely more friendly for beginners – mainly due to the wider neck – especially valued by people with larger hands and nylon strings that do not cause finger pain, so they do not discourage at the first contact with the instrument. Thanks to the smaller size, the classical guitar can also be more convenient for people with a finer posture. It is accepted that this is the best instrument to start learning to play and if someone is not strictly focused on bass or electric, I definitely recommend a classic guitar to start with.
How do you get to know the classical guitar?
- nylon treble strings (the bass ones are also most often made of nylon bristles but have a metal wrap),
- no black “teardrop” on the resonance box – theoretically, you do not play with the dice on this type of guitar, so protection against scratching the varnish is not necessary,
- characteristic longitudinal holes for reeds inside the head,
- strings tied to the bridge.
Acoustic guitar
The easiest way to recognize acoustic guitars is because all the strings are made of metal. For this reason, instruments of this type differ significantly from the classical ones. They have a clearly larger resonance box, equipped with a plastic “teardrop”. Tuning keys have a different look – they are usually closed type keys – the mechanism is not visible in them. In terms of sound, acoustic guitars certainly have a much more metallic sound. For some, this is quite an important issue. However, this brings greater hardness of the strings – for less skilled fingers it can be a bit daunting in the initial period of learning, however, a good adjustment of the neck curvature and a set of soft strings will allow you to start your guitar adventure with an acoustic instrument.
However, I definitely do not recommend acoustic guitars for children, because while on a classical guitar “slightly exaggerated” a child can play, leveling the instrument’s size with an exemplary position, so the acoustic guitar will probably be too big for him. This has the following consequences:
The child cannot see the fingerboard.
He takes the wrong position and puts a load on his back
So it’s good practice to buy children’s guitars in the right sizes, which I will describe soon.
How do you get to know the acoustic guitar?
- definitely a larger soundboard,
- black teardrop stuck to the top plate – varnish protection against the ankle,
- strings attached inwards with push pins,
- all metal strings,
- acoustic guitars are slightly larger than classical ones,
- It can therefore be said that the classic guitar for the beginner and the acoustic guitar for the more grown-up guitar player. 🙂
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