Forums > Music > Acoustic vs Electric
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Original message:592 days 11 hours 15 minutes ago
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Member: Snoflak3
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I'm really posting this just to see the reactions. OK, now who thinks that acoustic guitar is "better" than the electric? I DO!

I happen to think the the electric is an awesome instrument, and it does a loyal job, providing nearly all of the most popular music genre, rock. But it may be just me, but I find the electric guitar to lack a certain something. A certain special aura. A soul if you will. It has a heart, but what good is a heart that pumps around empty blood? I suppose that sounds very condescending towards the machine version of the guitar, and maybe I'm over exaggerating, but I believe the acoustic guitar posses a soul, and has a fuller, richer sound. I'm not trying to say the electric guitar, whether with distortion, overdrive, flanger, phaser or chorus sounds bad, it just doesn't sound...full.

I'd like to have feedbackon this: reasons for and against either type of guitar. Examples, pictures and vidos would be better for making a point, I hope this will settle the long debate about which one is superior, or whether they are equal.
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Reply:592 days 3 hours 13 minutes ago
Member: thefunkyone
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Acoustic and Electric guitars are so far apart in sound that they are practically not even the same instrument. It's almost and apples/oranges comparison. I love both of them though.
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Reply:590 days 23 hours 38 minutes ago
Member: Grensley
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not comparable...only bridge is acoustic/electric guitars
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Reply:590 days 7 hours 13 minutes ago
Member: D. Bedard
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I don't think you can say one is better than the other. There are so many things you can do and so many sounds you can get using an electric, yet at the same time, the acoustic is great on so many other levels. Although they are both guitars, they really are in different categories i think. Both are beautiful instruments that deserve all the praise they get.
Reply:590 days 3 hours 43 minutes ago
Member: johnny cox
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I love them both. The electric guitar is an amazing instrument and with the effects today,the tone and sounds are almost limitless. but the one sound you will never get is that of an acoustic. It is pure and raw and guitar at it's basic form. I own several of both and love them both.
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Plug in, turn up and spank the plank
Reply:590 days 2 hours 57 minutes ago
Member: phucher
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you cant really say which one is better, you can maybe pick which one you'd prefer. for me im more of an electric guitar person. but im a really big fan of what people can do on an acoustic guitar, for example Andy McKee.
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Reply:588 days 2 hours 48 minutes ago
Member: Captain Fantastic
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Your stylistic preference will dictate what kind of guitar you play. Most rock/metal musicians don't choose a dobro as their main instrument whereas a flamenco cat probably wouldn't be slinging an ESP.
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I enjoy skinny skiing, heckling figure skaters, flamenco guitar, the blue stuff you put your combs in, good drummers, focaccia bread and coffee out of a french press
Reply:587 days 21 hours 13 minutes ago
Member: sixsteelstrings
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what a great topic. i love acoustic guitars, something about them is just so whole and honest, its hard to explain and i hope you guys know what i mean haha. but whenever i play an electric, theres something to be desired.
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Reply:587 days 11 hours 40 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG
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I think both electric and acoustic have soul: The soul of the musician playing them.

The only "special" thing about the acoustic guitar is that it produces its own sound. The electric alone is practically mute. You could say the electric lacks life of its own.


Yeah yeah... game words... you call it soul, I call it life...
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Listen to my music!Listen to my music!
Reply:585 days 3 hours 4 minutes ago
Member: Joe Chaney
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i love them both the same, but for different reasons, acoustics (i dont have much acoustic experience, but my acoustic) is a really soulfull, beautiful piece of hard to play art that sounds like heaven with a slide and DADGAD, but electrics are much more versitile and are a great weapon in the war against the annoying neighbour
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Reply:583 days 20 hours 54 minutes ago
Member: the BIG Mac!
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ohhh thats a hard one. i can't decide .both of them have their own qualities and greatness. Electric you can get any sound and get pure distortion, while acoustics have that rich sound you just can't reproduce with an electric. I myself would have to go with acoustic because it gives that beatiful sound i love.
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Hey You Guys!!!
Reply:582 days 47 minutes ago
Member: guitarn00b
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There are many guitarists who, like myself, think the acoustic and the electric are both equally good. They're both the same instrument but different kinds. You can use them and interchange them like tools to get your music across. If you only stick to one or the other, you're missing out on the big picture of guitar playing.
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Reply:579 days 6 hours 16 minutes ago
Member: freaksauce
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I love playing acoustic for weeks and then breaking out the electric and seeing how much harder I play, it really affects your vibrato because you have so much more finger strength from playing the heavier gauges, make way for instant Zakk Wylde impressions!!!

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guitarnoize.blogspot.com
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Reply:578 days 14 hours 25 minutes ago
Member: Sullivancountychops
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I love them both and use both. BUT, an acoustic is an acoustic and an electric is an electric. They can both compliment one another in many styles of music and in some cases they can't. Although I love acoustic guitar, I play my electrics more.

I guess the only way I could say one would be better than the other is if I was comparing brands (i.e. If I were to compare say a Harmony acoustic to my Biran Moore i2, than I would have to say my i2 hands down.) That would be the only way I could say one would be better than the other.

There are those die hards who are either strictly acoustic players or electric players and they would definitely tell you the other sucks! LOL.
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Reply:570 days 12 hours 18 minutes ago
Member: polal2is
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Sometimes you can mix acoustic and electric (In flames, nostromo, opeth...) check the vid =====>
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