Acoustic vs Electric Guitars | Which Guitar Is Right For Beginners? | Fender

In this video, Fender instructor Molly Miller explains the difference between acoustic and electric guitars and which one is best for beginners to play. Dr. Miller breaks down features of these guitars, ease of play, styles and genres each type of guitar is best suited for. Learn more about the different types of guitars available for beginners to play, as well as features to consider for your first guitar. In addition to offering an overview of the features of acoustic guitars and electric guitars, Dr. Miller also shows off the hybrid acoustic electric guitar that gives players the best of both worlds -- the ability to sit down and play without an amp on an acoustic, but to also be able to plug it in and record, too.

Intro 0:00
What are the differences between acoustic and electric guitar? 0:58
Acoustic guitar body type vs solid body electric guitar 2:08
Styles of music associated with acoustic guitar 3:22
Acoustic electric guitars 3:40
The importance of electric guitar in music genres 4:27
Tips for practicing on electric guitar 5:17
Anatomy of an electric guitar 5:36
Hear the difference between a single coil pickup and double coil (humbucking) pickup 5:50

Not sure whether an acoustic or electric guitar is right for you? Take our quiz and find your Fender:

Check out Fender’s Beginner Guitar Hub for more tips for beginners and to learn even more about acoustic and electric guitars:

Check out the Fender CD-60 Acoustic Guitar as seen in the video:

Explore the features of the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought acoustic electric guitar:

About Fender:
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is the world’s foremost manufacturer of guitars, basses, amplifiers and related equipment. With an illustrious history dating back to 1946, Fender has touched and transformed music worldwide and in nearly every genre: rock ‘n’ roll, country and western, jazz, rhythm and blues, and many others.

Connect with Fender:

[joshualessore]

Nothing has put off beginner guitarists like acoustic guitar. The strings can feel like bridge cables to new players, often they get bought a cheap acoustic guitar pack that comes with cheap picks and a thin nylon strap, and the guitar has a stupid high bridge and the neck is bowed so deep that the action makes it impossible to play for beginners without cramping their hand. Always go to electrics and spend a small amount of money getting the guitar set up. Anything you can learn on acoustic as a beginner you can do with electric, and when you get strong enough on electric the transition to acoustic is so easy

[RockStarOscarStern]

Obviously the Electric Guitar is the easiest to play for beginners cause it tends to be more properly setup & the thinner strings help alot with playing it. You can make your Acoustic play like an Electric by using the lightest gauge of strings.

[MarcsVlogVids]

Here's what I dealt with when moving from acoustic to electric.

1. Mute strings you don't want to ring out. Even a light touch will work.
2. Hammer on, pull offs, and tapping work way easier.
3. Some guitars have a tremolo / whammy bar.
4. There's no sound hole for sand, pebbles, and your pick to get stuck in and rattle around in the guitar.
5. Strings are a lighter gauge and easier to bend and vibrato.
6. Learn the knobs on the amp, gain, EQ, treble, bass, reverb, volume, etc.
7. If a guitar has more than 1 pickup, there's usually a selector switch for choosing which one, or a combination of two.
8. The tone knob goes between muffled and clear, and everything in between.
9. Volume knob does what you think it does.
10. You can do pinch harmonics.

[Junior]

I own them both, because the acoustic i need for the rythm recording, getting ideas 💡, practising and finding the note of the singing, for the electric i just choose for the lead, tones, for rocking, and for Country.

[RODOSARTPARK]

Thank you for this video .
I love the sound of acoustic guitar, but they are hard to play on.
After playing live for every single evening for six months I got a problem with my hand, I bought a Telecaster and it’s unbelievable how soft is to play on.
I also bought a guitar pedal that captures the tone of any guitar and now I am playing my electric guitar with the sound of my acoustic !

[dadudeonyoutube]

It depends. Pick what sounds best for you. You will want to play more if it makes the sound you like.

[Nothing-gvmv]

For me electric guitars are more stable. You can also upgrade parts on both to make them ride nice. But the electric is almost limitless with its upgrade potential.

[supersonicstrat]

I bought an old Rogue acoustic a few months ago and I enjoyed it, but I just got a refurbished Stratocaster and G-dec junior combo for $120 and I am loving it!

[fraenkiboii]

I wish you released that video 10 years ago. Now? Now I'm playing banjo! Just kiddiiing :D Strat enthusiast here.

[RockStarOscarStern]

3:29 Jazz is another one, in fact alot of those old Jazz recordings were played on Acoustic Guitars.

[alternant.]

I'm a complete noob with guitars. I've started learning on an old acoustic guitar and I've been looking for a good electric one, but I love the sound of acoustic. Can an electric guitar sound acoustic? Thanks.

[kokeskokeskokes]

I just bought an electric. I need it to practice at night. I may have to tie up steel and nylon strings in such a way that the bridge pick up will pick up steel while my hand plays nylon. I can only play one finger tremolos on nylons. Also, I love thick necks, when my whole hand feels full. I may have to glue something onto the neck. Also, the neck on my main guitar is asymmetrical.

[wildnitesmusic]

If want you to impress a girl/Electric
If want you to impress your family/acoustic

[armpauloferreira]

Hi Fender!
You guys, at 4:04, are labelling wrong with Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought when it should be listed the Fender Redondo Player.
Man, how i love that Redondo Player in natural version! Amazing!

[RockStarOscarStern]

Fender
You can even play Jazz on an Acoustic Guitar. Django Reinhardt was known for that & there are versions w/ Nylon strings.

[RockStarOscarStern]

I have a rare Martin Telenaught, it's a Dreadnaught Guitar shaped like a Telecaster.

[edwardharvey]

Ms Miller you did this video so smooth that you should consider also doing a videos on how to play the Acoutic Electric and Electric Guitars. This video was informative, thanks!

[MashaT]

@Fender, this is a useful vid, but you didn’t mention scale length. A 25.5” neck is a very different playing experience than 24.75”. For beginners, the shorter scale is usually easier to play (unless someone has insanely large fingers that would need more space). And some necks are wider (such as on classical style guitars) — for me, there’s no way I could play a wide classical fretboard. I would have failed as a beginner. You mentioned thinner necks, but that’s extremely vague. Thinner can mean several things on a neck.

I wish you’d add and clarify these points and repost this video. They are hugely important details that can lead a beginner to struggle and fail if they select the wrong size scale length and fretboard size for them.

[RockStarOscarStern]

My idea was a Stradnaught, it's a Dreadnaught Guitar shaped like a Stratocaster w/ a super thin body.

[cleangoblin]

2 different beast really. Theyre both just as fun.
But id say learn with acoustic first and have fun with chords.

Like some songs can be covered with the respective instrument