Acoustic Guitar vs Classical Guitar

As a beginner, you might be wondering which guitar will be suitable for you. And to search for it, you will explore the market. While you exploring the market as a beginner, you will definitely come across two types of guitar, acoustic and classical. As a beginner and not having a idea much about the guitars, you will find these two guitars very similar. So, you will get confused about which one to choose.

Therefore, to have a clear idea of both acoustic and classical guitar and to help you choose the best one, we have prepared this blog for you.

To finally decide to purchase, you must first have to know the clear-cut difference through this acoustic guitar vs classical guitar blog. They look quite similar, but the acoustic and classical guitars are so different from each other because they both have different characteristics.

First of all, to start off we want to say that these two guitars are mostly chosen by the aspiring guitarists to start off the career as a guitarist. Majority of the guitarists in the world, whether they are now professionals or still amateurs, had chosen either of these two guitars as their first learning guitars. As these guitars are relatively cheap and quick to play without plugging, they are the nice instruments to invest.

Firstly, to know the difference between acoustic guitar vs classical guitar, you must know what these guitar looks like. For that, we want to present the full body pictures of these guitars to you. Also, if you already have a guitar in your home and are confused whether it is an acoustic or classical guitar then refer to these pictures-

As you can see above, these are the pictures of classical and acoustic guitars. By looking it instantly, you may not find a lot of differences, but as you zoom and look carefully you will begin to find lot of differences between these two.

Now as we are finished with the images, we will now descriptively analyze the differences between these two guitars. First we will start with the body shapes and then we will continue to the other features-

Body Shapes

As you can see in the pictures, the classical guitar have smaller body than the acoustic. The acoustic guitars have cutaway bodies, whereas classical guitars don’t have cutaway bodies. Particularly, the acoustic guitars are mostly built in dreadnought style whereas the classical guitars are built in more round shape. As the acoustic guitars uses steel strings, the dreadnought shapes is more preferable for them. These guitars also are heavier, louder and larger looking than the classical guitars.

Acoustic guitar body

Classical Guitar Body

Neck and Fret Boards

Talking about the neck and fret board, acoustic guitars usually have narrower fretboard and neck than the classical guitars. As the fretboards and neck of classical guitars are generally flat and wide, the gap between the string will be more and you will have problems while playing it. The wideness typically won’t favor for those who want to play barre or expanding chords.

Further, in the frets of acoustic guitar, you can find more fret markers as compared to the classical guitar. Typically you will find fret markers in the 3rd,5th,7th,9th,12th frets in the acoustic guitars. But in classical guitars, you wont find any. However, if you want, you can put on some white paint on the frets of the classical guitar.

Sound

Sound is one of the biggest differentiator between acoustic and classical guitar. While both of the instrument uses different kind of woods and materials, it is obvious that the sound of both will be different. For this, there is no other choice for you. You have to try different models and use your ear to decide which one best suits you.

We have to tell that, all of the people have different taste in music. And according to their music taste, people are inspired to play the guitar. Particularly if you are into Spanish, classical, bossa nova or flamenco then you should go for the classical guitar. Meanwhile, if you are more into Rock, folk, blues pop or country then you should choose the acoustic guitar.

Strings

Another major differentiator between the acoustic and classical guitar is the strings they use. The classical guitar use the nylon strings whereas acoustic guitars use steel strings.

These both types of strings sound very different. The nylon strings sounds mellow, warm or we can called “soothing”. Meanwhile, the steel strings sound more brighter and louder with higher resonance. While touching also, you will feel nylon strings more softer than steel strings. Whereas, steel strings feels hard on your fingers. But as time goes on and you play for a while, you will get used to the steel strings.

We have to tell you that, the name given as steel string is quite inaccurate as it is not made full of steel. Usually, it is a combination of bronze, nickel, Phosphor etc. So don’t get confused.

Bridge

As we have talked about the strings, it’s now time to talk about the bridge between these two guitars. Basically, bridge is the part of the guitar where the string holds the grip. The acoustic guitar’s bridge has holes in it where the bridge pin is inserted along the strings in that hole. Whereas, classical guitar’s bridge has also holes where the string itself are inserted and tightened by fixing the knot. Therefore, you wont have bridge pins in the classical guitar.

So due the variance in the bridge, you will find changing strings quite easier and faster in the acoustic steel string guitar. In this guitar you don’t have to untie the strings like in the classical guitar, you just have to remove the bridge pins and the strings are off.

Guitar Head and Tuning pegs

Another one of the noticeable differences between these two guitars are the heads and the tuning pegs. Basically, the tuning pegs are not made of metal, but of plastic material in the classical guitar. And in acoustic guitars, the tuning pegs are mainly made up from the metal (mostly referred as chrome tuners). Furthermore, the guitar heads also operate in a different way for both of them. Here is the picture as it is more informative and easier to display than to tell –

Price

To be honest, Price of the both guitars will vary. Particularly, the classical guitars are lighter than the acoustic guitars, and the classical guitars are not stuffed with the premium hardware’s like the acoustic guitars. So for this reason, Classical guitars are normally cheaper than the acoustic guitars and likely preferred by the newbie guitar players due to the pricing factor.

Our suggestion is that it might be little cheaper, but in the long term it may or may not be suited for your playing style. Therefore, by considering your needs, make wise decision while buying.

Can you play classical guitar on an acoustic?

Now as we have talked about it differences, you might be wondering whether you can play the classical style music in the acoustic guitar. Our answer is, yes you can, but there is exception. While playing the acoustic guitar, you will hit the same notes as the classical guitar, but the feel you get from the playing classical guitar will not be present in the acoustic guitar.

The notes you played will create a different sound, and the sound will create the different vibe. So, the unique sound of the classical guitar will not be there and the sound itself can be differentiated from classical guitar. Hence, if you want to play exactly want the sound of the classical guitar, then do not forcefully try to replicate the sound of it in acoustic guitar, just simply play it on the classical guitar.

Acoustic vs Classical which one is easier and best for beginners?

To be direct, we want to say that classical guitar will be much easier and best for absolute beginners. In the initial phases of your guitar playing you will be feel more ease while playing the classical guitar as it has softer nylon strings, wider neck. The learning curve will be smoother and you will feel less pain in the fingers while playing the classical guitar.

However, it’s not like you can’t start your guitar journey with the acoustic guitar. It may be painful in the initial phases while playing with steel strings, but as the time will pass by, you will begin to feel comfortable. Hence, with sheer determination and practice, you will undoubtedly develop finger strength and adapt to those steel strings.

Acoustic Guitar vs Classical Guitar: Which is better?

This question is quite common among the people around the world. There are lots of things to consider which one is better as both of the guitars have their own features and can be played in their own styles.

But analyzing the current music generation, music trends, and the music style the future will see, we have to say that acoustic guitar is better. The versatility and the influence acoustic guitar has created in the world is more prominent among all kinds of people than the classical guitar. Therefore, by looking at all of the factors, we can tell that, playing and creating music with acoustic guitar, can bring you more opportunities and increase the chance of success in the field of music.

Conclusion

Now finally, in the conclusion, we want to say that acoustic and classical guitars are the look alike but there are subtle changes in them which makes them totally different. In the musical field, both of them are played prominently in different genres with their own playing styles.

Historically, both of these instruments had lot of influence, and also in present music, we can hear the tunes of these instruments ringing out in every corner of the world.

Now that we have discussed about acoustic guitars and classical guitars in the above sections by considering all of its features and characteristics, we fully believe that you are now finally able to differentiate between them and choose the perfect one that suits your comfort and style. We hope that choosing the right one from these two will lead you in the path of success of your musical journey. Don’t give up and keep practicing!