Acoustic guitars may differ greatly from one another in a number of parameters:

• on the material from which they are made;
• according to the shape and size of the shell;
• by number of strings;
• finally, at a price.

Types of acoustic guitars

By shape and size

Guitars are very diverse in shape and size, but can be distinguished by the following main types of body:

• classic
• dreadnought
• jumbo
• Russian seven-string guitar
• twelve-string guitar
• folk

The most common are:

• Classical. The ancestor of all existing guitars. Its wide neck and surprisingly soft sound make it ideal for classical music. However, this does not prevent the use of a guitar to accompany songs (the guitar is often used by bards). The guitar mostly has nylon strings, but it can also be found with metal strings.

• Dreadnought. Guitars of this type have increased volume and pronounced basses, have a large wide body. They are usually used to accompany singers or play as part of a band. For the manufacture of the instrument can be used: ordinary spruce, mahogany. Among the exotic breeds are: licewood, Brazilian rosewood, jacaranda.

• Jumbo. The instrument is designed for powerful sound with an abundance of basses. The guitar has a large body with rounded shapes. Of the Western family, this is the largest instrument in size. There are some similarities with dreadnoughts.

• Twelve-string. In it’s design, this guitar is very similar to the six-string. Although the strings are 12, they are arranged in pairs and tuned in unison. In the first two rows they sound in same octave, in the next — with a difference of one. Therefore, the twelve-string guitar has a more complete and rich timbre, with notes and chords similar to the six-string. This type of guitar will be a great option for playing strumming. Today, even inexpensive guitars are produced quite well and play them is easy. To make such a instrument requires a strong wood, because it is necessary to withstand the tension of so many strings.

By pickup system

The instrument can have an integrated pickup that can be:

• piezoelectric
• equalizer
• magnetic
• volume control

By material

The material from which the instrument is made is important. All the acoustic guitars on the market can be divided into three groups:

• All Solid – made of solid wood;
• Solid Top – only the top deck is made of wood;
• Laminate guitar.

By string number

Acoustic guitar can have from 4 to 12 strings. Instruments with 6, 7 and 12 strings are the most common.

Which guitar to choose?

We looked at the most popular kinds of acoustic guitars that you can find today. All of them differ in the shape, number of strings, the material of manufacture, the availability of the pickup. Therefore, it is impossible to unequivocally say which type of instrument is better. They are simply different and designed for different purposes. Each type has its own specific sound and playing technique. And the choice of musicians depends mainly on their personal preferences.