« Choosing The Best Bass Guitar For Beginners | Home | A Guide to Nylon String Guitars »

A Guide To Steel-String Acoustic Guitars

By chris | November 18, 2009

Choosing an acoustic guitar is more difficult than simply walking into a store and picking out a wooden-bodied guitar that fits your budget. There are many varieties of acoustic guitars to choose from, each with its own unique characteristics. However, one of the two dominant varieties that should be considered by every prospective guitarist is the steel-string acoustic guitar.

The steel-string acoustic is popular in a number of music genres including country, rock, folk and blues, primarily because of its clearer and louder sound quality. There’s a popular misconception that beginners should avoid the steel-string guitar because its strings are particularly rough on a beginner’s fingers but the steel-string acoustic is actually suitable for players of every level. Frankly, a beginner’s fingers are going to hurt no matter what type of guitar they start out on and a beginner who is interested in rock, country or any of the other genres favored by a steel-string guitar should start on a steel-string guitar. It’s just that simple. In fact, the sound of the guitar is far more important than how your fingers feel when you’re just learning to play.

Of course, cost is also a factor for beginners and you should expect to pay more for a steel-string guitar than for other types of guitars like the gut or nylon string acoustics. The benefit is that steel-string acoustics need to be tuned far less often than other acoustic guitars and are far more versatile so the price difference can be worth it.

Before you purchase your steel-string acoustic guitar, make sure it’s a solid top instrument. Some guitars have plywood or laminated tops and these don’t produce the brilliant sound that a solid top steel-string acoustic does. Keep in mind that a solid top is slightly more expensive and you can expect to pay about $300 for a new one.

If you’re considering a steel-string guitar, it’s also important to understand just how these guitars are amplified. Like any acoustic guitar, steel-string acoustics can be amplified using a detachable pickup or through a microphone that clips on to the guitar body. Steel-string acoustics can also be amplified using a transducer built into the body of the guitar that turns the steel-string acoustic into what is commonly known as an acoustic-electric guitar. You have to be careful when choosing a means of amplification for your acoustic guitar because you’ll want to choose something that amplifies the sound without distorting it. The lack of distortion is important because it’s the clear tones and bright sounds of steel-string acoustics that distinguish them from distortion-laden electric guitars.

There are other options to consider in steel-string guitars like what sort of body style you’d like or what sort of tonewoods comprise the guitar but these are decisions to be made based on personal feel and playing style. You simply don’t have the expertise as a beginner for these choices to have much impact on your playing but make sure to consider them when you’re purchasing your second guitar.

Simply put, if you’re interested in playing country, rock or folk, a steel-string acoustic guitar is definitely something you should consider. Its clear tones and louder sound make it the perfect guitar for these genres and set it apart from other varieties of acoustic guitars.

Take The Guitar Tricks Free Trial

Share and Enjoy: