Hey Everyone,
I thought I would write a short post on a question I have been asked a lot lately by many of my students. What is a semi acoustic guitar? For some reason this term has become popular these days and a lot of new guitarists are wondering about this great new guitar that they know nothing about.
Basically a semi acoustic guitar is exactly what it sounds like. A guitar that is capable of producing an acoustic sound but it is not as loud as a “pure acoustic guitar”. An example of a pure acoustic guitar would be something like your Taylor/Martin/Guild/Insert Brand here steel string or a nylon string classical. These guitars rely 100% on the body and sound board to make their acoustic sound where as a semi acoustic guitar only has partial capability to produce an acoustic sound.
Some of the most common examples of these types of guitars would be the new hybrid section from Godin where the guitar is designed to be plugged in but maintains a semi-hollow body to allow for acoustic playing and the very common “Hollow-body” electric guitar that we are used to seeing played by artists like BB King and Chet Atkins.
The beauty of these types of guitars is that while they sound absolutely great when plugged in they also are excellent for practicing when you are in a space that requires low volume! In my apartment I can never get away with practicing my nylon string after 10:00pm because it is so loud but I can easily pickup my Godin and enjoy the same feel and neck width of a standard classical guitar with about 35% of the volume. Meaning I can practice well into the morning without my neighbors calling my landlord (or the cops!).
If you’re in the market for one of these guitars I would highly recommend you checkout MyMusiciansParadise.com for more information and a great selection. They also offer reviews on some great amplifiers to go with your new guitar as well as just about anything else you can think of that is music related!
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