What makes an acoustic guitar acoustic and an electric guitar electric?

Asking because acoustics can also be plugged into an amp, and my brother and I got into an argument about it.

An acoustic guitar cannot be plugged into an amp, and is naturally loud enough to enjoy without amplification.

Electric guitars plug into an amplifier in order to be loud enough to enjoy. Electric guitars sans-amp are not loud enough for anything other than personal practicing.

Hybrids such as semi-acoustics (acoustic electrics) or electric acoustics can be played with or without an amp, though the latter would be louder un-amplified.

Acoustics have a hollow wooden body, amplifying the sounds you make with the strings. Electrics don't have the hollow bodies and instead use electric pick-ups to detect the string movements and convert them into sounds through an amp.

Electric = really fucking loud
Acoustic = not as loud but still fun

accoustic = amplification through resonance in the body.
electric = amplification by electrical current created by flux. coil + moving string.

the only reason why an accoustic guitar can be plugged into an amp, is to boost the sound in stead of putting it in from of a microphone, which will give the same sound all the time.
another reason is the fact that you turn it into an electrical signal allowes u to add effects to it.

but mostly just to have a massive sound, for gigs and such.



untrue, loudness is not a specification of an electrical guitar.

This post was edited by The_Punisher on Aug 16 2008 02:16pm