Washburn D10sce Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic Electric Guitar

Acoustic guitars aren’t just for folk or country music anymore. These days the word “unplugged” has become an adored description of a popular rock or pop song. Artists and bands such as “Ryan Cabrera” “Michelle Branch” and The “Goo Goo Dolls” have brought the acoustic electric guitars back into the realm of popular music.

It’s not uncommon to see a local cover band do an unplugged set in a performance. Even in a non-acoustic set of songs, a rhythm acoustic guitar in the background along with an electric guitar and bass can add presence and color to the sound of the group.

How much do I need to spend?

It used to be that a great sounding Acoustic Electric Guitar for performance with a good feel would cost you at least $1000. These days, you can grab a great acoustic electric guitar for under $500.
First, let’s define what is an “Acoustic Electric Guitar”. An acoustic electric guitar is a guitar that appears to be an acoustic guitar but it also has the option of plugging it into an amplifier or public audio system. They enable the guitarist to get that beautiful acoustic sound and have it amplified without having to place a microphone in front of the sound hole.

These types of acoustic electric guitars can sell for anywhere from close to $2000 US dollars to around $5000 US dollars. Some acoustic/electric guitars by companies such as “Martin” and “Taylor” can easily fetch $5000 or even well over. And they’re worth every penny in my opinion. But most of us don’t have that kind of money to spend on a musical instrument.

Fortunately, some companies such as “Ibanez” and “Washburn” make some decent quality acoustic electric guitars and offer them at a very reasonable price. These (and the more expensive ones) all have on board electronics in the form of an equalizer and volume controls. Many have not only the standard quarter inch high impedance output but also have a low impedance output like top quality microphones.
About Acoustic Amplifiers

Today, with the popularity of acoustic based music and solo performers, acoustic guitar amplifiers have become a common sight on the stage of the weekend band as well as some of the huge and famous acts. Most of them, have a dual purpose and also sport a microphone input that gives the amp the functionality of a public audio system so that you can have your guitar plugged in on the first channel of the amp and your vocal microphone plugged in on the second channel. Each channel has its own separate equalizer and the performer is able to select his or her settings as they wish.
Amplification Options