Electric guitars are a technological advancement from acoustic guitars. For those of us who are old enough, it is easy to remember an age when all we had were these acoustic instruments. That was before the coming of the electric instrument. Incidentally, when we talk about acoustic, what we are really talking about are those 'box guitars' where only the acoustic mechanics are used to project the sound produced. In other words, these guitars cannot be directly connected to amplifiers and then to speakers as is the case with acoustic guitar Adelaide.

True, you can place a microphone next to the guitar and pass the sound from thence to an amplifier and from there onto speakers, but you cannot make the connection a direct one like is the case with electric guitars. The thing with electric guitars, when used in public performances is that the connection to the amplifier (and onto the speakers) is so direct that standing next to the guitar player, you don't actually hear the sound as it comes from the instrument, but only as it comes from the (remote) speaker. In the case of acoustic guitars, of course, the sound comes directly out of the guitar, and if need be, it is then tapped via a microphone and directed to an amplifier and onto a speaker.

So much for what the acoustic instrument is.

Now as those of us who were there when the electric guitars were first developed, we will recall that the predictions then were that the electric guitar would soon render the acoustic instrument extinct. The electric guitars were, after all, a technological advancement from the acoustic guitars. And if diesel locomotives managed to make steam locomotives extinct, most people saw it as just a matter of time before electric guitars made acoustic guitars an item for the museums.

Several decades later, and the acoustic instrument is still alive and well.

So why does the acoustic guitar refuse to die away, in the face of electric instruments?

Well, for one, and contrary to what many of us imagine, the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar are two quite distinct instruments. Experience has shown that the sound produced by the acoustic instrument is so quite different from the sound produced by the electric instrument; even where we are looking at exactly the same cords/notes. In other words, electric equipment can never be perfect substitute for acoustic guitars. There are pieces of music best played with acoustic instruments (thanks to the authenticity of the sound produced by such acoustic instruments), just as there are some pieces of music best played with electric guitars. In other words, it is safe to say that one of the reasons why the acoustic guitar has not died, the presence of the electric guitar (which was supposed to be a technological improvement on it) notwithstanding, is that the acoustic guitar has managed to retain its relevance, as something of a musical instrument in its own right.

On another note, it also helps that the acoustic instrument is also typically cheaper than the electric guitar. So most people, when learning to play guitars, can only afford to get started on acoustic guitars. Then they get hooked. So even when they become accomplished players, they still opt to remain with their acoustic guitars, in which they are likely to have become experts. This factor also makes the acoustic instrument suitable for hobbyists who play for their own enjoyment (as opposed to the electric guitar, which is more suitable for public performances).

It also helps that the acoustic instrument

Is an instrument that paves way for the 'economy of players' seeing that it is easy to produce satisfactory music using one such instrument alone (with a single player). On the other hand, electric equipment works best in a set/band, like where one person plays the lead guitar, with the other two playing the rhythm and bass guitars respectively. With acoustic guitars, it is not uncommon to find one-man-bands playing, to the great enjoyment of fans.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years of playing guitar, it is to be open to all styles of music and to continually discover and study different guitar players and musicians of all kinds. This particularly helped me at times when I was feeling bored, stale, or frustrated with my own guitar playing. I'd be playing the same old stuff, the same old way, and all the time. Discovering new ways to do things helped my motivation, inspiration, and creativity no end.

Of course, I'm not saying to forget everything you have ever learned on guitar and begin again but rather, integrate some elements and techniques of other styles into what you can already do on your acoustic guitar. This will reignite your creativity big time not to mention your motivation!

I see my own acoustic guitar playing as something that continually evolves and that is why I am always looking to include elements and techniques of other styles it.

Acoustic guitars have unlimited coverage. It can be used anywhere with or without electricity.
Electric guitars depend on electricity and need amplifiers to produce or amplify the sounds.

Acoustic instruments sound very different from power tools. You can buy the coolest pedal for the classic acoustic sound of the Stratocaster, but it won't be that unique sound of electroacoustics. I have a Fender Stratocaster, which I use exclusively for classical guitar formation and beautiful and cute solos that some friends ask me to play. I add charm to their songs. But I often lack something special in this sound, which can be only in an acoustic guitar. So among all the gifts for guitar players, I'd choose electroacoustics as a Christmas gift, or at least a mobile pickup for a regular acoustic guitar.