Acoustic Guitar - Amplification

Amplification

An acoustic guitar can be amplified by using various types of pickups or microphones. The most common type of pickups used for acoustic guitar amplification are piezo and magnetic pickups. Piezo pickups are generally mounted under the bridge saddle of the acoustic guitar and can be plugged into a mixer or amplifier. Magnetic pickups are generally mounted in the sound hole of the acoustic guitar and are very similar to those found in electric guitars. An acoustic guitar with pickups for electrical amplification is known as an acoustic-electric guitar. The acoustic guitar is somewhat difficult to amplify faithfully. As of recently, new types of pickups have been introduced to try to amplify the full sound of these instruments. This includes body sensors such as the Taylor Expression system, and systems that include an internal microphone along with the body sensors or under the saddle pickups.

Instruments with larger areas for the guitar top were introduced by Martin in an attempt to create louder volume levels. The popularity of Martin's larger "dreadnought" body size amongst acoustic performers is related to the greater sound volume produced.

Sound can be produced on an acoustic guitar by using the fingers of the playing hand or by using a plectrum. Some techniques also utilize note created by the fretting hand using techniques such as hammer-ons and pull-offs.