As soon as a steel-string acoustic leaves the living room, one question comes up: how do you get the sound into the PA, the rehearsal room or your recording software without a mic stand getting in the way? The answer is an acoustic guitar with a pickup, often called an electro-acoustic. Unplugged it sounds like a normal acoustic guitar, but it has a pickup and usually onboard tone controls built in from the factory.
This buying guide explains the pickup types, what a preamp does, when a cutaway makes sense and how to avoid feedback on stage. By the end you will know which electro-acoustic fits your use.
Full access to the high positions
Ideal for: Solo playing, melodies, lead lines, high frets
See all Westerngitarren - 6-Saitig →Closed body, fuller bass
Ideal for: Accompaniment, campfire, strumming, songwriting
See all Westerngitarren - 6-Saitig →01Why an acoustic guitar with a pickup?
A pure acoustic guitar is picked up on stage by a microphone. That works, but it ties you to a fixed spot, catches background noise and tends to feed back quickly with a loud PA. An acoustic guitar with a pickup solves that: you plug in a jack cable like an electric guitar and go straight into the PA, an acoustic combo or an audio interface.
The typical situations: gigs with a band or solo, the rehearsal room where you have to cut through drums and bass, and recording, where a clean direct signal is worth its weight in gold. The built-in pickup is just as handy for a campfire with a small battery amp.
02Understanding the pickup types
Not every pickup sounds the same. Three designs dominate the electro-acoustic world, and they can be combined.
The undersaddle piezo sits as a thin strip under the saddle and picks up the string vibration right at the bridge. It is robust, feedback-resistant and the standard on most acoustic guitars with a pickup. Its sound is direct and cutting, though it can be a little wiry.
A built-in microphone inside the body additionally captures the natural air and the wood. That sounds warmer and more alive, but is more prone to feedback at high volume. Many better systems blend piezo and microphone so you can dial in the balance to suit the stage.
A special case is Yamaha TransAcoustic: an actuator inside the body generates reverb and chorus directly in the wood of the guitar, without an amplifier and without an external effects unit. Played unplugged, the guitar sounds as if you were sitting in a reverberant room. Plugged in, it passes this effect on to the PA as well.
| Type | Tonal character | Feedback resistance | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undersaddle piezo | direct, cutting | high | Stage, loud PA, band |
| Built-in microphone | warm, natural | medium | Recording, quiet stage |
| Piezo + mic blendable | flexible control | high to medium | Pro stage, changing rooms |
| TransAcoustic (actuator) | reverb/chorus from the body | high | Practice, songwriting, stage |
03Preamp and EQ: adjusting the sound on location
Most electro-acoustic guitars have a preamp with controls on the upper side of the body. This is where many models differ. A simple preamp offers volume and a rough tone control. Better systems have a multi-band EQ for bass, mids and treble, a tuner and a phase or notch button against feedback.
For rehearsal and small stages a solid three-band EQ is perfectly enough. If you often play in changing rooms, a tuner in the preamp and an anti-feedback function pay off, because the sound then adapts to the room acoustics without re-plugging. Watch the battery access too: a flat 9-volt battery mid-set is the most common avoidable hassle.
04Cutaway, body shape and feedback control
A cutaway is the recess on the upper body that opens up access to the high frets. For soli, melodic playing and lead lines it is a real gain. If you mostly play chords and strum, you can do without the cutaway and get a closed body with a slightly fuller bass instead.
The body shape affects volume and feedback behaviour. Large dreadnoughts and jumbos are loud and bass-heavy, but tend to boom at high PA volume. Slimmer auditorium, OM or thinline shapes are more stage-friendly. Ovation takes a special route with the roundback bowl body in composite material, which resonates less on its own and is therefore low on feedback.
Three things help against feedback: a feedback-resistant body shape, the notch or phase button on the preamp and, as a last resort, a rubber soundhole cover. An acoustic guitar with a pickup and an undersaddle piezo in a slim shape is almost always the safest choice on a loud stage.
05Who is which electro-acoustic for?
If you gig regularly and need to cut through drums with a band, an undersaddle piezo in a slim shape with a cutaway is the safest bet, such as the Yamaha APX line or an Ovation with a roundback. Songwriters who mostly write at home and play only occasionally benefit from a TransAcoustic system, because the built-in reverb makes practice more pleasant and still works on stage.
If you value a warm, natural sound for recording, go for a system with a built-in microphone and keep an eye on the volume on stage. And to get started with stage use, a solid all-solid-wood electro-acoustic in the mid price range with a three-band EQ is often plenty, like the cutaway models from MERIDA.
The right acoustic guitar with a pickup depends above all on where you play. For the loud stage a feedback-resistant piezo in a slim shape matters; for recording a warm microphone system; for practice and songwriting a TransAcoustic body. A three-band EQ and a good tuner in the preamp make daily life easier.
Frequently asked questions
Does an electro-acoustic sound worse unplugged than a normal acoustic guitar?
What is the difference between a piezo and a built-in microphone?
What can Yamaha TransAcoustic do that other electro-acoustics cannot?
Do I really need a cutaway?
How do I avoid feedback on stage?
Find your electro-acoustic for stage and rehearsal
Browse our selection of acoustic guitars with pickups, from the stage starter to the all-solid-wood pro guitar.
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