Acoustic guitar by Gibson. Like the classical guitar, the sound is naturally produced by the speaker in the body of the instrument. The difference is that an acoustic guitar has metal strings, as opposed to the classical guitar which consists of a combination of metal and nylon strings. This is why the acoustic guitar is commonly played with a pick while the classical guitar is played with the fingers.

The material of the strings and the playing technique also result in differences in the genre of music they are used for: the acoustic guitar is preferred in modern Greek music as well as genres like rock, jazz, and country, while the classical guitar is suitable for classical music compositions and flamenco.