A steel-string acoustic guitar, is a modern form of
guitar descended from the
classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound. Strictly speaking, the terms steel-stringed guitar, classical guitar, and folk guitar all refer to acoustic (that is, non-electric) guitars, though some of these terms refer to different types of instruments (nylon-strung vs. steel-strung). The term "acoustic guitar" is a
retronym, since before the invention of the
electric instrument, all guitars were "acoustic."
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