Expand to playing electric ?

[Jerrysimon]

Its been a long time since I posted on here and joined way back in 2002. Still have my three Taylors below though thinking about selling the 12 string as I just never use it.

The pre 2000, 512s (love those necks) will probably be with me the rest of my life. Took quite a few years to find them but I love them and they get played daily.

Hope this isn't off topic but I have retired early (even more time to play my guitars now) and want to expand out and try an electric.

Started like many probably, doing some research and falling into the Strat/LP decision. I liked the idea of a LP mainly because of the shape and acoustic like headstock lol

Did not really want to jump in and pay a fortune on a Gibson so ended up looking at Epiphone range. Didn't want anything fancy so was going down the Studio route but when I tried it, man was it heavy. I know that helps with sustain but my Taylor (1996) small bodied 512s are literally half the weight of the 8.4lb LP. I also love ebony fretboards (Taylor hangover).

Whilst doing some research I learnt a little about single coil and humbuckers. Ok I am a real novice here. Anyway at my local music shop I tried a LP with the option to have a humbucker with coil splitting I think they call it.

Anyway still hated the weight of the LP but the shape feels right. Then in the shop they said we have something a bit off wall you may like, but may suit you and handed me a Washburn PXL10WA.

http://www.washburn.com/products/electric/PXL10WA.html

Suddenly I seemed to have something that ticked all the boxes above. The guitar felt small, light, right, had the lovely ebony fretboard and a set of Seymour Duncan pickups (with spliting) for more sound options.

I have put a deposit on it as they seem to be really reduced. In fact a steal! This is less than half the cost from when they first came out in 2014. Just adding up the parts gover tuners, pickups, set neck etc makes really good value. I guess it must be an outgoing model ?

The thing is its sold as a heavy metal/rock guitar, though I doubt that is how I will use it. I want to learn rythm and some solo stuff to add to my acoustic songs ?

Finally being an acoustic player I really appreciate the Walnut finish. The undertstated overall matt finish and lack of fancy inlays also appeals.

Searching on reviews though I dont find nearly as many in fact very few compared to the Epiphone LP range. At the end of the day I guess it's about buying the guitar that feels right rather than going on reviews and following the crowd.

I wonder how expanding out to play electric will be ?

[1neeto]

Washburns are great guitars so congrats! You’ll love playing electric!

[terryj47]

You might try an Epi semi-hollow LP. I believe they call it the ES. Me-- I'm a purist and live with the weight. I generally play sitting down. Good luck in your search.

[Bob Womack]

Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck) plays a Washburn. First things first: learn palm muting. As you begin to gain up the amp the guitar comes alive and anything you don't want to sound needs to be muted. The technique is quite different and should give you quite a bit to play with and expand into.

The next step will be an amp. They are a big portion of your sound in the electric world and each has a character when driven. Also sounds. You are going to soon find that you want a couple of pedals.

Fun fun. Lots to learn. The Internet is taking away some of the sweat from that job.

Bob

[harpspitfire]

this is my take- shape never bothered me, strat or LP shape is just fine,i dont like heavy, i feel it doesnt make a better guitar anyway. 2 things matter to me, the NECK action-i prefer a narrow neck , and the pickups- im retired, im not going to sit around here banging heavy metal chords with overdrive, so i really dont like humbuckers at all, i just cant get good clean rock tones out of them at lower volume, i have 3 electrics here, all single coil with one exception, the squire 51 has a humbucker (with coil tap) on the bridge, while shopping you may want to consider playing a SSH or SH design too,

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck) plays a Washburn. First things first: learn palm muting. As you begin to gain up the amp the guitar comes alive and anything you don't want to sound needs to be muted. The technique is quite different and should give you quite a bit to play with and expand into.

The next step will be an amp. They are a big portion of your sound in the electric world and each has a character when driven. Also sounds. You are going to soon find that you want a couple of pedals.

Fun fun. Lots to learn. The Internet is taking away some of the sweat from that job.

Bob

+1. An amp is going to give you ~50% of your tone so that's as important as the guitar.

Jerrysimon: Yep, Les Pauls are heavy. They can be tough to play for long periods standing up too, hard on the shoulder. I'm not familiar with that Washburn you listed but it does have genuine Seymour Duncan pickups - a step (or two) up from what you'd get in an Epi.

Let us know how it goes!

[ChrisN]

If you're not wedded to the solid body single cutaway design, consider Epiphone's semi-hollow dual cutaway (ES-339) and fully hollow body (Casino Coupe) - both have 14" lower bouts, and the Coupe is very light, can be played acoustically when desired. ES-339 has splittable humbuckers (newest are ProBuckers, which are good, previous generation is Alnico Classic Pro, also good), while the Coupe has P-90s (single coil). I have the 339 in Black Royale, and am keeping an eye out for a local Coupe.

I find the dual cutaway sits higher and more comfortably on my lap than does my '93 LP Studio, which requires a Neck Up to be comfortablehttps://www.neckup.com/Products/NeckUp/GS-MiniNB.html

Enjoy the ride.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Jerrysimon

Its been a long time since I posted on here and joined way back in 2002. Still have my three Taylors below though thinking about selling the 12 string as I just never use it.

The pre 2000, 512s (love those necks) will probably be with me the rest of my life. Took quite a few years to find them but I love them and they get played daily.

Hope this isn't off topic but I have retired early (even more time to play my guitars now) and want to expand out and try an electric.

Started like many probably, doing some research and falling into the Strat/LP decision. I liked the idea of a LP mainly because of the shape and acoustic like headstock lol

Did not really want to jump in and pay a fortune on a Gibson so ended up looking at Epiphone range. Didn't want anything fancy so was going down the Studio route but when I tried it, man was it heavy. I know that helps with sustain but my Taylor (1996) small bodied 512s are literally half the weight of the 8.4lb LP. I also love ebony fretboards (Taylor hangover).

Whilst doing some research I learnt a little about single coil and humbuckers. Ok I am a real novice here. Anyway at my local music shop I tried a LP with the option to have a humbucker with coil splitting I think they call it.

Anyway still hated the weight of the LP but the shape feels right. Then in the shop they said we have something a bit off wall you may like, but may suit you and handed me a Washburn PXL10WA.

http://www.washburn.com/products/electric/PXL10WA.html

Suddenly I seemed to have something that ticked all the boxes above. The guitar felt small, light, right, had the lovely ebony fretboard and a set of Seymour Duncan pickups (with spliting) for more sound options.

I have put a deposit on it as they seem to be really reduced. In fact a steal! This is less than half the cost from when they first came out in 2014. Just adding up the parts gover tuners, pickups, set neck etc makes really good value. I guess it must be an outgoing model ?

The thing is its sold as a heavy metal/rock guitar, though I doubt that is how I will use it. I want to learn rythm and some solo stuff to add to my acoustic songs ?

Finally being an acoustic player I really appreciate the Walnut finish. The undertstated overall matt finish and lack of fancy inlays also appeals.

Searching on reviews though I dont find nearly as many in fact very few compared to the Epiphone LP range. At the end of the day I guess it's about buying the guitar that feels right rather than going on reviews and following the crowd.

I wonder how expanding out to play electric will be ?

Hey welcome to the dark side and electrics and definitely on topic on this sub forum.

Great info far. I did basically the same thing last fall, I had played electric briefly in the late 60's but have been acoustic only since then. Last fall went on a quest to get back into electric, had much the same thought LP, Strat or Tele would be the logical choice. But after playing a good number say 50 or so guitars Strats Teles and LP's I actually ended up getting a PRS CE24 . It also has the split single coil or humbucker selection option, and that does bring some more tonal options to the table.
As others have stated next is Amps So while getting into electric brings a whole new range of tones and sonics to play with, the problem is that the potential for obsession is doubled not only GAS but AAS

[Jerrysimon]

Wow been busy today and only just caught up with all your excellent replies. I forgot how active this forum is.

Lots to read and think about. I will come back after I go play the guitar in the store again.

Thanks!!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Jerrysimon

...I have retired early (even more time to play my guitars now) and want to expand out and try an electric...I liked the idea of a LP mainly because of the shape and acoustic-like headstock...

Did not really want to jump in and pay a fortune on a Gibson so ended up looking at Epiphone range. Didn't want anything fancy so was going down the Studio route but when I tried it, man was it heavy. I know that helps with sustain but my Taylor (1996) small bodied 512s are literally half the weight of the 8.4lb LP...

I want to learn rhythm and some solo stuff to add to my acoustic songs...

...The understated overall matte finish and lack of fancy inlays also appeals.

...At the end of the day I guess it's about buying the guitar that feels right rather than going on reviews and following the crowd...

Some comments/suggestions:

• Serious LP players would sell their family jewels to get one that weighs 8.4 pounds - a typical non-weight-relieved LP scales in somewhere in the mid- to high-nines, ten-pounders are fairly common, and I've seen a few gennie '58-60 vintage bursts that inched over the 11-pound mark. If you want the Gibson solidbody vibe in an easier-handling (and inexpensive) package, check out an SG Special - at 6 lbs. +/- they're not much heavier than your Taylor acoustics...
• Along with (Gibson full-size) humbucker and (Fender narrow) single-coil, there are two other widely-available pickup options, the mini-bucker (Gibson Firebird/LP Deluxe, Gretsch Filter'tron, Taylor Solidbody, '60s Epiphone) and P-90 single-coil (pre-1958 postwar Gibson electrics, LP Junior/Special, ES-330, '60s SG Special/Junior/TV, Epiphone Casino). If you find most big humbuckers muddy and lacking detail, and Fender-style single-coils edgy and thin, these may be just what you're looking for: crisp and clear, with a distinctive midrange response that IME complements an acoustic guitar exceptionally well - something the Beatles put to excellent use in their pre-Sgt. Pepper period - and versatile/flexible enough that you can cover a broad variety of musical styles without the need for coil-tapping, simply by using your guitar/amp tone and volume controls...
• Since you're coming over from a lifetime of acoustic guitar, you're not going to be playing at excessive volume levels - and if you're willing to think a bit outside the box, you might want to look into a full-hollowbody electric. FYI these can be among the most stylistically wide-ranging instruments out there, covering everything from early bop-era jazz, to roots/rockabilly, to Beatlesque "chime," to George Thorogood's "snarl," to the sonic assault of Ted Nugent - it's all in there; in addition, many players favor them for their light weight vis-a-vis a typical solidbody/semi-hollow (ES-335 type), and the fact that the handling characteristics are often quite similar to an acoustic guitar, particularly in the larger sizes. If you like the feel of your Taylors and you're OK with a no-frills box of comparable size/weight I'd strongly recommend checking out the Godin CW II, a dual P-90/single-cut hollowbody in the mold of the early-50's Gibson ES-175; you might also want to look into one of the new Korean-made Gretsch Electromatic 5400-Series hollowbody or 5600-Series semi-hollow instruments, in a similar price range. FYI I own examples of both - a blonde CW II and a Rosa Red 3-PU 5622T-CB (recently discontinued, although leftover stock may still be available) - and I'd have to rate them as the best instruments of their kind in the under-$1K (US) price bracket; if you've ever played a Godin-family (Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, Art & Luthierie) acoustic you're familiar with the high standard to which they're built (TMK Tony Bennett's guitarist has been using a CW II on tour for the last couple years), and as a Gretsch owner since 1964 the MIK E-Matics are IMO some of the finest guitars ever to bear the Gretsch name - equaling (and often surpassing) the vintage Brooklyn originals, and fully competitive with the far higher-priced Japanese-made Professional Series...
• You're going to need an amp sooner than later - and inasmuch as your amplifier constitutes at least 50% of your final tone, don't cut unnecessary corners in this department; as an electric newbie, I'd leave those digital-modeling rigs to the studio guys/working cover-band players who need "that sound, right now" or the middle-school wannabe shredders looking to impress the young ladies - you know something about good tone and how to get it, and you don't need a couple hundred presets that you're not going to use anyway, given your stated purpose. Find yourself a decent analog amp (tube or solid-state, your choice) with relatively simple controls and sufficient power for your anticipated needs; think ahead and you'll save money in the long run - don't buy a Vox Pathfinder/Bugera V5 if you have real prospects of playing 1200-seat houses with fair regularity, and a JC-120 or Twin Reverb may put a serious strain on your family life if you're only doing home recording. Finally, block out some extended time to acquaint yourself with the various features, and resist the urge to add outboard stompbox effects until you've mastered the art of achieving your individual signature tone(s), using nothing but your hands/guitar/cable/amp...

Good luck - and welcome to the "dark side"...

[1neeto]

Don’t dismiss the humble Strat. Lightweight, way more ergonomic and comfortable than a LP, and it was the preferred instrument of Hendrix, Clapton, and Gilmour just to name a few.

Plus nothing sings like the neck single coil pickup on a strat!

[Jerrysimon]

Thanks for the many replies. Hadn't really considered an SG I will see if I can play one in the shop tomorrow. They do seem to be much lighter and cheaper compared to the Gibson LPs.

Not sure I want to go down the semi acoustic route.

I was considering a Strat but as I said I cant get on with the headstock being a die hard acoustic player. I know its only cosmetics.

Amp wise I am simply planning on getting one of these to start with

http://www.voxamps.com/amplug2

I only have an acoustic amp setup at the moment.

[roylor4]

You should also put PRS on your list. 3 per side tuners. Light and dynamic. The SE Standards are quite affordable and very nice - a LOT of guitar for the $.

And yeah, LP's are quite a load, especially if you're used to acoustics.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Jerrysimon

Thanks for the many replies. Hadn't really considered an SG I will see if I can play one in the shop tomorrow. They do seem to be much lighter and cheaper compared to the Gibson LPs.

Not sure I want to go down the semi acoustic route.

I was considering a Strat but as I said I cant get on with the headstock being a die hard acoustic player. I know its only cosmetics.

Amp wise I am simply planning on getting one of these to start with

http://www.voxamps.com/amplug2

I only have an acoustic amp setup at the moment.

You don’t play the headstock! Once you tune the guitar you’ll forget about the headstock! Give the strat a try, plug it into a blues JR and drive those tubes!

[Dru Edwards]

I have a couple of SGs and they're fantastic guitars. Very light compared to a Les Paul. Better upper fret access too. I'm a Les Paul guy but the faded SGJ I have is a player for sure.

Give them a try. Also, like acoustics, buying used is a great option.

Originally Posted by Jerrysimon

Thanks for the many replies. Hadn't really considered an SG I will see if I can play one in the shop tomorrow. They do seem to be much lighter and cheaper compared to the Gibson LPs.

Not sure I want to go down the semi acoustic route.

I was considering a Strat but as I said I cant get on with the headstock being a die hard acoustic player. I know its only cosmetics.

Amp wise I am simply planning on getting one of these to start with

http://www.voxamps.com/amplug2

I only have an acoustic amp setup at the moment.