Getting Back into Electric

[jpjr50]

All I needed was an electric guitar which inspires me and I found it. A Fender Telecaster limited production is what I needed.

Now I believe I have the best guitars, Martin Acoustic and Fender Tele for me.

I love playing both equally now which wasn't the case with my Ibanez and Les Paul electric guitars. Les Paul went back under the bed and I just sold the Ibanez.

[Random1643]

I sold my last electric - a blonde tele - back in the late-70s. Since starting to play play guitar again in the late-90s it's been all acoustic-electric. This summer, like another poster, I began playing elec again. Bought a Gretsch G5620T-CB semi-hollow thinline. http://www.gretschguitars.com/produc...georgia-green/ I play it through a Tube Amp Factory TAF-14R/12: http://www.tubeampfactory.com/combos/taf-14r-12c/ Good range of tones available.

Getting back into electric has been challenging and rewarding. With acoustics I'm a bare fingers picker, slide player who spends about 50% of time in open tunings. I'm used to more tension on the strings and medium action. My local shop didn't really get this at first so the initial setup was light strings, low action. And this is on a short-scale guitar. Am slowly getting this figured out. Medium elec strings just didn't do it so I bought D-Addario LP heavies. Will try those out this week. Am going to keep experimenting until I get the setup, the feel I want.

Am naturally trying to transition songs that I already know on acoustic-electric over to the Gretsch. Some just fall into place. I play a lot of swing and ragtimey sorta songs and those sound great with the neck pickup or blending neck/bridge via a clean tube amp. Can get a nice jazz-box tone. Sounds nice with vocals. Blues tunes likewise transition pretty easily - altho until I get the setup issues squared away I'm avoiding open D & G.

[Steel and wood]

Starting out, all I wanted was a Gretsch 6120 or similar. (Like a lot of the rockabilly guys). However it didn't take me long to find out what I really wanted was a Fender Stratocaster (James Calvin Wilsey, Hank Marvin, Dick Dale) and then finally a Fender Telecaster, which has long been my go to guitar. (Danny Gatton, Luther Perkins, James Burton, etc.)

[DaddyRabbit]

I too am in the same boat. Got an American Deluxe HSS to go with my Breedloves. Really liked it a lot but couldn't get used to the differences so I traded it in on a Taylor T-5z Pro (expensive mistake). Now I am selling the Taylor and just got an American Deluxe Ash Strat SSS and figured my main issue out. Being so used to playing 12s and 13s on acoustics I was really fretting the crap out of the 9s on the Strat and everything was going sharp everywhere. Now that I am conscious of it I am REALLY loving the Strat!

[ras1500]

Being so used to playing 12s and 13s on acoustics I was really fretting the crap out of the 9s on the Strat

Have you considered putting thicker strings on your Strat? I'm using flat would 11's on mine. I cannot get used to an unwound G string, so I choose thicker string sets with a wound G.

[ghale]

I'm just now discovering how awesome it is to play an electric. My uncle gave me an old (80's I'm assuming) Stinger and I'm wondering what took me so long to try plugging in.

Beamed from my Moto X 2nd Gen

[choucas09]

I think if someone were returning from acoustic to electric a Tele through a Princeton is going to take some beating.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by choucas09

I think if someone were returning from acoustic to electric a Tele through a Princeton is going to take some beating.

Agree .... great combination!

[DESERTRAT1]

I hear what you're saying. I went through a phase of playing acoustic only for about ten years and then rediscovered electric with a very sweet sounding guitar. Since then my acoustic has spent most of its time in the closet. But once in awhile I'll jam with someone who inspires me on the acoustic and I'm back into that for awhile. It's all good.

[Acoustigator]

Originally Posted by ElCamino

So word on the old interweb is that the Princeton 68 breaks up early. How early in your experience? Like bedroom-amp early? I keep admiring this amp online, but I live in an apartment and have yet to get to a shop and listen to one. But I'm guessing that no 12-watt tube amp is going to get significantly distorted at very low volume.

Definitely not at bedroom volume, you are right. 12 watts of tube power can pack a tremendous punch. Usually when folks talk about early breakup in a Princeton they mean at a club gig or in the studio -- against drums -- so you don't have to crank the amp to nosebleed volume (as you do a Twin or Super Reverb) to get warm tube breakup.