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  #1  
Old 10-29-2017, 11:27 AM
gfsark gfsark is offline
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Default Anyone here given up acoustics in favor of electrics?

I have 2 nylon string and 4 steel string acoustics, and one electric guitar, a pre-lawsuit Les Paul knockoff by Ibanez which I bought in 1975 used...but in excellent condition. I find that the older I get, the more I play the electric primarily because it's so thin and my right shoulder complains when I spend to much time on a fat bodied guitar.

Currently, I do pretty much all my practice on the Ibenez, but then switch to an acoustic a few days before gigging, and always play acoustic when on stage. And my style is pretty much folksy stuff, finger picking, singing, and classical guitar depending on the gig which doesn't seem to lend itself that well to electric...or does it in the right hands?

Just wondering if any of you electric guitar players moved away from acoustics and play your electrics for most all your playing? Or have you been primarily electric players who've picked up acoustic guitar along the way?
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  #2  
Old 10-29-2017, 11:50 AM
Yamaha Man Yamaha Man is offline
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My main guitar is a Martin D-35 but am slowly transitioning to a Gretsch hollow body just for something different.
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  #3  
Old 10-29-2017, 12:04 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Went all-acoustic around 1970, when stage volumes began to exceed OSHA safety levels on a regular basis, and rarely touched an electric (other than home practice) for the next fifteen years or so - probably saved my hearing as a result; did a fair share of CCM/praise-&-worship band work over the last 20-odd years that required me to get back into electric - fortunately stage volume levels have become far more reasonable - quickly rediscovered just how much I liked it, and revived a lot of my old '50s/60s repertoire. Don't play much acoustic anymore other than banjo, uke, and some archtop comping - and I think my "unplugged" instruments are getting lonely...
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Old 10-29-2017, 01:14 PM
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Nope I play both. And now pretty much equally, When I first got my electric about 1 year ago for about 8 months I played almost exclusively electric to learn it's attributes and to learn to play leads . And so far physical issues have not been a problem " Knockin on wood"
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  #5  
Old 10-29-2017, 02:49 PM
DukeX DukeX is offline
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I love both acoustics and electrics. For a couple of years I was focused more on electrics. Last six months I have focused on acoustics.

Every way the muse blows...
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Old 10-29-2017, 03:02 PM
Tony Done Tony Done is offline
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I played acoustics for a long time, about 30 years, before I finally took up electric after several failed attempts. Like you, I'm a folk/blues fingerpicker and I have never fully adapted to electric, but since I also play slide, I found an interesting niche for it there. - Inspired by the likes of Ry Cooder. I also play a lot of lap steel these days, and that is entwined with my interest in electrics.

FWIW, my relative inabilities on electrics are related to poor string damping technique. - I very easily end up with sonic mush.

Last edited by Tony Done; 10-29-2017 at 03:37 PM.
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Old 10-29-2017, 03:29 PM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gfsark View Post
I have 2 nylon string and 4 steel string acoustics, and one electric guitar, a pre-lawsuit Les Paul knockoff by Ibanez which I bought in 1975 used...but in excellent condition. I find that the older I get, the more I play the electric primarily because it's so thin and my right shoulder complains when I spend to much time on a fat bodied guitar.



Currently, I do pretty much all my practice on the Ibenez, but then switch to an acoustic a few days before gigging, and always play acoustic when on stage. And my style is pretty much folksy stuff, finger picking, singing, and classical guitar depending on the gig which doesn't seem to lend itself that well to electric...or does it in the right hands?



Just wondering if any of you electric guitar players moved away from acoustics and play your electrics for most all your playing? Or have you been primarily electric players who've picked up acoustic guitar along the way?


There was a 30 year period where I played 98% electric, but I can’t remember the last time the electric came out of the case. I probably played it 3 times in the last two years.
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Old 10-29-2017, 05:07 PM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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My studio work probably calls for about 75% electric playing so it gets a pretty large amount of my attention, but I do love both. I'll admit that I find electric guitar an extremely expressive instrument and use it as a cathartic tool.

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  #9  
Old 10-29-2017, 05:17 PM
s2y s2y is offline
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I never totally give up on anything. I started guitar as a metal head and branched out. I play a little bit of everything. I grabbed my Taylor T3/B with Lollartrons today. Yesterday, I was playing my Taylor DN, 514e, and walnut 12 fret. Who knows, tomorrow I might grab a hair metal guitar and finish the night with some fretless bass.
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  #10  
Old 10-29-2017, 06:53 PM
Guildman Guildman is offline
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Try some OM's if your still playing dreads.
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  #11  
Old 10-29-2017, 09:35 PM
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For a while I (almost) made a living playing flute then it all fell through and I came back to the guitar, just playing for my own amazement.

The soft sound of a flute is almost the polar opposite of a guitar with its zingy transients and it was great to rediscover the instrument on which I first discovered music. A vibrating string is such an incredible, rich source of sounds. There are whole worlds hidden in there.

A good acoustic guitar plus a good acoustic space and some good mics might have been all I ever wanted but some niggly problems with my finger joints started to interfere. I found electric guitar much easier to play and have switched to that almost exclusively.

In some ways there are even more worlds to explore with an electric guitar. I have a blast with amps and pickups and pedals and I've got tons of stuff I'm working on but I also miss my acoustic and the kind of music only it could lead me to.
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  #12  
Old 10-29-2017, 10:18 PM
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JeffreyAK JeffreyAK is offline
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I play both, but my Strat gets the most play time. It's a comfy old shoe, and I'll probably always be much more skilled on electric guitar since that has been my main instrument for decades. It's also quiet unplugged, so I can play it even late at night, which I often do. I love acoustic guitars too, but I'm much more of an amateur playing them - so I treat them as a challenges, especially harp guitar.
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  #13  
Old 10-30-2017, 12:44 AM
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Pickcity Pickcity is offline
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I play both and love both. It is hard to pick my favorite of the two, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the acoustic.
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  #14  
Old 10-30-2017, 02:26 AM
Steel and wood Steel and wood is offline
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Like others, I'm a big fan of both. (Even if my Martin gets most of my attention these days).
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  #15  
Old 10-30-2017, 04:27 AM
ghostnote ghostnote is offline
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Play what you want to play. It's all guitar, after all.
I don't see why anyone would give up one for the other. I guess I can understand physical limitations; it is easier to make noise on an electric, but other than that, why do you need to make a choice? I've talked to guys who act like an electric guitar is some foreign object to be suspicious of - I've never understood that. The idea of music is to make pleasant sounds - how you define that and how you do it is up to you.
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