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Old 07-08-2020, 02:43 PM
robj144 robj144 is offline
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Default Blasphemous here - do you think electric is more fun?

As you can tell from the title of the thread, this is quite a blasphemous statement on AGF, but do you feel the same?

Some background on my journey back and forth on this sentiment. I started playing 25 years ago. I was into grunge at that time and I was a poor college student, so I originally bought a cheap Epiphone strat copy and practice "amp" which was just, as far as I can tell, a speaker. It sounded awful, but it was better than nothing. About a year later, I saved and got a multi-effects unit which sounded better, but not amazing.

Then a year or so later, I played a friend's acoustic and loved the natural sound and the portability or being able to bring it any where. Being poor at the time, I realized you could get a decent acoustic for not a whole lot of money, but to get a good electric sound, you needed an expensive amp and guitar... and pedals too. So, eventually I got my first acoustic and started playing that more and more. I didn't really even look at electrics for years and years, and when I got a job and could afford more expensive guitars, I just got more expensive acoustics.

Within the last year or two, I realized decent electric setups were far cheaper. I didn't know if I wanted to play electric since I've been playing acoustic so long and got so used to the sound, so I got a cheap electric and a cheap tube amp, and it sounded so good. Soooo much better than my initial rig 25 years ago, for a lot less when adjusted for inflation. Then, I started getting into portable rigs like the Yamaha THR 30ii and now I can take my electric setup as easily (almost) as acoustic.

So over the last year, I've been playing more electric than acoustic and I'm loving it. I think it's more fun to get different sounds with electric than acoustic. Now, I still love acoustics, but I am having more fun now with electrics. I'm actually thinking of keeping a few of my favorite acoustics and selling the rest since I don't play acoustic as much (thinking about it...).

So, what are your thoughts on this?
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Old 07-08-2020, 03:22 PM
M Sarad M Sarad is offline
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I spent my teens and most of my 20s playing electric. I bought a D28 when I was 23. Got the HD28when I was 25. Got the Santa Cruz when I was 27. For the next 15 years all I did was flat pick and plain open tunings.
I missed electric music. I was hired to play electric again in the mid 90s.
These days I'm in three bands where I get to play electric guitar, lap steel, acoustic guitar, and mandolin.
I still prefer the power of electric with a full band.
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Old 07-08-2020, 03:44 PM
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I think the question is similar to asking whether Italian or French is more fun to speak. To me playing acoustic and electric are two different musical languages. I'd guess that the answer lies in which of the two the respondent is more skilled...
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Old 07-08-2020, 03:50 PM
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I think if you play both that you will inevitably bounce between favorites. Phases can be weeks, months or even years.

Right now, I enjoy the electric more and have for the last several months. Have a Pod Go en route too and I'm excited about getting it.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M Sarad View Post
I spent my teens and most of my 20s playing electric. I bought a D28 when I was 23. Got the HD28when I was 25. Got the Santa Cruz when I was 27. For the next 15 years all I did was flat pick and plain open tunings.
I missed electric music. I was hired to play electric again in the mid 90s.
These days I'm in three bands where I get to play electric guitar, lap steel, acoustic guitar, and mandolin.
I still prefer the power of electric with a full band.
Nice... must be fun to play in those bands.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RP View Post
I think the question is similar to asking whether Italian or French is more fun to speak. To me playing acoustic and electric are two different musical languages. I'd guess that the answer lies in which of the two the respondent is more skilled...
I think you can definitely have more fun playing electric or acoustic "irregardless" (homage to another thread) of you skill level. I'm ok at both, but not great. I don't think I'm better at one than the other though.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roylor4 View Post
I think if you play both that you will inevitably bounce between favorites. Phases can be weeks, months or even years.

Right now, I enjoy the electric more and have for the last several months. Have a Pod Go en route too and I'm excited about getting it.
Those Pod Gos look cool. Let us know how you like it when you get it. Look at these IRs too:

https://www.yorkaudio.co/

I got the twin reverb cab a few weeks ago for my Ampero One and it definitely makes a difference when I change the cabs on the cleaner presets to that cab. A pretty large difference actually.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robj144 View Post
I think you can definitely have more fun playing electric or acoustic "irregardless" (homage to another thread) of you skill level. I'm ok at both, but not great. I don't think I'm better at one than the other though.
My guess is that if you were noticeably better at one than the other, that's the one you'd enjoy more. If your electric and acoustic skills are comparable then it's a moot point...
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RP View Post
My guess is that if you were noticeably better at one than the other, that's the one you'd enjoy more. If your electric and acoustic skills are comparable then it's a moot point...
I guess that's true also. Anyhow, right now I'm having a lot of fun just crafting sounds on the electric.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:31 PM
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I'm a better electric player than acoustic, so in a sense, that makes it more fun. I can also play more freely on an electric than I've ever been able to on acoustic. Almost everything I do on electric is improvised, almost nothing I do on acoustic is. I love improvising, so again, that's another point for the electric in the fun category.

BUT, I absolutely LOVE playing both electric and acoustic. I probably spend more time playing acoustic these days (although I do plenty of both). Acoustic is a huge amount of fun also. If I had to get rid of one and keep only one, i don't think I could - you'd really have to convince me of a very good reason why I should.

So, it doesn't really matter which is more fun, they're both a stone blast! But if you're making me say which one is more fun for me, I'd have to give electric the edge.

I guess a way to think of it is playing electric is my right arm and playing acoustic is my left arm. I'm right handed, so the stuff I can do with that arm tends to be a bit more fun. But I love both of my arms and would be horribly incomplete without either. And then I couldn't play guitar at all, so I'm staying with both of 'em...

-Ray
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:33 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Default Do you think electric is more fun?

When the house exceeds its legal occupancy limit two hours before show-time...
When they're packed four deep at the bar and it's all shakin' out on the dance floor...
When your best buds are pounding the snot out of the Ludwigs and laying down a bass line that brings the floor up two feet, and your better half is killing it with her vocals...
When the tubes are toasty-warm and you're riding that magic line between clean and dirt, with touch alone...
When your timing is dead-on, and the synergy takes all of you to places you've never been before...
When the millennials in the audience are wondering what hit them - and just how old are those guys...
When the club owner's praying you're not already booked for the next four Saturdays...
When you find your way to an all-night diner after the gig, too wired to sleep until the first rays of dawn...
When you realize it feels every bit as good now as it did when you were one-third your present age...

- that's when you know you'll never match that with an acoustic guitar...
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:36 PM
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More fun? Not for me anyway. I like them both equally.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:36 PM
robj144 robj144 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raysachs View Post
I'm a better electric player than acoustic, so in a sense, that makes it more fun. I can also play more freely on an electric than I've ever been able to on acoustic. Almost everything I do on electric is improvised, almost nothing I do on acoustic is. I love improvising, so again, that's another point for the electric in the fun category.

BUT, I absolutely LOVE playing both electric and acoustic. I probably spend more time playing acoustic these days (although I do plenty of both). Acoustic is a huge amount of fun also. If I had to get rid of one and keep only one, i don't think I could - you'd really have to convince me of a very good reason why I should.

So, it doesn't really matter which is more fun, they're both a stone blast! But if you're making me say which one is more fun for me, I'd have to give electric the edge.

-Ray
Yup, they are both great, but I'd also give the edge to electric.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
When the house exceeds its legal occupancy limit two hours before show-time...
When they're packed four deep at the bar and it's all shakin' out on the dance floor...
When your best buds are pounding the snot out of the Ludwigs and laying down a bass line that brings the floor up two feet, and your better half is killing it with her vocals...
When the tubes are toasty-warm and you're riding that magic line between clean and dirt, with touch alone...
When your timing is dead-on, and the synergy takes all of you to places you've never been before...
When the millennials in the audience are wondering what hit them - and just how old are those guys...
When the club owner's praying you're not already booked for the next four Saturdays...
When you find your way to an all-night diner after the gig, too wired to sleep until the first rays of dawn...
When you realize it feels every bit as good now as it did when you were one-third your present age...

- that's when you know you'll never match that with an acoustic guitar...
Nice description and painting of a picture. And, I agree on that as well.
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Old 07-08-2020, 05:02 PM
Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is offline
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Electric guitar is so visceral in nature, and it is fun to color with all kinds of effects.

But acoustic has so much power in the quieter moments. It is also far better suited to accompanying a vocal in general.

For me the 'fun' of each type is distinct from the other. I get equal amounts of joy from both.
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Old 07-08-2020, 05:25 PM
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Hey Rob, I think it's a dual sided sword. I love playing acoustic, very personal and it brings out the calmer, intimate side of me. But when I play a Gibson electric through my Marshall I enjoy letting it rip! Just finished playing some Metallica riffs and it feels equally as great, just on a different level.

I go through acoustic and electric phases and I find it healthy and refreshing to switch between the two.
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