Favourite electric guitars for acoustic guitarists

[lppier]

What electric guitars do you like? As acoustic players primarily, I’m sure our tastes differ from the typical electric guitar player. Just wondering what are the types that are favoured by the folks around here!

[rwmct]

Do a search of the forum, there are threads on this already.

Telecasters, IIRC, are popular here. (I certainly love mine).

[Steve DeRosa]

Although I've played solidbodies extensively in the past - still use a Les Paul for some rock gigs - my preferences generally run to hollow/semi-hollow instruments (typically Gretsch); I also set up my guitars with somewhat heavier strings than most contemporary electric players use - only recently have I gone to anything lighter than 12's (the full-hollow big-body jazzboxes get 13's) - which offers not only a similar feel to my acoustics but allows for lower action (a favorite '50s jazz/rockabilly players' hack BTW), especially with flatwounds...

[Jaden]

I’ve been working on some diddlies in first position on my guitars - mainly an OM and a telecaster - partial chords with single note fills, alternately plucked and strummed to sound flowing and musical - and I’m surprised how much easier it is to hit the notes cleanly on the tele considering the more narrow nut width, but also the ergonomics of the electric put my hand much closer to my body, much more confident sense of control - all this with pudgy hands, not elegant long fingers - both guitars need a set up/ tweaking, but for playability, the electric wins by a wide margin - I was going to start a separate thread devoted to this question of ease of handling, but will leave this here in answer to your question in a round about way - telecaster.

[lppier]

I see... what is it about the telecaster that acoustic guitar players like?

[Steel and wood]

Finding an electric guitar that you like with a same/similar neck profile to your acoustic will help you transition across.

I went from electric to acoustic a long time back and I found the transition to be no big deal.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by lppier

I see... what is it about the telecaster that acoustic guitar players like?

Sound good clean.

[tubeamps]

I like Collings I35 LC and Michael Tuttle Tele, both have been my favorite gig guitars for a long time.

I've been primarily an electric player for over 50 years, but recently retired from regular band/gigging and have been primarily acoustic for several months.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

Finding an electric guitar that you like with a same/similar neck profile to your acoustic will help you transition across.

I went from electric to acoustic a long time back and I found the transition to be no big deal.

I've landed on the discontinued Taylor Solidbody electric series. i find them remarkably "familiar" since I primarily play Taylor acoustics.

[Jaden]

The Fender single coil pickup provides extremely detailed articulation - providing the most highly touch responsive performance - and as well versatile in that you don’t “have to turn it up” (the volume) to get good sound - Eric Clapton has talked about the versatility of the Stratocaster which employs the single coil pickup for satisfying low volume performance - and the touch responsiveness from quiet and round, soft, to sharp and loud is off the charts. In the acoustic world, when Ervin Somogyi talks about the responsive guitar - for electric, the single coil is “it”.

[M Sarad]

After decades playing Gibsons, I finally switched to Strats and Teles.

[Edgar Poe]

I would guess the 3 top choices are, and not in this order.
1- Les Paul.
2- Stratocaster.
3- Telecaster.
Or a variation of anyone made by another manufacturer. PRS, Ibanez, Epiphone, Squier etc.

Ed

[3notes]

Interesting read here. Question..... Both, the Tele and the Strat are equipped with single coil pickups. Tele has 2. Strat has 3. Why does the Tele win that race.?? The numbers don't stack up for me.

Personal preference but I choose a Strat. Well, a Strat copy.(think yamaha)

But the overall winner for me is the Gretsch. Hollow-body electric.

[Bob Womack]

Well, I will admit that on the continuum I am far beyond an acoustic guitarist playing electric. I've played and loved both both for fifty years. But here are some points to consider:

1. The Telecaster mafia will always show up and say, "Everyone knows the Telecaster is the best." Count on it. They are simply the most vociferous and insistant in the crowd. Factor in that vociferousness and certainty (or out) during your consiferation.
2. EVERYONE will come by and tell you that his favorite guitar is the one you should use.
3. My favorite is the Gibson ES-335. There, I said it. I will usually suggest it. BUT...

You really owe it to yourself to get out and try all these types. What do your hands think? What does your chest think? Put 'em on strap and stand up. Can you get comfortable?

My home base for thirty-five years was a Les Paul. When I stand up, it now simply fits the contour of my body like no other. However, it doesn't have the upper fret access of an ES-335 or a Gibson SG and I've discovered that the ES-335 covers far more territory than the LP. The struggle there is that I am of average height and can't get comfortable with an ES-335 standing up. Nevertheless, an ES-335 and a Tele are the two that I use on studio sessions the most and the ES-335 is my home base. There! I told you it was my favorite and thus I would suggest it!

Fenders are indispensable for the more wiry, stringy sounds. You don't get those from a Gibson because the woods, construction, and pickups of the Gibsons tend to create more mellow sounds. Humbuckers typically filter out a full octave of overtones. The Fender single coil pickups and bolt-neck maple neck sound is a thing.

Gibsons are indispensable for the more mellow, rounder sounds. The LP probably has the most girth of the bunch but the ES-335 is more flexible.

Scale length and free string length are important as well. Free string length sets the apparent tension in bends. The longer it is the more tense the string feels. Scale length contributes but the two extremes are the Gibson 24.75" with a three-per-side heastock that keeps free string length short and the Fender with 25.5" scale and a six-per-side headstock that adds length to the treble strings. There are compromises like the Ernie Ball four-and-two headstock that make the treble free string length shorter and the bends feel less tense.

Trem tailpieces add complication because most sag while you are bending, making you need to push harder to get the same amount of pitch change. They also mess up double stops that include a single-note bend because as you bend the one note sharp the other, static note sags flat.


My basic studio kit usually starts with one humbucker guitar (LP or ES-335), one single coil (Tele, because it has a hard tail and is easier to bend on), and one wobbly tailpiece guitar (Strat or something similar) because the ability to gently wobble chords on held passages is often called for.


Fun stinkin' stuff! Now get out there and answer the question for yourself!


Bob

[M Sarad]

I’ve had a 330, a 345, and three 335s.

I miss them.