Why Do I Like Acoustic Guitars More Than Electric?

[aeisen93]

For some reason, I just like acoustic guitars so much more than electric... I love the way the wood looks on an acoustic guitar, such as the patterns in Koa, Walnut, EIR, etc...

There's just a special feeling I get when holding, playing, or even just looking at an acoustic guitar that I just don't get from any electrics...

I know this is the AGF, but do you also like acoustic guitars so much more than electric? If so, why?

I'm 28 years old, and it seems like people around my age are more into playing electric... I enjoy playing electric with a band, but when I'm playing alone, I always prefer acoustic.

[beatcomber]

There is something organic about playing a fine acoustic guitar with no electronics or amplification. Just wood and wires.

[rick-slo]

Don't have to plug anything in for one thing.

[YamahaGuy]

Electric guitars feel like they play themselves, and in my opinion seem easier to play, regardless of action and string gauge (mostly). There is surely a different technique for each.

That said, I prefer acoustic-electric guitars. Banging on the big sound box, strumming, palm muting, fingerstyle, whatever, nothing beats a great acoustic guitar.

[Lillis]

I just got into electrics four months ago so I’ve been spending most my time on them. When i pick up and strum my Larrivee it blows me away how rich it sounds. Plus it feels incredibly light.

[Glob]

By yourself and with no other instruments, the acoustic makes sense. It's organic, the range is somewhat wider and deeper. It's a conversation you're having with your best friends around a glass of wine. The way the sound sustains is better, the way it projects - because how you play decides that, not the amp settings. it's easier to project feelings and depth - and I think that's why the acoustic sessions on MTV used to be so popular - that intimacy.

You can get some of that with an electric but you have to play around to find that sound and it's often only good for one or two types of song, then you have to start again. Etc. But electrics are so much easier to play, very forgiving.

But for me everytime I use my electric, I rarely can find the 'sound', so tired of mucking around, I grab the acoustic. It's there, honest and willing from the get go.

[FingahPickah]

Electric tone is so dependent; pick-ups, their settings, choice of amp, its' settings... etc...

An acoustic instrument is wood, wire and you

[Pdubs76]

I had an electric for awhile years back. It just seemed like a toy that got old quickly. Acoustic does the opposite. It continues to grow on me as time goes on. Also, there’s seems to be a degree of nostalgia that comes with a broken in acoustic guitar.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by Pdubs76

I had an electric for awhile years back. It just seemed like a toy that got old quickly. Acoustic does the opposite. It continues to grow on me as time goes on. Also, there’s seems to be a degree of nostalgia that comes with a broken in acoustic guitar.

I agree with the nostalgia factor. I received my Taylor 814ce when I was just 13 years old. (I started playing guitar when I was 9). I've had the 814ce now for 15 years, and it's just the best sounding guitar I've ever placed. It's so special to me.

[Wade Hampton]

When I first started gigging out I never had a car, so the dependence on an amplifier with an electric guitar was just too much for me to deal with. By the time I got a car my musical style was already formed, and electric guitar didn’t really fit in with it.


whm

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

Electric tone is so dependent; pick-ups, their settings, choice of amp, its' settings... etc...

An acoustic instrument is wood, wire and you

^^^^This right here^^^^oh, wood or carbon fiber, wire and you😁

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

An acoustic instrument is wood, wire and you

Well said! Definitely the simple intimacy that seduces me.

[Ken Carr]

Any guitar you have to plug a cord into to get sound out of must be of the devil.

[The Bard Rocks]

I have never much cared for an electric's sound. Additionally, they feel heavy to me and look ugly. Maybe if I liked rock music I would feel differently. And if feel weird to me to have to plug in to play. At any rate, they sure do not fit the sound of the music that I like.

[jklotz]

I started playing when I was 11 years old. I've been through a lot of phases since that time. There's just something about a tele going into a cranked delux reverb that still moves me, I love that sound. But once covid hit, and I discovered Tommy Emanual, among others, that's what I've wanted to do. It's really nice to be able to pick up the guitar next to me and start playing. No messing with pedals, no waiting for an amp to warm up, or boot up as it seems these days, just grab and play.

There is another aspect to it, however, that makes me think I'm in for the long haul. I played lead guitar in bands for years. All that time, I wasn't playing a song, I was playing parts that required the rest of the band to become great music. With fingerstyle, I'm playing all the parts. No having to heard the cats, no earplugs, no loadouts smelling like cigarettes at 3am. I find it refreshing and I've never been more motivated to learn and get better.