acoustic to electric players

[eyesore]

I have recently tried playing my Tele lately. I am 99% acoustic player. But when I get the urge to play electric , I find the body too thin to hold comfortably [especially with a bad right shoulder]. Any way to resolve this? I do LIKE the Tele;[not love] but maybe it's time to look for something more comparable.

[Dru Edwards]

Have you tried playing standing up with a strap? I would try that to see how it feels.

[jpmist]

Tried a Strat lately? The body has a lot of contours cut into the body so when seated it's balanced perfectly with the strings and body angle set perfectly for my playing.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by jpmist

Tried a Strat lately? The body has a lot of contours cut into the body so when seated it's balanced perfectly with the strings and body angle set perfectly for my playing.

That's a good point about the Strat's body contours.

[eyesore]

Hi guys; I played standing up in a band for a long time and never got comfortable standing ;playing acoustic or electric. I did play a Strat for years but I use a thumbpick and kept hitting that middle pickup. Maybe I should try again , no band stuff anymore.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Hi guys; I played standing up in a band for a long time and never got comfortable standing ;playing acoustic or electric. I did play a Strat for years but I use a thumbpick and kept hitting that middle pickup. Maybe I should try again , no band stuff anymore.

Yea, I sometimes hit that middle pickup too when I play a Strat, or 3 pickup Gibson.

Try another guitar at a store, like a Les Paul or SG, just to see how it fits. Different scale length may alter the way the way you hold the body, although the SG is slim.

[M Sarad]

After 20 years of DADGAD and buying luthier handmade guitars, I returned to electric, finally getting a Tele.
I play seated with the Huckleberries, a quartet with a pedal steel player. Tele and Tweed Deluxe with a Boss '63 Reverb pedal.
With the RiffKats,a blues quintet, I stand and play a Tele,Strat,SG, Les Paul TV Special or PRS into a Deluxe Reverb with a Boss DD5 delay and a ZenDrive.
My right shoulder always hurts. Alleve in the mornings on gig days.

[snoopster]

I'm kind of an old geezer so keep that in mind if you choose to read further. I play my electrics with a strap and sitting down. I have the strap adjusted so that most of the guitars weight and support is on my leg but if I start to move and groove, the position of the guitar doesn't change. Also, I'm good-to-go if I choose to stand up and play. I've always worn my guitar up higher than was cool but that's where it's most comfortable for me to play. I have a strap for all of my guitars but that's something I've put together over the years. Good luck and enjoy the journey.

[nightchef]

Originally Posted by eyesore

I have recently tried playing my Tele lately. I am 99% acoustic player. But when I get the urge to play electric , I find the body too thin to hold comfortably [especially with a bad right shoulder]. Any way to resolve this? I do LIKE the Tele;[not love] but maybe it's time to look for something more comparable.

If you want an electric that sits more like an acoustic in your lap, I might swap the Tele for a hollowbody.

Interesting, though, that the thin body hurts your shoulder — I hear people saying that a lot about thick bodies (i.e. dreads), but this is the first time I’ve heard someone say they experienced it in the other direction. I gather that for folks with shoulder pain there’s a “sweet spot” in terms of arm/shoulder angle and moving away from it in either direction can be a problem?

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by eyesore

I have recently tried playing my Tele lately. I am 99% acoustic player. But when I get the urge to play electric , I find the body too thin to hold comfortably [especially with a bad right shoulder]. Any way to resolve this? I do LIKE the Tele;[not love] but maybe it's time to look for something more comparable.

To quote Tommy Emmanuel: "It's called practice." Seriously, you'll adjust to switching back and forth in no time if you just do it.

[brad4d8]

Clarence White needed extra depth for the stringbender:

[brad4d8]

Originally Posted by nightchef

If you want an electric that sits more like an acoustic in your lap, I might swap the Tele for a hollowbody....

Me too, never liked the thin body of a solid body guitar.

[Chickee]

How about a big ole fat Gibson L5? That would sure make me feel better!!!

[perttime]

Originally Posted by nightchef

...

Interesting, though, that the thin body hurts your shoulder — I hear people saying that a lot about thick bodies (i.e. dreads), but this is the first time I’ve heard someone say they experienced it in the other direction....

My thought exactly.

Can you pin down what it is about the tele that is bothering you?

I think a strat, with the contours, would bring the guitar even closer.

[eyesore]

Originally Posted by perttime

My thought exactly.

Can you pin down what it is about the tele that is bothering you?

I think a strat, with the contours, would bring the guitar even closer.

Wll the way a Tele feels ; i describe as , I have to hold it up. It always feels like it wants to slip off my lap or out of my hands. I need to support it all the time. whereas the acoustic , I just REST my arm on the body . There is no where to rest my arm on the Tele.