Ever ditch electric all together??

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by reeve21

I don't think I'm electric guy. I've eliminated 50 per of all potential sources of GAS

More like 65%. Amps are a much bigger part of the sound equation than they are with acoustics - I know people who have more money in amps than they do in guitars. By a LOT. I'm not one of them, but it's not that uncommon...

-Ray

[Gordon Currie]

Not for me. I've played far too long on electric (longer than acoustic) and I consider my skill on both to be at a professional level.

I resist giving up things where I have achieved a level of mastery over decades.

I remember early touring experiences where fans would come up to talk after a performance. One story I heard often was 'I used to play x, but I put it away after college/marriage/career/etc., but I really miss it a LOT.'

I resolved never to be THAT guy.

[Steel and wood]

I've been playing for a long time and I go through phases where I play more acoustic than electric and vice versa. (Into the amp mostly with headphones at home these days or unplugged).

[Jeff Scott]

Ever ditch electric all together??

Yep, a few years ago. I've had some really nice electrics and amps over the decades, now it's down to a few acoustic guitars, only, outside of my bass gear.

[Lillis]

I actually just ordered my first electric (semi hollow body Gretsch). I don’t even expect to get it until Sunday and I can already feel myself slipping down the rabbit hole. Kind of unsettling

[letterk]

Nope. Acoustic is still home, but I’m loving electric too.

[Mr.Woody]

Originally Posted by Lillis

Well just the opposite here. I just ordered my first electric yesterday! A semi hollow body. I just hope I don’t go down too many rabbit holes with various gear.

Congrats on the new guitar!! It's hard not to go down the rabbit hole for sure. The best way to not do that is to stay off the gear page and YouTube demos.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Lillis

I actually just ordered my first electric (semi hollow body Gretsch). I don’t even expect to get it until Sunday and I can already feel myself slipping down the rabbit hole. Kind of unsettling

Spoiler alert - it's better than the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland .

[Rob W]

I started playing guitar in 1967, pretty much 50/50 acoustic/electric. Then in 1993 I gave up electric guitar playing, focusing exclusively on acoustic guitar and songwriting/recording. It wasn't until 2019 (that's right, just two years ago), when I recorded my most recent record, that I picked up electric again (and having a blast with it!). And, in the years leading up to 2019, I began to completely fall in love with flamenco guitars, which I continue to find somewhat more initmate and expressive for what I like to play (and it ain't flamenco). So, now it seems I'm playing electric guitars and nylon string acoustics, having all but given up steel string acoustics (at least for now). I still buy and trade steel string acoustics, just hardly play them anymore.

[blue]

I do it all the time!

Seriously. My main "thing" is National guitars. And I kind of have always gone after music that is "indigenous" to Nationals. So Blues, Early Jazz, Hawaiian...

For me, it's hard to be "as good as I want to be" at those styles, and also shred electric. I can manage Robert Johnson/John Lee Hooker/Skip James and AC/DC/Ted Nugent/Led Zeppelin etc. at personally acceptable levels simultaneously. But stuff like Lonnie Johnson and Metallica? Lonnie's fingerwork and Mr. Hetfield's right hand both take lots of work and constant exercise...

So I have definitely gone 6 to 8 months without touching an electric more than once in the last decade. Every once in a while I think about going down to one solidbody electric and my Blues Cube hot. I even know which electric it would be. I'm actually in that mental space right now.

[Scott of the Sa]

If you are the main singer and rhythm guitar player, it can be hard to do cool and interesting things on the electric guitar.
It is possible to lead worship with an electric guitar, but mostly in the rhythm guitar mode.
When you play solo, I agree that acoustic works better.
It is important to have a good amp you can depend on to get the sound you like. I have a Roland cube 30 that is light and sounds good.
I know alot of Churches do not want any amps up on the stage, but that is the only way I can play. I won't use in ear monitors or play through a "pod" or some other modeler.

[blue]

Originally Posted by Scott of the Sa

If you are the main singer and rhythm guitar player, it can be hard to do cool and interesting things on the electric guitar.
It is possible to lead worship with an electric guitar, but mostly in the rhythm guitar mode.
When you play solo, I agree that acoustic works better.
It is important to have a good amp you can depend on to get the sound you like. I have a Roland cube 30 that is light and sounds good.
I know alot of Churches do not want any amps up on the stage, but that is the only way I can play. I won't use in ear monitors or play through a "pod" or some other modeler.

Maybe a different electric guitar is in order?

[Mr.Woody]

Originally Posted by Scott of the Sa

If you are the main singer and rhythm guitar player, it can be hard to do cool and interesting things on the electric guitar.
It is possible to lead worship with an electric guitar, but mostly in the rhythm guitar mode.

Yeah, that's a good point. I'm very good at playing the rhythm roll esp while singing. When I find myself trying to figure out something to play along side other people, I'm in left field mist of the time.

All that being said, I did over the last couple days use my electric for practice instead of my acoustic. I was able to find nice sounds and remember why I love playing electric. Also, I've come with the realization, that since buying the Iridium, I can ditch three of the pedals on my board (2 OD's and a boost), and probably replace the other two I'm using with a Strymon Sunset and just have a four pedal all-Strymon board.

[Shades of Blue]

I played primarily electric through my 20s, but when I hit 30 something changed. Acoustic took over and I went about 3 years without really caring about the electric guitar. 2020 saw me go back to buying some electric guitars with more time at home, but now that I'm back at work, I just don't have the time to devote to the electric guitar. It's just not as fun to play alone and it isn't fun to play loud anymore.

What changed it for me was my daughter. She plays violin and we play together so I am playing the acoustic with her all the time. I have a couple of cool amps that I am thinking about selling, but I'm just not quite there yet. If I do get around to selling my amps I think I'll be done with electric for good.

I used to dream about playing the electric guitar for a big church one day, but that dream is fading for me. I think the small intimate family acoustic get togethers are WAY more fun. Besides, things like Helix and Powercab make playing at home so cheap and convenient that amps like my Two Rock just don't really make much sense.

[stevo58]

I started at thirteen, and played strictly acoustic for six years. Then I played primarily electric until my late 50s. I got tired of the weight, the gear, the volume, and I was listening to more and more acoustic music. I still have a lot of the gear, but it never gets played. Most of my time these days is spent playing trad jazz on a tenor banjo, a far cry from the stuff I was playing in the late 70s. I’ve also picked up a lot of ragtime. Acoustic instruments have a more complex, subtler tone. I got pretty tired of playing electric guitar in a band. I never ever want to play Hotel California or Sweet Home Alabama again. I’m too old for that ****.