give up on electric? Or just get a better one?

[roylor4]

As someone that made the transition of playing all acoustic to playing (& gigging) both with acoustic and electric guitars I can speak directly to your situation. I will also go against the grain a bit too, so bear with me. Many will dissent with my opinion but I can tell you that it works for me.

1) DO NOT go to heavier strings. Actually, if you have 10's on it, I would go to 9's. You are used to making chords on an acoustic and that requires a much stronger grip. Part of "it not sounding right" in open position is that you are pushing too hard and making notes go sharp. This will make all 1st position chords sound atrocious. Lighter strings and work on a lighter grip. Your nut slots may not be optimally cut either. If they are not deep enough everything open and at 12 will sound properly intonated but will sound sharp due to the strings being excessively stretched playing in 1st position. It's not that the guitar is going out of tune - it's likely the above.

2) I always optimize my electric guitars for ringing true in first position. For me, that has meant looking at nut slot depth AND moving the saddles so fretted notes on open chords are spot on intonation wise. This can and will make a guitar just a few cents sharp down the fret board, but they do not stick out like a sore thumb like cowboy chords do. Go on Stew Mac or You Tube and you can learn about adjusting saddles and intonation.

3) Get another amp. The fishman is an acoustic amp. Get a decent little practice amp like a Champion 20 or Mustang LT25. Blackstar makes some great all tube amps in 1, 5 and 10 watt configurations. 1 TUBE watt is much louder than you think. I gig with a 20 watt amp but only have it about 1/3rd of the way up at most gigs,

4) Use less open chords and switch to mostly barre chords. Playing electric is a totally different animal (at least to me). The playing style for an electric is VASTLY different too. If you are vigorous rhythm type player on the acoustic you will have to tame your R hand and learn proper muting techniques for your fretting hand.

While I am certainly no SRV, I am a very capable electric player now. You will have to change and adapt your style. I disagree with the heavier strings. It will not encourage you to adapt your style and will make barre chords harder. BB King always played with 8's. He was touring with ZZ Top and asked Billy Gibbons what size strings he was using. BB told him that he was working too hard, switch to 8's. He did and AFAIK, still uses 8's today.

I hope this gives you something to think about & good luck in your quest.

[RP]

I consider myself primarily an acoustic player but every now and then I get a wild hare to play an electric. The thing is that when I re-decide to give electric a go of it, I pretty much buy the same equipment. In an attempt to get off the buy & sell treadmill, I've decided to merely store my electric gear when I feel like I'm finished with it and bring it back out when it's time to rock. Sounds like a simple solution, I suppose; but it took me a while to figure it out. FWIW my electric gear is not real expensive: Mexican-made Strat and Tele and a Sweetwater Special Edition Super Champ X2 amp. I'm not familiar with pros and cons of various electric guitars and amp but I know that in the world of Fender gear, the Mexican made (vs the American made) stuff seems to set a pretty high bar, and I'm just not sophisticated, competent or educated enough to discern the differences despite having owned both...

[FrankHudson]

A lot of varied and valid thoughts already in this thread. A few thoughts from someone who considers himself more of a "composer" than a competent musician, but who has played acoustic and then electric for many years.

You may treat the two instruments (acoustic and electric guitar) as different instruments. There are differences in sustain and timbral effects (some external to the guitar, but part of the system of electric guitar and amp and possibly effects.) I often make the comparison that the acoustic guitar is like a piano and the electric guitar is like a organ. Sure they both have keyboards laid out the same, but....

That also means that one can be more interested in acoustic or electric, or even not care to explore the other much or at all.

On the other hand, "confusing" the two can lead to interesting things. There's no reason not try common acoustic playing techniques on an electric, and while I string most of my electrics with extra light sets, there are advantages to a heavier set in some of those playing techniques. The person above saying go light and learn to use them is right too. If you're interested in variety (and being interested in both acoustic and electric guitar means you must be at least somewhat interested in variety) it may behoove you to consider trying both approaches.

The amp is half the system of electric guitar. I've spent time as a guitar>cord>amp guy and I've played with effects and considerable modified sounds, and even with a "clean amp" there are as many timbral difference between amps as there are between guitars. Evaluating your electric guitar sound without an amp is like projecting what an acoustic guitar would sound like without strings.

One general judgement I've come to over the years, due perhaps to the amp being such a part of the sound of an electric guitar instrument, is that there is much less reward for spending more on an electric guitar than doing the same for an acoustic guitar. I've heard great sounds that start from electric guitars that cost way less than $1000

Again, no one has to like to play both acoustic and electric, but I'd say what you need to do first (even before thinking about a new and possibly better guitar) is try some electric guitar amps with your existing guitar. And along with that decide if you want to learn how to use that amp along with the capabilities of an electric guitar. You may not want to do that--that's OK--but if you do, that's how you start.

[Taylor814]

About every other year or so I think about getting an electric. This year's iteration even considered your Ibanez AF75-FM. But for me the problem is always that I don't particularly like the sound solo electric guitar, even for jazz. Playing in a band would be a different situation, but playing solo electric just doesn't inspire me very much. I even thought of going to my local House of Rock to look at adult lessons in a band environment, but never pursued it. I just like playing my Cervantes too much.

[phcorrigan]

My experience:

I've always played acoustics, and about a year and a half ago, for reasons I still don't fully understand, I decided I wanted a hollow body Gretsch. I purchased a G5420TG Gretsch Electromatic. I had to do some setup, including adjusting neck relief and lowering the action at the nut, and I put D'Addario ECG25 Chrome Flatwound strings, 12-52 on it. I also took Steve DeRosa's advice (Thanks, Steve!) and picked up a Bugera V22 Infinium amp.

I love the guitar, and I love the sound through the Bugera amp. In fact, the Gretsch is generally the first guitar I pick up every day. I really don't play it much differently than I play my acoustic, other than a few more string bends, but it has really expanded my musical horizons. Also, with the flatwounds, I get no scratching sound when I slide up and down the strings.

My advice: IMO, a hollow body is great for country, rockabilly, folk rock, etc. Get your setup right, put strings on it that your comfortable with, and get a decent amp like the V22. BTW, I've tried a couple of modeling amps, including a Fender Mustang and a used Line 6, but neither gave me the kind of sound I get from the V22.

Good luck, and don't give up!

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

I also took Steve DeRosa's advice (Thanks, Steve!) and picked up a Bugera V22 Infinium amp.

BTW, in the past Musician's Friend and Guitar center have offered 15% off for Black Friday. You might wait a few days and check.

[Ray175]

My musical instrument journey brgan in 1966 on the 'cello, where your finger IS the fret, so this called for significant pressure and precision. Age 16, five years later, I started on acoustic guitar and had to learn not to fret the strings as hard as on the 'cello. I has my first stratocaster a few years later and had to transition from 13's to 10's or 11's - again, I had to learn to press more softly to fret notes on lighter strings.
It's possible your nut is too high, but it's more likely that you need to adjust your left hand finger pressure. If you find you can't do this, then consider a guitar with lower frets which will call for less pressure for clean fretting - ideally, go for stainless steel otherwise the frets could wear out too quickly because you won't be able to dress them more than once (maybe twice). This is the route I've taken when refretting my 1961 Gibson ES-175D; it's strung with 14s, has a very low action, is very forgiving if I press hard on the strings and is used exclusively for jazz, so no bends.....

[Davis Webb]

I play a 99 dollar Squier Bullet and its awesome. Its not the guitar, its technique given a proper setup.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Davis Webb

I play a 99 dollar Squier Bullet and its awesome. Its not the guitar, its technique given a proper setup.

I've heard that some of those $99 Squiers are pretty good, and especially good if you like to do your own modding. They are an inexpensive platform for that.

[Steel and wood]

I think people overstate the difference between electric and acoustic.

Yep, if you want to play metal, funk or any other genre that you normally wouldn't attempt on an acoustic then it becomes a different instrument, but for just about everything else, it's pretty transferable.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

I think people overstate the difference between electric and acoustic.

Yep, if you want to play metal, funk or any other genre that you normally wouldn't attempt on an acoustic then it becomes a different instrument, but for just about everything else, it's pretty transferable.

I don't disagree, but my thinking is if you are going to play electric - you probably want to play music that your acoustic isn't the best fit with - otherwise, just played amplified acoustic. Sure you can play AC/DC and Nirvana on an acoustic, but the sound, feel and vibe aren't the same and many would think it's creative but just seems like a bad fit to me..

I'm curious - are you both an electric and acoustic player? Do you gig out? Are you equally adept at both?

I do and I am. I'm also one that feels they are played totally different (most of the time) and do not feel I'm overstating it (matter of opinion, I know). I tried playing them the same and it sounded ghastly to me.

For me, that's the beauty of being proficient at both - variety of tone and styles available. People are often shocked when we play an acoustic set that is essentially Americana and then switch to Classic Rock and Alternative on the next set. It's not just metal or funk that demand a different approach IME.

All that said, this is based on my personal experience and what works for me playing live. What's right for me may not be right for everyone.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

I think people overstate the difference between electric and acoustic.

Yep, if you want to play metal, funk or any other genre that you normally wouldn't attempt on an acoustic then it becomes a different instrument, but for just about everything else, it's pretty transferable.

I've only been playing electric, a hollow body Gretsch, for about a year, and I agree. I can play the same music on both, but some just sounds better, and plays better, on the Gretsch, while some sounds better on my acoustic Martin. Also, with flatwound strings on the Gretsch, the feel is different as well. I play mostly folk/country/Americana, so I go strictly with a clean sound, which the Gretsch lends itself to.

When I play out, or, more accurately when I used to play out, I play both guitars.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by roylor4

I don't disagree, but my thinking is if you are going to play electric - you probably want to play music that your acoustic isn't the best fit with - otherwise, just played amplified acoustic. Sure you can play AC/DC and Nirvana on an acoustic, but the sound, feel and vibe aren't the same and many would think it's creative but just seems like a bad fit to me..

I'm curious - are you both an electric and acoustic player? Do you gig out? Are you equally adept at both?

I do and I am. I'm also one that feels they are played totally different (most of the time) and do not feel I'm overstating it (matter of opinion, I know). I tried playing them the same and it sounded ghastly to me.

For me, that's the beauty of being proficient at both - variety of tone and styles available. People are often shocked when we play an acoustic set that is essentially Americana and then switch to Classic Rock and Alternative on the next set. It's not just metal or funk that demand a different approach IME.

All that said, this is based on my personal experience and what works for me playing live. What's right for me may not be right for everyone.

Hi Roylor4,

Yes I'm a long time player and equally at home on both electric and acoustic. (No longer playing out though). I'm predominantly a country player but I can cover (or at least sound like) pretty much any style and genre out there (rhythm/lead, acoustic/electric) outside of one or two genres like metal. (I mostly cross pick fast lead lines using a bluegrass method more so than a metal player).

Agreed, getting familiar with acoustic and electric allows you to cover a wider variety of styles and genres, but you still have to learn how to play and sound like those styles and genres you want to emulate. (And that's more the learning curve because the guitars are simply tools to build familiarity with). So for me, it's more getting familiar with acoustic and electric guitars (and not "learning" electric and acoustic) and then adapting them to how you want to play if that makes sense.

It's all good!