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Why do you prefer acoustic to electric?


rainrainwash3

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I'd like to get some feedback.  I like acoustic guitars better because you can just pick it up and play. Easier to transport too.  No messing with effects, cables, tones, etc.  The tone is what it is!  Plus, lugging around amps is a pain.  I've also noticed that certain chords that sound good on acoustic will sound like mud on an electric with even a small amount of gain.

 

What are some reasons you like acoustic better?

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Pretty much the same reasons you gave. When I was younger, I occasionally took my guitar to the park. Can't do that with an electric. A while back, the electricity was out at church and a couple of guys dragged the old upright piano into the sanctuary and I played along on guitar. We no longer have the upright or any piano that's not electronic for that matter and I think we've lost something. Kinda like a Kindle vs. am old fashioned book. That and I just plain like the way an acoustic sounds.

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I've played with acoustics all of my life, but just got my first electric about a year ago (wanted to build a Les Paul clone mostly to build it, really had no idea of what I was going to do with it).    What I find is that it is an entirely different instrument played in an entirely different manner.

For me the acoustic guitar, regardless of whether its a six or twelve or reso or whatever, is a solo instrument - I play fingerstyle solo songs that sound pretty good (relatively speaking) by themselves - I can sit down and play Freight Train or somethng and its a complete song.

The electric wants to play with others - sure you can "solo" on it but its not a solo instrument.   If I try to finger pick it it gets all muddy and mixed up - all the sustain and reverb and stuff really doesn't sound very good.   So I pick up a pick and play single note solos - pentatonic scales or bluesy or jazzy things - they sound pretty good but I'm missing the bass line and maybe some of the rhythm fills.

What I have found with the electric is that it is forcing me to learn more about music and guitar playing.   With the acoustic I would learn songs based on picking within chord forms (mostly in the first position), but with the electric I have to understand scales, moving them around the neck,and as I dabble with jazz, chords with names I can't pronounce.

I'll continue to fool around with my little Lester, but mostly it will be a side light for me.   My true love is a little wooden box with a hole in the front, flesh and nails on steel strings playing an old country blues song.

 

0929

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I think because it was first brought me to music. The Beatles didn't inspire me, but Donovan's Catch the Wind finalized a longing that started with hearing Peter, Paul, and Mary. I have an electric I play at times, and I am in the process of getting two acoustic/electric guitars, but straight-up acoustic guitar just resonates within me. 

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No "one" is superior except in your own mind.  Sure, the purists will put up their fronts, and the more liberal, like me, will put up theirs in a forum, but in reality, both are just so different that it really boils down to subjectivity, eh?  I prefer actual acoustic as opposed to solid body electric.  But I like Telecasters.  Can't say why though.  To much thinking involved, so it's just gonna be the gut reaction.

I like acoustic because... well, because I like not having to plug in and get a full sound, whether it be a uke, guitar, or resonator guitar.  I like 'em plugged in as well though, if the situation calls for it.  With an electric guitar, that's a different beast, but fun as all get-out anyway.  You tend to  play an electric guitar different, at least I do.  They're great for melody leads and chord instrumentals, but you gotta have 'em plugged in for that.  With an acoustic guitar, the strings are not as friendly to blues bending on certain instrumentals, so you grab the Tele for that. 

 

It's all good.  I prefer acoustic though, because I could never be BB King.  Although on acoustic, I can never be Leo Kottke either....  but I can be myself, and that's comfortable enough.

 

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Acoustic was my first love. For a very long time. And I would play rhtythm and fingerstyle. By year two, I had even learned a Leo Kottke piece, the Fisherman. I felt like I was rocking as hard as anyone on the electric. The fact you could take it anywhere is huge. I'd purposely seek out rooms, hallways, stairwells with good acoustics. Nothing compared to bringing it to parties and campfires and playing with others. What a great time to share the love of music and favored songs with everyone around me. My love for great folk artists and acoustic music has never died. The simplicity and true sound has no equal. 

I did move into the world of electric. It is a different beast. When most non musicians or beginners ask is there a even a difference? I ask them is there a difference between a Hayabusa and Harley? They're both motorcycles, right? Yes, they're both guitars but their purpose is different and how they are mainly used. I'm not saying that I cannot pull off now a great cover and tribute to Little Wing on the acoustic, but it wasn't truly born in the acoustic world. Monte Montgomery does Little Wing outrageously well on the acoustic. But, he does ELECTRIFY IT. I have borrowed many styles and techniques from the electric world to spice up my acoustic playing. Vice versa, there's an entire ocean of acoustic music that demands as much soul, skill, and technique as any electric player could ever dream of achieving and will not sound good on an electric. 

I love both for different reasons. But I tell everyone that if I had to choose for someone starting out... simplicity. The acoustic is the way to go. It's too easy to get lost in the world of electric due to amps, pedals, effects and the infinite world of electronics. Before you know it, you are caught up with all the hub bub and you still don't even know how to play music. It CAN be a distraction. BUT follow your heart. Do what you love. There is no wrong answer. Whatever frees your mind and gets you in tune with your soul. It's an apple and an orange. Both fruit but definitely different flavors. You can do the same with both but orange pie hasn't exactly swept the nation. They each have their niche. But if you love MUSIC... rock what you got!

Ultimately, if it doesn't come from the heart... acoustic or electric... it's no good. There will always be a special place in my heart for acoustic even though I am specializing on the electric. 

Peace peeps!

 

 

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Acoustic is where I started, I came to electrics later. I would be foolish to bragg about my skill level on either, but I find it hard to control myself on the electric.  I prefer The sound, the convience, the feel, the dents in my fingers that an acoustic gives me.

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