I know this could be considered heresy in this forum.....but

[onewilyfool]

Now that I've got your attention.....lol.....

 

I recently went into no-man's land for myself. I had sold a couple of my guitars (thinning the herd as it is called) had some cash burning a hole in my pocket, and after a little research, went out and bought a used ELECTRIC GUITAR and a used TUBE AMP!!! I know, I know, I am also a true blue acoustic guy, and love all my little acoustics, but this has really been fun. I got this electric guitar, a Rickenbacker 650C. The wonderful thing about it is that it has a wide neck ( 1 3/4" nut) like most of my acoustics, and so switching between them is fairly easy for me. I think those 1 5/8" nuts on most electrics, is what kept me away from them. When no one is home, I play through this neat little amp, Fender Blues Jr., which I can keep the volume pretty low (to not cause the neighbors to phone the cops) but not low enough to drive the dogs away....lol....( I hope it is not my playing...) To practice when the wife and dogs are around, I play it through this little pre-amp (Line 6 Pod) with earphones. Now playing an electric is a waaaaaay different beast, and I am just getting to know my guitar, but it is a lot of fun, and I can now play in bed, while my wife is watching TV....lol (lazy, I know) But the real reason I wanted to post this, is that playing electric has actually made me a better acoustic player. I am exploring the neck more (playing leads and learning lead positions down the neck), learning to play better with a pick, and the very nature of amplified pickups, is that the sloppy playing and mistakes are amplified too...so, I am more concentrated on playing cleanly, because sloppy play REALLY sounds bad on those earphones.....so, for you die-hard acoustic players, maybe get an electric, have some fun, learn some new techniques, and expand your play.....keep pluckin'!!!

[ksdaddy]

No heresy. I think most all of us have a slab or two around. I've been spanking the same Telecaster for 29.81 years. They have their place. A few years back it was 70/30 electric/acoustic, now it's more like 90/10 acoustic/electric. Maybe if I hit 50 I'll get a Flying Vee or something, thus showing the swing of the pendulum.

 

I am in the very slow process of restoring (yes, restoring) an '86 Guild metallic red super-strat thing with black hardware and pointy headstock, so your Ric is hardly a sin against the unplugged set.

 

And you're right about any mistakes being hard to hide. I didn't own a Les Paul until 1985, a wine red 1980 Standard with some fierce Dimarzios, and maaa-aaan every little thing I did wrong (read 85% of total content) jumped right out, went into convulsions on the living room floor, and gave birth to more mistakes.

 

For whatever reason, I can get away with more on the Tele.

[onewilyfool]

KSDaddy....I love those tele's and Strats.....but at 1 5/8"at the nut.....I am really missing and deadening a lot of strings that shouldn't be missed or deadened......this big hands.....you know what they say about guys with big hands.....BIG hands BIG......gloves.....but I digress....lol......this 1 3/4" neck on my Ric (all american made by the way) is in a way, even more comfortable than some of my acoustics....AND with those light electric strings.....a breeze to bend to pitch.....KS, I thought you might have a slab or two, but I never pictured you with a flying V.....lol....(maybe that will be my mid-life crisis guitar...lol)

[ksdaddy]

I had a Flying Vee, an '82 made in K'zoo with a curly maple top in dark sunburst. Sweet machine, but it stayed a week... paid $500, sold it for $900. I miss those days.

[ballcorner]

I absolutely agree with you that an electric improves technique. I play nines on my Telecaster, so it is really easy to bend off tune if your control isn't that good and a Tele is probably the most sensitive guitar for reproducing mistakes loud and lean.

 

Still, nothing will ever sound as sweet to me as a great acoustic.

[retrorod]

I enjoy both. Have had both for many years. When I only had one guitar, it was acoustic. Today was a guitar day. First I played two different acoustics(Gibson CF100E and Guild JF30) and then plugged in a series of five different electrics. the last of which was my '65 SG special. It was INDEED 'special' played through Super Reverb and tne Mesa Boogie pre-amp pedal...Lord,Lord

If I had to go back to one guitar, it would be an acoustic! Gibson, of course!