Guitar Players
 

Is an electric guitar easier to play than an acoustic? I mean physically since I can't seem to press the strings on the acoustic hard enough to avoid getting a buzz sound.

To me...
 

and electric is easier to play since I usually tend to have the action of the neck set lower (Plus I use light gauge strings now, used to use heavy gauge strings but I had some minor tuning issues with those thicker strings), so "yes" it can be easier to play.

Yes it is SUZE. Electric guitar is much easier to start off on. Now thats my opinion of course but I would say, 90% of people would find it easier to learn on. Typically the action is "lower" on electric guitars and the fretboard radius is slimmer (for small hands). I learned on a classical/nylon string guitar, like the one Lindsey plays live on Big Love, and it has probably the biggest neck of all guitars.

Yep, they're right, Suze. Electric is much easier to "fret", especially when you're beginning, and have no calluses (sp) yet. That's what I learned on. Got the Rumours songbook, sat in front of the TV for a couple years, drove Mom crazy, and eventually.....got it! Don't give up! :)

Thanks everyone, that's encouraging. I've always wanted to play but I got stuck trying to learn the acoustic with tuning issues and just being too hard on myself. Also, with electric you can play with headphones, right? That way others can't really hear you practice?

yeah as long as your amp has a headphone jack on it (most do).....you should be on your way to rocking in no time.

My friend Eric's a drummer and I thought I remembered him saying he was jealous that his sister could practice her guitar in the middle of the night with headphones while he could not practice his drums. Course, he's a hard hitter too, very LOUD.

Thats why my parents took my drum kit away and bought me a guitar.

I actually always prefered my acoustic. When I first got it, the strings were way to high off the fret board. I played it like that for a long time, and then finally my boyfriend shaved the nut (how wrong does that sound?) and now the strings are at a much more comfortable level. Then it seemed so much easier to play.

No, there's no amplification from the pickups...it just wouldn't work without going through some kind of amp or pre-amp.

No. Because there's no preamp, there's nothing to amplify the sound. Even a guitar with active pickups won't(I just tried, out of curiosity. Nada). But Suze, you can buy a cheap practice amp for probably $50, or less.

Brandon, most guitar amps have headphone jacks? I have two Marshalls, two Fenders, a Music Man, and two peaveys, and NONE of them have headphone jacks..... :confused: :shrug:
=Dammit Chili!

"shaved the nut" :lol: I think I'm having an aha moment. I couldn't play the thing without really hurting. And pain is a deterrent to me. Thank you for the info. I gotta get some strings since mine are broken. Do you have a beginner song book or something you would recommend? Maybe I'll get started on this guitar since I have it. I don't have an electric. I wish I knew how to shave the nut. :lol: Damn that's funny.

I just bought the Rumours songbook. I mean, your fingers GO where the dots are....it's that easy.

:lol: You like that, huh? Well, if you feel like the strings are too high off the fretboard, you can take it somewhere and have the nut shaved. Teehee. Why does that amuse me so? You also may want to get a really light gauge string when you get new ones. That may make it easier on your fingers, too. I never really learned to play the right way. I usually just looked up the tabs of songs I liked, printed them out and tried to play. I had some books, but didn't really use them, so I can't recommed anything. I am just now starting to learn the right way, and I have someone teaching me. It's fun and I like playing, I just can't seem to get the hang of it no matter how much I practice.

I have a Boogie amp, a Peavey amp, and Behringer amp and two of the three have headphone jacks on the back where the tubes are. Dont know what kind of amps YOU'RE buying!! *wink*

I learned most of the Mac tunes that I regularly play just by listening to the tracks. When I bought The Dance on DVD about 4 yrs ago I could watch what Lindsey was doing and fill in those rough spots. His stuff his generally "easy" to play...it's just the way he plays it. You can copy him lick for lick, but if there's no feeling or slight variation there, it just sounds like crapola.

Which publication did you buy, Dave? Did you find the International Music Publications folio from the 1990s? That's the one to hunt down.

Quote me anytime, I don't mind. :wavey:


Most of the smaller practice amps have headphone jacks nowadays (AND cool digital fx, too!)

Roland makes a series of those cool little "Cube" amps. I just bought one for my virtual electromechanical piano.

I've always preferred running my boards through guitar amps (Crate is great) than through most keyboard amps.

Because they're lighter than keyboard amps, aren't they? :nod:

ROFLALLGETOUT!!!

Actually, Steve, these days I don't even bother hauling amps. I just don't play anywhere that can't run me direct through the house.

I find that the lightest stuff of all to bring with me is the cables. That's why I LOVE carrying cables with me. I drop them in my gig bag or in my backpack, along with my rotating fan (air movement in front of my face is a necessity), a power thingie with plugs, my lobster & a pair of thick socks (I always play in thick socks & no shoes).

ROFL! I used to play in a tee shirt, and nice pair of boxer shorts. Guys in the band were wearing either no shirts, etc...I figured I could get away with it.

Most of them are old. They call that vintage, right? Is vintage good? :lol: :lol: :lol:

:laugh: :laugh: I used to haul around a Peavey KB300 keyboard amp. My band truck got broken into 10 years ago, and it got stolen. I missed it for about a month, then got used to playing through the monitors.

I have two fans, one at keyboard position, and one at guitar mic position.
Moving air IS a necessity!
As far as the backpack goes, well, I'm still driving a 14' Uhaul around! With the price of gas now, out of town gigs are demanding that I soon buy a cargo trailer to pull behind my Blazer.

No, the original one, back when it was new! :o :o :o
There I go, dating myself(fortunately, I've become really good at dating myself!). :laugh: :sorry:

I don't know...i've HEARD that vintage is better. I've even heard nutty stuff like vintage guitars are better! *gasP!* haha

It depends. I've played some vintage guitars that were like heaven. But, my main guitar these days is a Godin LG (which has P-90s) that I got brand new in 2001. Honestly, it's the best playing, best sounding guitar I've ever owned, and I've owned the big three (Les Paul Custom, U.S. Strat, and Mexican Tele -still have the Fenders, BTW).

As to which is easier, electric only because it's MUCH easier to cover up a mistake. However, I actually prefer playing acoustic guitars. It's a bit harder, but much more rewarding.

I have 4 Strats, 3 Teles(one's a B-bender), a Gretsch(Les Paul style), and a few other odds and ends, BUT, all I play anymore(with the occasional exception of the Gretsch) are two American Strats, both of which I've put EMG active pickups in(one a standard EMG system, the other the Vince Gill system{which has a mid boost knob instead of the bottom tone control-making the pickup more have more of a humbucking sound}, AND Fishman powerbridges installed. The Fishman give an awesome acoustic sound(EQ'd properly- I run it thru a 31 band EQ). I've got two Takamine's, but I'm able to get almost as good a sound, as well as an electric sound at the same time, if I like. These two guitars are indispensable to me now, due to the variety of sounds I'm able to get, without even switching guitars!

No *****? I have been thinking about getting a Godin for a year or so....they just look so cool. But I've not seen one in any shop, so havent gotten a chance to play it.