Electric or Accoustic? [Archive] - Music & Musician Forums

black_metal

11-19-2005, 07:37 AM

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a guitar for Christmas.

I'm mainly a drummer, but it's nice to know two instruments and it also means I can help write songs for my band. I'm not sure if I should get an accoustic or an electric. I already know how to play a little, but I know next to nothing about all the brands and the quality, etc.

My maximum budget is about £150.

Thanks a lot for any suggestions :thumb:

P.S. I do NOT like black metal.

bradc1988

11-19-2005, 08:48 AM

I would say get an acoustic because you'll probably only be doing things like chord progressions and barely any lead. So a acoustic would be more useful IMO. As for brands, I don't really know much about the prices compared to here in Australia after conversion and such, look into Ibanez, Cort and Fender.

I have a Cort Earth 100 that I've had for just over 2 years now and it sounds excellent. I got it for $450 Australian which is about £150.

Trigger_003

11-19-2005, 02:11 PM

Even if you are doing lead, acoustics are great. A lot of people think that you can't do as much on them but that's not true. In fact, it's said to be better to start on an acoustic before going to an electric. And acoustics are generally cheaper; you don't have to buy all the accessories like an amp, leads, effects, etc. You can get a very decent acoustic for what you're paying (if brad's right with his approx. conversion). When you buy an electric, you have to sacrifice some of the cash you're spending on your actual guitar in order to get all the other stuff you need to go with it.

You can get starter packs/kits pretty cheaply though. For $450 Aust., you can get one which is sure to be good enough while you're starting out. That'll include a guitar and amp at least. Usually you'll get a few things like a lead, bag, tuner and strap as well.
The quality won't be awesome but it'll hardly be noticable for quite a while. When you can afford it, the first thing you'll bee wanting to upgrade from your pack is probably going to be your amp, seeing as the ones in the starter packs aren't much more than practise amps.

What kind of music are you into?

Quofreak

11-19-2005, 02:48 PM

I agree with the two people above me. I started on an acoustic learning chord progressions and then built up to more advanced rythm techniques like the twelve bar blues and all that stuff. And finally I started larning some lead guitar on it before upgrading to an electric.

I work on the acoustic for about three years before I felt ready to move onto an electric. But that is just me you my feel different when the time comes.

aznrocker

11-19-2005, 04:57 PM

I say you should first start out with an acoustic for a couple of reasons.
You get a better deal than electric
You don't need to buy an amp
Calouses build faster
You don't need to buy cords

HoefNugz

11-19-2005, 05:20 PM

Acoustics require less equipment to get u rolling, which means less money. it requires more finger strength to form chords on an acoustic so ur finger muscles get built faster, and the best part is an acoustic can be brought anywheres to play and doesnt require electricity.

battousai

11-19-2005, 05:51 PM

yeah i would go witht he acoustic because my friend started out on an acoustic and by the time she got enough money and bought an electric guitar she was really good. i heard its alot easier to start that way.

Commie Jack

11-19-2005, 05:58 PM

Check out Alvarez. They make absolutely the best acoustics for the money, especially in the cheaper price range. For 150 you will not find a better acoustic.

HoefNugz

11-19-2005, 06:28 PM

I like taylors but they dont start till about $550 us when on sale for the 110 model

black_metal

11-20-2005, 04:58 AM

Sph

11-20-2005, 05:43 AM

You planning on a nylon or steel string?

black_metal

11-20-2005, 08:47 AM

You planning on a nylon or steel string?
Probably a nylon, I don't really know what the difference is though, apart from nylon's easier on your fingers...

TheColdNovRain89

11-20-2005, 09:44 AM

nylons ment for classical. youd probably be more happy with a steel string.

cllvt

11-20-2005, 11:06 AM

I can't disagree with what has been said, except ... what are you more excited about playing around with? If an electric is more fun to gou, you will end up playing more.
Chris

bradc1988

11-20-2005, 11:50 AM

nylons ment for classical. youd probably be more happy with a steel string.

Not necessarily. Nylon is used in classical but that doesn't make them specifically classical guitars. You can get nice sounds from a nylon that you can use for nearly any style. Although my favourite thing to play on a nylon is Classical Gas....

fsb_ben

11-20-2005, 12:29 PM

Acoustic for sure. Check out Yamaha's new FG series.. its the most under-rated acoustic series out there.

I recommend the FG700s.. why?
- resonates beautifully
- deluxe features
- CHEAP (i got mine $255 canadian)
- Built brand new for 2005 so it has the latest technology (opposed to other guitars which have remained relatively unchanged)
- setup is perfect.

I had a buncha friends who bought new guitars and they had to go to the guitar shop to modify something about their guitars (ie. they didnt feel comfortable, etc.) But i haven't had to bring my yamaha to the shop and its been a little over half a year.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/acoustic_guitars/yamaha/fg700s/index.html

There's a review on the guitar im talking about.

In my opinion, its simply unbeatable for the price you pay. This is definately one of the most "bang for your buck" guitars. Sounds like a $700 guitar for $200 man!

Sph

11-21-2005, 06:40 AM

nylons ment for classical. youd probably be more happy with a steel string.
I learnt on a classical and their perfectly fine. Though I wouldn't mind a steel string now, the classical was great for learning on. Depends what you play of course.

El_Capitan

11-21-2005, 08:37 AM

My first guitar was a nylon string about 3 years ago (a real campfire guitar), i still havent found an acoustic i like as much.
I'd say get an acoustic but it depends on what you like. Spend an hour in a guitar shop trying different guitars out, the people who work there will hate you but you'll have a better idea of what you like and dont like.
Ibanez do some nice 'artcore' guitars which are kinda like halfway between an acoustiuc and an electric. Anyone got one of those?

Yppolitia

11-21-2005, 09:11 AM

Get an Acoustic. They bring out your errors more which makes it alot better to practise and start on.

Aussie_rocker

11-22-2005, 03:21 AM

Im disagreeing IMO punk rock sounds pretty ****house on Acoustic, but if yu do get an acoustic try out Ibanez, Cort, Maton (do they have them in other places but Australia?), Fender, Yamaha

But thats just me

Trigger_003

11-22-2005, 04:24 AM

Aw damn, I went round my friend's house today and played his Epiphone LP100, it sounded really, really nice...

Then I came back and thought 'I wonder what the guys on the forum said':
'GET AN ACCOUSTIC!' Doh..:upset:

Ok, thanks for all the advice, I'll look into getting an accoustic. My band plays mostly from punk rock to metal...
Hey, that's just general advice. Go with what you like better. As I said before, you can get a decent electric starter kit for what you're paying. If you're going to get more out of an electric, go with one by all means. As long as you find something you're happy with.

The genres you're playing would suggest that you'd probably have more fun with an electric, but either way you should be right.

If you're going for an acoustic, Yamaha or Ibanez is probably your best bet. Can't help you with electrics, but someone else should be able to...

Aussie Rocker: I'm pretty sure you can get them overseas but there're hard to get. I think most people come over here to get one or get them shipped if they do.

bradc1988

11-22-2005, 11:03 AM

Hm since you seem keen on electric I guess you would be looking at a starter pack. You can get a decent Ibanez starter pack for about $450 Australian which is about £150. In it you would get something like an Ibanez Gio, a 10-15 watt Ibanez amp and some accessories which isn't bad.

It's just that lower end models of most brands, like Ibanez, are alright but you get what you pay for. That's another reason why I recommended getting an acoustic, because for that price you can get a decent one.

slipknotx05

11-22-2005, 08:13 PM

yor not gonna have enough for an ibanez cuz i just got an ibanez yairi for about $1120 canadien that is

Samick

11-22-2005, 08:17 PM

i would go accoustic alothough there a little harder to play cause of the wider neck and thicker strings

battousai

11-22-2005, 08:28 PM

i played an acoustic the other day and it found it alittle difficult to play because the body was so wide it got on my nerves but thats just me.

bradc1988

11-22-2005, 11:05 PM

yor not gonna have enough for an ibanez cuz i just got an ibanez yairi for about $1120 canadien that is

And that is the only guitar Ibanez makes?

aznrocker

11-23-2005, 08:35 PM

aznrocker

11-23-2005, 08:35 PM

i played an acoustic the other day and it found it alittle difficult to play because the body was so wide it got on my nerves but thats just me.

It takes time to get used to it. It's all about the learning process.

black_metal

11-24-2005, 10:59 AM

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated :thumb:

I've asked for an accoustic, I think all the stuff you guys said about them makes sense. I also found that when I played an electric, if I just plucked one string it sounded cool, so an accoustic would probably be a lot more useful until I get better.

Thanks again :wave:

Zatoichi

11-24-2005, 11:42 AM

why does everyone say that acoustics bring out your faults more? i can play very cleanly on an acoustic.. yet im really sloppy on electric w/ distortion

bradc1988

11-24-2005, 01:13 PM

why does everyone say that acoustics bring out your faults more? i can play very cleanly on an acoustic.. yet im really sloppy on electric w/ distortion

You have to try harder to bring out the notes on an acoustic, which means that dud notes are heard more on acoustics so your faults are heard.

Oh and everyone starts off real sloppy with distortion on an electric. Over time you learn to mute the strings

Zatoichi

11-24-2005, 04:11 PM

Oh and everyone starts off real sloppy with distortion on an electric. Over time you learn to mute the strings
ah thats cool, i felt like i had took a step back if you get what i mean.

indieXcore

11-24-2005, 04:26 PM

i would get an acoustic...since the strings on an acoustic are lighter (thicker) when you learn to play on an acoustic, when you switch over to electric, you'll see your fingers fly...

ChickenStu

11-24-2005, 04:35 PM

Acoustic is a good choice. Will help build fundamentals better.

For me, i am used to really digging in with my acoustic strings and when i play an electric i end up hitting strays with my fretting hand, which doesnt make a sound with an acoustic but will with an electric...maybe when i actually play an electric for more then 10 minutes at a time i can get rid of this.

DJ_JOE_15

11-24-2005, 05:27 PM

well i love an electric because well for good reasons like you can like change the volume and lots of peadeals GR8.....and it's easyer to play the notes

JessJansen

11-24-2005, 05:31 PM

For me i like acoustic because you can get the softer more warm kinda metallic( by that i mean the sound of the strings) tone out of the strings. I do like electric but youd have to have a nice setup along with the electric guitar to get a nice sound.

James_666

12-01-2005, 11:04 PM

if you wanna learn to play electric guitar get an electric guitar by all means, if you like acoustic music too, then get an acoustic to start. If you don't like acoustics theres no point in getting one.

cyclonefan

12-02-2005, 10:29 PM

I started out playing on an acoustic for about a year. By the time I got my electric, i knew enough to make it worth buying a decent guitar and i already had the basics down. My best friend started the opposite way and he had a lot of trouble adjusting to the acoustic where I moved to the electric fairly easily.