Teahead Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I was having an interesting chat with Geenard over on the 'For The Band' forum, and it got me thinking that it might be interesting to find out what kind of guitar is the most popular starter, electric or acoustic? My first guitar was electric, but I didn't take an interest or learn anything until I swapped it for an acoustic. So I consider that to be the guitar I 'started' with. To me an acoustic seems the best beginner instrument, because you have to work harder and are less likely to spend hours hitting random strings and doing the 'work' with the (distortion/reverb/vibrato-bar) instead(!) So, what did you start with? Feel free to discuss whether you think your chosen starter influenced how you developed as a player, and is it still your favourite? Pedal Clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Acoustic, it really gets you "ready" for electric in my opinion. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 acoustic, no way I could have afforded an amp and a guitar when I started! Think it was a Sears guitar.... first electric was Teisco Del Ray I believe. lol My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I started on an acoustic (nylon string), just because that was what was there. I didn't really get into the guitar as much until I got my first electric. It was a pretty cheap setup (a Harmony strat-type thing, and a little Dwarf amp - it's kinda like a cheap Pignose), but I never put it down. May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Started on electric, a tele knock off with two humbuckers wired up LP style. Strat tremolo and headstock. Then I bought a Crate G10-XL or something like that and learned a bunch of Black Sabbath riffs. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIAMOND DUST Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Acoustic, and i'm glad that i did. By the time i got my first electric(two years later), my finger tips were hard as a rock, and bar chords were a breese. I think your ear developes faster on acoustic. http://b-cordova.dmusic.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 my daughter told me my fingertips felt like the bottom of her dogs feet! Now thats a callous! Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 A steel string Stella. My mom signed me up for classical guitar lessons so my next one was a nylon string. I wanted an electric but mom didn't think that was the proper route to take. She was right, for me. I didn't get my first electric until I told a store manager his music store was unlocked and we'd been jamming in there for close two hours. He awarded me a cheapie electric. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstreck Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I started with a clone of a '72 Thinline Telecaster that had the f-hole, so it was loud enough that I didn't need an amp... does that count as acoustic? Plus the action was pretty high so when I finally bought a "real" electric, things got easy quick! BTW, I still use that guitar as a practice-at-home guitar... never plug it in. Mike Petting Hendrix Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked in the head by an iron boot? Of course you don't--no one does--that never happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrpir8 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I started on a borrowed classical acoustic, then got a classical of my own for Christmas, so very definitely an acoustic start for me. Even now, I practice most on an acoustic. I find that using the acoustics for "exercise" makes it easier to learn parts for transfer to electric, at least to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes from Wpg Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 First guitar was an electric, but now I find I play my acoustic more. It's just more practical because I can sit anywhere in the house and play as opposed to dragging all of the electric stuff around. I also think the acoustic is better for practice because its more difficult to play and makes transitioning riffs to electric easier. Also with the acoustic you only get its one tone, so you just sit down and play. With the electric I spend a lot of time knob twirling, trying to get just the right sound. Playing acoustic is much more productive practice-wise in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I started out on my dad's phillippine made classical guitar. That thing lacked the sustain, but I liked the sound. Too bad it warped on the travel from home to here in America, though. It's permanently retired, needless to say. I didn't play electric until I was about 12. That was on a piece-of-s*** plywood Applause strat. I did like the color scheme of it, though, and hope to have a guitar that looks like it someday, only with better wood and electronics. It was a red body, with a one-layer pickguard, black hardware, black headstock, and black pickup covers. Maybe a BOLT-T from Carvin oughta do the trick. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funk Jazz Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 i swapped my older brothers snowboard for a les paul knockoff. didn't get an acoustic until years later. didn't hurt me none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgstrat Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Acoustic, first on my sister's cheapo nylon string, then on my sister's Gibson J-50 (I have a nice sister). Then I broke down and bought my first guitar: a new 1971 Martin D-35. I didn't start playing electric until 1988 during the third of my 37 mid-life crises, and still counting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 As some might recall, I mentioned that my first guitar, with the exception of a couple of strings and the tailpiece, was all PLASTIC! And the tone had really nothing acoustic about it. The word just didn't BELONG! And I'm not sure it fits in with any mentioned category... Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 James-Italy, .. acoustic, no way I could have afforded an amp and a guitar when I started! Now that's a REAL good point! DIAMOND DUST, Acoustic, and i'm glad that i did. By the time i got my first electric(two years later), my finger tips were hard as a rock, and bar chords were a breese. I think your ear developes faster on acoustic. I agree completely. BUT, you have to have the perserverance to stick out the pain until you develop those calluses. After a few years on my Martin, I had great callouses and had mastered the barre chords enough to play "Smoke On The Water", "Brown Sugar" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" with my cousins band with no problem (with Martin and $15 sound hole pick up) in timing with the rest of the band, drums, lead guitar, bass. Geenard, my daughter told me my fingertips felt like the bottom of her dogs feet! Now thats a callous! Yup. Them there are calluses. henry robinett, A steel string Stella. My mom signed me up for classical guitar lessons so my next one was a nylon string. I wanted an electric but mom didn't think that was the proper route to take. She was right, for me. I never have liked nylon strings. I've tried them, but I just don't care for the tone. Ain't it true. Mom was right! mstreck, Plus the action was pretty high so when I finally bought a "real" electric, things got easy quick! Yeah, all my acoustics have been high. The Martin may have actually been the worst when I first got it. It sure does make playing a nice light, low action electric a relative breeze though. sgstrat, Then I broke down and bought my first guitar: a new 1971 Martin D-35. Wow! My first was borrowed/shared, then a couple of cheap guitars, $25 and $50 or so in late 1960's. Then I finally bought my first GOOD guitar, a 1972 Martin D-18. I couldn't (and now am even less able to) afford the better models. whitefang, Remember...amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic! So true. Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Originally posted by whitefang: As some might recall, I mentioned that my first guitar, with the exception of a couple of strings and the tailpiece, was all PLASTIC! And the tone had really nothing acoustic about it. The word just didn't BELONG! And I'm not sure it fits in with any mentioned category... WhitefangMan I love your Ark and Titanic sig......great stuff.... Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abnorm Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I started on acoustic, and I'm glad I did. However, I'm glad I finally got an electric, because it just opened up the guitar world for me. It was easier to play and more versatile. I love my Strat Deluxe Plus - we're thinking of having babies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 My dad had a beat up Martin Colletti guitar that he used to wow tha ladies with (can't find anything out about them btw). I think it's a good 30 years old. Anyways, I restrung it and taught myself on that. Nice wide neck for learning on. I played it every day for a good year before my parents bought me an Aria Pro 2 for Christmas. It had a nice blue/green flame on it and weighed a ton thanks to it's mahogany body. Anyways, the Aria got sanded and resprayed recently and is hardly ever played. The Martin Colletti is now sporting some nylon strings and still sounds fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I bothered my mom until she let me take one of her lessons. She had a Granados Classical, although she wasn't learning classical guitar. At 9 years old, with tiny hands, I began on a jumbo classical guitar! Boy did I learn to stretch to reach an open G chord. Barre chords were a bitch for some time. I wish I'd had a teacher more interested in rock music. I'd have learned to cheat barres a lot sooner, a la rock guitar. A year later my parents bought a cheap, used, Epi EC-20 (also a classical) for me to bring to summer camp. Boy did it's timbre suck! Eventually, in high school, I began using electric strings on it. My first electric guitar experience was on my brother's guitar, at age 10. Didn't buy one of my own until I bought his in highschool. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Geezer Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 OK, I'll join in... Teisco Del Ray 3 pup with all those switches(that did nothing) and a 10" noname amp from Gibsons Discount Center (circa 1967?) Didn't get an acoustic til 1969 - Senior In High school Working Xmas at Sears and got a Silvertone (Stella) 12 string (Employee discount). The Silvertone is now in my friend Jaimes Stella collection! (Thank god the theives didn't get that one! Lynn G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Well, I started out on an electric, but that just barely qualifies, as I played a lot on a borrowed Epiphone flat-top (a '60s or '70s model) and frequently played a solidbody "unplugged". My first non-driftwood, moderately decent guitar was a Peavey T-15, an inexpensive short-scale (23 & 1/2"), all-maple electric that was sort of a cross between a Tele and a Duo Sonic in a lot of ways. My first (and only, to date) acoustic was an Alvarez-Yairi with a solid cedar top and burled mahogany back and sides. For a good while I played that 'Yairi constantly, we're talkin' years, and as it was also strung with .014 through .059 phosphor-bronze strings, when I'd pick up an electric, it was as if the strings were rubber bands! That lead me to use somewhat heavier strings than most for electrics, usually .011's. Now I've been playing my Les Pauls so much, my fingers and callusses are really out of shape! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielT Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 My first guitar wasn't even mine. My older brother bought it from a friend and never used it, so I liberated it. It was, for sure, a Sears Silvertone archtop. I still have it hanging on my music room wall, and by the way, my brother evened the score by sending my only cassette deck to his girlfriend in Thailand. He was a Navy lifer during Vietnam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Originally posted by DanielT: My first guitar wasn't even mine. My older brother bought it from a friend and never used it, so I liberated it. It was, for sure, a Sears Silvertone archtop. I still have it hanging on my music room wall, and by the way, my brother evened the score by sending my only cassette deck to his girlfriend in Thailand. He was a Navy lifer during Vietnam.Yep had one too...black with white binding....and a bitch to play Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teahead Posted November 17, 2003 Author Share Posted November 17, 2003 Well so far a whopping 80% started on acoustic! This is a guitar forum so I'm presuming acoustic must be the best way to get a successful grounding that allows you to grow and develop. Not that there's any evidence to the contrary for electric starters, I'm just trying to vindicate the results I guess! Thanks to everyone who posted, Tea. Pedal Clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruupi Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 My parents had 2 acoustic guitars from sears. One with steel strings that cost $10 and one with nylon that cost $24. They wouldn't let me play the $24 one hehe. I saved my money for a year and bought a $25 electric at a pawn shop, then saved for another year to buy an amp. I guess I really appreciate good equipment now that I can afford it. They also made me get a job and buy my first car and pay for insurance and gas before I got my license. I felt oppressed at the time but it did teach me responsibility. My soundclick site: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=397188 My YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gruupi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Geezer Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Originally posted by Gruupi: They also made me get a job and buy my first car and pay for insurance and gas before I got my license. I felt oppressed at the time but it did teach me responsibility.Same here. . Must have been a Dallas Thing (JFKimball class of 69) Lynn G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggs Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 12-string acoustic. I still play probably 90% acoustic... Boggs Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.