OK...

I am 5 weeks in, know all of 9 chords, 6 scales and 8 strumming patterns - hardly the stuff of Legends... yet !

But, I have owned an accoustic from Day One and it has helped me tremendously !

Though a mere cut above a GSO (Epiphone's next-to-the-bottom AJ100 EC - but it has all-solid sides/top and can be plugged in), it is nonetheless much more demanding for a beginner than either my Strat or Tele.

Spend half my practice time on it and I know it's advanced me more quickly than an electric alone.

It is the most frustrating, and at the same time, satisfying instrument to play.

Frustrating because it is more difficult to get it right !

Satisfying because getting it right seems like more of an accomplishment !

I would absolutely agree with the article, though I don't know if I'll ever upgrade it because it seems accoustics are much more expensive if you want a truly incredible guitar.

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

I do agree with the article, although I personally don't own a GOOD acoustic at the moment. I have an old cracked classical guitar, but my next purchase will without a doubt be a Martin 000-15M.

I've been playing guitar since I was 16 and that was 47 years ago. When I got out of the army in 1971 I hit the local Fender dealer and bought two guitars - a brand new Tele Custom (since sold to make house payments) and a Greco by Goya acoustic.



I still own and play that Greco to this day. It's a fine guitar and when I don't feel like amplifying, it's perfect. I work up new songs for the band all the time and I always do the workups on an acoustic, just easier to hear the chords that way and to sing along with quietly.

In 1980 I bought my first acoustic-electric Ovation, a very spendy Custom Balladeer. I spent a year making payments on that guitar - the case alone was $350 - no help back then from Musician's Friend, just the local dealer.



Nowadays I own over sixty electric guitars, four acoustic-electrics and that old friend, the Greco. I have lots of guitars hanging on the walls in the Music Room, but the one closest to me on a floor stand is always one of my acoustics, frequently my red Ovation...



... or this Ibanez AE acoustic-electric.



Guitar Man cannot live by electric alone.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

Thanks for the link Ray, I have been thinking about a classical for a while.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

I must commend you for how far you've gone in just 5 weeks. Don't try to learn too much at once though. Be good at certain techniques and move on from there. I'm not sure when you say "all" of 9 chords. There's at least 20 open chords if you count the 7ths and suspended chords, but you can jam to just about anything with some basic major and minor chords. Then there's also the barre chords which will take a lot of patience to master, especially on an acoustic.

Check out the course in my signature, I can't think of another course that walks you so well from the moment you pick up a guitar for the first time to leading some blues and jazz.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

I agree. I always have a couple sitting around ready to pick up and play.
Handy for figuring out the chords to a song while at home or for playing "Blister In The Sun" around the campfire.
If you do enjoy playing acoustic guitar, at some point I would recommend getting a 12-string.

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Guitars For Vets

Thanks. Now I'm gasing for another acoustic!

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

If you are not intimate with an acoustic guitar,
you may be missing out man!
Luthier acoustic guitars go from 2,000 Dollars
all the way to 8k and beyond.
And there is a reason for it.

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FIGHT!

I have two acoustics and I wouldn't mind getting a third. The first is my 2002 814CE Limited.





The second is my 2005 214 which I bought for outdoor use because I couldn't bear to take the 814 Limited out camping and subject it to campfires.





I wouldn't mind finding a really nice twelve with electrics but the only ones I can find in my local area so far have been dreadnoughts and I'm not a fan of that shape.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Thanks for the kudos...

I appreciate what you're saying about not trying to learn too much.

When I say: " all of 9 chords ", I don't mean 'all' 9 chords, just that I have learned only 9 chords. I am working on the other 11 and also trying to barre chords, though these are an absolute b*tch ! I was simply trying to describe how much of a rank beginner I am.

I am VERY demanding! I want smooth action and perfect tone/pitch. To me, there are no half measures. It's either right or it's not, and I'll go as long as it takes to get it right.

Numerous places I've read say it takes at least 5 years to gain true proficiency and I believe it.

But, I am 58 years old and that'll make me 63. I cannot say if I'll be getting arthritus or something, so I have a lot of catching-up to do in little time.

Fortunately, I am semi-retired and work only about 90 min./day from home. My wife, 10 years younger, runs all the major Golf Tournaments in the Country (if you see Tiger on TV, my wife is there). She is home 2 weeks and gone 2 weeks, year 'round. These things combined allow me to practice 4-6 hrs. daily. I am absoluetly thrilled-to-the-bone everytime I pick the guitar up - my passion is so strong that there is no room for frustration. Sure, it p*sses me off when I can't get something, but I stay with it and eventually it comes.

I'm not doing any tabulature, though I have learned how to read it, because it's not necessary for me to play songs at this point, rather to concentrate on technique. I am also spending 1 hr./day on learning to sight read. Again, my wife trained as a concert clarinetist (gotta love women who play the woodwinds !), so she is very helpful with this and music theory, when she's home.

I am going to start formal lessons in a couple weeks, but don't want to spend time & money trying to learn things I can do on my own. I want to make the most of the teacher's time.

Definitely will checkout the Gibson course, I've seen it mentioned here several times.

cheers!

_________________


'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

Definitely agree here.

Acoustic guitars are SUCH versatile instruments, and as guitarists we all should want to have a broad horizon of what we can and know how to play. IMO, at least

I own a nylon, a resonator, and then just a plain old steel string. Then my couple of electrics.

Think about the number of styles I can play with just those 3 acoustic style guitars... It's quite large (that doesn't mean I'm good at all of those styles... but the option is there haha)

Nice triplets you got there! With that kind of practice time, ypull be good enough to play with others in a matter of months. I wish I had tat kind of time, I usually put about an hour or two daily, most of the time is spent noodling unfortunately. My woman plays clarinet and some sax, so I know the woodwind comment very well hahaha!

Check the course, you might realize you don't really need expensive one on one lessons.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks !

My Guitar Store basically threw-in both the Epi and a practice Amp when I bought the Strat. The Tele was given to me by a friend who had given up trying to learn.

Even with that much time to practice, it's a struggle. But, I realize that I am in the struggle phase right now. My hands are getting nicely callused, my wrist and fingers are strengthening and my arm tendons and muscles are adjusting so I expect the next few weeks to be slightly easier.

cheers!

_________________


'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

I totally agree, my first 10 years on the guitar the Acoustic was my main player. The sound of an Acoustic is just dynamic, it's from raw guitar to rock riffs to classical articulate sounds, the pure guitar sound out of Acoustic are just special and a paramount part of any guitarist arsenal. I now only play it for a hour or two every few weeks as I am obsessed with Strats but I own a beautiful Martin with a really interesting Mod which is so rich and textured to play it's a dream.

Ps. Anyone who thinks a acoustic is only for Kumbe round the campfire is not the full quid..... Especially if underneath their ridiculous statement on their signature is a picture of a guy that swares by working most of his licks out on a acoustic....

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My god that's beautiful. I just spent an happy hour with my 314, then I see this..Maybe when I have a decade of playing under my belt I'll treat myself to a high end Taylor, 7 more to go