picking the right guitar

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SacredDespair

New member
ok, I play left handed, and still haven't picked out a guitar, but I need one before a gig in May, so I have to get it soon. I play an Aria copy of a Strat right now, so anything's a step up. My biggest problem has been deciding whether to get an acoustic/electric or an electric.

A lot of my music doesn't require distortion, but I don't know if I'll need more in the future. The question is really if I can get a good enough clean sound out of an electric to make it worth getting over an acoustic/electric.

So, I hope that made sense, also if you have any suggestions on which ones I'm open, if it didn't make sense what I was asking I'd be more than happy to clarify.

Thanks
 
An acoustic/electric produces an entirely different sound than an electric guitar. What kind of sound are you going for? :confused:
 
well, i think my main problem is knowing the difference in the two sounds, I mean, won't an electric play acoustic? will it make enough difference to warrant me getting both at some point? I just need one or the other to do my first show in May.
 
An acoustic/electric will sound like an acoustic hooked to an amp. An electric will sound like an electric guitar hooked into an amp. They are both completely different sounds.

What kind of guitar is used in the songs you'll be playing at your gig? Acoustic or electric?

There are a lot of cheap electrics that can produce a really good clean sound. But I've noticed that a lot of acoustic/electric guitars sound pretty much the same hooked into an amp, even with different pickups. It's all about the kind of sound you are going for. And you still haven't explained that...
 
SacredDespair said:
well, i think my main problem is knowing the difference in the two sounds, I mean, won't an electric play acoustic? will it make enough difference to warrant me getting both at some point? I just need one or the other to do my first show in May.
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If you don't know the difference between the two I'd recommend hooking an acoustic into an amp and listening to how it sounds. Then compare that to your electric guitar.

Then you'll see what I mean by how they're 2 completely different sounds.

I'd say an electric guitar is more versatile, so maybe that might be your best option. But it really depends on what kind of music you'll be playing and what kind of sound you're after.
 
look at a Nashville Power Tele - it's a telecaster w/ 3 magnetic pickups + a Fishman powerbridge piezo pickup - the kind of pickups used on acoustic guitars. The powerbridge doesn't sound as good as it does on an acoustic guitar, But - it does give you a versatile electric with a passable acoustic sound.

I don't know if they make a left handed version, but it might be worth tracking down.
 
You know I don't think there is a right guitar. You'll need one for this and one for that. Even having a great electric and a great acoustic isn't enough. For example you want a nice full sound strumming guitar you make go with a dreadnaught. You want to do some delicate finger picking you might want to go with a 000 or 00 for with some lighter guage strings. Maybe you don't even want a steel string sound so you go with a classical.
So right now you need 3 guitars just to cover some basic acoustic sounds. Guess what your gonna need a couple of electrics to get the sound you want from those as well. So 6 guitars will cover most situations. But wait do you use alternate tunings better plan on couple more.

I guess the specific guitar is just as important as the mic if your looking for the perfect sound.

I guess if I only could have one guitar something along the lines of a hollow body electric would be my choice. Perhaps a ES-335 or ES-175.

GAS is not a disease it is a neccessity.
 
In general (IMO)

there are 4 basic sounds.

Clean electric, distorted electric, acoustic, and acoustic/electric.

Everything else is just a variation on that. Some would even say acoustic/electric is just a variation on acoustic, but that's not the way I look at it right now.


You should be able to get a perfectly good clean sound out of your Aria. It will not, however, sound like an acoustic guitar, if that's what you're looking for.

You still haven't said what you're looking for.

You can use an acoustic simulator pedal for your electric guitar, an it will sound a little more like an acoustic, but it still won't really sound like an acoustic.

Whether or not an acoustic-electric sounds like an acoustic depends on the particular guitar, the amp that you use (there are specific amps for acoustic-electric) and how picky you are about how close it sounds to an acoustic.
You can use any amp, but a specifically acoustic amp is designed to help an acoustic-electric sound more natural.

Do you have a well-known song that has the sound you're looking for?
 
notCardio said:
I didn't even think of that. I assumed he was talking about an a/e, but he was pretty vague, so you could be right!
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He mentioned a arai strat copy so I'm referring to a ES-335 or something similar. It will do a little of everything and can produce a some what acoustic sound when turned down.
 
Where are you playing? I live not too far away. I've played in Salisbury a few times too.
 
i'll do my best to clarify, I have very little money, so for now I will have to operate on one guitar, very little choice in this matter.

A lot of my stuff is acoustic and this whole show will probably remain acoustic, but there is a decent chance that I will need distortion in the future. so, I'm trying to decide which to get for now, the acoustic/electric or the electric.

I mainly do strumming on the acoustic though there is some finger-picking, bands like The Decemberists and Bright Eyes come to mind for a sound similar to what I'm looking for. I just don't know which kind of guitar will suit me better right now,

if that didn't help, tell me what you need to know.
 
rory said:
Where are you playing? I live not too far away. I've played in Salisbury a few times too.
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I'm playing something at a local school in May and am lining something up for Escape the Daily Grind in the near future.
 
SacredDespair said:
A lot of my stuff is acoustic and this whole show will probably remain acoustic, but there is a decent chance that I will need distortion in the future. so, I'm trying to decide which to get for now, the acoustic/electric or the electric.
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You should get an acoustic, you already have an electric.

The acoustic/electric is an acoustic guitar (like people play around camp fires) that has a pickup in it. It won't take to distortion at all, that is not it's purpose. This is probably your best choice, you might not even need the pickup. You could just mic it.

The hollow body electric is an electric guitar that happens to have a hollow body. It doesn't sound like an acoustic and tends to feed back if you use too much distortion. Probably not a good choice for you.
 
Be aware, though, that some acoustic/electrics are really designed primarily with the 'electric' part in mind, and don't really sound so good when just played acoustically.

The best a/e's, that I've knowingly heard anyway, are full size acoustics with both a pickup and an internal mic built in. They are, unfortunately, more expensive.

One option, which most here will strongly disagree with me on, is to get a Variax electric. No, they don't sound exactly like an acoustic, but they don't sound any worse than some a/e's I've heard, and you will have a lot of flexiblilty as far as instrumentation goes.
 
OK,

Your Aria Strat copy gives you a perfectly usable electric guitar that should basically serve your immediate needs. IMHO it would be wise to look at your needs on the acoustic end first and look at the electric end later.

As NotCardio pointed out a Variax is an option. I suggest you give one a try if it isn't out of your price range.

Acoustic/electrics come in all price ranges and some of the cheapest ones can be surprisingly good guitars. Because they are built like acoustics, strummed chords decay the same way. They give you more of that feel, More percussion. If you go this rout, it and the Aria together will give you a pretty wide range of sounds to use.

Be aware that A/E guitars don't sound that great through amps designed for electric guitars. You will probably have to mic the thing or run it through the PA to sound its best until you can address that.

Whatever you do, get the best instrument you can. Let your ears and your fingers tell you which one that is, not the logo.
 
If you can, take somebody with you to play it for you so you can stand back and hear what the audience hears. Try to play it through equipment as similar to yours as possible rather than the best amp they have.

Good luck to you.
 
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