Does anyone else have an acoustic 'just in case'?

chris_john

I'm an electric player through and through. I have 3 electrics at any one time - that's just the number I decided was enough. I also have an acoustic. Not a great one, but it's perfectly playable. However, I never feel the urge to pick it up. It just sits there in the rack neglected and unloved. I bought it because I thought that I should have an acoustic in the collection, and not because I really wanted to play. For whatever reason, acoustics have never gotten my juices flowing like a strat plugged into a tube screamer. 
I'm thinking about selling it, but I keep it 'just in case'. Am I alone in this?
P.s. first world problems....

munckee

I had an acoustic for years which I didn’t play much compared to my electrics. I was going to get it set up but decided to buy a new one instead as mine was a dreadnought with no electrics. 

I paid £400 for a used guild om size and electrics. It’s so much better than my old acoustic I play it as much as electrics now and am getting into finger picking. 

Haych

I go through a phase every now and then where I crave a really nice acoustic and sometimes think about giving up all the amps and leccy guitars and just having one acoustic.

It's have to be something really nice but I love the immediacy of just being able to pick up a guitar and play.

With all this coronavirus crap going on at the moment my urge to sell everything (although it's now worth about 25% less than it was two weeks ago) is very strong.

I reckon I could be really happy with just an acoustic.  Of course then I'd play Moving Pictures one day and start craving a Marshall (which I've never owned) and a 345 lol.

LastMantra

I do generally prefer electric but I like having an acoustic for a wee strum now and then. I tend to sing more when playing acoustic. 

MattW

I tend to go in phases, I’ll pick up an acoustic, realise how much I enjoy it and that’ll be it for a while, I just keep playing acoustic. Then I’ll pick up an electric, realise how much I missed having a bit of power behind it, disappear down a pedal rabbit hole for a while and so on.

pintspiller

I got a used Encore acoustic for £20 about ten years ago. I've played it twice.

chris_john

LastMantra said:

I do generally prefer electric but I like having an acoustic for a wee strum now and then. I tend to sing more when playing acoustic. 

Maybe that's part of my problem. I once heard a recording of my singing, and it was a tough listen. 

SteveRobinson

My acoustic is on loan to my son-in-law and I doubt I'll ever see it again. It didn't get much play here anyway

Tenebrous

I prefer acoustic to electric more often than not, so I can't really relate. I've had years without an electric, though...

Cols

I can find no better words than those of Keith Richards:

“I would say that the acoustic guitar is the most important thing for a guitar player to start with. Learn the feel and the touch of the string and what it does against a fret. Learn that and then you can add the effects later on. You want to be a guitar player, you have to have your grounding. It’s like anywhere else. An astronaut doesn’t start in space, somebody’s got to build a rocket.”

Leading on from that, it’s healthy to pick it up regularly to stay grounded and be able to play without all the lovely crutches of light strings, overdrive, reverb and the other treats afforded by electric.

stickyfiddle

I have 6 electrics and 1 acoustic, but play more acoustic than electric these days. Having a really nice acoustic helps, but then I only got the really nice acoustic because I wanted to play acoustic stuff, so ymmv. 

What I would say is I don't see the value of keeping a guitar you don't play.

MichaelWatts

I have an electric just in case 

Jeremiah

No.

I borrowed one for around a year, but the case didn't get opened in that time so it went back to its owner.

In the event that civilisation collapses and we no longer have electricity, I'd probably learn to play banjo rather than get an acoustic guitar.

chris_john

Cols said:

I can find no better words than those of Keith Richards:

“I would say that the acoustic guitar is the most important thing for a guitar player to start with. Learn the feel and the touch of the string and what it does against a fret. Learn that and then you can add the effects later on. You want to be a guitar player, you have to have your grounding. It’s like anywhere else. An astronaut doesn’t start in space, somebody’s got to build a rocket.”

Leading on from that, it’s healthy to pick it up regularly to stay grounded and be able to play without all the lovely crutches of light strings, overdrive, reverb and the other treats afforded by electric.

I had a similar discussion with a friend who is the opposite to me in this regard. He insisted that playing an acoustic would make you a better player. I didn't agree, because they are both as different as they are similar. 

chris_john

stickyfiddle said:

I have 6 electrics and 1 acoustic, but play more acoustic than electric these days. Having a really nice acoustic helps, but then I only got the really nice acoustic because I wanted to play acoustic stuff, so ymmv. 

What I would say is I don't see the value of keeping a guitar you don't play.

This is probably true. It could be that I simply haven't found 'the one'. There might be an acoustic guitar out there that will make me change my mind- I just haven't discovered it yet.

slacker

chris_john said:

Cols said:

I can find no better words than those of Keith Richards:

“I would say that the acoustic guitar is the most important thing for a guitar player to start with. Learn the feel and the touch of the string and what it does against a fret. Learn that and then you can add the effects later on. You want to be a guitar player, you have to have your grounding. It’s like anywhere else. An astronaut doesn’t start in space, somebody’s got to build a rocket.”

Leading on from that, it’s healthy to pick it up regularly to stay grounded and be able to play without all the lovely crutches of light strings, overdrive, reverb and the other treats afforded by electric.

I had a similar discussion with a friend who is the opposite to me in this regard. He insisted that playing an acoustic would make you a better player. I didn't agree, because they are both as different as they are similar. 

I played acoustic for about 20 years before I played electric. Both those posts are right IMHO. They are similar enough that you get a good grounding with acoustic but different in that you need to use the sounds less strings etc. I still play acoustic more than electric and I like the fact that I have to make three majors and a minor sound different with technique. Having said that last time I played my fuzz factory at volume was a lot of fun. 

thecolourbox

I have one (a Big Baby Taylor) that I keep just in case, well it's in a bag not a case but yeah. Just in bag.

I only keep it because whenever I get rid of one, I get asked to pay somewhere that requires one. I don't really like Acoustic sounds much, but I'm fairly naturally alright at it and it's the only chance I get to play out usually.

I got the Taylor quite cheaply really so I figured there's not much chance of me getting anything as good on future if I sacked it off. I'd swap it for a Gretsch Jim Dandy type thing though!!

Snags

Not "just in case", no. I have a good acoustic, an old acoustic "just in case" and Mrs Snags crap 18th birthday present from Grandma acoustic that we can't turn into firewood for sentimental reasons.

They're just different things for different purposes. One thing that moves the acoustic from "the thing you play because you can't be arsed to plug the amp in" to "first thing I reach for anyway" is having a nice acoustic. A shit electric you can get away with via pedals etc. A shit acoustic is just horrible to play. A nice one actively encourages you to pick it up and use it, and work out how it's a different beast to the electric. Not that I'm much use on either, but I get the concept

dilbert

I started on a Fender Gemini II and started playing with a couple of other guys who were playing electrics. You can guess the rest. My son asked for an acoustic for his 21st so we got him one from JHS which was advertised as 'best guitar in class, sub 1k'.  Damn well was as well, IMO, very decent build, sweet tone and excellent projection for £120.

Wish I'd got one myself now, but it would probably seldom, other than the odd number on a gig.    

bbill335

i don't have an acoustic "just in case", but i do have one "just on stand"

Funkfingers

thecolourbox said:

I have a Big Baby Taylor … I'd swap it for a Gretsch Jim Dandy type thing though!!

Please don’t do that. Trade upwards.

Cols said:

Keith Richards:
“… Learn the feel and the touch of the string and what it does against a fret. Learn that and then you can add the effects later on.”

These are the basic mechanical properties of the machine. On a good day, it kills fascists.

Acoustic guitar is a tool with a job to do. If your music demands one, it is probably worthwhile investing in a seriously nice example.