Acoustic playability?

Smellyfingers

I know a lot of emphasis is rightly given to things like action and neck witdth but also it is important to consider how comfortable the acoustic is to hold for long periods, in your preferred position either sitting or standing.

It is vital for long periods of practice, but I think it will always be easier to find an electric that is more ergonomic to handle, because obviously it does’nt need a sound box.

Dave_Mc

Smellyfingers said:

I know a lot of emphasis is rightly given to things like action and neck witdth but also it is important to consider how comfortable the acoustic is to hold for long periods, in your preferred position either sitting or standing.

It is vital for long periods of practice

Not with how much I practise...

Yorkie

I struggled with my dreadnought acoustic for decades, to the point where I just couldn't stand playing it. A couple of years ago I decided to sell it and try to use all the experience I had accumulated on electrics since 2019 – when I resumed serious practice – in the purchase of an acoustic that would actually suit me. I'm a little guy and do a lot of bends, so I went for a parlour size, short scale length and put 10s on it. The PRS P20E Tonare fit the criteria and wasn't super expensive, so I took the plunge and been a happy person ever since. I can certainly play acoustic now :-)

maltingsaudio

Great thread enjoying it so here’s my tuppence. The first thing which springs to mind is that where the acoustic differs from the electric is it relies on string and body vibrations to produce a sound. The electric relies on the pickups. What that means in real terms is that the higher up the fretboard you go on an acoustic the less sustain and volume your going to get because the string cannot vibrate in the same way as it does further down due to mass and tension. This doesn’t apply to electrics due to the pickups ability to do its job. When you come to play an acoustic from playing an electric you kind of expect the same response all over the fretboard and it simply can’t do it. Still got the blues intro does kinda work on acoustic if you play it around the 5th fret where the strings can ring, but no chance above the 12th fret for example. If you watch bluegrass or flat pickers most of the magic occurs below the 8th fret because the strings can vibrate more freely and give the volume and sustain. Ask an electric player to play a solo on an acoustic and his head/hands will immediately start thinking of notes above the 10th fret because that’s where the magic happens on an electric , exactly where the sustain and volume starts dramatically dropping This is kind of thinking is what puts off electric players from acoustics.

Tannin

^ And acoustic players off electrics! Well, this one anyway.