ok this may sound really pathetically stupid, and i know nearlly all of you will have a good laugh at me, but i have to ask, can an electric guitar be used as an acoustic as well. dont laugh. lol.

its because well i want to learn guitar and stuff. and i am completely clueless, like absolutely clueless as in where to start and what to buy.

so i really would appreciate some guidance here on what is what, and p.s that dumb question i asked was just out of interest, its not like im gonna pick up an electric guitar and bust out with purple haze jimi style, ahha.

please help.

p.s is it worth picking up guitar now? ive already had lessons before, like basic cords n stuff, but i really want a guitar and stuff!

many thanks!

yeahyeahyeahs, xo.

you can make an electric sound more like an acoustic.  there are 2 options:

1.  Go to your local guitar shop and try out an 'Acoustic Simulator' pedal (Boss make a good one).  You simply plug your guitar into this pedal and then run another lead from the pedal into the amp.  The advantage of this option is that you can turn the acoustic sim pedal on and off whilst playing, thus you can use an electric sound and an acoustic sound in the same song.

2.  Ask your guitar shop whether they can fit piezo saddles to your guitar.  I shant bother explaining what they are (they get paid to talk about this sort of shit!) but just take my word for it that they'll make your electric sound more like an acoustic.

Unfortunately, if you want to get the exact sound and feel of an acoustic then you only have one option - go out and buy yourself an acoustic.  There's nothing else that will give you that exact sound.  Also you have to consider the effect of the strings - what I mean by this is that you would usually use thinner strings on an electric than an acoustic, so if you try to make an electric sound like an acoustic then it will naturally sound thinner than if it were really an acoustic guitar.  You must also bare in mind that you will naturally play an acoustic in a slightly different way to an electric so it will be difficult to try and fool your technique into thinking your guitar is something it is not.

I hope this is of help - I work in a guitar shop so if you want any more help then I'm happy to advise.

And in answer to your last question - its never too late to learn guitar.  If you're willing to work at it, then it could turn out to be the most rewarding and fulfilling thing you've ever done.

Dave.

ohhhhhhhhhh wow, thanks so much for answering and clearing things up.  wow so many technicalities.

thanks so much dave for taking time in answering and helping me.

Well for a beginner the electric is easier to play. The strings are smaller and will be easier to press on. But if you learn it on acoustic you can play anything. But its all up to you. With electric you need amps and cables. Acoustic all you need is you and a guitar. Just remember patience and practise.

yeah - i agree, electric is easier to play but acoustic is simpler gear-wise (you don't need amps etc).

My best advice is to decide what you wanna play and go buy it - dont let anyone try to tell you what to get.  There's always rumours going round that everyone should start on acoustic.  Thats total b******t!  If you wanna learn sax then why buy a clarinet??

I have asked people many times why everyone is advised to learn on an acoustic first (quite often classical with wider necks) and the only answer is that, as mentioned above) once you have mastered a harder guitar then it is easier to move onto a well set up electric, whereas if you learn on a fender strat, then try to play on a nylon strung classical, you will hate it and wont be able to get the best out of it...

So, i think start on what ever you feel most comfortable with, consider the cost too, buying an acoustic guitar to learn on will cost you however much you wanna pay for your guitar, but may be harder to learn on... But buying an electric setup with all the other stuff you will need (cables, amps, acoustic effects etc) could run into a cost of hundreds, but is more cofortable to learn on... Which ever option you choose, remember, after the initial interest wares off, it may become just an ornament in the corner of your room as i have seen with so many learners.... So choose wisely...

My first guitar cost just £5 from a car boot sale, it prob sounded awful but at least i found out weather it was an instrument i would stick to befor i started paying out too much money...

I'll shut up now

great advice

i agree i remember starting on a steel string acoustic, then i moved on to a poor immitation strat with an action you could bungee jump off....then i bought myself an ibanez, couldn't believe how quickly and accurately i could play... but i do find you can get a nice sound from an electric on a clean setting which can fit finger picking quite well...but your fingers will definately feel wierd... the shape is wrong the feel is wrong and no matter how much you spend the sound is wrong. but saying that a clean electric sound is something an acoustic guitar will never get right either =)

I actually never tried to play an electric guitar until after I had been playing acoustic for ten years.

Then all at once I had been recruited to fill in for a Megadeth cover band.  So I needed to be playing some serious electric guitar.  And by golly, was it a menace.  I still listen to the recording and cringe at all the unwanted notes that came out of my amplifier when I tapped a string the wrong way.  So I think there's nothing wrong with starting with either one, probably better if you get to know your way around both, though.

I'm truly a bassist at heart, so not much advice to offer in the way of guitars, I'm afraid.

Agreed.
I started with chords and stuff on acoustic, then moved on to this:
Oh the shame!
mainly because of the price. But, as soon as i got a low action top quality electric guitar, i found that i could play so much better. There are so many people i know who started on acoustic, then moved onto electric, and they are twice as good as the people i know who went straight to electric.
 If you want my advice, start acoustic, then move on to the electric. It'll be worth it in the end.

Get the best of both worlds. Get a Full hollowbody guitar.  You can play it without being plugged in and get the feeling of an acoustic. Plug it in, and you are ready to shred. I want this guitar to have my children http://www.music123.com/Aria-FA80-i161632.music

hmmm... my vote goes for acoustic. two reasons

1) if you learn on acoustic you will be a better player in the end

2) the tone of an acoustic is just absolutely gorgeous, i love them, no electric could ever compare to that rich warmth and beauty of an acoustic guitar

I particularly enjoy the sound of jazz as played on an acoustic guitar much more than on one of those fancy expensive hollow bodies.

Acoustics are ultimately cheaper in the end, and you can take them camping, hiking, to the park, on the street, wherever. You'll never be able to make an electric sound like an acoustic, but if you get an acoustic-electric, that is an acoustic with a pickup... then with some decent effects pedals and a good amp you can make it sound much closer to an electric than you can make an electric sound like an acoustic.

in the end, it's the sound that gets me... i just love the sound of an acoustic guitar

I'm thinking maybe you want an acoustic- electric. It's a hollow classic acoustic with a place to plug it in(a jack) to send a clean acoustic style sound to an amp. When it's not plugged in, it's just a regular old acoustic that you can bring to the park or whatever.

Before you pick a guitar, think first about what type of music you want to play. What sound do you want?
I agree an electric is easier to play and I have found when learning a new piece of music, I will do it on my acoustic first.  When I get it sounding (somewhat) right and have mastered fingering, etc. then I move onto my electric and I am amazed at how much faster and cleaner I can play it.
In the end it's all up to personal choice and only you can answer that question.
I found a neat little book that I use now when I practice, I wish I had it when I first started playing.  It is called "basic guitar workout" by David Mead and I think it came out about 2002.
All the best for your playing future.
Doc.