Why Not as Much Traffic in Acoustic Section?

guitarjack66 · February 2022

Since being on here I have noticed how few posts or replies seem to flow through the Acoustic section compared to the General Guitar(Electric) section. Why is this?
When I even considered playing guitar just a few years back I never even considered just jumping on an electric,acoustic was always the way to go. I find it the purest and most natural way, and and sound of a guitar. Is this down to culture.our favourite artists predominently using electrics or a train of thought that believes acoustic is elitist and heavily linked with classical music? (It isnt of course given its use in Country music for example.)
Nice to hear thoughts on this.

mrkb · February 2022

To me an acoustic is mainly related to buskers strumming cover versions, so not something I listen to often. Next association is with artists “unplugged” - so again a simplified version of songs. Lastly the “Lesbian seagull” scene in Beavis and Butthead - very funny!

slacker · February 2022

I've played acoustic since 1976 and electric since 1997. I joined here in 2015 and mainly played acoustic out. I rarely post in the acoustic section, even when I was looking for and bought a Martin. I don't know why.

TheBigDipper · February 2022

I'd suggest that acoustic guitarists tend to keep their guitars for a long time and spend more time playing them than they do agonising about gear on social media. Once you've found the strings, picks, slide and capo that you like, what's left to post about?

Tannin · February 2022

The acoustic section is always quieter, Jack. There is a much bigger, much busier acoustic-only forum I won't mention by name but it can be ... well, let's just say that this place is better run and in consequence much more relaxed and friendly. And size notwithstanding, the level of expertise on tap here is amply sufficient to answer almost any sensible question.

Example: I'm about to post a query about removing pickguard glue. It's late afternoon here (early AM in the UK). I'll bet six to one I have at least one good answer by the time I get up tomorrow morning.

TheOtherDennis · February 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Since being on here I have noticed how few posts or replies seem to flow through the Acoustic section compared to the General Guitar(Electric) section. Why is this?
When I even considered playing guitar just a few years back I never even considered just jumping on an electric,acoustic was always the way to go. I find it the purest and most natural way, and and sound of a guitar. Is this down to culture.our favourite artists predominently using electrics or a train of thought that believes acoustic is elitist and heavily linked with classical music? (It isnt of course given its use in Country music for example.)
Nice to hear thoughts on this.

I don't think it's any of those things - imho, it's simply down to the number of members interested in electrics versus the number of those interested in acoustics.

On this forum, there seem to be way more electric players than acoustic players, so the main guitar section gets more traffic. I really don't think it's any more complicated than that.

In the early days of the forum, the acoustic section didn't even exist. There was just one guitar section covering both electric and acoustic. Same in the classifieds.

The acoustic section was effectively willed into being by the acoustic players on here asking for somewhere specific to accommodate us, because all our threads were getting swamped by the electric players.

So, yeah, numbers. There's more of them than there are of us. Nothing more to it than that.

Tannin · February 2022

Also, the naming of the forums is weird. They should be "Electric" and "Acoustic", instead of lumping everything in with the electrics unless it is specifically acoustic. You often see acoustic-relevant posts in the electric section, practically never the other way around.

ToneControl · February 2022

most acoustic players aren't faffing with their guitars as much, changing pickups, whammy bars, etc
as mentioned, once they are set up properly, there's not much to do except play them

TTony · February 2022

ToneControl said:

as mentioned, once they are set up properly, there's not much to do except play them

And where's the fun in that???

TheOtherDennis · February 2022

Tannin said:

Also, the naming of the forums is weird. They should be "Electric" and "Acoustic", instead of lumping everything in with the electrics unless it is specifically acoustic. You often see acoustic-relevant posts in the electric section, practically never the other way around.

Because, as I said, originally, there was just one "guitars" section. Then acoustics was added, and the original name was never changed.

guitarjack66 · February 2022

ToneControl said:

most acoustic players aren't faffing with their guitars as much, changing pickups, whammy bars, etc
as mentioned, once they are set up properly, there's not much to do except play them

You make that sound like a bad thing!

bertie · February 2022

cos most on here cant play properly

seriously - two fold

1 - Naming of the section headers

but more so -

2 - quite literally, many more people either only play, or are much more focused on electric

guitarjack66 · February 2022

The weird thing is that before I started learning I thought jumping straight onto electric was a bit of a 'cheat' rather than learning on acoustic and transferring those skills to the 'easier' electric guitar. I still sort of think that to be honest.

brojangles · February 2022

Fewer toys to obsess about, and acoustic guitars are way more expensive so people are less likely to flip loads of them or build giant collections. Plus it turns out there's a surprising number of people who only play electric, even at home.

I guess the naming also makes a casual browser assume that the acoustic section is a special forum for sandal-wearing folkies.

bertie · February 2022

guitarjack66 said:

The weird thing is that before I started learning I thought jumping straight onto electric was a bit of a 'cheat' rather than learning on acoustic and transferring those skills to the 'easier' electric guitar. I still sort of think that to be honest.

well that's it I think back "in the day" when us oldies learnt "good" beginner electrics were harder to come by and it was almost "the done thing" to learn on an acoustic..............cos they were just so much more readily available - thats a massive generalisation but is pretty accurate I think.

Most "kids" learn cos they want to be in a band, and electrics are easier to play and easier to come by, and somewhat "cooler" to most

guitarjack66 · February 2022

bertie said:

guitarjack66 said:

The weird thing is that before I started learning I thought jumping straight onto electric was a bit of a 'cheat' rather than learning on acoustic and transferring those skills to the 'easier' electric guitar. I still sort of think that to be honest.

well that's it I think back "in the day" when us oldies learnt "good" beginner electrics were harder to come by and it was almost "the done thing" to learn on an acoustic..............cos they were just so much more readily available - thats a massive generalisation but is pretty accurate I think.

Most "kids" learn cos they want to be in a band, and electrics are easier to play and easier to come by, and somewhat "cooler" to most

Ironically,the cooler element may be returning through the likes of Ed Sheeran. At least one good thing may come of his music.

Mellish · February 2022

As has been said I think that, as acoustic players, we're outnumbered on here. It doesn't bother me. If there's nothing being discussed, I can kick things off by way of starting a new thread as @Tannin is about to do

bertie · February 2022

its always been my "gripe" going back to "Intermusic" days - people want to pigeon hole a "genre" but Im a "guitar player" no bias to acoustic or electric

Tannin · February 2022

brojangles said:

I guess the naming also makes a casual browser assume that the acoustic section is a special forum for sandal-wearing folkies.

Blimey! You mean it isn't?

guitarjack66 · February 2022

bertie said:

its always been my "gripe" going back to "Intermusic" days - people want to pigeon hole a "genre" but Im a "guitar player" no bias to acoustic or electric

That's a fair comment. I find electric guitars a bit of a minefield to be honest. Too much consideration over models,amps,pedals,effects and so on. At least with an acoustic it's mostly pick up and play. I much prefer that. I will buy an electric soon though,just for practicality and learning purposes.

Tannin · February 2022

Mellish said:

As has been said I think that, as acoustic players, we're outnumbered on here. It doesn't bother me. If there's nothing being discussed, I can kick things off by way of starting a new thread as @Tannin is about to do

I put it in Making and Modding, where it is languishing unread. I should have put it here in the busy acoustic forum, of course, where it would have three good answers already.

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https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/223454/cleaning-up-after-a-pickguard-removal-nitro

TTony · February 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Ironically,the cooler element may be returning through the likes of Ed Sheeran.

Wow.

I've just seen "cooler" and "Ed Sheeran" in the same sentence.

TheOtherDennis · February 2022

It pains me to say this

but I agree with @bertie - when I play my acoustic, I'm often playing stuff that's originally been played on an electric, as well as stuff that's been written for acoustic.

Out in the big wide world, it's often the other way around - a lot of big stars write and demo their new songs on acoustic before switching to electric, depending on what they want the song to sound like.

And seeing as we're throwing stereotypes around with abandon, here are a few more. The idea that the acoustic is somehow only for beardie folkies or whiny broken hearted poets singing about how awful life is, or whimsical girlies who sound like a mouse could bully them, has always made me twitch, and not in a good way.

Whether you like Mumford & Sons or not is irrelevant, they can raise the roof with their acoustics, why not the rest of us?

guitarjack66 · February 2022

TTony said:

guitarjack66 said:

Ironically,the cooler element may be returning through the likes of Ed Sheeran.

Wow.

I've just seen "cooler" and "Ed Sheeran" in the same sentence.

He isn't? I'm way older than I realise.

DavidR · February 2022

As an acoustic chappy I find there's enough on FB to maintain interest and I learn from it still.

I agree AGF less friendly and less well run. Used to look at it but rarely do so now.

FB acoustic content less simply because there are fewer acoustic players contributing I suspect.

FB is a pleasant forum mostly.

Mellish · February 2022

@Tannin ; it'll get answered mate, hopefully by someone who knows more than I do

Tannin · February 2022

There are a number of reasons why I play acoustic guitars.

#1 with a bullet is that I can actually play a bit. I have never yet got the hang of getting a nice sound out of an electric. I'm seriously crap on electric. (Though oddly enough I was fine as a bassist. I quite enjoyed playing bass.)

As far as I'm concerned, electric guitar is a completely different instrument. It's a good instrument, no worries there, but it is almost as foreign to me as ... oh, say a trumpet.

There are other reasons. I like the sound. I like being able to play anywhere. (If I want to sit out in the garden with my toes in the nice cool lake and play guitar, that's exactly what I do. Try that with a Strat and a Marshal Stack.)

And I like the simple, endlessly fascinating challenge of getting the sound you want using nothing except your fingers. No tricks, no FX, no pedal board, no pickup switch, no tone controls, no EQ box, no reverb, no chorus, no tube distortion .... just you and your fingers. I have huge respect for electric guitarists(just as I do for good harmonica players and singers and keyboard wizards) but for me it will always be a nice lump of wood, six strings, and fingers.

TTony · February 2022

TheOtherDennis said:

And seeing as we're throwing stereotypes around with abandon, here are a few more. The idea that the acoustic is somehow only for beardie folkies or whiny broken hearted poets singing about how awful life is, or whimsical girlies who sound like a mouse could bully them, has always made me twitch, and not in a good way.

Nowadays, my playing is probably 1/3 acoustic, 2/3 electric.

Until a couple of years ago, I rarely picked up an acoustic. The increase has largely been driven by my participation in a weekly on-line acoustic open mic type event that's been running through lockdowns.

That's definitely not a beardie folkie community, nor are there too many whiny poets (though there are examples of both!).

I guess stereotypes have some sort of basis in reality or widely shared experience, but you don't have to be constrained by them and there's plenty of roof-raising acoustic playing that goes on.

hollywoodrox · February 2022

guitarjack66 said:

The weird thing is that before I started learning I thought jumping straight onto electric was a bit of a 'cheat' rather than learning on acoustic and transferring those skills to the 'easier' electric guitar. I still sort of think that to be honest.

I’d disagree with that , the extra muting required when playing at high gain can call for a whole different way of playing to stop various strings ringing out when they are not required ,plus every fluff or indiscriminate accidental hand movement is amplified a thousand times louder

CavemanGrogg · February 2022

guitarjack66 said:

The weird thing is that before I started learning I thought jumping straight onto electric was a bit of a 'cheat' rather than learning on acoustic and transferring those skills to the 'easier' electric guitar. I still sort of think that to be honest.

My parents where the same with me, insisted I start on classical, I didn't get electric guitar lessons until the music school I was going to suggested to my parents that I'd benefit more getting classical lessons through LRCM and ABRSM and do electric through them.

As to why the acoustic section see less activity, I think it's down to numbers, as a classicaly trained guiar player I have far far more electric guitars than I do acoustics and classicals combined, and I can't remember the last time I picked up an electric guitar. It wouldn't shock me to learn that I'm not the only primarily classical or acoustic player who spends more time reading the electric section, or has more electrics than classicals, I even browse the electric classified section far far more than the acoustic, yet I'm in the process of having a classical guitar built for me.

bertie · February 2022

hollywoodrox said:

guitarjack66 said:

The weird thing is that before I started learning I thought jumping straight onto electric was a bit of a 'cheat' rather than learning on acoustic and transferring those skills to the 'easier' electric guitar. I still sort of think that to be honest.

I’d disagree with that , the extra muting required when playing at high gain can call for a whole different way of playing to stop various strings ringing out when they are not required ,plus every fluff or indiscriminate accidental hand movement is amplified a thousand times louder

nah - we're (and I assume Jack) talking about basics, learning to play "guitar" not a specific form of guitar - so the fingering, muscle memory, callouses, dexterity, chords, strumming etc etc - all the stuff that is common between the types but physically harder on an acoustic with thicker / higher tension strings (usually !!)

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Why Not as Much Traffic in Acoustic Section?

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