Ask a Teacher: Acoustic vs. Electric

Bill: Is it a good idea to practice with both the acoustic and electric guitar at the same time? Or, should I concentrate on one or the other. I am not an experienced player, but I am not a total beginner, either

The reason why I ask is because I find that playing the acoustic guitar has a different feeling than the electric guitar I have. And, going back and forth seems to be harder than staying on one guitar. Or, is it good for my development to go back and forth?

Also, when I try to play songs that I like that famous singers have made (like Vince Gill, etc) the quality of the sound I get out of the electric guitar isn’t as good as the recordings. Is that because the amp that I’m using is a cheap amp (I just have a small student amp)? Also, would buying a pedal improve the sound quality?

Peter Vogl: A bunch of good questions here. It is fine to work on both guitars learning the touch required to play both. Using a good tube amp is the first step to good tone. Guys like Vince Gill are also using a compressor pedal, sometimes a delay pedal, and at times a chorus. You can buy them in one good multi effect if you like. Remember they are going through super expensive processing in the recordings you are listening to. The mixing board alone could very well be worth a million dollars. Best of luck.